Comparison

Author vs Focus Stacks

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

Focus Stacks

Organize your tasks and ideas with a visually appealing, card-based system. Capture everything, customize with colors, add detailed notes, and sync across devices. Never let a task or idea slip away again.

Highlights
  • Capture every task easily
  • Customize lists with colors
  • Attach detailed notes to tasks
  • Automatic iCloud syncing
  • Card-based design
Features
Read full description

Unleash the power of your productivity and never let another brilliant idea or must-do task slip through the cracks again! Imagine a world where every movie you've been dying to watch, every spark of inspiration for your next groundbreaking project, and every little to-do is neatly organized, not just in your mind, but right at your fingertips. Our app is crafted for the list-makers, the planners, the doers — those who thrive on keeping life seamlessly organized both at work and at home. Dive into a digital oasis of calm with our card-based design, where clutter is banished and your tasks come to life in a visually stunning, easy-to-navigate space. Say goodbye to mental overload and hello to clear, focused stacks that are as satisfying to use as they are effective. Here's what makes Focus Stacks a must-have: • Capture every task with ease, ensuring nothing important gets forgotten. • Customize your lists with a rainbow of colors to make your productivity system not only efficient but also uniquely yours. • Attach detailed notes to your tasks, from vital phone numbers to extended thoughts, making sure every piece of information is just a tap away. • With automatic, secure syncing with iCloud, your Stacks are always up-to-date across all your devices, safeguarding your progress and ideas wherever you go.

Screenshots

Author4 screens
Focus Stacks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Focus Stacks at $4.99 against Author's $19.99. Focus Stacks also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Author's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads 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

Author costs $19.99 and Focus Stacks $4.99 up front. Author sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Focus Stacks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Focus Stacks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Author has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Author ships an update every 2 months, Focus Stacks weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Author versus Focus Stacks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAuthorFocus Stacks
Price$19.99$4.99 — better
Rating3.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, Vision Pro
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Augmented Text Company LTDAndrew Despres

Customer experience

Author

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

Focus Stacks

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Focus Stacks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Author

One-time1
  • Export & AIFree
None

Focus Stacks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Author free?
Author costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Focus Stacks free?
Focus Stacks costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Author or Focus Stacks?
Focus Stacks is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Focus Stacks averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Author or Focus Stacks have ads?
Neither Author nor Focus Stacks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Author or Focus Stacks?
Author ships an update every 2 months, and Focus Stacks weekly. Most recently, Author was updated on November 1, 2026 and Focus Stacks on November 4, 2026.

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