Author vs Mala
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
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The iOS companion to Author macOS.
Mala
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Use Mala for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Mala at Free against Author's $19.99. Mala also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Author's advantage is 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
Mala is free to download; Author costs $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Mala asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Author | Mala |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 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 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Augmented Text Company LTD | yonghyeon kim |
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
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- 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
Mala
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Author
- Export & AIFree
- Eng$1.99
Mala
No in-app purchases
