Comparison

Only Text Editor vs Blackout Mode

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

Head to head
About

Only Text Editor

A minimalist text editor for iOS that prioritizes simplicity and speed. It allows users to view and edit plain text files without any formatting distractions, offering a clean writing experience with customizable typography and seamless integration with the Files app.

Highlights
  • Pure plain text editing
  • Zero clutter interface
  • Customizable typography
  • Modern iOS integration
  • Lightweight and fast performance
  • iCloud Drive support
Read full description

Meet Only Text, a stripped-down text editor for iOS that brings back the simplicity of classic text editing. Inspired by the beloved, no-nonsense text editors of the past, Only Text focuses entirely on doing one thing perfectly: letting you view and edit plain text files. No markdown formatting, no color-coding, and no distractions. Just your words. Key Features: * Pure Plain Text - Seamlessly open, view, and save plain text files from your device, iCloud Drive, or anywhere else the Files app can reach. * Save Exactly Where You Want - When you create a new document, nothing is written to disk until you choose to save it at which point you pick the destination yourself, whether that's iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or another location entirely. * Never Lose Your Work - Existing documents save continuously as you type. If Only Text is ever interrupted before you've saved a brand-new document, it's offered back to you the next time you open the app. * Zero Clutter - No complex toolbars, formatting menus, or markdown to learn. The interface gets out of your way so you can focus on writing. * Built-in Search - Quickly find text within long documents without leaving the editor. * Custom Typography - Enjoy the beautiful, monospaced Iosevka Curly Slab font set as the default, switch to your device's system font, or pick any custom font installed on your device with adjustable sizing to match your taste. * Adaptive Light & Dark Themes - Follow the system appearance or choose your own; the whole app, including documents already open, updates instantly. * Share & Print - Send a document to any app, or print it directly, right from the editor. * Modern iOS Integration - Built natively for iOS to ensure smooth performance, fast load times, and perfect integration with the Files app. * Lightweight & Fast - Opens instantly. Perfect for quick notes, writing code snippets, or keeping track of your thoughts on the go. Only Text is free to use, with no ads and no subscriptions. If you enjoy it, you can leave an optional tip to support future updates.

About

Blackout Mode

Instantly dim your screen, silence all audio, and disable your camera flash with a single tap. Perfect for dark environments like concerts or cinemas, ensuring you don't disturb others.

Highlights
  • Screen blackout
  • Volume zero
  • Flash locked off
  • Single-tap activation
  • In-app camera with disabled flash
Read full description

You know that person. Phone blazing in a dark cinema. Ringtone cutting through a piano concerto. Flash firing at a concert. Don't be that person. Blackout is a single-tap utility that does three things the moment you activate it: Dims down your screen brightness, silences your volume to zero, and locks your camera flash permanently off within the in-app camera. No settings to dig through. No toggles to remember. Just tap, and disappear into the dark. What Blackout does: Screen blackout. No blinding brightness in the dark, no light pollution for the people around you. Volume zero. Drops to silent instantly. No surprise notifications, no accidental sounds, no embarrassing ringtones mid-performance. Flash locked off. Built-in camera keeps flash disabled permanently. Shoot the moment freely without blinding anyone around you. Made for: Concerts, live music, classical performances, theatres, cinemas, comedy shows, sports events, opera, ballet, lectures, religious services, anywhere you need to be invisible. One tap. That's it.

Screenshots

Only Text Editor4 screens
Blackout Mode4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Blackout Mode at daily against Only Text Editor's every 3 weeks. Blackout Mode also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 2). Only Text Editor's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Only Text Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Blackout Mode sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.5 for Only Text Editor against 4.6 for Blackout Mode. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Only Text Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, Blackout Mode daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Only Text Editor versus Blackout Mode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnly Text EditorBlackout Mode
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings28 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRandy TjahjonoAlp Avanoglu

Customer experience

Only Text Editor

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Blackout Mode

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Only Text Editor

One-time2
  • Tip$0.99
  • Slightly Larger Tip$1.29
1 purchases

Blackout Mode

One-time1
  • Unlock Blackout Mode$4.99

Questions

Is Only Text Editor free?
Only Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blackout Mode free?
Blackout Mode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Only Text Editor or Blackout Mode?
Blackout Mode is rated higher. Only Text Editor averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Blackout Mode averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do Only Text Editor or Blackout Mode have ads?
Neither Only Text Editor nor Blackout Mode shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Only Text Editor or Blackout Mode?
Only Text Editor ships an update every 3 weeks, and Blackout Mode daily. Most recently, Only Text Editor was updated on October 24, 2026 and Blackout Mode on October 31, 2026.

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