Cold Turkey Writer vs FocusWriter

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

FocusWriter

• Writers who want a full-screen page with nothing else on it
• People who set themselves a daily writing target
• Windows and Linux users who want a free, open-source editor

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.

FocusWriter

• The download page for the current version lists Linux, Windows 10 x64 and source code only; it offers no macOS build.
• The version archive shows macOS builds only up to a release from April 2020.
• No mobile or web version is listed.

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.

FocusWriter

Hide-away interface

Menus, toolbars and other controls stay out of sight until the mouse moves to the edges of the screen, leaving only the text visible while writing.

Themes

A theme controls the font, the colors and a background image, and writers can create their own to set the mood of the writing space.

Statistics and daily goals

Statistics update as you type, and a daily goal tracks progress toward a target for each day's writing.

Sessions that resume

Several documents can be open at once, and on launch the program reloads the work in progress and returns to the last position in it.

Spell-checking

Spelling is checked with the bundled hunspell library, and the project page links to LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice dictionaries.

Portable mode

A portable Windows build is offered, and creating a Data folder beside the program keeps settings and themes with it on a USB drive.

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.

FocusWriter

• Free$0

  The full word processor for Windows 10 x64 and Linux, including a portable Windows build, with optional tips to the developer.

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.

FocusWriter

No public discounts listed.