FocusWriter vs iA Writer

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

iA Writer

• Writers who want a bare Markdown editor with no toolbars
• People who want to see which text they typed and which they pasted from AI
• Buyers who prefer a one-time payment to a subscription

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.

iA Writer

• Each platform is a separate purchase: Mac, Windows, and iPhone and iPad are bought individually.
• The Android app was removed from sale in September 2024, and iA says it is not planning a web-based version.
• A one-time payment covers the current version; minor updates are free, but major updates may cost extra.
• The 7-day free trial is offered for Mac and Windows only.

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.

iA Writer

Focus Mode

Highlights the sentence or paragraph being written and fades the rest of the document, in an interface with no buttons or title bar.

Authorship

Tracks what was typed and what was pasted. Your own words stay black and white, AI text appears in color and other authors in subtle tones.

Style Check

Flags clichés, fillers and clutter and leaves the decision to cut them with the writer. The check runs on the device.

Plain text with Markdown

Documents are plain text formatted with Markdown. A Preview shows the styled result using a template, and links, pictures and tables can be embedded.

Export

Copies a document as HTML or exports it to PDF or Microsoft Word. The iPhone and iPad listing also names WordPress and Medium as export targets.

FocusWriter

• Free$0

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

iA Writer

• iPhone & iPad$19.99

  one-time payment, App Store only

  The iPhone and iPad app, sold only through the App Store. Requires iOS 15 or later.

• Windows$29.99

  one-time payment

  Bought directly from iA and usable on more than one Windows PC. Requires Windows 10 or later.

• Mac$49.99

  one-time payment

  Bought directly from iA or on the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 10.15 or later.

FocusWriter

No public discounts listed.

iA Writer

• Education

  20% educational discount on direct purchases

  iA offers a 20% educational discount on the Mac and Windows versions bought directly from it. App Store copies get education pricing on 20 or more licenses through Apple School Manager.