# Author vs Focus Stacks

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Author | Focus Stacks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | [3.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/author/id951792010/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-stacks/id6478795096/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Augmented Text Company LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/459748478) | [Andrew Despres](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525630876) |

## 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 (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Export & AI | Free | 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


### Focus Stacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-stacks/id6478795096)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


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