Comparison

Author vs Dialed

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

Dialed

This app helps coffee enthusiasts create and refine perfect espresso recipes. It provides tools for documenting your ideal shot for any bean or brew method, suitable for both home baristas and professionals seeking consistency.

Highlights
  • Create espresso recipes
  • Refine espresso shots
  • Document recipes
  • Support for any bean
  • Support for any brew method
  • Consistency for professionals
Features
Read full description

Dialed is a sleek, user-friendly mobile app designed for coffee enthusiasts who love the art and science of dialing in espresso. Whether you're a home barista perfecting your morning shot or a professional looking for consistency, Dialed provides the tools you need to create, refine, and document the perfect espresso recipes for any bean or brew method.

Screenshots

Author4 screens
Dialed3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dialed at Free against Author's $19.99. Dialed also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dialed 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. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Author's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dialed's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Author versus Dialed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAuthorDialed
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Augmented Text Company LTDChristian Rodriguez

Customer experience

Author

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

Dialed

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Dialed

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Author

One-time2
  • Export & AIFree
  • Eng$1.99
None

Dialed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Author free?
Author costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dialed free?
Dialed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Author or Dialed?
Dialed is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Dialed averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Author or Dialed have ads?
Neither Author nor Dialed shows ads.

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