Write.r vs SFD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Write.r
This app helps you capture ideas quickly and organize them into a structured system of workspaces, notebooks, and tags. It uses plain-text Markdown for writing and offers native iOS interactions for efficient management. Export and import your notes with versioned JSON backups.
- Markdown writing and editing
- Organize with workspaces, notebooks, and tags
- Native iOS swipe actions
- Adjust note metadata
- Versioned JSON backup and import
- Onboarding articles for Markdown and workflow
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This app gives you a calm place to capture ideas and keep your notes clear. It is built for local-first writing, so your work stays on your device and remains available offline. From quick thoughts to long drafts, you can keep momentum without clutter. Open the app, start writing, and organize notes in a structure that makes sense the same day. Write.r combines a clean editor, practical organization, and reliable backup tools so you can stay focused on thinking instead of managing software. **Local-First by Design** Your notes are stored on-device, which keeps the experience fast and predictable in daily use. You can keep writing when you do not have a connection and still access your core workspace. **Markdown That Feels Natural** Write with simple markdown formatting in a clean editor built for clarity. Headings help shape long notes, and your content stays readable while you draft and revise. **Organize with Flexible Structure** Use Inbox, notebooks, workspaces, recent views, and tags to keep information easy to find. This structure supports quick capture now and cleaner review later. **Focused Interface for Daily Flow** The writing view keeps controls close without crowding your page. You can keep your attention on ideas, then adjust details like notebook placement when needed. **Backup and Restore with Confidence** Export your data as JSON when you want a portable backup you can keep. Import tools help you recover your workspace and continue with minimal disruption. Download Write.r and build a steady writing rhythm with clarity and control.
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.
- Forward-only writing
- Timed writing bursts
- Cursor nudges for stalls
- Flagging sections for revision
- Plain text export
- Offline functionality
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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. 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 BIG MONTH (50,000 words across November), the home-screen widget, the quiet reminder, stamps, and share cards. 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SFD at 100% against Write.r's 31%. SFD also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks) and device support. On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Write.r sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SFD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Write.r ships an update every 5 weeks, SFD every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Write.r | SFD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | — | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | — | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fishington Studios | Daniel James Kinney-Spears |
Customer experience
Write.r
SFD
In-app purchases
Write.r
- Upgrade to Pro$4.99
SFD
- SFD Habit Tracking$0.99









