Comparison

SolarWriter vs BYOK Studio

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SolarWriter

Transform your e-reader into a portable typewriter for outdoor writing. This app connects your keyboard to your e-reader's screen, allowing you to type comfortably on e-ink displays in bright sunlight. Save and share your work easily.

Highlights
  • E-reader integration
  • External keyboard support
  • Outdoor writing on e-ink screens
  • Text mirroring to e-reader
  • File saving and sharing
  • Detailed setup instructions
Features
Read full description

Traditional screens are fantastic everywhere but outside, especially on a sunny day. E-ink screens work well, but e-readers like the Kindle are difficult to type on and don't support external keyboards. SolarWriter gives you the best of both worlds. SolarWriter runs on your iOS device and acts as a hub between your keyboard and your e-reader. You type on the keyboard, and the text appears on both on the iOS device and on the e-reader's screen (via its web browser). Take advantage of your Kindle's (or other e-reader's) e-ink screen to put your thoughts on paper even outside, with no need to transcribe later. Write at parks, on beaches, in backyards... anywhere you wanted to but couldn't. Save files on your device, or share through email, SMS, and more. Detailed instructions for setup are included inside the app.

About

BYOK Studio

This app provides a dedicated writing environment for organizing and developing creative projects. It offers tools for drafting, planning, mapping ideas visually, and managing project-specific reference material.

Highlights
  • Focused writing editor
  • Manuscript building from scenes
  • Card and outline planning
  • Visual idea mapping
  • Project wiki for reference
  • Scratchpad for quick ideas
  • Project organization drawer
Features
Read full description

Studio is a writing space built for writers and writing projects. Draft scenes, organize notes, plan chapters, build manuscripts, map ideas, and keep your work together in one purpose-built environment. Whether you are writing a novel, memoir, essay, screenplay, journal, research project, or long-form draft, Studio gives you a flexible place to move from first idea to structured work. Write in a focused editor Draft chapters, scenes, notes, essays, and long-form projects in a clean editor designed to keep the work in front of you. Build manuscripts from scenes Bring separate files, chapters, and sections together into a larger manuscript so your project can take shape piece by piece. Plan with cards and outlines Capture scene ideas, research, structure, notes, and beats using flexible cards and hierarchical outlines. Map your ideas visually Use the Grid Map to create mind maps, flow charts, relationship maps, timelines, and visual plans with shapes and connection lines. Create a project wiki Keep track of characters, places, concepts, research, worldbuilding, and other reference material in a living wiki for your project. Use the Scratchpad for quick ideas Capture loose thoughts, reminders, and checkable tasks before they disappear. Scratchpad entries can also be created from your BYOK device. Keep every project organized Use the Project Drawer to store and organize files, folders, drafts, notes, cards, outlines, grids, wiki entries, and other project materials. Connect with BYOK Studio is designed to work alongside the BYOK writing device, giving you a place to continue organizing, editing, and shaping the drafts you start elsewhere. Studio is more than a blank page. It is a writing environment for the whole project behind the words. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SolarWriter3 screens
BYOK Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BYOK Studio at 5.0 against SolarWriter's 3.8. BYOK Studio also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). SolarWriter's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Both are free to download. SolarWriter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BYOK Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BYOK Studio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SolarWriter has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of SolarWriter's written reviews are positive against 100% of BYOK Studio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SolarWriter ships an update every 5 months, BYOK Studio every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SolarWriter versus BYOK Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSolarWriterBYOK Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (16 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCool S, LLCBYOK LLC

Customer experience

SolarWriter

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.6%

BYOK Studio

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SolarWriter

One-time1
  • SolarWriter Pro$9.99
3 purchases

BYOK Studio

Subscriptions2
  • Standard$9.991 Month
  • Standard1 Year trial$82.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Plan$299.99

Questions

Is SolarWriter free?
SolarWriter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BYOK Studio free?
BYOK Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SolarWriter or BYOK Studio?
BYOK Studio is rated higher. SolarWriter averages 3.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while BYOK Studio averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do SolarWriter or BYOK Studio have ads?
Neither SolarWriter nor BYOK Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SolarWriter or BYOK Studio?
SolarWriter ships an update every 5 months, and BYOK Studio every 5 weeks. Most recently, SolarWriter was updated on September 10, 2026 and BYOK Studio on September 15, 2026.

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