Textwell vs Firstext
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Textwell
This app provides a distraction-free writing environment for various tasks like jotting notes, messaging, and blogging. It offers customizable actions for text processing and automatically saves content history, syncing across devices via iCloud.
- Distraction-free plain text writing
- Customizable JavaScript actions for text manipulation
- Automatic content saving and history search
- iCloud syncing across Mac, iPhone, and iPad
- Text routing to other apps and services
- Character, word, and line count
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Textwell is a multipurpose textbox which can be used for any writing tasks such as jotting, messaging, blogging, searching, posting, and so on. For the simplicity, Textwell doesn't have features for styling text or managing multiple notes, but it is always ready to start writing instead, and the bunch of customizable actions can process your text in unlimited ways. Actions can be modified and created by yourself with JavaScript. Textwell is like a single sheet of paper, but it automatically saves current content by appropriate timing as history, so that you can search and take it back some time later. Also, current note content, actions, and history items are automatically synced with other devices including Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud. Textwell allows you to - Simply write and read on a plain text field without any functional complexity or visual clutter. - Route your text to other apps or services such as Email, Messages, Maps, Reminders, Google Search, and more, by choosing one from the action list. Actions are customizable with JavaScript. - Modify your text by using actions such as searching/replacing words, inserting specific characters, reordering paragraphs/lines, time-stamping, location-stamping, changing cases, adding bullets, URL-encoding/decoding, escaping/unescaping HTML, and more. - Preview HTML or markdown by also using actions. - Search and restore previous content from the automatic history. - Share current note, actions, and history items with other devices including Mac, iPhone, and iPad automatically via iCloud. - Check numbers of characters, words, and lines. - Use "Textwell" Widget. - Use "Open" and "Open as Blank" Lock Screen Widgets (iPhone). - Use "Textwell" share extension. - Use "Add to Textwell" action extension. - Use "Textwell" iMessage app. - Change font size, line space, and some behaviors is Settings app. Follow @textwell on Twitter to keep in touch.
Firstext
This app is a straightforward text editor designed for quick note-taking and text creation. It automatically saves your work and allows for easy sharing to other applications with customizable actions. Advanced features like search, replace, and character counting are also included.
- Instant text input on launch
- Automatic text saving and restoration
- Customizable text sharing actions
- Cursor movement by swiping
- Search and replace functionality
- Character and line counting
- Font size adjustment
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Firstext is a simple text editor application. I named it "First" + "Text" = "Firstext" with the aim of making it the "first step" in all kinds of text creation. Firstext has the following features. ・Start typing as soon as the application is launched. ・The text you type is automatically saved and can be restored at any time. ・Ability to freely share text to other apps by creating and adding share actions to suit your needs. There is no functionality for managing multiple texts or notes, decorating text, or inserting photos. *Before removing the limitation by in-app purchase, the number of shared actions is limited to 10, and the number of saved history is limited to 20. Please understand. After confirming the usability of the application, you can use it without restrictions by making an in-app purchase. Main functions and features ・Input text as soon as the application is launched. ・Automatic saving and restoration of text ・Ability to create and add shared actions. ・Ability to move the cursor by swiping left and right. ・Ability to search and replace text. ・Ability to search and delete history. ・Ability to count the number of characters and lines. ・Ability to change the font size of text. ・Ability to change icons. ・URL scheme support - Launch → firstext:// - Startup by replacing the current text with the clipboard contents → firstext://clipReplace - Starts by appending the clipboard contents to the end of the current text → firstext://clipAdd - Inserts the clipboard content at the cursor position of the current text → firstext://clipInsert - Starts with replacing the current text with the specified text → firstext://textReplace?text=[text] - Appends the specified text to the end of the current text → firstext://textAdd?text=[text] - Inserts the specified text at the cursor position of the current text → firstext://textInsert?text=[text] The following features will be added in future updates Synchronization of text, shared actions, and history with other devices via iCloud *I have confirmed an issue where an alert regarding pasting is displayed every time when using clipboard-related URL schemes on iOS 16 or later. This issue can be avoided by updating to iOS16.1 or later and making the following settings from the Settings app. (1) Select "Firstext" in the Settings app and select "Paste from Other Apps". (2) Change the setting to "Allow". *Notification about pasting will appear even after changing to "Allow". Due to the limitation of iOS, you cannot turn off this notification.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Firstext at Free against Textwell's $2.99. Firstext also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Textwell's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and iOS requirement 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
Firstext is free to download; Textwell costs $2.99 up front. Firstext sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Textwell asks for nothing beyond the download.
Textwell ships an update every 3 months, Firstext every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Textwell | Firstext |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.8% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sociomedia | Akihiro Usui |
Customer experience
Textwell
Firstext
In-app purchases
Textwell
No in-app purchases
Firstext
- Snack-Sized Tip$0.49
- Restriction Removal$1.99
- Coffee-Sized Tip$1.99
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- Lunch-Sized Tip$3.99









