iA Writer vs Minimal

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

Minimal

• Writers who want a quiet, sparse page on Apple devices
• People who would rather old notes expire than pile up
• Co-writing a note or publishing one as a web page

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.

Minimal

• It is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch only; there is no Windows, Android or web app.
• After the 2-week trial it is a subscription at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year; no one-time purchase is offered.
• The terms say the best features are members-only but do not list what works without a subscription.
• Notes published as websites are public by default and can be searchable on the web.

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.

Minimal

Note Lifetime

An optional setting archives notes left unedited for a chosen period. Reminders arrive before a note expires, pinning or editing keeps it alive, and expired notes can be restored.

Collaborative notes

A note can be shared as view-only or editable, by invitation or public link, and several people can edit at once. Collaborative notes sync with offline support.

Publish as Website

A note can be turned into a simple public web page in three taps, for example to publish an essay written in the app.

Todo lists and Calendar

Todo items have checkable boxes, and a list can sync with Apple's Calendar app, where each item becomes an event with its own start time, end time and alerts.

Markdown-style formatting

Headers, lists, bold, italics, block quotes and pull quotes are typed with special characters. A folder is created by typing its name between curly brackets.

Sync, import and export

Notes sync through iCloud across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. They export as PDF, HTML and Markdown, and text and links come in through the system share sheet.

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.

Minimal

• Minimal Monthly$4.99

  per month

  Membership for one person, billed monthly through the App Store after the 2-week free trial.

• Minimal Annual$49.99

  per year

  The same membership billed once a year after the 2-week free trial.

• Minimal Family Plan$79.99

  per year

  Shares Minimal with up to 6 family members through Apple's Family Sharing, after a 2-week free trial.

• Team plansCustom

  For workplaces that want to share Minimal across a team; arranged by writing to the vendor.

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.

Minimal

• Annual discount

  About 16.5% off with annual billing

  Minimal costs $49.99 a year against $4.99 a month, which comes to $59.88 over 12 months, a saving of about 16.5%.

• Education

  Up to 80% off for students and educators

  The pricing section says students and educators can save up to 80% on an annual plan by getting in touch with the vendor.

• Nonprofit

  Up to 80% off for non-profit employees

  The same discount of up to 80% on an annual plan is offered to non-profit employees who contact the vendor.