# Author vs Quick Notes

The clearest difference is price: Quick Notes at Free against Author's $19.99. Quick Notes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Quick Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Quick Notes has 287 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Author's written reviews are positive against 79% of Quick Notes's.

Author ships an update every 2 months, Quick Notes every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Author | Quick Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010/reviews) | **[4.8 (287 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quick-notes-capture/id6458535284/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **287** |
| Positive reviews | 73.1% of reviews | **79.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 194 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [Furkan Simsir](https://appshunter.io/developer/1191021297) |

## 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


### Quick Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quick-notes-capture/id6458535284)

This app helps you quickly capture thoughts, lists, and reminders as they come to you. Easily organize and export your ideas to over 20 other applications, or use Siri Shortcuts for custom workflows. Sync your notes across devices with iCloud and set intuitive reminders.

**Highlights:** Quick note-taking, Export to 20+ apps, iCloud Sync, Intuitive reminders, Automatic date & URL recognition, Widgets, Siri & Shortcuts integration

**Features:** Safari Extension, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick and easy capture
- 👍 Simple and intuitive UI
- 💡 Great for organizing information
- ✨ Satisfying categorization
- 💰 Lifetime license option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Defective, data loss
- 🐛 Sidebar sorting buggy
- 🐛 Crashes a lot
- 🐛 Mac app non-functional
- 🐛 MacOS app crashing

**Reported bugs**

- Data loss/notes vanishing
- Sidebar sorting is buggy and breaks
- Mac app does not work
- App crashes frequently
- Stickie notes do not work on MacOS 14 Sonoma

**Requested features**

- Batch operations (export/merge)
- More keyboard shortcuts for macOS
- Tags and coloring
- An "all items" view with grouping and sorting
- Calendar or timeline view


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Author free?

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

### Is Quick Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Author or Quick Notes?

Quick Notes is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Quick Notes averages 4.8 from 287 ratings.

### Do Author or Quick Notes have ads?

Neither Author nor Quick Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Author or Quick Notes?

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