# iA Writer vs Paper

The clearest difference is price: Paper at Free against iA Writer's $19.99. Paper also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). iA Writer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#23 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Paper is free to download; iA Writer costs $19.99 up front. Paper sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. iA Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for iA Writer against 4.7 for Paper. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 73% and 72% positive.

iA Writer ships an update fortnightly, Paper monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | iA Writer | Paper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ia-writer/id775737172/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **73.2% of reviews** | 72.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#23** | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Information Architects AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/775737175) | [Mihhail Lapushkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143513743) |

## What reviewers say

### iA Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ia-writer/id775737172)

**Currently charting:** #23 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

A distraction-free writing environment designed to help you focus on your words. It offers features like Focus Mode, plain text writing with HTML preview, and robust organization tools. Customize your writing experience and export to various formats.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing environment, Focus Mode for enhanced concentration, Plain text writing with HTML preview, Document organization and search, Customizable keyboard layout, Export to various formats (Word, PDF, HTML, WordPress, Medium)

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Distraction-free writing experience
- 👍 Elegant and minimalist design
- 💡 Helpful syntax highlighting and formatting tools
- 🚀 Seamless sync across devices
- 👍 Reliable and stable performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and sync issues
- 🔒 Limited cloud storage integration options
- 👎 Lack of advanced organization and navigation features
- 👎 Subpar text selection and cursor control
- 👎 Dated app icon and visual design

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain files
- Sync issues leading to data loss
- Formatting problems when exporting to other formats

**Requested features**

- Improved cloud storage integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- Enhanced file management and organization tools
- Better text selection and cursor control
- More customization options for appearance and layout
- Integrated outline/table of contents view


### Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841)

This app offers a clean and configurable writing environment for various creative projects. It supports Markdown and plain text, syncs with iCloud, and integrates with other tools. Users can publish drafts to popular blogging platforms and export documents in multiple formats.

**Highlights:** Gorgeous writing space, Silky-smooth typing, Deep personalization (Pro), Markdown or Plain Text support, iCloud sync, Publish to Medium, WordPress, Ghost, Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, ePub

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Features | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Features | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $99.99 | one-time |
| Pro Features | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💗 Fantastic app
- 🎀 Great tool for writers
- 👍 Clean writing app
- 🤩 Awesome app
- 👍 Cute animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 💰 Paywalled features
- 🐛 Lost files and documents
- 🐛 Cursor issues
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable

**Reported bugs**

- Files randomly disappearing
- Cursor issues causing freezes
- Syncing and iCloud integration problems

**Requested features**

- Add image support
- Improve file management and recovery
- Expand font and customization options
- Implement team/collaborative writing features
- Add text formatting options like italics and bold


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iA Writer free?

iA Writer costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Paper free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iA Writer or Paper?

Paper is rated higher. iA Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Paper averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do iA Writer or Paper have ads?

Neither iA Writer nor Paper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iA Writer or Paper?

iA Writer ships an update fortnightly, and Paper monthly. Most recently, iA Writer was updated on September 23, 2026 and Paper on September 23, 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.*