Comparison

WriterDeck vs SFD

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

Head to head
About

WriterDeck

Features
Read full description

Writer Deck is a focused writing workspace designed to help you think clearly and write without distractions. Whether you're drafting ideas, journaling, or working on longer pieces, Writer Deck gives you a clean environment to stay in flow. • Distraction-free writing experience • Simple and structured workspace • Fast and lightweight • Designed for focus and clarity No clutter. No complexity. Just a place to write. Writer Deck is built for people who want to think better by writing more.

About

SFD

This app helps you overcome writer's block by forcing you to write a first draft without the ability to edit or reread. It uses timed bursts and nudges to keep you moving forward, allowing you to flag sections for later revision.

Highlights
  • Forward-only writing
  • Timed writing bursts
  • Cursor nudges for stalls
  • Flagging sections for revision
  • Plain text export
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Writing apps help with the easy half — outlines, fonts, folders, word-count trophies. The hard half is producing a bad first version of something, and that's all SFD does. SFD is forward-only. You write in a burst, the earlier lines dim and scroll away, and you can't go back to fix them. You can't edit a draft into existence, so SFD won't let you try until it's out. How it works: — A go is a timed burst. You write. You don't reread. — Stall for a few seconds and you get a shove — a nudge that gets blunter the longer you stare at the cursor. — Hit a line you hate? Drop a later and keep moving. Your flags become a punch-list for when you revise. — A finished part is a chunk. A stack of chunks is the Pile — your whole first draft. — When it's done, send it out as plain text, to wherever you actually revise. Drafting is free. Every go, every later, every export — no account, no trial clock, no nagging. THE BIG MONTH is free too: 50,000 words of a novel's first draft between November 1 and 30. SFD shows your words today and how many a day finishes it, lights up a November calendar on every day you write, marks 10,000, 25,000 and 50,000, and gives you a BIG MONTH 2026 stamp and finisher card you can only earn that November. One thing costs money: SFD Habit Tracking, a 99-cent one-time unlock for the habit layer — the streak map and year wall, the month goal, the quiet reminder, stamps, share cards, and the home-screen widget, which carries THE BIG MONTH in November. The scoreboard, not the game. If you bought SFD back when the app itself cost money, the habit layer is yours automatically. What SFD won't do: format, outline, sync, collaborate, or write the draft for you. You write the bad version. A chunk has to get written; inside that, anything goes. Your words stay yours. Every chunk is a plain-text file on your device. No proprietary format, no servers. SFD makes no network calls at all — it can't lose your words and it can't trap them. Get the first draft out. You can make it good later, somewhere with a real keyboard.

Screenshots

WriterDeck4 screens
SFD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SFD at Free against WriterDeck's $2.99. WriterDeck's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (daily vs every 8 days). On ads, device support 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

SFD is free to download; WriterDeck costs $2.99 up front. SFD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. WriterDeck asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WriterDeck ships an update daily, SFD every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
WriterDeck versus SFD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWriterDeckSFD
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStrēt AppsDaniel James Kinney-Spears

In-app purchases

None

WriterDeck

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

SFD

One-time1
  • SFD Habit Tracking$0.99

Questions

Is WriterDeck free?
WriterDeck costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SFD free?
SFD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do WriterDeck or SFD have ads?
Neither WriterDeck nor SFD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WriterDeck or SFD?
WriterDeck ships an update daily, and SFD every 8 days. Most recently, WriterDeck was updated on October 25, 2026 and SFD on October 31, 2026.

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