Write Only vs Plotten
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Write Only
This app offers a distraction-free writing experience, mimicking a typewriter to help users focus on generating ideas. All content is saved permanently as a PDF, preserving formatting and layout. It features a fixed cursor for reduced errors and an extended keybar for easier access to common symbols.
- Typewriter-like writing experience
- Permanent PDF saving
- Fixed cursor for accuracy
- Extended keybar
- Focus on idea generation
- Customizable fonts
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Write Only allows you to use your iPad/iPhone in the exact same way as a good old typewriter. It is a special app designed for people who just want to focus on writing. By separating writing from editing, it helps you focus more on getting your ideas out. Using it is like sitting in front of a typewriter and letting 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 version of any work, especially 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 remember the moments of the writing. Tips: - To delete a page, slider your finger from right to left over the page you want to remove; - To send one or more pages, long press on the page you want to send, after the toolbar shows up, you can select more than one pages. More pages means more time to prepare. Sending multiple pages will combine pages into one single PDF document first. - To select a different font, go to Settings app -> Write Only, choose your favorite font, then return back to Write Only, start a new page or simply restart.
Plotten
This writing tool offers a distraction-free, minimalist interface to help you craft novels, screenplays, and other manuscripts. It includes advanced editing tools, a cover designer, and flexible export options for various formats.
- Minimalist distraction-free interface
- Supports novels, screenplays, children's books
- Intuitive cover designer
- Ebook viewer
- Export to EPub, FDX, DOCX, web, print
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Plotten: Your Creative Writing Companion Unlock your literary potential with Plotten, the ultimate writing tool designed to streamline your creative process. Experience a minimalist interface that eliminates distractions, allowing your ideas to flow freely. Feature-Rich and User-Friendly: Versatile Formats: Whether you’re crafting screenplays, novels, children’s books, or more, Plotten supports a variety of manuscript needs. Advanced Editing Tools: Includes an intuitive cover designer and an Ebook viewer to bring your story to life. Flexible Export Options: Seamlessly export your projects for web, print, or as EPub, FDX, and DOCX files. With Plotten, every feature is crafted to enhance your writing experience, whether you're a screenwriter, essayist, novelist, short story writer, or journalist, Plotten makes it easy to transform your vision into a polished masterpiece. Terms of Use: https://www.plotten.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.plotten.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Plotten at 4.3 against Write Only's 3.6. Plotten also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (49 vs 14). Write Only's advantage is review sentiment (33% vs 20%) and iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Only sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Plotten sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Plotten holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 49 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Write Only's written reviews are positive against 20% of Plotten's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Write Only ships an update every 6 weeks, Plotten every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Write Only | Plotten |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (14 ratings) | 4.3 (49 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 49 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 5.1.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 潮激 李 | Paul MacRory |
Customer experience
Write Only
Plotten
Bugs and requests
Write Only
Reported bugs
13 issues- Cannot backspace to remove words
- Cannot delete pages or erase
- Cannot save or export
- App crashes and deletes work
- Crashes with each delete
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- Doesn't work on iOS8
- UI and accessibility issues
- App freezes and crashes
- Cannot delete old pages
- Space bar bug (types adjacent letter)
- Text moves and becomes jumbled
- Kicks user off at inconvenient times
- Upgrade prompts reappear after purchase
Requested features
10 requests- Add copy/paste functionality
- Add export to text option
- Add PDF conversion
- Add Russian language support
- Add Korean keyboard
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- Add typewriter key sound
- Add dark mode
- Add print option
- Add email functionality
- Make it free without upgrade limitations
Plotten
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Write Only
- Unlimited Fonts$0.99
- Unlimited New Pages$1.99
Plotten
- 1 Month Access3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- 1 Year Access3 Days trial$17.991 Year







