Comparison

SFD vs Write Novel

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

Head to head
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.

About

Write Novel

Features
Read full description

Write Novel: Writing Studio is a complete story development and manuscript writing workspace designed for authors, novelists, and screenwriters on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Write your book using a full manuscript editor supporting prologues, chapters, interludes, and epilogues with no limits on overall manuscript length or chapter count. Customize your writing environment with text formatting, custom typography, paragraph spacing, and lined paper mode while monitoring progress through live word count tracking and manuscript search. Please note that pasting text from external sources may not fully preserve original typography, font styling, or custom line spacing formatting. Build detailed character profiles with background notes, physical descriptions, and four distinct personality frameworks including Myers-Briggs, Big Five, Color Code, and custom trait sliders. Connect your cast members by mapping character relationships directly within your project. Organize complex plots with an outline builder for chapters, scenes, and narrative structure, alongside dedicated story arc and character arc tracking tools. Keep worldbuilding elements organized in a comprehensive database for locations, factions, items, lore, and species, and inspect your linked reference notes right inside the editor while writing. Keep all your data synchronized across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and personalize your app layout with custom accent color themes and matching app icons. Maintain writing momentum by setting daily, weekly, and monthly word count targets, supported by streak counters, milestone celebrations, and notification reminders. When your draft is ready, export your manuscript and character details cleanly to EPUB, PDF, Word, RTF, Markdown, Fountain, or JSON, complete with custom project cover images and dedicated e-book cover art. Free usage includes full editing, character building, goal tracking, and exporting capabilities. Creating more than 5 projects and mapping more than 3 character connections per project require an Premium access. Additionally, the outline builder, story and character arc tracking, scene planner, worldbuilding database, in-editor reference panel, iCloud synchronization, and custom accent color themes are Premium features. Character Planner offers optional Premium features through monthly or yearly auto-renewable subscriptions with a 1-week free trial, or via a one-time Lifetime purchase. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Account renewal charges occur within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gist.githubusercontent.com/purplestamina17-code/bc97998299800f500675226fad5eb68b/raw/778e1ba1a94aee7abfe264b2272215c8971476dd/gistfile1.html

Screenshots

SFD4 screens
Write Novel4 screens

Verdict

The call

SFD and Write Novel are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. SFD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Write Novel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
SFD versus Write Novel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSFDWrite Novel
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel James Kinney-SpearsWeston Lambson

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SFD

One-time1
  • SFD Habit Tracking$0.99
3 purchases

Write Novel

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$149.99

Questions

Is SFD free?
SFD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Write Novel free?
Write Novel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SFD or Write Novel have ads?
Neither SFD nor Write Novel shows ads.

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