Comparison

PureWrite vs Narratives

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

Head to head
About

PureWrite

Features
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PureWrite is a writing app that gets out of the way. Open a folder of Markdown files you already keep, open a document, and start typing. The file sidebar and the table of contents fade out completely β€” not dimmed, gone β€” until only the page is left. Move the pointer back and they return. Nothing else is on screen. No tabs, no split panes, no graph, no badges, no notifications, no sync spinner. One document at a time, by design. That is the whole idea. Everything else is there to serve it. β€’ A folder you already have. No import step, no vault format, no database. The same folder can stay an Obsidian vault or a git repository β€” keep using them. PureWrite is simply the window you open when the task is to write. β€’ Formatted text, plain files. You edit the document as it looks, and the file on disk stays ordinary Markdown β€” tables and links included. β€’ Search the whole folder for the moment you do need to leave the page, with the context around every match. β€’ A toolbar you can pare down to nothing. Keep as many of the 18 buttons as you want, or none. β€’ Hebrew and English in one document, each paragraph facing the direction its own words ask for, with nothing written into your file to make it work. β€’ Autosave a second after you stop typing. There is no save button to remember. Nothing leaves the device: no network, no account, no telemetry. macOS, iPhone and iPad. Free, with no in-app purchases.

About

Narratives

Read full description

Thoughts do not arrive in order. Narratives helps you bring them together. Write a few messages or dictate a voice note: an idea, a plan, details you do not want to forget, or a question you are still working through. Talk it over at your own pace. After the conversation, Narratives organizes the material into a card with the main idea, useful details, decisions, and questions that remain open. FROM SCATTERED THOUGHTS TO A USEFUL NOTE β€’ Capture thoughts by text, voice, or photo. β€’ Return to the original messages whenever you need context. β€’ Edit the card to make it your own. β€’ Preview and share just the card as text or images. Long image exports use multiple pages. β€’ Export a full dialogue separately when you want to include the source conversation. SEE WHAT CONNECTS Daily summaries bring together the important topics from your conversations. Weekly summaries connect recurring themes, changes, and questions that are still open. Events and reminders, saved memories, web search, and weather are also available when useful. PRIVATE, ON YOUR IPHONE The conversational AI, voice transcription, and image analysis run on your device. Your conversations, cards, and saved memories are stored locally. No account, subscription, or in-app purchase is required. The model downloads separately on first launch; core AI features become available when setup completes. Optional online tools send the necessary request to an external service, for example for web search or weather. Sharing and backup export happen when you choose. You can review, correct, or delete saved memories in Settings. AI can make mistakes. Keep the original conversation, review important details, and edit a card before sharing it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PureWrite4 screens
Narratives4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: PureWrite at 4 against Narratives's 1. PureWrite also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
PureWrite versus Narratives: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPureWriteNarratives
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Daily
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better26.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size6 MB86 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperYechiel Ben DavidMikhail Kolokolnikov

In-app purchases

None

PureWrite

No in-app purchases

None

Narratives

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PureWrite free?
PureWrite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Narratives free?
Narratives is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PureWrite or Narratives have ads?
Neither PureWrite nor Narratives shows ads.

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