Comparison

iA Writer vs Just Write

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 writing application provides a clean, distraction-free environment to focus on your words. It offers features like Focus Mode to dim distractions, plain text writing with HTML preview, and customizable keyboard layouts. Organize and export your documents in various formats.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free writing environment
  • Focus Mode for sentence/paragraph highlighting
  • Plain text writing with HTML preview
  • Document search, sort, and cloud syncing
  • Customizable keyboard layouts
  • Export to WordPress, Medium, Word, PDF
  • Inverted light-on-dark mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“Leaving life’s mess for an ideal realm of words.” —The New Yorker “My favorite iOS app for writing in Markdown, without question, is iA Writer. iA Writer is just beautiful. To me, it’s the gold standard for Markdown syntax styling... an elegant champagne flute. That’s iA Writer for me.” —John Gruber “iA Writer creates a clean, simple and distraction-free writing environment for when you really need to focus on your words.” —The New York Times “iA Writer is an example of how powerful simplicity and accessibility can be.” —The Guardian “iA Writer is all about textual production—writing this phrase, this sentence, this word at this moment.” —WIRED 4 x Best of App Store Winner # The Simple Writing App iA Writer removes distractions. Giving you a calm, focused, writing space, so you can express yourself clearly. # Focus Focus Mode dims everything but the current sentence or paragraph, helping you stay in the flow. # Start Don’t worry about the format. First, write in plain text. Then preview in HTML. # Organize Search, sort, and quickly swap between documents from different clouds. # Customize When you tap and hold a key in the command keyboard, you’re given the chance to choose your own layout. Rearrange your keys, or pick new ones from the extensive list. # Search You can open documents and launch frequent actions in no time with the new Quick Search. It lives in the keyboard so it’s always close at hand. # Work iA Writer includes an inverted light-on-dark-mode, perfect for working day and night. # Clean Spot superfluous adjectives, weak verbs, repetitive nouns, false conjunctions and clean your text of the usual rumble. # Shape Customize your templates and export to WordPress or Medium, HTML, Microsoft Word (.docx), or PDF. # 100% Text Embed links, pictures, tables and text files in plain text and see them in preview. # Get in Touch - Visit ia.net/writer for more information - Visit ia.net/writer/support for support and feedback

About

Just Write

A minimalist text editor designed to streamline the writing process. It supports both RTF and TXT formats, offering rich text editing and Markdown support. Sync your work across devices with iCloud integration.

Highlights
  • RTF and TXT file support
  • Markdown styling
  • iCloud file syncing
  • Rich text editing tools
  • Multiple themes
  • Smart selection tool (iPad)
Features
Read full description

Just Write text editor aims to simplify writing process. The app is carefully designed so that the only things that are absolutely essential to the writing process are included. Just Write supports RTF (rich text format) and TXT (plain text format) that are cross-platform formats you can open and edit in virtually any platforms. + RTF , a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) format, is best suitable for creating your next big story. + While TXT, supported Markdown styles, is best for notes, outline, to-do list and anything else you do with a plaintext format. Just Write has iCloud support (opt-in) so you can sync your rtf and txt files across all your devices. RTF editing features include: - Font size increase and decrease - Text color selection - Text style editing such as Bold, Italic, Underline and Strikethrough - Text alignments: Left, Right, Center, Justified - Undo, Redo - Move arrow to jump the cursor - Selection tool to select paragraph, sentence and word super fast and easy (iPad only). Using smart selection tool, you can select paragraph, sentence and word in just 1 tap!!!!!! TXT editing features include: - Accessory row includes many characters essential to writing Markdown. - Multiple fonts to choose from - Preview Markdown (in left menu) - Three themes (Light, Dark, Sepia) - Support plain text format extensions: txt, text, md, mmd, markdown, markdn, mdown, mkdn, markd, fountain - Selection tool to select paragraph, sentence and word super fast and easy (iPad only). Using smart selection tool, you can select paragraph, sentence and word in just 1 tap!!!!!! * Note: Just Write is supported by ads, but you can buy an in app purchase to remove the ads.

Screenshots

iA Writer4 screens
Just Write4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Just Write at Free against iA Writer's $19.99. iA Writer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence 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

Just Write is free to download; iA Writer costs $19.99 up front. Just Write sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iA Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iA Writer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of iA Writer's written reviews are positive against 67% of Just Write's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iA Writer ships an update every 2 weeks, Just Write every 11 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
iA Writer versus Just Write: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriA WriterJust Write
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (1.5K ratings) — better4.3 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews72.8% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K1.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#27 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInformation Architects AGTung Vu

Customer experience

iA Writer

All ratings1,543 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.4%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews1,022 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative18.0%

Just Write

All ratings1,749 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews426 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral8.0%
Negative25.4%

User reviews

iA Writer

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Just Write

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Simple and straightforward interface
  • 📁 Organized folder system
  • ✨ Clean and minimalist design
  • 🆓 Free to use with no ads
  • ⚡️ Offline writing capability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and data loss issues
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/accessing files
  • 🔧 Limited formatting and customization options
  • 🖥️ Lack of syncing/cross-device support
  • 🖋️ No spell check or grammar assistance

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

Just Write

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and data loss
  • Inability to reopen saved documents
  • Unreliable auto-save functionality
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Implement more font and formatting choices
  • Introduce paragraph spacing and indentation controls
  • Integrate spell check and grammar tools
  • Enable file syncing across devices
Show 2 more
  • Add image/multimedia support
  • Provide better file management and organization

In-app purchases

None

iA Writer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Just Write

One-time1
  • No Ads$6.99

Questions

Is iA Writer free?
iA Writer costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Just Write free?
Just Write is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iA Writer or Just Write?
iA Writer is rated higher. iA Writer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Just Write averages 4.3 from 1.8K ratings.
Do iA Writer or Just Write have ads?
Just Write shows ads; iA Writer does not.
Which is updated more often, iA Writer or Just Write?
iA Writer ships an update every 2 weeks, and Just Write every 11 days. Most recently, iA Writer was updated on November 6, 2026 and Just Write on November 6, 2026.

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