Comparison

Ikiru vs iWriter 2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ikiru

Organize your life with this versatile app for creating lists, taking notes, and setting reminders. It helps you focus on what's important with a beautiful, user-friendly design and powerful features like nested lists and due dates.

Highlights
  • Create nested lists
  • Set due dates and reminders
  • Add photos to list items
  • Sort list items dynamically
  • Sync data via iCloud
  • Protect data with Touch ID/passcode
  • View items on Apple Watch
Features
Read full description

Ikiru is a simple but powerful app for making lists, keeping notes and setting reminders. It aims to help you live a productive and meaningful life, by enabling you to focus on the things that are most important to you. IKIRU IS VERSATILE Use it to create to do lists, shopping lists, take notes, store contact information, keep track of books to read, or movies to watch... or anything else you'd want to make a list for. IKIRU IS BEAUTIFUL With a clean and easy to use design, choose from over 2000 icons to assign to your lists. IKIRU IS POWERFUL - create lists within lists - assign a due date and reminder to list items - view all items with a due date in one convenient timeline - add a photo to list items - drag and drop to sort list items, or automatically keep a list sorted alphabetically, by modification date, completion date, and more - easily copy or move items from one list to another - mark items incomplete to return them to their original position in the list (this makes lists easy to reuse) - send a list via email, and the receiver can import your list into their copy of Ikiru - view items with due dates on your Apple Watch IKIRU KEEPS YOUR DATA SAFE - automatically back up and sync lists between iOS devices using iCloud - use Touch ID or a custom passcode to protect your information IKIRU HAS PURPOSE The word "ikiru" (ee-kee-roo) means "to live" in Japanese. It's also the title of an Akira Kurosawa film about a man who decides to do something meaningful with his life. Ikiru (the app) is my attempt at doing something meaningful with my life, and hopefully help others live meaningful and productive lives. IKIRU HAS HISTORY In 2010 I released a list-making app called "Paperless". From busy moms to airplane pilots to people who needed a little help remembering things after suffering a brain injury, Paperless has been used by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Ikiru is built upon that legacy - incorporating the best ideas from Paperless, greatly improving upon them, and adding big features that people have requested. IKIRU NEEDS LOVE If you find Ikiru useful, please rate and review it in the App Store. Thank you!

About

iWriter 2

A minimalist Markdown text editor designed for distraction-free writing. It offers advanced features like MultiMarkdown support, live preview, Wikilinks, and seamless export to various formats. Built with TextKit 2 for enhanced performance and a smooth user experience.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free minimalist writing environment
  • MultiMarkdown support with live preview
  • Wikilinks and Wiki-Embeds
  • Built-in document manager with search
  • Export to HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOCX, LaTeX
  • LaTeX syntax highlighting and Mermaid diagrams
Read full description

iWriter 2 is an elegant and minimalist Markdown text editor designed for distraction-free writing. # iWriter 2 is the next generation of the beloved iWriter text editor. "Simple & beautiful" App Store Review, 2019 "Terrific Writing and Notes App" App Store Review, 2015 "Great simple text editor" App Store Review, 2014 Immerse yourself in a minimalist writing environment designed to enhance focus and productivity. Say hello to structured, professional documents that effortlessly transform your ideas. ## MultiMarkdown Support iWriter 2 is a full-featured Markdown editor built for precision and flexibility. - MultiMarkdown support with live preview and syntax highlighting. - Wikilinks and Wiki-Embeds for connected notes. - Task lists and code blocks made simple. - Keyboard shortcuts for fast inline formatting. ## Built-in Document Manager A built-in document manager that lets you easily organize, browse, and manage all your files in one place — complete with powerful document search to quickly find exactly what you need. ## Rebuilt with TextKit 2 iWriter 2 has been completely rebuilt from the ground up using Apple’s modern TextKit 2 framework, delivering faster performance, smoother scrolling, and a more responsive writing experience. ## Multiple Export Options A refined, user-friendly interface designed for focus and productivity, offering intuitive formatting options and seamless export to multiple formats including HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOCX (Microsoft Word), and LaTeX. ## LaTeX and Mermaid Diagrams iWriter 2 offers LaTeX syntax highlighting, making complex math expressions easy to read and edit as you write. It also supports Mermaid diagrams, letting you create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more using simple text-based syntax. Both integrate seamlessly into your Markdown workflow, keeping technical writing and visual documentation in one place. --- Terms of Use: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://serpensoft.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Ikiru4 screens
iWriter 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iWriter 2 at 4.5 against Ikiru's 3.9. iWriter 2 also leads on chart position (#200 vs unranked). Ikiru's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and review sentiment (54% vs 40%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Ikiru costs $4.99 and iWriter 2 $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iWriter 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ikiru has 101 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Ikiru's written reviews are positive against 40% of iWriter 2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ikiru ships an update every 3 weeks, iWriter 2 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ikiru versus iWriter 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIkiruiWriter 2
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.9 (101 ratings)4.5 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings101 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#200 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.1 — better26
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames RhoadesSerpensoft Group

Customer experience

Ikiru

All ratings101 ratings
Positive68.3%
Neutral13.9%
Negative17.8%
Written reviews131 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral18.3%
Negative27.5%

iWriter 2

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Bugs and requests

Ikiru

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Reminders not working properly
  • Syncing issues causing data loss
  • Crashes after iOS updates
  • Inability to disable Face ID lock

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more formatting options (bold, italic, etc.)
  • Improve search to allow searching within sublists
  • Provide more customization options for themes and icons
  • Add location-based reminders
  • Implement better backup and restore functionality

iWriter 2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ikiru

No in-app purchases

None

iWriter 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ikiru free?
Ikiru costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iWriter 2 free?
iWriter 2 costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ikiru or iWriter 2?
iWriter 2 is rated higher. Ikiru averages 3.9 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while iWriter 2 averages 4.5 from 10 ratings.
Do Ikiru or iWriter 2 have ads?
Neither Ikiru nor iWriter 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ikiru or iWriter 2?
Ikiru ships an update every 3 weeks, and iWriter 2 fortnightly. Most recently, Ikiru was updated on November 2, 2026 and iWriter 2 on November 3, 2026.

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