# Storyist 4 vs F.O.C.U.S.

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: F.O.C.U.S. at none against Storyist 4's 3. F.O.C.U.S. also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Storyist 4 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. F.O.C.U.S. asks for nothing beyond the download.

Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, F.O.C.U.S. every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Storyist 4 | F.O.C.U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (395 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storyist-4/id1423912340/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **395** | — |
| Positive reviews | 44.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Storyist Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/438008297) | [Justin Green (US)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828692289) |

## 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


### F.O.C.U.S.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus/id6749073877)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Storyist 4 free?

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

### Is F.O.C.U.S. free?

F.O.C.U.S. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Storyist 4 or F.O.C.U.S. have ads?

Neither Storyist 4 nor F.O.C.U.S. shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Storyist 4 or F.O.C.U.S.?

Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, and F.O.C.U.S. every 2 months. Most recently, Storyist 4 was updated on November 2, 2026 and F.O.C.U.S. on October 25, 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.*