# Byword vs iWriter Pro

The clearest difference is monetization model: iWriter Pro at free against Byword's paid. iWriter Pro also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (68% vs 60%). Byword's advantage is iOS requirement (10.3 vs 26). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Byword costs $5.99 and iWriter Pro $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

iWriter Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 184 and 132 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Byword's written reviews are positive against 68% of iWriter Pro's.

Byword ships an update every 2 months, iWriter Pro every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Byword | iWriter Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | $5.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (184 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byword/id482063361/reviews) | **[4.7 (132 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwriter-pro/id892374380/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **184** | 132 |
| Positive reviews | 60.1% of reviews | **68.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 26 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Metaclassy, Lda.](https://appshunter.io/developer/420212500) | [Serpensoft Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/321979768) |

## What reviewers say

### Byword

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byword/id482063361)

This app simplifies writing on mobile devices with robust Markdown support. It offers cross-device syncing, offline access, and seamless publishing to popular blogging platforms. Enjoy features like dark mode, word counts, and accessibility options.

**Highlights:** Markdown writing and editing, Cross-device syncing, Offline document access, Publish to blogs (Medium, WordPress, etc.), Dark mode support, Word and character counters, Export to PDF and HTML

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Highly recommended, just works
- 🚀 Reliable, efficient, and aesthetically appealing
- 🚀 Excellent Markdown support
- 👍 Clean, simple, and distraction-free writing experience
- 👍 Seamless sync between devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Dropbox sync issues, including lost files and sync conflicts
- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues, especially on newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Limited font and theme options
- 🐛 Lack of advanced features like search, word count, and dark mode
- 🐛 Unintuitive organization and file management

**Reported bugs**

- Dropbox sync not working, files not syncing or disappearing
- Crashes on launch or when opening certain files
- Issues with file organization, renaming, and folder management

**Requested features**

- Add support for rich text formatting (bold, italic, underline)
- Improve Markdown preview and rendering
- Implement more keyboard shortcuts and customization options
- Integrate with more cloud storage services beyond Dropbox and iCloud
- Add search and replace functionality


### iWriter Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwriter-pro/id892374380)

A minimalist text editor with robust Markdown support and distraction-free writing. It offers iCloud sync, live syntax highlighting, and various export options for documents.

**Highlights:** Clean and minimal interface, iCloud sync, Live Markdown syntax highlighting, HTML Preview, Typewriter mode, Document Browser with tags, Export to HTML, PDF, EPUB, DOCX, and more

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Simple and clean interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient performance
- ✍️ Distraction-free writing experience
- 💡 Good value for money
- 🔄 Seamless iCloud sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High battery consumption (iCloud sync)
- 🐛 Data loss or corruption issues
- 🐛 Syncing problems (iCloud, Dropbox)
- 🐛 Exported DOCX files have restrictions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes and freezes frequently
- Data loss or corruption during editing/syncing
- iCloud and Dropbox sync issues
- Exported DOCX files are not fully compatible
- Autocorrect option is confusingly named

**Requested features**

- Add table support (Markdown)
- Allow reordering of shortcuts
- Cycle visibility on headings using Tab
- Add Mark Set and cut region
- Wordpress export


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Byword free?

Byword costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is iWriter Pro free?

iWriter Pro costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Byword or iWriter Pro?

iWriter Pro is rated higher. Byword averages 4.4 out of 5 from 184 ratings, while iWriter Pro averages 4.7 from 132 ratings.

### Do Byword or iWriter Pro have ads?

Neither Byword nor iWriter Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Byword or iWriter Pro?

Byword ships an update every 2 months, and iWriter Pro every 3 months. Most recently, Byword was updated on October 24, 2026 and iWriter Pro on October 24, 2026.

---

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