Comparison

Co vs VDWrite

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

Head to head
About

Co

This app provides advanced word prediction and spelling support for students. It offers grammar-smart suggestions and access to millions of topic-specific dictionaries to aid in writing. Built-in text-to-speech functionality helps users review their work.

Highlights
  • Grammar-smart word prediction
  • Millions of topic-specific dictionaries
  • Flexspell™ technology for spelling errors
  • Built-in text-to-speech
  • Personalized vocabulary and settings
Features
Read full description

Co:Writer® Universal app and third-party keyboard gives students easy access to word prediction on iPad, iPad Pro, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Students simply sign in to their Co:Writer Universal accounts to write with their personal settings and vocabulary. ABOUT CO:WRITER UNIVERSAL This version is for schools with a Co:Writer Universal license only. Users without a Co:Writer Universal license must purchase the Co:Writer app. HOW DOES CO:WRITER WORK? As letters are typed, Co:Writer predicts the intended word with a selection of word suggestions using powerful grammar-smart word prediction. These suggestions can be read aloud with a swipe. Selecting the intended word places it into the writing document. For feedback while writing (and after writing) built-in text to speech can be used to read letters, words, sentences, and the entire document. 4+ MILLION TOPIC-SPECIFIC DICTIONARIES Co:Writer has access to a main prediction dictionary (that includes core words) and Topic Dictionaries (that includes topic specific words). Co:Writer can access over 4 million topic-specific dictionaries which are activated based on the writing task. A small sampling of the variety of topic dictionaries: - America's Cup - Apple II - Compare and Contrast - Dinosaurs - Grumpy Cat - History of the Peloponnesian War - Mahatma Gandhi - My Dog - Pig Latin - Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost - SpongeBob SquarePants - Tommy (album) - Wonders of the World SPELLING SUPPORT Co:Writer handles the widest range of spelling mistakes through its Flexspell™technology including phonetic spelling and inventive spelling errors (letter omissions, word ending omissions, letter reversals, etc). Examples of how Co:Writer aides with phonetic and/or inventive spelling: Before Co:Writer The blk jargon flu over the bra lfnt. R u hpy to ce me? I no hw to nor the fone. After Co:Writer The black dragon flew over the gray elephant. Are you happy to see me? I know how to answer the phone. GRAMMAR SUPPORT Co:Writer bases its prediction off of proper grammar, and uses its understanding of grammar to accurately predict words within the framework of valid sentence structures. Examples of how Co:Writer aides with grammar: Dogs are furry. (noun, verb, adj.) - When you typed d-o, you get plural noun choices Three very mangy dogs ran down the street. (adj., adv., adj., noun, verb… etc.) - After typing three, very, mangy, you get plural noun choices, then you get plural verb tenses. OTHER FEATURES - Built-in Text to Speech - Export

About

VDWrite

This writing app offers text-to-speech proofreading to catch errors, a word finder for better vocabulary, and an active outline for organizing and restructuring documents. It's designed to help users write more effectively and efficiently.

Highlights
  • Text-to-speech proofreading
  • Phonetic and meaning word search
  • Active document outline
  • Voice dictation support
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Cloud storage integration
Features
Read full description

Voice Dream Writer helps everyone write better: Text-to-speech proofreading reduces mistakes, phonetic and meaning search help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you organize and improve the structure of your writing. • Featured in the US App Store Education Collection. • "Voice Dream Writer's technically designed for people with reading disabilities, but it's useful for just about anyone who needs a little help proofing." - Lifehacker Text-To-Speech Proofreading. Professional proofreaders recommend reading out loud as the best way to catch mistakes. Like a personal proofreader, Voice Dream Writer reads your writing using text-to-speech, so you can easily spot awkward sentences, grammatical errors and typos. Also, it can read words and sentences as you type or voice dictate. This way, you can type faster because you no longer have to look up to check the text you just wrote. Word Finder. Voice Dream Writer helps you find the right words using phonetic search and meaning search. For example, search for "inuf" phonetically, and you will find "enough", and search for "Fast Africa Cat" by meaning and you will find "Cheetah." Word Finder also shows you the dictionary definition of a word as you type without you having to select anything or open another program. Outline. As you write, Voice Dream Writer automatically creates an outline of headings, paragraphs and sentences. The Outline helps you structure your document better by giving you an always-on overview. You can also quickly navigate to a section in a long document without endless scrolling. Finally, you can drag and drop elements in the Outline to organize your writing. No more selecting, cutting and pasting large blocks of text. Besides these unique features, Voice Dream Writer also comes with everything you would expect from any great writing tool: • Comprehensive settings for text appearance • Uncluttered writing area • Search for text • Search for misspelled words • Word count • Synchronize and backup with iCloud • Import and export for Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box • Preview and print with multiple themes • Markdown support for formatting • Export to Microsoft Word format (compatible with Apple Pages) • Support for Bluetooth keyboard The app is not only fully accessible, it was designed with students and adults with print disabilities in mind. There are special tools for VoiceOver users to manage the cursor, select text, and find and correct misspelled words by stepping through them. Voice-based Proofreading and Phonetic Search are invaluable for people with dyslexia. Also included is the research-proven Dyslexie font. Voice Dream Writer will continue to evolve. We would love to hear from you!

Screenshots

Co4 screens
VDWrite1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: VDWrite at 68% against Co's 8%. VDWrite also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.6) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Co's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VDWrite holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 65 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 8% of Co's written reviews are positive against 68% of VDWrite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Co ships an update every 4 months, VDWrite monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Co versus VDWrite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoVDWrite
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (17 ratings)4.1 (65 ratings) — better
Positive reviews8.3% of reviews67.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1765 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDon Johnston IncorporatedOpus Noma LLC

Customer experience

Co

All ratings17 ratings
Positive29.4%
Neutral23.5%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative75.0%

VDWrite

All ratings65 ratings
Positive72.3%
Neutral10.8%
Negative16.9%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive67.9%
Neutral12.3%
Negative19.8%

In-app purchases

None

Co

No in-app purchases

None

VDWrite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Co free?
Co is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VDWrite free?
VDWrite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Co or VDWrite?
VDWrite is rated higher. Co averages 2.6 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while VDWrite averages 4.1 from 65 ratings.
Do Co or VDWrite have ads?
Neither Co nor VDWrite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Co or VDWrite?
Co ships an update every 4 months, and VDWrite monthly. Most recently, Co was updated on November 1, 2026 and VDWrite on November 1, 2026.

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