Comparison

uFocus vs SolarWriter

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

Head to head
About

uFocus

A distraction-free writing app designed for creative expression. It supports plain text files, offers advanced Markdown and Fountain syntax for various writing needs, and provides tools to enhance focus and productivity.

Highlights
  • Unobtrusive interface
  • Text statistics
  • MultiMarkdown support
  • Fountain screenplay support
  • Highlighting options
  • Typewriter scrolling
  • Customizable themes
Read full description

uFocus is a distraction-free writing environment that supports plain text files and allows you to keep them organized inside libraries. It allows everyone to express their creativity in the most simple way. • Unobtrusive interface: the navigation bar disappears while writing. • Swipe to show the sidebar. Here you can link your favorite libraries and quickly access your documents. • Show text statistics including character and word count and reading time. • MultiMarkdown: easily add headings, quotes, ordered and unordered lists, links, images, italics, bold, footnotes, citations, glossaries and acronyms. You can then export your documents to HTML or PDF. With CriticMarkup and Live Edit Mode you can easily mark removals, additions and substitutions, add highlghts and comments, and accept or reject them. • Fountain: create screenplays with the Markdown-inspired markup syntax and print or export them as PDF with industry-standard formatting. • Highlighting: you can stay even more focused by fading out all the text but the current sentence or paragraph. • Typewriter scrolling: automatically scrolls the text when you get on a new line. • Sound mode: experience the ultimate feeling of a typewriter. • No deletions mode: disable deletions and replacements if your greatest temptation is always to edit your text instead of writing. • Fullscreen: focus on your words and hide everything else. • Choose between three different editor widths, four font sizes and a light, dark, sepia or amber theme, or create your own theme. • Print single files or entire directory hierarchies. If you have any requests, suggestions or bug reports, you're welcome to visit the website through the Support link.

About

SolarWriter

Transform your e-reader into a portable typewriter for outdoor writing. This app connects your keyboard to your e-reader's screen, allowing you to type comfortably on e-ink displays in bright sunlight. Save and share your work easily.

Highlights
  • E-reader integration
  • External keyboard support
  • Outdoor writing on e-ink screens
  • Text mirroring to e-reader
  • File saving and sharing
  • Detailed setup instructions
Features
Read full description

Traditional screens are fantastic everywhere but outside, especially on a sunny day. E-ink screens work well, but e-readers like the Kindle are difficult to type on and don't support external keyboards. SolarWriter gives you the best of both worlds. SolarWriter runs on your iOS device and acts as a hub between your keyboard and your e-reader. You type on the keyboard, and the text appears on both on the iOS device and on the e-reader's screen (via its web browser). Take advantage of your Kindle's (or other e-reader's) e-ink screen to put your thoughts on paper even outside, with no need to transcribe later. Write at parks, on beaches, in backyards... anywhere you wanted to but couldn't. Save files on your device, or share through email, SMS, and more. Detailed instructions for setup are included inside the app.

Screenshots

uFocus4 screens
SolarWriter3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: uFocus at 4.7 against SolarWriter's 3.8. uFocus also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (92% vs 64%). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SolarWriter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. uFocus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

uFocus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of uFocus's written reviews are positive against 64% of SolarWriter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

uFocus ships an update monthly, SolarWriter every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
uFocus versus SolarWriter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteruFocusSolarWriter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (35 ratings) — better3.8 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews91.5% of reviews — better64.3% of reviews
Number of ratings35 — better16
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNicolas KickCool S, LLC

Customer experience

uFocus

All ratings35 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive91.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative7.0%

SolarWriter

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

None

uFocus

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SolarWriter

One-time1
  • SolarWriter Pro$9.99

Questions

Is uFocus free?
uFocus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SolarWriter free?
SolarWriter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, uFocus or SolarWriter?
uFocus is rated higher. uFocus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while SolarWriter averages 3.8 from 16 ratings.
Do uFocus or SolarWriter have ads?
Neither uFocus nor SolarWriter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, uFocus or SolarWriter?
uFocus ships an update monthly, and SolarWriter every 5 months. Most recently, uFocus was updated on September 21, 2026 and SolarWriter on September 10, 2026.

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