# ZFiles vs Folio Writer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZFiles at none against Folio Writer's 8. Folio Writer's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Folio Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ZFiles asks for nothing beyond the download.

ZFiles ships an update every 3 weeks, Folio Writer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ZFiles | Folio Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folio-writer/id6788252860/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 13 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [之铭 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868307773) | [Bin Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503463579) |

## What reviewers say

### ZFiles

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zfiles/id6763849634)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Folio Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folio-writer/id6788252860)

This writing studio allows you to work on long-form projects like books and manuscripts on your iPhone and iPad. It supports plain text formats like Markdown and Typst, syncing seamlessly with its Mac counterpart. Features include a special keyboard bar, project organization, and citation management.

**Highlights:** Plain-text writing (Markdown, Typst), iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Files integration, Special Markdown key bar, Typewriter scrolling and sentence focus, Binder for project organization, Snapshots for version control, Project-wide search, BibTeX citation support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cloud Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| Pro to Premium Upgrade | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Features | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ZFiles free?

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

### Is Folio Writer free?

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

### Do ZFiles or Folio Writer have ads?

Neither ZFiles nor Folio Writer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ZFiles or Folio Writer?

ZFiles ships an update every 3 weeks, and Folio Writer every 4 days. Most recently, ZFiles was updated on October 17, 2026 and Folio Writer on October 24, 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.*