1Writer vs Notebooks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
1Writer
This app is a powerful text editor for creating, revising, and sharing ideas efficiently. It supports plain text and Markdown, with advanced features like an extended keyboard, photo insertion, and custom URL actions. Sync with cloud services and personalize your writing experience.
- Markdown syntax highlighting and preview
- Extended keyboard with custom buttons
- Photo insertion with Dropbox integration
- Sync with iCloud, Dropbox, and WebDAV
- Custom URL actions and JavaScript support
- In-app web browser for research
- Passcode and biometric app protection
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1Writer combines all the basic text editing features you would expect with all the advanced features you will ever need. Use 1Writer to write, research, revise, and share your ideas with maximum efficiency. - - - - - - - - - - "The only Dropbox- and Markdown-enabled text editor for iPhone that’s clicked with me has been 1Writer. It’s simple, looks great, and gets the job done." - TheSweetSetup.com "Really great app, really recommend it." - Federico Viticci, MacStories.net "The app interface is beautiful and distraction-free, with loads of other awesome features lurking beneath its simple exterior. It's now my go-to iPhone text editor." - Chris Gonzales, ToolsandToys.net "For users that want a great visual experience paired with great support for custom actions and third party apps, 1Writer is an excellent choice." - iMore.com "1Writer is the most powerful text editor available for iPhone." - Phillip Gruneich - - - - - - - - - - CREATE - Write :: generate and edit plain text or Markdown files. - Preview :: see the formatted results with Markdown syntax highlighting while you write and a full, rich-text preview when you're done. - Extended keyboard :: a convenient row of buttons for navigation, formatting, special characters (customizable--pick the characters you use the most). - Insert photo :: pick a photo or take a new one, and 1Writer will upload it to Dropbox and generate the Markdown-syntax to add it to your document--all in a single action! - Snippets :: TextExpander Touch support. - Custom URL actions :: insert a document template, encode a selection and replace the original text, look up synonyms and much more. - JavaScript :: create even more powerful custom actions using JavaScript—text manipulation, perform a find & replace, interact with the clipboard—the possibilities are endless. IMPORT - Sync with iCloud, Dropbox and WebDAV. - Share extension :: send text to 1Writer from other apps. In Safari, the extension uses the current URL, page title and selected text to create a new document. - Create, append, prepend, or replace text directly from other apps using the 1Writer URL scheme. EXPORT - CloudApp and Dropbox :: generate a link to share your document in plain text or PDF. - Evernote :: pick your notebook, add tags and turn a text selection or the entire document into a new, rich-text note. - Copy HTML :: put the formatted text for your document directly on the clipboard. - Custom actions :: open a web search, tweet a selection, save a series of items in a list and much more. PERSONALIZE - Support Dark Mode on iOS 13. - 2 dark themes for more comfortable reading and writing at night. - Choose from 20 different fonts. - Bookmark and sync the Dropbox/WebDAV folders you want to have quick access to the sub-folders and documents you need. - Use a passcode or Touch ID/Face ID to protect the app from unauthorized users. RESEARCH - In-app web browser :: research, look up information without having to leave the app. - Bookmarks :: create and access your favorite websites. - Save the current text selection to the clipboard in Markdown syntax. - 1Password support :: login to all your accounts using the 1Password extension. EVEN MORE GREAT FEATURES - Drag and drop. - Open in Place. - Multiple windows on iOS 13. - MultiMarkdown. - Search documents from Spotlight. - Find & replace within document. - Photo and PDF preview. - Today widget :: access your recent documents from the Notification Center or create a new document in one tap. - Checklist support :: create a list of things to do or topics to research, and easily check them off. - Full-text search and hashtag support :: search within a folder to find the document you need, and view related documents that have the same tag.
Notebooks
This app helps you write, organize, and manage documents, tasks, and files. It offers flexible writing modes, robust organization tools, and task management features, all while ensuring your data remains accessible and under your control.
- Formatted text, plain text, and Markdown writing
- Create documents with styles, tables, and attachments
- Organize with nested hierarchies and 'books'
- Task management with due dates and checklists
- Wiki-style linking and backlinks
- Full-text search
- Cross-device synchronization
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Own your notes — forever. Notebooks is a writing and organization app with no subscription, no lock-in, and no worries. Your documents are stored as standard files you can always access, export, or move freely. Pay once. Use for life. Use Notebooks as a personal wiki, Zettelkasten, document archive, task manager, or long-term writing space. Capture quick notes, turn them into actionable tasks, combine text fragments into chapters, organize research, or keep business documents separate from personal journals — without ever switching apps. Designed to help you stay focused and work at your own pace, Notebooks grows with your needs and is always ready to support you. WRITE AND CREATE Create beautifully formatted documents with styles, attachments, tables, checklists, and optional tables of contents. Choose from ready-made styles or design your own. Write in different ways: Formatted text (WYSIWYG) Plain text, with smart handling of lists, automatic character pairing, and a focused writing view Markdown, supporting MultiMarkdown and Discount, with syntax highlighting, dedicated keyboard keys, wiki-style links, and interactive checklists Sketch ideas or annotate images and PDFs using Apple Pencil. STORE AND ORGANIZE Notebooks stores all documents as regular files in standard formats. You always remain in control — no lock-in, no export worries, fully compatible across devices and over time. Organize your work in books and nested hierarchies without limits. Import PDFs, emails, web pages, MS Office and iWork documents, images, audio, video, and more. Use full-text search to find even the most deeply nested document. PLAN AND ACT Turn books into project lists and documents into tasks. Assign due dates and alerts, create nested projects, and track progress naturally — right where your work lives. Use simple checklists in formatted documents or Markdown for lightweight task tracking. STAY FOCUSED Link documents together to build knowledge over time. Use wiki-style links, backlinks, contexts, and smart books to keep everything connected and within reach. When you rename or move documents, links stay intact. A PLACE YOU CAN RELY ON Sync your documents between iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC. Work on documents stored in other apps, compile selections into PDFs or eBooks, scan documents and extract text using OCR, and trust that your data stays accessible — now and in the future. With time, Notebooks often becomes the one place users rely on to keep everything that matters close at hand. WHAT USERS SAY “Notebooks is a wonderful app — sophisticated in an unassuming way. I feel more productive without spending time managing the app itself.” “You are GTD in every way that makes it efficient — and makes me efficient.”
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: 1Writer at $4.99 against Notebooks's $17.99. 1Writer also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
1Writer costs $4.99 and Notebooks $17.99 up front. 1Writer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Notebooks sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for 1Writer against 4.7 for Notebooks. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 388 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of 1Writer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Notebooks's.
1Writer ships an update every 2 months, Notebooks every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 1Writer | Notebooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $17.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (388 ratings) | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.9% of reviews — better | 82.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 388 | 1.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #66 — better | #90 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ngoc Luu | Alfons Schmid |
Customer experience
1Writer
Notebooks
Bugs and requests
1Writer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Notebooks
Reported bugs
2 issues- Data loss after iOS upgrades
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Improved Markdown support
- More font and color customization options
- Better Apple Watch integration
- Export to Word format
In-app purchases
1Writer
- Small Tip$0.99
- Nice Tip$2.99
- Generous Tip$4.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Massive Tip$9.99
- Amazing Tip$19.99
Notebooks
- Small Tip$0.99
- Custom Storage Locations$2.99
- Medium Tip$2.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Generous Tip$4.99









