iA Writer App Reviews

I was excited about this app, and purchased within hours of it launching on the app store - I’ve been looking for a minimalist tool to help manage workflow from notes to final draft, and that’s what Writer Pro promises. Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver. The workflow simply switches the cursor colour and the typeface - you don’t get to refer to your notes, you get to erase them and write your actual copy (or write actual copy elsewhere in the document). Not at all what I had expected, and pretty useless - basically a switch for visual skins for the editor, with no workflow help in sight.

buy this if you think the syntax control is worth 20$. beyond that, incomplete markdown (no control over line breaks? new line vs. new paragraph? that’s pretty basic stuff) and a different typeface from one view to another (the workflow feature basically just changes fonts.) a perfect example would be the read mode, which doesn’t even show the final formatting (you have to preview in a separate window if you want to see where you’re at in terms of formatting.) needs some SERIOUS updates to live up to what it promises.

I love iA Writer, and was excited to see Writer Pro. The videos and new features were intriguing. Few documents later, though, I was a bit disappointed with this app (similarly to the previous reviewer). The workflow control doesn’t do much, other than change the user interface and keep track of what state a document is in (more on this tracking later). The suggested workflow is “Note”, “Write”, “Edit”, and “Read”, however, all of this happens in a single document. Once you are finished with your notes and switch to writing, you are overwriting your notes. If you switch back to Note from Write mode, the document contents won’t change to your original notes; the contents stays exactly the same. The only difference between these two modes is the font. Same goes for the rest of the workflow modes with the exception of Read, which will hide the caret (disable editing), spelling/grammar underlines, and disable few menu items. One plus for the workflow tracking comes in when you have multiple documents on the go. The open dialog in Writer Pro splits documents into “Edit”, “Note”, “Read”, and “Write” sections (in that order), conveniently listing documents on their state, making it easier to track down documents in a bit list and to see your progress. It may have been nice if the sections where numbered as to sort according to the workflow order, but you can rename them yourself if you wish. Additionally, you won’t be able to see any of your iA Writer documents that are saved to iCloud. This may be a deficiency of how iCloud storage works (and iA didn’t advertise this as a feature), but it would have been a nice feature to have. iA Writer users will feel in Writer Pro right at home. The overall look and feel of the app are great and what one would expect after having used iA Writer for a few years. The new syntax highlighting feature is great as well, and for this, I would give 4-5 stars. The demos and videos online seem to hype up the workflow feature the most, but this one I found the most disappointing, as it really only changes the font and colour of the caret. Combined with the new price tag of $20, I can’t give more than 2 stars overall. Here’s to hoping for future enhancement updates.

For all its faults, the iPad version of this app is really good. My facorite text editor on iOS by miles. The Mac version isn’t quite as good. The toolbar on the side does an OK job of simplifying the markdown commands, but it still adds clutter. Markdown also doesn’t work automatically, so something like Marked is useful, if not necessary. Lastly, the workflow feature doesn’t present different tools, it’s mostly surfaced in small cues, like color and font- the rest is up to your brain. That aside, it does a good job syncing through iCloud, syntax control works well, and it’s still pretty clean and intuitive in use. This is the point in the review where I’d suggest buying it- if it didn’t cost $20. Unfortunately, I think that’s just too much for the features it contains today. If you want to hold off for a couple of months and wait to see what the developers are going to do with their premiere writing app, by all means. You’ll probably be much happier for it.

This is the first time I’ve ever written an App review. I feel compelled to warn others about this App. If you already own iA Writer, don’t buy this - it’s a complete waste of money if you do. There is no ‘workflow’ - all the feature does is switch fonts and change the highlighting color, with the Read mode being just that, a stupid read only mode. Also, for an app that’s supposed to focus on the writing, keeping your hands on the keyboard, the Structure section is weird - you click it and it will style the selected section with your choice. Great, thanks. Syntax control is alright, but it’s not the revolution its being made out to be, and it’s also pretty hit and miss sometimes with its selections.

Update: I’m changing this to a three star review now that the developers have publicly stated they don’t plan to abuse the patent system and threaten competing apps. I still think the app is overpriced and their attitude isn’t great but at least they aren’t being unreasonable anymore. The syntax highlighting feature is nice but overhyped because it’s not fully context aware. For example, if you type “Why scream?”, it seems to think “scream” is a noun but “Why speak?” has “speak” labeled as a verb. Other than that, the app is well designed though short on features. I don’t think I would pick this over Ulysses, Marked (combined with a decent editor) or Scrivener but it’s definitely useable. The UI design is excellent, if a little stiff. If you really liked iA Writer, don’t already own one of the competing apps and don’t need some of the more advanced features offered by the other apps I mentioned, it might be a good fit for you. Hope they keep working on it, they have a really unique design sense. I just wish they would spend a little less time picking fights and pontificating and little more time polishing their products and listening to user feedback. Original Review: The app is useable but overpriced/disappointing when the price and competition are considered . The developer’s attitude is appalling. I regret spending money to fund a potential patent troll. I will gladly update this review when the company changes their tune and updates the app but right now, I wish I hadn’t purchased it.

