Comparison

iA Writer vs Scratch

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iA Writer

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
Currently charting
Read full description

iA Writer is the original Markdown writing app. Keep your hands on the keys and your mind in the text. No buttons, no popups, no title bar. Write first, format later. # Professional Text Tools iA Writer is not yet another layout program. It’s an app designed for writing and nothing else. iA Writer has less features and more focus. It doesn’t fill the screen with fonts, styles and toolbars. Every function deepens the focus. # Hyperfocus Focus Mode dims everything but the current sentence or paragraph, keeping you in the flow. It helps you re-feel, re-think, and re-write your text until it says exactly what you mean. # Authorship Did you write this? Or Claude? iA Writer tracks and shows what you wrote and what you pasted. Your words speak in black and white. AI stands out in technicolor. As you type, you make it your own. Don’t let AI speak for you. # The Elements of Style Cut noise, think clearly. Style Check flags clichés and clutter. You decide what to cut and what to keep. It helps you put everything in its right place. # Super Simple Structure text with Markdown. Embed links, photos, and tables, and see them in preview. Export to PDF, to Word, and to HTML. Your file stays in plain text and works everywhere. # Smart Keyboard Quick Search offers outline and fast access to other documents. The configurable ⌘-Key unlocks every function of the app. # The Original Writing App For 16 years, iA Writer has earned awards and praise. Four-time App of the Year winner and 2025 Apple Design Award finalist. Over three million writers have used it to focus on their words. “Beautiful. The gold standard for Markdown.” — John Gruber, creator of Markdown “A clean, simple and distraction-free environment for when you really need to focus on your words.” — The New York Times “A scalpel in a world of Swiss army knives. Powerful simplicity.” — The Guardian "Leaving life's mess for an ideal realm of words." — The New Yorker “Everything goes away except for the writing experience.” — Stephen Fry, actor and writer “It is tiny but it is huge. ” — Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author Try it for free for seven days. # Get in Touch Visit ia.net/writer for more information. Visit ia.net/writer/support for support and feedback.

About

Scratch

A fast and simple note-taking app for capturing ideas, drafting messages, or saving temporary text. It automatically saves your work and offers grammar and spelling correction powered by Apple Intelligence. Easily copy, paste, share, or clear your text.

Highlights
  • Automatic saving
  • Smart grammar and spelling correction
  • One-tap copy
  • Clipboard paste
  • Share to other apps
  • Customizable appearance
  • Haptic feedback
Features
Read full description

Scratch es un espacio sencillo y rápido donde puedes escribir cualquier cosa justo cuando la necesitas. Úsala para apuntar una idea, preparar un mensaje, guardar un texto temporal o escribir algo que después quieras copiar y utilizar en otra aplicación. Todo lo que escribas se guarda automáticamente para que puedas volver más tarde sin perderlo. También puedes corregir la ortografía, la gramática y la puntuación de tus textos mediante Apple Intelligence. La corrección conserva el idioma, el significado y el tono original del contenido. Desde su barra de herramientas puedes: • Copiar el texto con un toque. • Pegar contenido desde el portapapeles. • Compartirlo con otras aplicaciones. • Borrar todo cuando quieras empezar de nuevo. Cuando aparece el teclado, la barra de herramientas se coloca automáticamente sobre él para que todas las acciones sigan estando siempre a mano. Además, Scratch permite personalizar el modo de apariencia, el color de la interfaz, el tamaño del texto y la respuesta háptica. Una aplicación directa, cuidada y sin distracciones para escribir, corregir y compartir.

Screenshots

iA Writer4 screens
Scratch2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Scratch at $1.99 against iA Writer's $19.99. Scratch also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 73%). iA Writer's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 1) and chart position (#34 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

iA Writer costs $19.99 and Scratch $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scratch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iA Writer has 1.6K ratings behind it against 1, 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 Scratch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iA Writer ships an update every 2 weeks, Scratch every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
iA Writer versus Scratch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriA WriterScratch
Price$19.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.6 (1.6K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#34 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInformation Architects AGFran Besora Malo

Customer experience

iA Writer

All ratings1,551 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral3.4%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews1,023 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative18.0%

Scratch

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

iA Writer

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Collaborative editing features

Scratch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iA Writer

No in-app purchases

None

Scratch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iA Writer free?
iA Writer costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scratch free?
Scratch costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iA Writer or Scratch?
Scratch is rated higher. iA Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Scratch averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do iA Writer or Scratch have ads?
Neither iA Writer nor Scratch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iA Writer or Scratch?
iA Writer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Scratch every 3 days. Most recently, iA Writer was updated on November 12, 2026 and Scratch on November 10, 2026.

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