Atlas vs Writing App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Atlas
This app helps writers organize their novels, build detailed worlds, and manage research materials. It offers tools for outlining, mapping, and writing, with flexible export options. Your work is kept private and accessible across devices.
- Hierarchical document organization
- Infinite canvas for world mapping
- Web and video research clipping
- Markdown writing with focus mode
- Multiple export formats (ePub, PDF, HTML)
- iCloud synchronization and versioning
- On-device grammar checking
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Atlas keeps your story and everything behind it in one place. Write chapters beside character sheets, build your world’s lore and maps, and keep every source you’ve gathered one click away from the page you’re writing. A native app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. BUILD YOUR PROJECT HOW YOU THINK Nest documents to any depth. Any document can hold its own children, so a character can carry their backstory and a chapter can carry its research. Type [[ to link anything; links survive renames, and backlinks show every place a character or location appears. Hierarchical tags, synopses, custom fields like POV or status, and templates keep hundreds of documents easy to navigate. MAP IT ON AN INFINITE CANVAS Lay out documents, folders, images, sketches, and web pages, then drop pins to build a map of your world. Draw labeled connections between characters, plot threads, and places, gather them into groups, and edit any document right on its card. Add sketches created with Apple Pencil on iPad. KEEP RESEARCH CLOSE The Web Clipper turns articles into clean Markdown with their images and source details, and pulls full transcripts from YouTube videos. Snap a photo on your iPhone, share from any app, and keep PDFs, audio, video, and live web pages inside the project, right next to the draft that needs them. WRITE WITH FOCUS Markdown formats as you type and stays out of sight until you need it. Focus Mode dims everything but the sentence you’re on, and Typewriter Scrolling keeps your eyes in one place. Add footnotes, annotations, and tables, and check grammar privately on device with Apple Intelligence. PUBLISH ON YOUR TERMS Export ePub books with custom chapter breaks, print-ready PDFs including a 5x8” trade paperback layout with mirrored margins and running heads, HTML, RTF, plain text, or Markdown. A live preview shows exactly what you’ll get, and the built-in style editor lets you design your own look. SYNC WITH A SAFETY NET iCloud keeps your Mac, iPad, and iPhone in step. Every save creates a version you can browse, star, and restore across all devices. Edits made on two devices to different paragraphs merge automatically, and if they truly collide, Atlas helps you merge both versions so nothing is lost. YOUR WORK STAYS YOURS Documents are Markdown, canvases use an open format, and sync runs through your own iCloud account, not our servers. Whatever happens with your purchase, you can always open, edit, and export everything you’ve made. PRICING Start free with one project with a limited number of documents. Unlock unlimited projects and documents with a monthly or yearly subscription, or buy Lifetime once and own it. One purchase covers Mac, iPad, and iPhone, and every option includes every feature. -- Learn more at https://contagious.dev/atlas -- Start free with a free project (with a document count restriction). Atlas requires a single lifetime redemption or a monthly/yearly subscription to unlock access across all devices with unlimited projects and documents. Privacy Policy: https://contagious.dev/privacy-policy/atlas/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://contagious.dev/terms-of-use/atlas/
Writing App
This app helps authors plan stories and track writing progress. Organize plot details, set word goals, and monitor daily achievements with insightful statistics and a visual calendar. Stay motivated throughout your writing journey.
- Create and manage writing projects
- Set word count goals
- Log writing sessions
- Organize plot notes and worldbuilding
- Track writing statistics
- Calendar view of writing sessions
- Home screen widgets
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PlotWords takes you from your first idea to your finished manuscript. Plan your story, develop your characters, write your book, and stay on top of your writing goals. PlotWords keeps everything in sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Created by a writer, for writers. WRITE YOUR MANUSCRIPT Turn your ideas into a story. With the built-in text editor, you can write and edit your manuscript directly in PlotWords – whether you're on the go with your iPhone, working on your iPad, or writing at home on your Mac. • Organize your manuscript into chapters and plan your plot wherever you are. • Format your text and easily navigate your manuscript using the table of contents. • Keep everything at your fingertips while writing by accessing your custom character, location, and note cards. DEVELOP CHARACTERS, PLOTS & WORLDS • Bring your characters to life with detailed profiles and create family trees on your Mac. • Build locations and settings for your stories. • Structure your plot with plot cards and notes, and assign point-of-view characters and locations. • Keep your research, notes, and ideas in one place, whether you're at home or on the go. ORGANIZE PROJECTS & BOOK SERIES Keep all your writing projects organized, from the first spark of inspiration to the final revisions. Group your books into series and give each project its own cover in your personal library of stories. SET WRITING GOALS & TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Every word brings you one step closer to finishing your book. Set word count goals and deadlines, track your writing sessions, and watch your project grow. • Track your word count and overall project progress. • Discover your writing habits with clear, easy-to-read statistics. • Keep an eye on your writing streaks and average word counts. • Use the writing calendar to see when you wrote and how much you accomplished. STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR WRITING Make time for your story. Writing Focus comes with a built-in timer to help you plan distraction-free writing sessions and track your progress afterward. YOUR GOALS ON YOUR HOME SCREEN With iOS widgets, you can keep track of your writing progress and upcoming deadlines right from your Home Screen. KEEP WRITING ON IPHONE, IPAD & MAC Sync your projects and manuscripts across your Apple devices with iCloud. Capture an idea on the go, work on your next chapter on your iPad, and pick up right where you left off on your Mac. Some features require PlotWords Premium. You can find details about the available purchase options in the app. Privacy Policy: https://bookpairs.de/plotwords-datenschutzerklaerung.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Writing App at free against Atlas's freemium. Writing App also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Atlas sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Writing App sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Atlas against 5.0 for Writing App. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Atlas's written reviews are positive against 100% of Writing App's.
Atlas ships an update every 4 days, Writing App every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Atlas | Writing App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Griffin | Annika Reinecke |
Customer experience
Atlas
Writing App
In-app purchases
Atlas
- Monthly Access1 Month trial$3.991 Month
- Yearly Access$24.991 Year
- Lifetime Purchase$49.99
Writing App
- Premium$0.997 Days
- Premium$3.991 Month
- Premium$34.991 Year
- Premium$12.99
- Premium$22.99
- Premium$49.99







