Comparison

Idea Threads vs Fictate

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

Head to head
About

Idea Threads

Capture and organize your creative thoughts on the go using text, audio, or photos. Organize ideas into threads, search, and filter them easily. Sync with Plottr Pro for advanced project management and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Capture ideas via text, audio, or photo
  • Organize ideas into threads
  • Search and filter ideas
  • Sync with Plottr Pro
  • Cloud backup and collaboration
  • View projects on the go
Features
Read full description

If you are a creative person and you get sudden great ideas while you're not at your computer, this app is for you! Designed to quickly capture your ideas on the go, Idea Threads lets you either type out an idea, speak it, or take a picture. It keeps your ideas organized into threads (categories or projects) to find them easily later. You can search, filter by type (audio, picture, or text), zoom in and out to see lots all at once or the details of each. If you're a writer or you use Plottr for your creative projects, you can log into and subscribe to Plottr Pro (subscription required as in-app purchase) to sync your ideas with your projects and easily turn them into new scenes, characters, world building, and more. You'll also be able to view your projects on the go so you can keep the creative juices flowing on the back burner like all us creatives constantly do. All the base features are completely free: - Capture unlimited ideas - Capture them in audio, photo, or text - Organize them into unlimited threads - Search and filter - Ideas are stored on your device Idea Threads is available for free download. Some features require a subscription to Plottr Pro. This also ensures the continuous development of Idea Threads so that new and improved features can be added over time. Subscribe to Plottr Pro and unlock these features: - Ideas saved in the cloud & synced between devices - Read your Plottr Projects on the go - Send and use your ideas within Plottr - Plottr's web app (works on tablets!) - Real-time collaboration - Cloud backups (of ideas and Plottr files) PLOTTR PRO SUBSCRIPTION INFO: - Subscription length: monthly - Payment will be charged to your iCloud Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions auto-renew at the same cost, unless cancelled 24-hours in advance prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by going to your iCloud Account Settings after purchase. - You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Plottr does not collect personal data and the developer does not have access to the ideas you create in Idea Threads, nor your Plottr projects. Idea Threads does not track its users and there are no ads in the app. Privacy Policy: https://plottr.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: https://plottr.com/terms-conditions/

About

Fictate

This app offers specialized dictation for fiction writers, understanding unique character names and dialogue. It learns your words, cleans up transcripts, and integrates recording, transcription, and word count into one tool. Write offline and sync later, with your work remaining private.

Highlights
  • Fiction-specific dictation
  • Customizable word learning
  • Automated cleanup and punctuation
  • Integrated recording and transcription
  • Offline recording capabilities
  • Daily word count tracking
  • Direct export to writing software
Features
Read full description

You may have tried dictation before. Most fiction authors have, and most have given up on it. The transcript came back a mess. It mangled your character names. It had no idea what to do with dialogue. You spent longer cleaning up than you would have spent typing. Enter: FICTATE IT UNDERSTANDS HOW YOU WRITE AS A FICTION AUTHOR Rather than fidgeting with an app built for business people and meeting notes, you can just dictate your fictional world and see it come to life accurately. TEACH FICTATE™ YOUR WORDS Add your characters, your places, your invented spellings, one time by pasting in a chapter or your entire manuscript and let Fictate learn your unique words. Add a new word right inside your transcript and it populates in your dictionary. Your existing transcript automatically updates to match. THE CLEANUP TOOL Turns raw dictation into readable prose. Punctuation, paragraph breaks, verbal stumbles. It does NOT rewrite your sentences into what a machine thinks you meant. Your writing voice stays yours. It just tidies up any errors. ONE APP INSTEAD OF FIVE Recording, transcription, cleanup, word count, and a session timer in one place. Easily copy and paste your words into your current Work-in-Progress or…dictate directly into your writing software on mobile or computer. Advanced, but powerful. WRITE WHERE YOU ALREADY ARE Record with no signal at all. Everything syncs when you are back online. Authors have turned daily walks and watching the kids play in the backyard into written words. SEE WHAT YOU ACTUALLY PRODUCED A daily word count chart. Ten minutes add up faster than most authors expect, and watching that happen turns out to be its own motivation. GET YOUR WORDS INTO YOUR MANUSCRIPT One tap to email a transcript to yourself, or copy it straight into Scrivener, Word, or Google Docs on your phone or computer. Phone, browser, and computer, all on the same account. WHO FICTATE IS FOR Novelists, short story writers — anyone drafting fiction. Some authors dictate because it’s faster than typing. Some dictate because typing hurts, or is simply no longer possible. Fictate is designed to help you build a sustainable author career. YOUR WORDS STAY YOURS Your writing is never used to train AI models. We do not read your work. You hold every right to everything you dictate. SUBSCRIPTIONS Every plan starts with 7 days free, and every plan includes every feature — the Cleanup Tool, Story Outlines, deleted-recording recovery, custom dictionary, verbal commands, offline recording, and Fictate Anywhere. Plans differ only by hours: Storyteller, $5.99/month or $59.99/year ($5.00/month). 5 hours of dictation each month. Author, $19.99/month or $179.99/year ($15.00/month). 20 hours of dictation each month. Fictator, $44.99/month or $419.99/year ($35.00/month). Unlimited dictation for one author. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when your free trial ends, or at confirmation of purchase if you subscribe without a trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://fictateapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://fictateapp.com/privacy

Screenshots

Idea Threads4 screens
Fictate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Fictate at weekly against Idea Threads's every 2 months. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Idea Threads sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per month and Fictate sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Idea Threads against 5.0 for Fictate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idea Threads ships an update every 2 months, Fictate weekly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Idea Threads versus Fictate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdea ThreadsFictate
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings56 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFictional Devices LLCSarah Sawyer

Customer experience

Idea Threads

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Fictate

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Idea Threads

Subscriptions1
  • Plottr Pro$14.991 Month
6 purchases

Fictate

Subscriptions6
  • Storyteller7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Author Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Fictator Monthly7 Days trial$44.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Storyteller Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Author Annual7 Days trial$179.991 Year
  • Fictator Annual7 Days trial$419.991 Year

Questions

Is Idea Threads free?
Idea Threads is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fictate free?
Fictate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Idea Threads or Fictate?
Idea Threads and Fictate are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do Idea Threads or Fictate have ads?
Neither Idea Threads nor Fictate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Idea Threads or Fictate?
Idea Threads ships an update every 2 months, and Fictate weekly. Most recently, Idea Threads was updated on October 16, 2026 and Fictate on October 16, 2026.

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