Comparison

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup vs Whizz

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

Head to head
About

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup

This app streamlines writing and referencing by integrating a browser with customizable text display. It offers smart Markdown shortcuts, multiple customizable presets for editing and viewing, and robust version control for documents. The app prioritizes a clean, distraction-free writing experience with advanced typography options.

Highlights
  • Integrated browser with custom color schemes
  • Smart Markdown shortcuts
  • Customizable presets for editing and viewing
  • HTML preview sync
  • Dropbox repository browsing
  • Automatic document versioning
  • Advanced typography options
Features
Read full description

When we write, we reference the dictionary, Wikipedia, Google, and any number of websites. I made Shift to make writing and referencing both easy to do and especially, easy to read. The integrated browser displays text in your custom color-scheme using gorgeous fonts, so the web can readable at night and during the day. This means that you can quickly open Wikipedia or other text-based website and have the text size & colors match your custom choices without busy clutter. And Shift makes changing between presets easy. You have four customizable presets to choose from, accessible from the editor itself. Two touches, that's it. The MultiMarkdown editor syncs the text with an HTML preview that shows your work with the customizable style of your choice. Tap text to edit, pinch to preview. It's easy. Shift is smart about Markdown. Shift has shortcuts to create lists, emphasis and strong, indentation, headings, and more. All lines selected can be marked at once. For example, if you want to mark a few words to be italic, select at least parts of the words and press the italic button. Shift will insert the markdown where it needs to be. It's smart. Some Markdown documents or some websites are easier to read in landscape. That's no problem in Shift. You can use Shift in landscape view as well as portrait. And Shift can browse your entire Dropbox repository, not just a single folder. Every time you open a document, a copy is saved. Two previous versions are always available for you to revert any mistakes. There will be no tears when using Shift. I care about typography. Shift comes with Concourse, Equity, and Triplicate, three gorgeous fonts by Matthew Butterick (see http://practicaltypography.com). And so font selection and editor layout has been carefully put together. But you are free to change (and restore) text color, background color, highlight colors, and presentation style. You'll find that the keyboard color will follow your background color selection and other parts of the UI adapt to your choices as well. Shift is customizable, but it's simple. It gets out of your way so you can write and read the way you want. If you have any question, go to http://shiftwriter.com and press the "support" link on the bottom of the page. I'll answer as best as I'm able. Thanks for your time. A special thanks to Icons8 at http://iconpharm.com for the use of a number of their icons.

About

Whizz

Read full description

This app is versatile, handling everything from simple To-Dos to work task management. Perfect for managing To-Dos like "Someday I want to do" or "Want to do soon" without deadlines. Visualize the progress of tasks you tend to procrastinate, helping you move forward little by little. Features: - Most features are available offline. - One task can be categorized into multiple categories. - View top tasks from multiple categories on a single screen. - Drag and drop with your finger to rearrange or move to the trash. - Completed tasks can be automatically moved to the trash. - You can manage progress by setting maximum and current values. - You can set progress units, such as "Pages" for reading or "Times" for workouts. - Pro plan users can enable data sync across devices (login required). - Login is not required if you don't use data sync. What You Can't Do: - Deadlines cannot be set. - Since there are no deadlines, there are no notifications either. This app focuses on tracking and managing progress, omitting deadline setting and notifications. If you need deadline setting features, please consider other apps (such as calendars). Terms of Use: https://moss.tools/apps/whizz/terms

Screenshots

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup4 screens
Whizz4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shift Editor & Quick Lookup at none against Whizz's 2. Shift Editor & Quick Lookup also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). Whizz's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 11 months). 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. Whizz sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Shift Editor & Quick Lookup asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup ships an update every 11 months, Whizz monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup versus Whizz: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift Editor & Quick LookupWhizz
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB49 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJohn LincolnMoss

In-app purchases

None

Shift Editor & Quick Lookup

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Whizz

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Annual subscription7 Days trial$17.991 Year

Questions

Is Shift Editor & Quick Lookup free?
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Whizz free?
Whizz is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shift Editor & Quick Lookup or Whizz have ads?
Whizz shows ads; Shift Editor & Quick Lookup does not.
Which is updated more often, Shift Editor & Quick Lookup or Whizz?
Shift Editor & Quick Lookup ships an update every 11 months, and Whizz monthly. Most recently, Shift Editor & Quick Lookup was updated on October 4, 2026 and Whizz on October 2, 2026.

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