Comparison

iWriter 2 vs Emphasized

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

Head to head
About

iWriter 2

A minimalist Markdown editor designed for distraction-free writing. It offers MultiMarkdown support with live preview, syntax highlighting, and seamless export to various formats. Organize and manage your documents with a built-in manager.

Highlights
  • Minimalist, distraction-free writing interface
  • Full MultiMarkdown support with live preview
  • Syntax highlighting and keyboard shortcuts
  • Automatic progress saving
  • Seamless export to HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOCX, LaTeX
  • Built-in document manager with search
  • Rebuilt with TextKit 2 for enhanced performance
Read full description

iWriter 2 is an elegant and minimalist Markdown text editor designed for distraction-free writing. # iWriter 2 is the next generation of the beloved iWriter text editor. "Simple & beautiful" App Store Review, 2019 "Terrific Writing and Notes App" App Store Review, 2015 "Great simple text editor" App Store Review, 2014 Immerse yourself in a minimalist writing environment designed to enhance focus and productivity. Say hello to structured, professional documents that effortlessly transform your ideas. ## MultiMarkdown Support iWriter 2 is a full-featured Markdown editor built for precision and flexibility. - MultiMarkdown support with live preview and syntax highlighting. - Wikilinks and Wiki-Embeds for connected notes. - Task lists and code blocks made simple. - Keyboard shortcuts for fast inline formatting. ## Built-in Document Manager A built-in document manager that lets you easily organize, browse, and manage all your files in one place — complete with powerful document search to quickly find exactly what you need. ## Rebuilt with TextKit 2 iWriter 2 has been completely rebuilt from the ground up using Apple’s modern TextKit 2 framework, delivering faster performance, smoother scrolling, and a more responsive writing experience. ## Multiple Export Options A refined, user-friendly interface designed for focus and productivity, offering intuitive formatting options and seamless export to multiple formats including HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOCX (Microsoft Word), and LaTeX. ## LaTeX and Mermaid Diagrams iWriter 2 offers LaTeX syntax highlighting, making complex math expressions easy to read and edit as you write. It also supports Mermaid diagrams, letting you create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more using simple text-based syntax. Both integrate seamlessly into your Markdown workflow, keeping technical writing and visual documentation in one place. --- Terms of Use: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://serpensoft.com/privacy-policy/

About

Emphasized

Effortlessly capture and organize important text from any webpage. Save, edit, and export your highlights as a PDF without needing an account. Boost your research and study sessions with this intuitive tool.

Highlights
  • Highlight text on webpages
  • Multiple color options
  • Auto-save highlights locally
  • Organize by webpage
  • Export highlights to PDF
  • Undo/delete highlights
  • Character and word selection modes
Features
Read full description

Whether you're cramming for a test, diving deep into research, or just collecting great quotes, this highlighter's got your back. Highlight text on any webpage—no sign-in, no fuss. Everything's saved automatically on your device and neatly grouped by page or tag, so you can always pick up where you left off. Change colors, tweak and tag highlights, and export them all when you're ready to share or review. Highlighting • Highlight text on webpages • Use multiple colors • Change the color of existing highlights • Delete highlights you no longer need • Split or merge existing highlights • Easily undo highlighted text with a single tap Tags • Create tags with custom colors to categorize your highlights • Assign or change tags on any existing highlights • Select an active tag to automatically apply it while highlighting Selection Modes • Characters: grab just the letters you want • Words: select full words even if selecting mid-word • None: disable highlighting while keeping existing highlights visible Auto-Save • Highlights are saved locally on your device • Automatically restored when you revisit the same webpage • No account or sign-in required Organized View • Browse highlights by webpage • Browse all highlights by tag across every website • Quickly find and review your saved content Exporting • Export highlights as a clean, shareable PDF • Export as plain text or JSON • Share directly via the system share sheet Other Features • Reposition the toolbar if it gets in the way • Boost productivity with keyboard shortcuts for highlighting and switching tags (requires physical keyboard) • See your active highlight settings, all keyboard shortcuts, and support links in the Settings page Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Screenshots

iWriter 24 screens
Emphasized4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Emphasized at 100% against iWriter 2's 40%. Emphasized also leads on price ($2.99 vs $7.99). iWriter 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (4.2 vs 4.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

iWriter 2 costs $7.99 and Emphasized $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iWriter 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of iWriter 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Emphasized's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iWriter 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, Emphasized every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
iWriter 2 versus Emphasized: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriWriter 2Emphasized
Price$7.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.2 (11 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#194 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.617.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSerpensoft GroupAlgirdas Gridziuska

Customer experience

iWriter 2

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Emphasized

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

iWriter 2

No in-app purchases

None

Emphasized

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iWriter 2 free?
iWriter 2 costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Emphasized free?
Emphasized costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iWriter 2 or Emphasized?
iWriter 2 is rated higher. iWriter 2 averages 4.2 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Emphasized averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do iWriter 2 or Emphasized have ads?
Neither iWriter 2 nor Emphasized shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iWriter 2 or Emphasized?
iWriter 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Emphasized every 4 months. Most recently, iWriter 2 was updated on September 17, 2026 and Emphasized on September 8, 2026.

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