Comparison

Write Only 2 vs SFD

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

Head to head
About

Write Only 2

This app encourages creative writing by providing a distraction-free typing experience. It mimics a typewriter, saving your work as a permanent PDF with exact formatting. An accessory keybar and fixed cursor aid in reducing errors and improving focus.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free writing interface
  • Typewriter simulation
  • Permanent PDF saving
  • Fixed cursor for reduced errors
  • Accessory keybar for common keys
  • iCloud Drive sync
Features
Read full description

Write Only is dedicated to creative writing rather than busy editing. It helps you focus more on putting words on paper. Using it is like sitting in front of a typewriter and watching words flow out of your finger tips. Everything you put down on the page is permanent. All the typing is saved as a PDF file, including the positions, the font size, and the colors that the texts come out with. No matter where and when you are going to view these pages, they will be kept exactly same as the time you typed them. Fixed cursor sits right above the keyboard, therefore your eyes will be close both to the text you're typing and the fingers, and that can help to reduce typing errors. You can start typing on the page at any place by tapping on that location and use any margin you want by moving the page. It is very easy to type aligned texts. An extension keybar includes frequently used keys like ' or ; that are difficult to access in iOS' default keyboard. Write Only is good for writing the first draft of any work, especially poetry, diary or journal. When you come back to your writings years later, the shapes of the text and the errors you made will help you recall the moments of the writing. FEATURES - Sync with iCloud Drive - Beautiful typewriter font. - Minimal interface. - Saved as a PDF file that you can print to paper. - Accessory keybar contains frequently used keys missing in the default keyboard. - Two text colors: black and red.

About

SFD

This app helps you overcome writer's block by forcing you to write a first draft without the ability to edit or reread. It uses timed bursts and nudges to keep you moving forward, allowing you to flag sections for later revision.

Highlights
  • Forward-only writing
  • Timed writing bursts
  • Cursor nudges for stalls
  • Flagging sections for revision
  • Plain text export
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Writing apps help with the easy half — outlines, fonts, folders, word-count trophies. The hard half is producing a bad first version of something, and that's all SFD does. SFD is forward-only. You write in a burst, the earlier lines dim and scroll away, and you can't go back to fix them. You can't edit a draft into existence, so SFD won't let you try until it's out. How it works: — A go is a timed burst. You write. You don't reread. — Stall for a few seconds and you get a shove — a nudge that gets blunter the longer you stare at the cursor. — Hit a line you hate? Drop a later and keep moving. Your flags become a punch-list for when you revise. — A finished part is a chunk. A stack of chunks is the Pile — your whole first draft. — When it's done, send it out as plain text, to wherever you actually revise. Drafting is free. Every go, every later, every export — no account, no trial clock, no nagging. THE BIG MONTH is free too: 50,000 words of a novel's first draft between November 1 and 30. SFD shows your words today and how many a day finishes it, lights up a November calendar on every day you write, marks 10,000, 25,000 and 50,000, and gives you a BIG MONTH 2026 stamp and finisher card you can only earn that November. One thing costs money: SFD Habit Tracking, a 99-cent one-time unlock for the habit layer — the streak map and year wall, the month goal, the quiet reminder, stamps, share cards, and the home-screen widget, which carries THE BIG MONTH in November. The scoreboard, not the game. If you bought SFD back when the app itself cost money, the habit layer is yours automatically. What SFD won't do: format, outline, sync, collaborate, or write the draft for you. You write the bad version. A chunk has to get written; inside that, anything goes. Your words stay yours. Every chunk is a plain-text file on your device. No proprietary format, no servers. SFD makes no network calls at all — it can't lose your words and it can't trap them. Get the first draft out. You can make it good later, somewhere with a real keyboard.

Screenshots

Write Only 24 screens
SFD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SFD at 100% against Write Only 2's 40%. SFD also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (5.0 vs 2.5). Write Only 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads, monetization model 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

SFD is free to download; Write Only 2 costs $0.99 up front. SFD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Write Only 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SFD holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Write Only 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of SFD's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Write Only 2 versus SFD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWrite Only 2SFD
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating2.5 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequency—Every 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer潮激 李Daniel James Kinney-Spears

Customer experience

Write Only 2

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative50.0%

SFD

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Write Only 2

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SFD

One-time1
  • SFD Habit Tracking$0.99

Questions

Is Write Only 2 free?
Write Only 2 costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SFD free?
SFD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Write Only 2 or SFD?
SFD is rated higher. Write Only 2 averages 2.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while SFD averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Write Only 2 or SFD have ads?
Neither Write Only 2 nor SFD shows ads.

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