# Author vs Novelist

The clearest difference is price: Novelist at Free against Author's $19.99. Novelist also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Novelist is free to download; Author costs $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Novelist asks for nothing beyond the download.

Novelist holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Novelist has 214 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Author's written reviews are positive against 79% of Novelist's.

Author ships an update every 2 months, Novelist every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Author | Novelist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010/reviews) | **[4.4 (214 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novelist-write-novels/id1564737393/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **214** |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | **79.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [Alessandro Riperi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1564737395) |

## 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


### Novelist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novelist-write-novels/id1564737393)

This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for authors to write, organize, and plot their novels. It offers features for scene creation, story structuring, goal setting, and manuscript export. The platform is designed to support the entire novel-writing process, from initial ideas to the final draft.

**Highlights:** Plotting with customizable story elements, Scene writing with rich formatting, Story organization into acts and chapters, Word count goals and deadline scheduling, Manuscript export in EPUB, ODT, HTML, Autosave and version history, Companion web app

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazingly different application
- 🔒 Completely free, with no ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Well-organized all-in-one app for writing, plotting, outlining, and scheduling
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Helps with organizing and keeping things clean

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Confusing menu options and backup/restore process
- 🐛 Glitches when editing text, cursor behaves unexpectedly
- 🐛 Crashes or freezes on some devices
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Lack of font customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Backup/restore process can lead to data loss
- Cursor and text editing issues
- Crashes and freezes on some devices
- Syncing problems between devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to import/export in various formats (PDF, Markdown, etc.)
- Improved syncing and cloud integration
- More font and formatting options
- Ability to add images/illustrations to the book
- Collaboration/co-writing features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Author free?

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

### Is Novelist free?

Novelist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Author or Novelist?

Novelist is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Novelist averages 4.4 from 214 ratings.

### Do Author or Novelist have ads?

Neither Author nor Novelist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Author or Novelist?

Author ships an update every 2 months, and Novelist every 6 weeks. Most recently, Author was updated on October 10, 2026 and Novelist on October 24, 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.*