Comparison

Drafts vs smalltype

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

Head to head
About

Drafts

Quickly capture text and send it to other apps with this versatile writing tool. It functions as a notebook, editor, and automation tool, allowing for seamless integration with various services and AI LLMs. Organize, customize, and process your text efficiently across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Quick text capture
  • Send text to other apps
  • Writing automation tool
  • Cross-device sync
  • Text manipulation actions
  • Customizable interface
  • AI LLM integration
Features
Read full description

Drafts is where text starts. Quickly capture text and send it almost anywhere! Drafts turns text into action with almost limitless possibilities – it’s a quick notebook, handy editor, and writing automation tool, all in one. Capture all of your text in Drafts and send it to other apps without the extra taps. Just open it and start typing! **Drafts is a multi-award winner!** - App of the Day, TIME Magazine’s Best Apps - MacStories “Lifetime Acheivement” and “Reader’s Choice” Awards ## WHY YOU’LL LOVE DRAFTS ## CAPTURE EVERYWHERE: Drafts opens to a new page with the keyboard ready — just waiting for your words. Alternatively, go hands-free with dictation. Drafts helps you write ideas down before you can forget them so and they’ll always be there, ready and waiting. Capture on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and Drafts’ fast sync will make your text available everywhere. USE YOUR WORDS: Drafts is a jumping-off point for text — use actions to copy it, share it, or deep-link into other apps and services. Compose a tweet, draft a message, create a file in Dropbox, send a task off to Reminders – Drafts works with tons of your favorite apps and services. Hone your text through integrations with popular AI LLMs. REMEMBER IT NOW – OR LATER: New entries go into the Inbox. Once there, you can Tag them for organization, Flag them for importance, or Archive them for long-term storage. TAKE TEXT TO A NEW LEVEL: Customize Drafts to look and work the way you want with tons of interface adjustments — custom fonts and control over spacing, line height, and margins. Use the customizable buttons above the keyboard to convert, manipulate, and transform your writing quickly. Using Drafts as a global inbox for all of your text? Process everything quickly using unique features like Link Mode, Arrange Mode, and text manipulation actions. LEVERAGE THE POWER OF YOUR WRIST COMPUTER: Use your Apple Watch to quickly capture text using nothing more than your voice — and your ideas will be waiting on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac ready to be fleshed out. GETTING WORDS DOWN HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER: Drafts opens lightning fast and with support for capture via Siri, the widget, share extension, file import, and dictation - Drafts is like post-its updated for the smartphone era. ## JOIN THE COMMUNITY ## Check out our Directory (actions.getdrafts.com) for ready-to-use actions and themes. Join the Drafts Community (forums.getdrafts.com) to get help, integration guides, and a regular flow of tips & tricks. ## DRAFTS PRO ## Drafts is always free to use, but you can get more out of Drafts with a Drafts Pro subscription: • Create and Edit Actions • Themes and Icons - suit the experience to your tastes with themes, custom app icons, and more • Workspaces - Apply preferred tag, query, and sort settings for your drafts list with Workspaces • Extra widgets and better share extension options • Enhanced Automation We are always working hard to expand the capabilities of Drafts and keep it up-to-date with the latest technologies. Your support helps keep the app growing – thank you to Drafts Pro subscribers! ## SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ## • Monthly and annual subscriptions are available • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription • Subscriptions can be managed or canceled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Have questions? Contact us on Twitter at @draftsapp or email support@getdrafts.com. Terms: https://getdrafts.com/support/terms Privacy Policy: https://getdrafts.com/support/privacy

About

smalltype

Read full description

Short notes, many times a day, saved as plain .md files in real folders. Open the same folder on your Mac in VS Code, Vim, or any editor. Calm, minimal, and ready for iPhone Duo. smalltype is for your notes. The small ones, the quick ones, the big ones, the unpolished ones. It's a fast, quiet place to type. ## Start No tutorial, no setup screen. Tap New Note and start typing. Leave one empty and it quietly disappears, so you never end up with a pile of blank untitled notes. That's the whole app. ## Yours Every note is a real .md file, sitting right there in the Files app. You can open it, copy it, or back it up yourself, anytime. Delete one and it still goes to Recently Deleted, same as any other file: nothing's gone for good. ## Sync or Don't Keep notes in iCloud Drive to have them on every device. Or keep them On My iPhone, fully local, never leaving your device. Either way, you can switch anytime. ## Visible Markdown Markdown markers stay gently visible as you type. What you see is exactly what's in the file. A bar above the keyboard types the markers for you, with undo and redo a tap away. ## Organize Folders, search, and quick note-making, all from one screen. Nothing to set up first. Put "daily" in a folder's name and new notes inside it get today's date as their name. ## No Catch No ads. No subscription. No tracking. No account, ever. Markdown notes. Yours to keep.

Screenshots

Drafts4 screens
smalltype4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: smalltype at none against Drafts's 3. Drafts's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Drafts sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. smalltype asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Drafts versus smalltype: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDraftssmalltype
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (11K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings11K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAgile TortoiseHerman Haidin

Bugs and requests

Drafts

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Paste function not working properly
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • Ability to edit custom actions without subscription
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription

smalltype

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Drafts

Subscriptions3
  • Drafts Pro - Monthly [i]$1.991 Month
  • Drafts Pro - Annual [i]7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Drafts Pro - Patron [i]$29.991 Year
None

smalltype

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drafts free?
Drafts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is smalltype free?
smalltype is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Drafts or smalltype have ads?
Neither Drafts nor smalltype shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drafts or smalltype?
Drafts ships an update every 4 days, and smalltype every 4 days. Most recently, Drafts was updated on October 1, 2026 and smalltype on September 22, 2026.

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