Comparison

SS Writer vs Understudy

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

Head to head
About

SS Writer

This app simplifies writing dialogue-focused creative works by allowing you to select character names from a list for easy input. It also offers a chat-style bubble display to enhance the immersive reading experience of your creations.

Highlights
  • Name list for easy dialogue input
  • Chat-style bubble display
  • Focus on creative writing
  • Streamlined text input
  • Immersive reading experience
Features
Read full description

会話主体の創作に特化したメモアプリです。 ■名前リストでらくらく会話入力 名前リストから名前を選択するとそのまま続けて会話文が入力できます。通常のメモのように一行毎に名前、カギカッコ、改行などを逐一入力したりカーソル位置を合わせる手間が省けるので、創作そのものに集中しやすくなります。 ■チャット風吹き出し表示で臨場感アップ 作成したテキストからチャット風の吹き出し表示を自動生成して閲覧することができます。テキストのみの表示より読みやすく臨場感もアップします。 その他にも創作に便利な機能がいろいろありますのでぜひお試しください!

About

Understudy

Features
Read full description

Record your scene partner's lines, then practice the back-and-forth on your own. ◆ Who it's for Actors, voice actors, comedians, presenters — anyone who has to learn lines and then perform in front of people. Professional or not. ◆ How it works 1. Record your scene partner's lines 2. On the practice screen, play them back and say your own lines out loud 3. Tap to play. The app moves to the next line for you ◆ What you can do Work without looking at the screen Tap and swipe are all you need, so you can move around and keep your eyes up. Every action comes back as a small vibration. Change the playback speed From 0.5x to 2.0x. Slow it down to check a passage, or speed it up for a quick run-through. Attach a PDF script Link a PDF to a work and read it while you record. The file stays on your device — Understudy only points to it, so nothing is uploaded anywhere. Add bookmarks and jump to a page in one tap. Bring in audio you already have Import music or any audio file you've prepared. Useful when you practice against a sound cue. Export your recordings and share them Export a scene as a ZIP. Move it to another device, or hand it to the person you're working with. You can also practice against a ZIP someone else recorded, with their voice as your scene partner. ◆ From the developer At home, on the way to rehearsal, or in the hour before a performance — I wanted something I could practice with anywhere. That's why I made this. I hope it helps you. ◆ About Understudy Pro Everything you need to practice stays free. With Understudy Pro you can see more of your data on the Practice Ticket and choose from all 7 ticket designs. You also get the Pro colors, and you can set a color of your own. Understudy Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, available monthly or yearly. It renews at the same price unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can cancel any time from Manage subscription in the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shimeco.github.io/understudy-pages/privacy.html

Screenshots

SS Writer3 screens
Understudy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Understudy at none against SS Writer's shown. Understudy also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. SS Writer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Understudy sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SS Writer ships an update every 3 months, Understudy monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
SS Writer versus Understudy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSS WriterUnderstudy
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShigenori KumagaiShingo Otsuhata

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SS Writer

One-time1
  • アップグレード$3.99
3 purchases

Understudy

One-time3
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Add a donut$1.99
  • Add a sandwich$3.99

Questions

Is SS Writer free?
SS Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Understudy free?
Understudy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SS Writer or Understudy have ads?
SS Writer shows ads; Understudy does not.
Which is updated more often, SS Writer or Understudy?
SS Writer ships an update every 3 months, and Understudy monthly. Most recently, SS Writer was updated on September 18, 2026 and Understudy on September 14, 2026.

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