Comparison

Mach Write vs Compo

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

Head to head
About

Mach Write

This app offers robust editing and viewing capabilities for RTF, TXT, and PDF files across iOS and macOS. It features iCloud synchronization, syntax highlighting for code formats, and PDF annotation tools.

Highlights
  • iCloud document synchronization
  • RTF Read/Write support
  • TXT and code format Read/Write with syntax highlighting
  • PDF Creation, Viewing, and Editing
  • Freehand PDF writing on iOS
  • DOC and DOCX viewing on iOS
Features
Read full description

**Please visit our website or search for "Mach Write" in the Mac App Store to download the macOS version, only $3.99!** Mach Write is a powerful new RTF, TXT, PDF (Rich Text Format, Plain Text, PDF) Editor and Viewer for iOS and macOS! Featuring full iCloud document synchronization, RTF in multiple styles, sizes, and colors; as well as PDF Viewing/Creating/Annotation; and TXT files in addition to supporting nearly 15 plain text code formats; Mach Write makes it super easy to create in many different formats while still being incredibly powerful! And the best part is Mach Write is free for iOS and only $3.99 (U.S.) on macOS! - iCloud document synchronization; Mach Write keeps all your documents up to date on all your iOS and OS X devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac) - RTF Read/Write support; easily Create and Edit Rich Text with multiple styles, alignment, font sizes, color, shadows, line spacing, and more -- one of the most popular word processor formats widely compatible across OS X, Windows, and Linux - TXT Read/Write support; as well as HTML/JS/PHP/RB/PL/JAVA/C/H/M/CP/MM Read/Write with Syntax Highlighting support for HTML, Javascript, PHP, Ruby, Perl, Java, C, C++, Objective-C++ and more - PDF Creation, Viewing, Editing; PDF Free-hand writing on iOS -- Create Blank PDFs super easy and draw diagrams, take notes, etc. (Large PDF documents in iCloud, such as large eBooks, are not recommended) - DOC and DOCX Viewing on iOS (DOC/DOCX Read/Write support on OS X) - Export as PDF makes it easy to annotate PDF's for grading papers, making corrections, or signing documents (iOS only) - Revolutionary PDF Magnifer feature makes it super easy to take Notes and automatically save as PDF (iOS only) - Incredibly advanced, yet super easy to use!

About

Compo

A minimalist writing application designed for composing and saving various types of written content. It offers a distraction-free environment, automatic iCloud syncing across devices, and easy sharing options. The app prioritizes an intuitive and user-friendly experience for effortless writing.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free writing environment
  • Automatic iCloud syncing
  • Universal app for iPhone and iPad
  • Share to various services
  • Customizable fonts and sizes
  • Word count and reading time
  • Spell check and dictionary
Read full description

Compo is the simplest way to write on iPhone or iPad. Compo gives you a single, beautiful place to compose and save all of your writings, whether they be short stories, articles, blog posts, poems, essays... whatever inspires you. It's designed around simplicity, eliminating the endless distractions of most word processors and letting you simply write. Everything is automatically saved and synced to iCloud, making it available on all your devices, from iPhone to iPad to Mac or PC. From there you can share your writings to countless other apps and services. Everything about Compo is intuitive and user friendly. Writing can be hard, but using your tools should be effortless. Features: - Universal app that works on both iPhone and iPad - Automatically syncs and backs up all documents to iCloud Drive - Share your writing with large variety of services including Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, Notes, Dropbox, Slack - Change writing environment with beautiful fonts and sizes - Check word count, page count, and estimated reading time at a glance - Spell check and dictionary functions included - Uses "plain text" format compatible with TextEdit, Pages, Microsoft Word, Google Docs

Screenshots

Mach Write4 screens
Compo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Compo at 2.9 against Mach Write's 1.0. Compo also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Mach Write's advantage is review sentiment (46% vs 35%). On price 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

Both are free to download. Mach Write sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Compo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compo holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Compo has 56 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Mach Write's written reviews are positive against 35% of Compo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mach Write versus Compo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMach WriteCompo
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)2.9 (56 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.8% of reviews — better35.4% of reviews
Number of ratings156 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMach Software DesignMotileware

Customer experience

Mach Write

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative50.0%

Compo

All ratings56 ratings
Positive41.1%
Neutral10.7%
Negative48.2%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive35.4%
Neutral12.3%
Negative52.3%

Bugs and requests

Mach Write

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Compo

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • App closes automatically
  • Work disappears/is deleted
  • App shuts down immediately
  • Kicked off at random points
Show 9 more
  • Dark mode toggle broken
  • Notes disappearing
  • Files erased from app and iCloud
  • Cannot sync to phone
  • App overwrites new version
  • Random untitled notes created
  • Developer needs to update for new iOS
  • Pages didn't work
  • Help page site not secure

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add printing availability
  • Add dark mode
  • Add different fonts and styles
  • Add folders for organization
  • Allow reordering of writings
Show 1 more
  • Ability to upload pictures

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mach Write

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Compo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mach Write free?
Mach Write is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compo free?
Compo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mach Write or Compo?
Compo is rated higher. Mach Write averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Compo averages 2.9 from 56 ratings.
Do Mach Write or Compo have ads?
Mach Write shows ads; Compo does not.

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