# Writestone vs Papyr

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Writestone at none against Papyr's 1. Writestone also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Papyr's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Writestone ships an update every 3 days, Papyr every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Writestone | Papyr |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyr-journaling-app/id6793413023/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 89 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Seyfettin Yildirim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1698912402) | [Brandon Duncan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1858118962) |

## What reviewers say

### Writestone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writestone/id6477541746)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Papyr

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyr-journaling-app/id6793413023)

A private journaling app designed to feel like a real notebook, offering rich text formatting and individual journal locking. It syncs privately via iCloud and allows exporting entries. Enjoy a clutter-free writing experience with no ads or data selling.

**Highlights:** Multiple private journals, Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode lock, Rich text formatting, Cross-journal search, PDF and Word export, iCloud sync across devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Papyr Plus | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Writestone free?

Writestone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Papyr free?

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

### Do Writestone or Papyr have ads?

Writestone shows ads; Papyr does not.

### Which is updated more often, Writestone or Papyr?

Writestone ships an update every 3 days, and Papyr every 2 weeks. Most recently, Writestone was updated on October 12, 2026 and Papyr on October 9, 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.*