Comparison

Wallabag Reader vs WriteFreely

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

Head to head
About

Wallabag Reader

Save web pages for later reading with this self-hostable application. It offers a free and open-source solution for bookmarking content. Requires a separate wallabag instance to function.

Highlights
  • Save web pages
  • Self-hostable
  • Open source
  • Free (as in freedom)
  • Offline reading
Features
Read full description

Save web articles and read them later—on your terms. Wallabag Reader is the open-source companion for wallabag. Connect to your self-hosted server or a compatible hosted wallabag account, sync your reading list, and keep your archive available on iPhone and iPad. SAVE FROM ANYWHERE • Send pages from Safari and other apps with the Share extension • Add a URL manually or from your clipboard • Sync article content to read without an internet connection READ COMFORTABLY • Enjoy a clean article reader with adjustable text size and light or dark themes • Highlight passages and create, edit, or delete annotations • Listen to articles with built-in text-to-speech • Open the original page or share it with others ORGANIZE YOUR ARCHIVE • Search and filter unread, archived, and starred articles • Sort by date, reading time, or identifier • Add and remove tags, mark articles as read, and favorite what matters • Rediscover short reads, random picks, and tags from the Discover tab YOUR WALLABAG, YOUR CHOICE wallabag is free and open source. This app connects to an existing wallabag instance; it does not create or host one for you. Self-host wallabag on your own server or use a compatible hosted provider. WALLABAG PLUS Core reading and organization features remain available without Plus. An optional auto-renewing wallabag Plus subscription unlocks AI-powered summaries and tag suggestions. Available plans, duration, price, and renewal terms are shown before purchase and may vary by region. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Privacy policy and terms of use: https://district-web.fr/wallabag-reader/privacy/

About

WriteFreely

A minimalist blogging app for seamless web publishing. Write in a distraction-free editor and publish to your blog or any compatible writing community. Supports offline drafting and synchronization with your WriteFreely account.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free editor
  • Offline drafting and editing
  • Sync posts with WriteFreely account
  • Publish to multiple blogs
  • Dark mode option
  • Open source platform
Features
Read full description

WriteFreely for iOS gives you a seamless way to publish your thoughts on the web. Write your thoughts in its clean, distraction-free editor, and then publish to your blog or any writing community powered by the WriteFreely software. WriteFreely for iOS supports Write.as and self-hosted WriteFreely instances. If you're not hosting your own instance, visit https://writefreely.org/instances to find a community to join! # Just Write WriteFreely for iOS includes only what you need to write and publish, so you can focus on your words. It launches straight to the editor, so you can get your thoughts down before they vanish. # Write Offline Draft and edit blog posts offline on your iPhone or iPad, and publish whenever you're ready. If you don't publish a post, it remains safe and private on your device. # Stay Synchronized Log in to any WriteFreely instance you have an account on, and sync posts from your WriteFreely account to your device. # Publish Widely Publish to multiple blogs on your account, and move posts between blogs and Drafts with a few quick taps. # Light Customization Make it your own by choosing a default font for your posts, and whether or not you'd like to write in dark mode. # Freedom The WriteFreely platform is built entirely on open source software, from the server-side to this iOS app. Rest easy knowing you ultimately control your publishing tools, and visit https://writefreely.org/contribute to find out how you can contribute.

Screenshots

Wallabag Reader2 screens
WriteFreely4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Wallabag Reader at Free against WriteFreely's $11.99. Wallabag Reader also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (37 vs 8). WriteFreely's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On review sentiment, ads and device support 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

Wallabag Reader is free to download; WriteFreely costs $11.99 up front. Wallabag Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. WriteFreely asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WriteFreely holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Wallabag Reader's written reviews are positive against 44% of WriteFreely's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wallabag Reader ships an update every 4 weeks, WriteFreely every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Wallabag Reader versus WriteFreely: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWallabag ReaderWriteFreely
PriceFree — better$11.99
Rating3.4 (37 ratings)4.1 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews44.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developermaxime marinelMusing Studio LLC

Customer experience

Wallabag Reader

All ratings37 ratings
Positive59.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative35.1%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral15.6%
Negative41.6%

WriteFreely

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Wallabag Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Wallabag Plus$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Tips$0.99
None

WriteFreely

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Wallabag Reader free?
Wallabag Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WriteFreely free?
WriteFreely costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Wallabag Reader or WriteFreely?
WriteFreely is rated higher. Wallabag Reader averages 3.4 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while WriteFreely averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.
Do Wallabag Reader or WriteFreely have ads?
Neither Wallabag Reader nor WriteFreely shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wallabag Reader or WriteFreely?
Wallabag Reader ships an update every 4 weeks, and WriteFreely every 2 months. Most recently, Wallabag Reader was updated on October 4, 2026 and WriteFreely on October 9, 2026.

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