# Fastmail vs WriteFreely

The clearest difference is price: Fastmail at Free against WriteFreely's $11.99. Fastmail also leads on ratings volume (572 vs 8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). WriteFreely's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.1 vs 3.8). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Fastmail is free to download; WriteFreely costs $11.99 up front. Fastmail sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.49 per month. WriteFreely asks for nothing beyond the download.

WriteFreely holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fastmail has 572 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Fastmail's written reviews are positive against 44% of WriteFreely's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Fastmail ships an update every 3 weeks, WriteFreely every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fastmail | WriteFreely |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $11.99 |
| Rating | [3.8 (572 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fastmail-email-and-calendar/id931370077/reviews) | **[4.1 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **572** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | **48.0% of reviews** | 44.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#199** |
| Size | 18 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fastmail Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/931370076) | [Musing Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1000755152) |

## What reviewers say

### Fastmail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fastmail-email-and-calendar/id931370077)

Manage your email, contacts, and calendar with a privacy-focused service. Offers powerful search, inbox decluttering tools, and customizable gestures for efficient communication. Seamlessly syncs across devices and supports open standards.

**Highlights:** Offline access to email, Powerful search with refinement, Inbox decluttering tools, Customizable swipe gestures, Seamless calendar syncing, Shared address books, Privacy-first, no ads or tracking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fastmail Monthly Plan | $6.49 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔥 Excellent email service
- 💯 Great customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes
- 🔍 Lacking offline support
- 🔀 Confusing navigation and UI
- 🔋 Poor battery life
- 💤 Slow app performance

**Reported bugs**

- Blank screen on app launch
- Notification badges not updating correctly
- Delayed email delivery
- Unreliable swiping gestures
- Disappearing toolbar buttons

**Requested features**

- Offline email access
- Customizable notification sounds
- Integration with native iOS apps
- Dark mode support
- Multiple account management


### WriteFreely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

A minimalist blogging app for seamless web publishing. Write in a distraction-free editor and publish to your blog or any compatible writing community. Supports offline drafting and synchronization with your WriteFreely account.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free editor, Offline drafting and editing, Sync posts with WriteFreely account, Publish to multiple blogs, Dark mode option, Open source platform

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fastmail free?

Fastmail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WriteFreely free?

WriteFreely costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Fastmail or WriteFreely?

WriteFreely is rated higher. Fastmail averages 3.8 out of 5 from 572 ratings, while WriteFreely averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.

### Do Fastmail or WriteFreely have ads?

Neither Fastmail nor WriteFreely shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fastmail or WriteFreely?

Fastmail ships an update every 3 weeks, and WriteFreely every 2 months. Most recently, Fastmail was updated on September 25, 2026 and WriteFreely on August 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*