# Author vs OmniPlan 4

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Author at 73% against OmniPlan 4's 24%. OmniPlan 4's advantage is price (Free vs $19.99) and rating (3.9 vs 3.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

OmniPlan 4 is free to download; Author costs $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and OmniPlan 4 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

OmniPlan 4 holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 20 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Author's written reviews are positive against 24% of OmniPlan 4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Author | OmniPlan 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010/reviews) | **[3.9 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/omniplan-4/id1460319993/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **20** |
| Positive reviews | **73.1% of reviews** | 23.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [The Omni Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/281731738) |

## 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


### OmniPlan 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/omniplan-4/id1460319993)

This app offers robust project management capabilities, allowing users to view, edit, and organize complex projects. It provides tools for tracking progress, managing teams, and improving workflows with features like automatic scheduling and critical path highlighting.

**Highlights:** Automatic project scheduling, Resource leveling, Team collaboration, Critical path highlighting, Interactive Gantt timeline, Network diagram view

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Legacy Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Legacy Subscription | $199.99 | per year |
| Free Upgrade to v4 Pro | Free | one-time |
| Free Upgrade to v4 Standard | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to v4 Standard | $99.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade from Standard to Pro | $99.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Standard | $199.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to v4 Pro | $199.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade from Standard to Pro | $199.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Pro | $399.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Author free?

Author costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is OmniPlan 4 free?

OmniPlan 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Author or OmniPlan 4?

OmniPlan 4 is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while OmniPlan 4 averages 3.9 from 20 ratings.

### Do Author or OmniPlan 4 have ads?

Neither Author nor OmniPlan 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Author or OmniPlan 4?

Author ships an update every 2 months, and OmniPlan 4 every 2 months. Most recently, Author was updated on September 22, 2026 and OmniPlan 4 on September 21, 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.*