Comparison

Author vs Drafts

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

Head to head
About

Author

This app serves as a companion to its macOS counterpart, offering a minimalist and powerful writing experience on iOS devices. It allows users to create and manage their written content seamlessly across platforms.

Highlights
  • Minimalist writing interface
  • Powerful writing tools
  • iOS companion app
  • Syncs with macOS version
Read full description

The iOS companion to Author macOS.

About

Drafts

Quickly capture text and send it to other apps with this versatile writing tool. It functions as a notebook, editor, and automation tool, allowing for seamless integration with various services and AI LLMs. Organize, customize, and process your text efficiently across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Quick text capture
  • Send text to other apps
  • Writing automation tool
  • Cross-device sync
  • Text manipulation actions
  • Customizable interface
  • AI LLM integration
Features
Read full description

Drafts is where text starts. Quickly capture text and send it almost anywhere! Drafts turns text into action with almost limitless possibilities – it’s a quick notebook, handy editor, and writing automation tool, all in one. Capture all of your text in Drafts and send it to other apps without the extra taps. Just open it and start typing! **Drafts is a multi-award winner!** - App of the Day, TIME Magazine’s Best Apps - MacStories “Lifetime Acheivement” and “Reader’s Choice” Awards ## WHY YOU’LL LOVE DRAFTS ## CAPTURE EVERYWHERE: Drafts opens to a new page with the keyboard ready — just waiting for your words. Alternatively, go hands-free with dictation. Drafts helps you write ideas down before you can forget them so and they’ll always be there, ready and waiting. Capture on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and Drafts’ fast sync will make your text available everywhere. USE YOUR WORDS: Drafts is a jumping-off point for text — use actions to copy it, share it, or deep-link into other apps and services. Compose a tweet, draft a message, create a file in Dropbox, send a task off to Reminders – Drafts works with tons of your favorite apps and services. Hone your text through integrations with popular AI LLMs. REMEMBER IT NOW – OR LATER: New entries go into the Inbox. Once there, you can Tag them for organization, Flag them for importance, or Archive them for long-term storage. TAKE TEXT TO A NEW LEVEL: Customize Drafts to look and work the way you want with tons of interface adjustments — custom fonts and control over spacing, line height, and margins. Use the customizable buttons above the keyboard to convert, manipulate, and transform your writing quickly. Using Drafts as a global inbox for all of your text? Process everything quickly using unique features like Link Mode, Arrange Mode, and text manipulation actions. LEVERAGE THE POWER OF YOUR WRIST COMPUTER: Use your Apple Watch to quickly capture text using nothing more than your voice — and your ideas will be waiting on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac ready to be fleshed out. GETTING WORDS DOWN HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER: Drafts opens lightning fast and with support for capture via Siri, the widget, share extension, file import, and dictation - Drafts is like post-its updated for the smartphone era. ## JOIN THE COMMUNITY ## Check out our Directory (actions.getdrafts.com) for ready-to-use actions and themes. Join the Drafts Community (forums.getdrafts.com) to get help, integration guides, and a regular flow of tips & tricks. ## DRAFTS PRO ## Drafts is always free to use, but you can get more out of Drafts with a Drafts Pro subscription: • Create and Edit Actions • Themes and Icons - suit the experience to your tastes with themes, custom app icons, and more • Workspaces - Apply preferred tag, query, and sort settings for your drafts list with Workspaces • Extra widgets and better share extension options • Enhanced Automation We are always working hard to expand the capabilities of Drafts and keep it up-to-date with the latest technologies. Your support helps keep the app growing – thank you to Drafts Pro subscribers! ## SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ## • Monthly and annual subscriptions are available • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription • Subscriptions can be managed or canceled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Have questions? Contact us on Twitter at @draftsapp or email support@getdrafts.com. Terms: https://getdrafts.com/support/terms Privacy Policy: https://getdrafts.com/support/privacy

Screenshots

Author4 screens
Drafts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Drafts at Free against Author's $19.99. Drafts also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Drafts is free to download; Author costs $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Drafts sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drafts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drafts has 11K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Author's written reviews are positive against 70% of Drafts's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Author ships an update every 2 months, Drafts every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Author versus Drafts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAuthorDrafts
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (5 ratings)4.8 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews — better70.0% of reviews
Number of ratings511K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Augmented Text Company LTDAgile Tortoise

Customer experience

Author

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive71.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative21.9%

Drafts

All ratings10,804 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews586 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral8.9%
Negative21.2%

User reviews

Author

From 5 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Clean, minimalist interface design
  • 💡 Innovative concept mapping and mind mapping features
  • 📚 Excellent citation and reference management
  • ⌨️ Useful keyboard shortcuts and productivity features
  • 🎯 Powerful outlining and document folding capabilities

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss issues
  • 📱 iOS/iPad app severely broken and non-functional
  • 🔄 Syncing problems between devices
  • 🎨 Limited formatting and customization options
  • 📊 Poor image handling capabilities

Drafts

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Extremely useful app
  • 👍 Powerful and flexible
  • 💡 Great for productivity and note-taking
  • 👍 Seamless sync across devices
  • 🚀 Streamlines workflows

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
  • 🤔 Subscription required for advanced features
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🤔 Confusing UI changes in newer version
  • 💰 Dislike the move to a subscription

Bugs and requests

Author

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes frequently, causing data loss
  • iOS app shows blank screen and won't open documents
  • iPad app completely non-functional
  • Text disappears or becomes greyed out during iCloud saves
  • Vision OS app lacks cursor for text input
Show 15 more
  • Ask AI feature shows infinite loading spinner
  • Unexpected Russian pricing text displayed to US users
  • App doesn't launch or open on some systems
  • Files not detected in Downloads folder
  • Cannot open documents created in desktop version on iOS
  • Automatic file conversion to Liquid format breaks iOS compatibility
  • Text rendering issues (white text on white background)
  • Table function broken - cannot write in cells
  • App lags and deletes lines when typing quickly
  • Highlight feature not working
  • Citations not resolving automatically
  • Markdown export only exports preamble
  • Copy-paste functionality issues
  • French localization not working despite being advertised
  • App not compatible with iOS 18 and latest macOS versions

Requested features

20 requests
  • iPad and iOS app that actually works
  • Typewriter scrolling mode
  • Variable screen width for large displays
  • Complete LaTeX export with full file support
  • Markdown support
Show 15 more
  • Better image handling and integration
  • Find and replace functionality
  • Dark mode for older macOS versions
  • Inline predictive text support
  • Nested list creation and editing
  • Paragraph indentation options
  • Photo support on macOS version
  • Keyboard shortcut reference guide
  • Table editing improvements
  • Integration with reference management software (Zotero, EndNote)
  • Local AI endpoints or BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) for privacy
  • Better onboarding and UI guidance for new users
  • Typeface options (Courier, American Typewriter, serif fonts)
  • Line spacing options (1.5, double spacing)
  • Color themes and dark mode options

Drafts

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Paste function not working properly
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • Ability to edit custom actions without subscription
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Author

One-time2
  • Export & AIFree
  • Eng$1.99
3 purchases

Drafts

Subscriptions3
  • Drafts Pro - Monthly [i]$1.991 Month
  • Drafts Pro - Annual [i]7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Drafts Pro - Patron [i]$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Author free?
Author costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Drafts free?
Drafts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Author or Drafts?
Drafts is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Drafts averages 4.8 from 11K ratings.
Do Author or Drafts have ads?
Neither Author nor Drafts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Author or Drafts?
Author ships an update every 2 months, and Drafts every 5 days. Most recently, Author was updated on September 27, 2026 and Drafts on October 13, 2026.

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