Best Text Editor Free Apps

248+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.3 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated August 2026

From beginner-friendly picks to power-user tools, our text editor free list covers 248+ iPhone apps updated through August 2026. Compare ratings, prices, and screenshots in one place.

Compare top Text Editor Free Apps (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1SubtextSubtextFree4.5★ (79)NoNoSep 2026
2Text Editor.Text Editor.Free4.4★ (4.3K)NoYesSep 2026
3Google DocsGoogle DocsFree4.8★ (3.2M)NoYesSep 2026
4Runestone Text EditorRunestone Text EditorFree was $4.994.7★ (1.9K)NoYesSep 2026
5TextEditor : Rich Text EditorTextEditor : Rich Text EditorFree4.3★ (2.9K)YesNoSep 2026
6Add Text: Write On PhotosAdd Text: Write On PhotosFree4.7★ (65K)YesYesSep 2026
7Lightweight Text EditorLightweight Text Editor$2.994.3★ (58)NoNoSep 2026
8Only Text EditorOnly Text EditorFree5.0★ (1)NoYesSep 2026

Top Picks for Text Editor Free

Subtext#1

Subtext by Charcoal Design

Simple, elegant text editor
Editor's Choice
🛠️ Developer Tools
4.5😊(79 ratings)
Free
#73in Developer Tools
Subtext screenshot 1
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A straightforward text editor for iPhone and iPad, allowing direct creation and editing of files within iCloud. It offers advanced controls for line endings and character encoding, ideal for on-the-go code or data file modifications.

What We Love

  • 👍 Simple and efficient
  • 🚀 Fast and lightweight
  • 🆓 Free and no ads
  • ✨ Clean and intuitive UI
  • 📂 Seamless Files app integration
  • 🔢 Line numbers included
  • 💡 No bloatware
  • 🌍 Works well on iPad
  • 🔒 Privacy-respecting
  • 📝 Great for plain text editing
  • 👆 Easy to use
  • 🌟 Minimalist design
  • 🔄 Supports various encodings
  • 📂 Integrates with iCloud/Dropbox
  • ♿ Accessible with VoiceOver

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Fails on network drives
  • 🐛 Data corruption risk
  • 🐛 Difficulty unselecting text
  • 🐛 Buggy Chinese input method
  • 🐛 Random capitalization issues
  • 🐛 Large files cause errors
  • 🐛 No cancel option for save/exit
  • 🐛 Picky about file extensions
  • 🐛 Cannot edit non-text files
  • 🐛 Autosave can be problematic
  • 🐛 No always-on tab key
  • 🐛 Default focus to EOF
  • 🐛 Chinese input method errors
  • 🐛 File saving issues
Text Editor.#2

Text Editor. by TAPUNIVERSE LLC

A must have text editor
Strong Contender
🛠️ Developer Tools
4.4😞(4.3K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#21in Developer Tools
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Text Editor. screenshot 5

A versatile text editor for managing files on your device and in the cloud. Supports various text formats, rich text editing, and custom fonts. Offers cloud integration and sharing capabilities.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great for direct editing
  • 👍 Wonderful for writing
  • 👍 Smooth and modern
  • 👍 Reads and edits well

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Locks access to files
  • 🔒 Requires subscription to use
  • 🐛 Crashes when opening files
  • 🐛 Inconsistent file saving
  • 🐛 Freezes and becomes unresponsive
Google Docs#3

Google Docs by Google

Edit Documents and Collaborate
Worth Considering
📊 Productivity
4.8😊(3.2M ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#9in Productivity
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Create, edit, and collaborate on documents online in real time. Work together seamlessly with your team, even offline, and access a variety of file types. AI-powered features can help draft and refine content.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Convenient and accessible
  • 👍 Seamless collaboration
  • 🔒 Automatic saving
  • 💡 Offline functionality
  • 👍 Versatile for various uses

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Laggy performance and input delays
  • 👎 Limited formatting and customization options
  • 🔍 Difficult to organize and navigate documents
  • 👎 Compatibility issues with other platforms

More Text Editor Free apps to explore

FAQ about Text Editor Free

What are the best text editor free apps for iPhone?
Subtext tops our text editor free apps ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.5-star average from 79 App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Subtext has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 248+ text editor free apps on the iOS App Store as of August 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Subtext is a simple and elegant text editor designed for iPhone and iPad. It allows users to create and edit text files directly on their device or within iCloud without the need for importing or exporting.
Key features include direct editing of files within iCloud, eliminating import/export steps. It also offers advanced controls for line ending types and character set encoding, making it suitable for technical users.