# Werdsmith vs Paper

Werdsmith and Paper both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Werdsmith's written reviews are positive against 72% of Paper's. Werdsmith also leads on ratings volume (8K vs 1.7K). Paper's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Werdsmith sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Paper sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Werdsmith against 4.7 for Paper. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Werdsmith's written reviews are positive against 72% of Paper's.

Werdsmith ships an update fortnightly, Paper monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Werdsmith | Paper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/werdsmith-writing-app/id489746330/reviews) | [4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | **82.0% of reviews** | 72.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 18 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Werdsmith Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/469842974) | [Mihhail Lapushkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143513743) |

## What reviewers say

### Werdsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/werdsmith-writing-app/id489746330)

This app transforms your devices into a writing studio, helping you overcome writer's block with AI-powered suggestions and build a consistent writing practice. It automatically handles formatting, allowing you to focus on your creative process.

**Highlights:** AI-powered writing suggestions, Daily writing practice builder, Automatic formatting, Project and goal tracking, Cross-device sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Membership | $4.99 | per month |
| Ghostwriter (300 prompts) | $14.99 | per month |
| Membership | $24.99 | per 6 months |
| Membership | $49.99 | per year |
| Ghostwriter (150 prompts) | $99.99 | per year |
| Ghostwriter (300 Prompts) | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📝 Helpful for writing stories and ideas
- 🔒 Secure with password protection
- ⏱️ Tracks writing progress and goals
- 🧠 Inspires creativity with writing prompts
- 📚 Organized projects and ideas

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for full access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 💻 Syncing issues between devices
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🖌️ Limited formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Losing written work after updates
- Cursor jumping issues while typing
- Inconsistent behavior on different devices

**Requested features**

- Add ability to add images to stories
- Improve chapter/section organization
- Implement a dark mode theme
- Allow more free projects/ideas
- Integrate with other writing tools


### Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841)

This app offers a clean and configurable writing environment for various creative projects. It supports Markdown and plain text, syncs with iCloud, and integrates with other tools. Users can publish drafts to popular blogging platforms and export documents in multiple formats.

**Highlights:** Gorgeous writing space, Silky-smooth typing, Deep personalization (Pro), Markdown or Plain Text support, iCloud sync, Publish to Medium, WordPress, Ghost, Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, ePub

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Features | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Features | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $99.99 | one-time |
| Pro Features | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💗 Fantastic app
- 🎀 Great tool for writers
- 👍 Clean writing app
- 🤩 Awesome app
- 👍 Cute animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 💰 Paywalled features
- 🐛 Lost files and documents
- 🐛 Cursor issues
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable

**Reported bugs**

- Files randomly disappearing
- Cursor issues causing freezes
- Syncing and iCloud integration problems

**Requested features**

- Add image support
- Improve file management and recovery
- Expand font and customization options
- Implement team/collaborative writing features
- Add text formatting options like italics and bold


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Werdsmith free?

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

### Is Paper free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Werdsmith or Paper?

Werdsmith and Paper are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8K and 1.7K ratings respectively.

### Do Werdsmith or Paper have ads?

Neither Werdsmith nor Paper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Werdsmith or Paper?

Werdsmith ships an update fortnightly, and Paper monthly. Most recently, Werdsmith was updated on September 23, 2026 and Paper on September 23, 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.*