4thewords vs Cold Turkey Writer

4thewords

• Writers who are motivated by game rewards and daily streaks
• Building a daily writing habit around a word-count target
• People who draft in Google Docs or Notion and want those words counted

Cold Turkey Writer

• Writers who want everything else on the computer shut out until a quota is done
• First drafts written against a word count or a timer
• People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

4thewords

• The Free plan stops at 25 files, 2 projects and 25 battles a day, and leaves out streak saving and sharing files with collaborators.
• Sharing is capped by plan: 2 collaborators per file or project on Member, 5 on Pro and 10 on Lifetime Pro.
• It is a web app with no App Store download, and the extension is tested and supported on desktop Chrome only.
• Monthly plans and Lifetime Pro cannot be refunded; yearly plans can be refunded within 15 days of purchase.

Cold Turkey Writer

• Windows and macOS only: the vendor says Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS are not supported.
• Files open and save as plain text (.txt) only, so formatting has to be finished in another editor.
• Soundtracks, the dark theme, the copy and paste toggle and the key-disabling options need Writer Pro, and Pro has no free trial.
• A session cannot be ended before the goal is reached, so the rest of the computer is out of reach until then.

4thewords

Writing battles

Pick a monster and write the required number of words before the timer runs out. There are solo, endurance and co-op modes, with co-op teams of 2 to 8 writers.

Streaks and daily challenges

Writing 444 or more words in a day extends a streak that earns rewards over time. Paid plans can repair missed days or reserve future ones.

Built-in writing editor

A cloud editor groups files into projects, saves automatically, keeps a version history and exports to Word, text, Markdown or HTML.

Writing goals and stats

Word-count targets with deadlines can be set for a single file, a project or the whole account, with charts to track progress.

Chrome extension

A free extension counts the words typed on other sites, such as Google Docs, Notion and Substack, and applies them to battles, streaks and quests.

Sharing and co-writing

On paid plans a file or a whole project can be shared with friends as editors or viewers, who can write in it together in real time.

Cold Turkey Writer

Full-screen lock until the goal is met

Once a session starts, Writer is the only thing the computer will run until the goal is reached. The vendor's FAQ says no key combination gets out of it.

Timer or word-count goals

A block lasts a set number of minutes, from 1 to 999, or until a chosen number of words has been typed. A progress bar at the top shows how much is left.

Auto save to plain text

The draft is saved to the Documents folder every 10 seconds, so the last version is still there if the computer crashes.

Portable, with no installer

Writer runs as a stand-alone program, so it can be copied to a USB stick and used on other computers.

Key-disabling options (Pro)

Pro can switch off copy and paste, text selection, the backspace and delete keys and the arrow keys, to keep a first draft moving forward.

Soundtracks and dark theme (Pro)

Pro adds coffee shop and rain background sounds, supplied by Coffitivity and RainyMood, and a dark theme for writing at night.

4thewords

• Free$0

  25 files, 2 projects, 25 battles a day, one month of version history and limited event access.

• Member$10

  per month, or $96 per year

  Unlimited files, 40 projects, up to 1,000 battles a day, 6 months of version history, streak saving and full event access.

• Pro$14

  per month, or $144 per year

  Unlimited files, projects and battles, one year of version history, monthly refills and Pro event perks such as early access.

• Lifetime Pro$599

  one-time purchase

  The Pro features for a single payment with no renewals, plus up to 3 years of file history.

Cold Turkey Writer

• Writer Free$0

  Timed blocks, word-count blocks, distraction-free writing and auto save.

• Writer Pro$14.99

  one-time purchase

  Adds soundtracks, a dark theme, a copy and paste toggle and key-disabling options. Covers every computer you personally use, with free lifetime updates. Refundable within 30 days.

4thewords

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing saves 20% on Member

  Member costs $96 a year against $10 a month ($120 over a year), a 20% saving. Pro costs $144 a year against $14 a month ($168), about 14% less.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro for a one-time $599

  Lifetime Pro is a single $599 payment with the same features as the Pro subscription, including any benefits added to Pro later. It does not renew.

• Other savings

  Community Pool for writers who need help paying

  Members can donate subscription time to a Community Pool, which goes to writers who have opted in because they need financial assistance.

Cold Turkey Writer

• Education

  Students can request 20% off

  The pricing FAQ says students can request 20% off. A form on the support page sends the discount to an email address it recognizes as belonging to a school.

• Other savings

  Save 10% on the three-product bundle

  Buying Blocker, Writer and Micromanager together is advertised at 10% off. Each is a one-time payment with no subscription.