# Author vs Drafts

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Author | Drafts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010/reviews) | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drafts/id1236254471/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **11K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.5% of reviews** | 70.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 4 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [Agile Tortoise](https://appshunter.io/developer/331942785) |

## What reviewers say

### Author

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Export & AI | Free | one-time |
| Eng | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Drafts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drafts/id1236254471)

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:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drafts Pro - Monthly  i | $1.99 | per month |
| Drafts Pro - Annual  i | $19.99 | per year |
| Drafts Pro - Patron  i | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- Paste function not working properly
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

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


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