# iA Writer vs Kaleida

The clearest difference is price: Kaleida at Free against iA Writer's $19.99. Kaleida also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 73%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). iA Writer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence there is nothing between them.

Kaleida is free to download; iA Writer costs $19.99 up front. Kaleida sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.00 per 7 days. iA Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kaleida holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iA Writer has 1.6K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of iA Writer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Kaleida's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iA Writer | Kaleida |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ia-writer-get-focused/id775737172/reviews) | **[4.8 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kaleida-thinking-partner/id6740244139/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 72.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#27** | — |
| Size | 70 MB | 231 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Information Architects AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/775737175) | [Spacenotes](https://appshunter.io/developer/1714840919) |

## What reviewers say

### iA Writer

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

**Currently charting:** #27 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This is a minimalist Markdown editor designed for focused writing. It offers features like focus mode, style checking, and AI authorship tracking to help users craft clear and concise text without distractions. Export your work to various formats.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing environment, Focus Mode for sentence/paragraph isolation, Style Check for clichés and clutter, AI authorship tracking, Markdown support, Export to PDF, Word, HTML, Configurable ⌘-Key

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**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


### Kaleida

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kaleida-thinking-partner/id6740244139)

This app guides you through complex decisions with structured thinking tools. It helps clarify trade-offs, identify risks, explore options, and check your biases to create a comprehensive decision brief.

**Highlights:** Structured thinking tools, Personalized decision plans, Trade-off analysis, Pre-mortem risk assessment, Options mapping, Values clarification, Bias detection, Decision brief creation

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kaleida Pro Weekly | $5.00 | per 7 days |
| Kaleida Pro Monthly | $14.00 | per month |
| Every 3 months | $35.00 | per 3 months |
| Kaleida Pro Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Unlock one decision | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iA Writer free?

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

### Is Kaleida free?

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

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

Kaleida is rated higher. iA Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Kaleida averages 4.8 from 18 ratings.

### Do iA Writer or Kaleida have ads?

Kaleida shows ads; iA Writer does not.

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

iA Writer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Kaleida every 2 weeks. Most recently, iA Writer was updated on November 11, 2026 and Kaleida on October 30, 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.*