# Storyist 4 vs Story Plotter

Storyist 4 and Story Plotter both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Story Plotter's written reviews are positive against 44% of Storyist 4's. Story Plotter also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Storyist 4 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Story Plotter sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Storyist 4 against 4.4 for Story Plotter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 384 and 193 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Storyist 4's written reviews are positive against 80% of Story Plotter's.

Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, Story Plotter every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Storyist 4 | Story Plotter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (384 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storyist-4/id1423912340/reviews) | **[4.4 (193 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/story-plotter-idea-to-plot/id1491980862/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **384** | 193 |
| Positive reviews | 44.3% of reviews | **80.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 21 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Storyist Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/438008297) | [Hajime Hata](https://appshunter.io/developer/1491980861) |

## What reviewers say

### Storyist 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storyist-4/id1423912340)

This app provides a robust writing environment for authors and screenwriters. It allows for detailed story outlining, manuscript creation with rich text editing, and seamless revision on any device. Organize all your writing projects in one place for easy access and collaboration.

**Highlights:** Rich text editor with comments and images, Index card outlining and story sheets, Manuscript and screenplay formatting, Cloud storage and collaboration support, Import/export text and images, Support for various file formats

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Storyist 4 Upgrade | $9.99 | one-time |
| Storyist 4 | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive user interface
- 🚀 Fast iCloud synchronization across devices
- 💰 One-time purchase with no subscription fees
- 📝 Excellent for organizing long-form writing projects
- 🔄 Seamless Mac-iPad-iPhone sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Data loss and file deletion issues
- 💔 Upgrade from v3 to v4 requires full repurchase
- 😤 Misleading free trial presentation
- 🔧 Clunky navigation requiring multiple taps
- ⚠️ Significant bugs in version 4 compared to v3

**Reported bugs**

- Files and projects mysteriously disappear
- App crashes when opening manuscripts
- Freezing during typing sessions
- Auto-capitalization in middle of sentences
- Spell-check suggestions showing duplicate words

**Requested features**

- Footnotes and endnotes support
- Word and Pages format export compatibility
- Better backup system with cloud storage
- Folder tree navigation on mobile
- Non-fiction templates with query tracking


### Story Plotter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/story-plotter-idea-to-plot/id1491980862)

This app helps you craft compelling stories for novels, comics, movies, and more. It offers tools for organizing ideas, developing characters and their relationships, and structuring plot points. AI-powered brainstorming and time-series visualization assist in overcoming writer's block.

**Highlights:** Idea Note, Plot Note, Plot creation function, AI Brainstorming, Character Correlation & Family Tree, Time series with World Setting, Theme Setting

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data Sync(half price) | $1.99 | per month |
| Device Synchronize | $3.49 | per month |
| Number of Image Generations | $0.49 | one-time |
| Releasing AI Limitations | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for writing and planning
- 🚀 Great organizational tools
- 💡 Detailed character profiles
- 🔒 Secure and password protected
- 👍 Clean and easy to navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
- 🔍 Confusing or unclear interface in places
- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for syncing
- 🐛 Bugs with Bluetooth keyboards
- 🐛 Data loss issues, stories deleted without warning

**Reported bugs**

- Deleting previous work without warning
- Crashing when trying to edit thumbnails or move characters
- Syncing and data transfer issues between devices
- Bluetooth keyboard compatibility problems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to pull photos from external sources
- Implement a collaborative feature for co-writing
- Add more customization options for character profiles
- Improve the character relationship diagram functionality
- Expand timeline options beyond just years/months/days


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Storyist 4 free?

Storyist 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Story Plotter free?

Story Plotter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Storyist 4 or Story Plotter?

Story Plotter is rated higher. Storyist 4 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 384 ratings, while Story Plotter averages 4.4 from 193 ratings.

### Do Storyist 4 or Story Plotter have ads?

Neither Storyist 4 nor Story Plotter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Storyist 4 or Story Plotter?

Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, and Story Plotter every 2 weeks. Most recently, Storyist 4 was updated on October 11, 2026 and Story Plotter on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*