# Textwell vs Firstext

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Textwell | Firstext |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textwell/id696345721/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| Positive reviews | **57.8% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 10 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sociomedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/696345724) | [Akihiro Usui](https://appshunter.io/developer/1387267485) |

## What reviewers say

### Textwell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textwell/id696345721)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Firstext

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firstext/id1642650670)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Snack-Sized Tip | $0.49 | one-time |
| Restriction Removal | $1.99 | one-time |
| Coffee-Sized Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lunch-Sized Tip | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Textwell free?

Textwell costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Firstext free?

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

### Do Textwell or Firstext have ads?

Firstext shows ads; Textwell does not.

### Which is updated more often, Textwell or Firstext?

Textwell ships an update every 3 months, and Firstext every 2 weeks. Most recently, Textwell was updated on September 23, 2026 and Firstext on September 16, 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.*