Author vs Timelapse Ref Calc
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Minimalist writing interface
- Powerful writing tools
- iOS companion app
- Syncs with macOS version
Read full descriptionHide full description
The iOS companion to Author macOS.
Timelapse Ref Calc
Read full descriptionHide full description
This is a switchable calculator that lets you choose what to calculate at any given time regarding timelapse photography. Recording time, interval (in seconds) FPS (frames per second), video duration and a hint of images needed. To see more apps like this, go to www.discobajas.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Timelapse Ref Calc at $0.49 against Author's $19.99. Timelapse Ref Calc also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Author's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On update cadence and 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
Author costs $19.99 and Timelapse Ref Calc $0.49 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Timelapse Ref Calc asks for nothing beyond the download.
Author ships an update every 2 months, Timelapse Ref Calc every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Author | Timelapse Ref Calc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $0.49 — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Augmented Text Company LTD | Stein Erik Nilsen |
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Timelapse Ref Calc
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Author
- Export & AIFree
- Eng$1.99
Timelapse Ref Calc
No in-app purchases