1.1 (****): Writer Pro now feels like a much more solid product, with fixes for Markdown display and conversion addressing my main complaints about 1.0. That said, I still prefer the original (which will soon be updated too, according to the developers) for its simplicity and cleaner appearance. --- 1.0 (**): In addition to the disappointing workflow features already noted, its extremely frustrating to find that persistent problems with the original apps Markdown preview and conversion have still not been addressed. The developers have said on Twitter that they had to rush to meet their Christmas deadline. Its possible that the app will seem less half-baked in a few months: they do have a solid record of continued development of the original app. For now, though, I prefer the original iA Writer: the Pro version loses more through added complexity than it gains in usefulness.

I have waited, and I have hoped, for greater clarity in regards to the workflow of the Writer Pro software. I’ve gone looking for a digital copy of “Sources, Streams, Icebergs”, which supposedly inspired this app’s workflow schematic. I haven’t found it. I still don’t understand why the “Note”, “Write”, and “Edit” sections of this app do not intuitively connect with one another– I must be too simple because these segments of the software seem purely asthetic (the colours change). If I write a Note, and I want to now “Write” based on a series of notes, am I supposed to keep seperate files open all at once, or am I supposed to copy/paste? I really want this app to be more functional than it appears to be, and I’ve been attempting to use it properly for several months.

I use Writer daily. For taking notes, mainly. And very occasionally to write ideas that ultimately end up in presentations like PowerPoint and Keynote. But most often I use it for passing notes in conference calls with the person sitting beside me. Its simplicity belies its versatility.

I upgraded to the newest version and it has become a rotting husk in my applications folder. Upon launch the application crashes immediately. Despite deleting the app and preferences before reinstalling it, nothing seems to bring this app back to life. Currently it is worthless as I cannot use it and will be seeking an indefinite replacement. Im using a 2011 Macbook Air, Mac OS X 10.7.5. Very disappointed.

I have bought the iA Writer program, but just what do you do with it? Do you drag the documents over the wri icon? Does the wri icon appear on the Pages sheet when we’re doing a story? I didn’t see any step-by-step instructions, or am I missing something?

I love the app, both ipad and mac os, but I have to sync them through Dropbox. Everything else (syntax, interface, design) is fantastic!

The application is a fairly simple word processor. Very simple and not at all that hard to grasp. If you have other iOS devices with the app on it they will sync between each other, great for those moments of inspiration on the train home. I may change the way some things are organized but ultimately it is your hands how the program is used. I believe it to be fairly on par with price. Syntax view is a fun little tool. Good day.

One of the best application for writing. Bar none. I wish I could change font sizes for viewing, but beyond that, I could not be happier.

In a rushed office with so very many things pulling at your attention it is refreshing to have a simple word processor that envelopes all the basic with trouble-free access to the file archive across my myriad of devices and allows me (and others) to remain focused on our work. Just love it and frankly look forward to turn everything off around me and get the to joy (and business) of creating.

Fantastic writing app. I’ve been using it for at least a year. Really well designed. Love it!

The new UI is extremely minimal, while retaining all of the functionality of the old. It’s a complete distractionless writing experience. Awesome.

The new toolbar at the bottom is a stripped down replacement to the feature rich sidebar in this version. I switched to Writer Pro because of that sidebar. Could we have the option of toolbar or sidebar? Or is there somewhere we can download an older version of Writer Pro?

I have been a user of iA Writer for some time now, and was quite excited to see this so-called pro version come out. I hesitated to buy the pro version due to the number of negative reviews. It went on sale last week, and so I decided to risk purchasing it (note: this decision was also made because the original iA Writer has started to consistently crash in the latest versions of Yosemite (10.10.2)). I really think that this represents a sad case of a company that got greedy, and released an overhyped piece of software... do not fall for the claims made in the flashy videos that demonstrate this software. Here are the problems: 1. The Pro version crashes more often than the old version of iA Writer - just simple text entry or saving of a file does this. I was stunned to find that upon buying a new piece of software that it constantly crashes! 2. The workflow feature is a **complete scam**. If you choose Note (make notes), Write (to write your document) or Edit (editing duh), all that happens is the font changes, along with the cursor color. There is nothing more than this, and no obvious way that this can improve writing or productivity. A complete farce in my opinion (and in the opinion of many other reviewers of this software). 3. The final Read mode makes no sense… it just changes font, and you can read the text without changing it… who really needs this? 4. If you attempt to Zoom in (under the Window function), a crash happens about 1/3 of the time. 5. The syntax option is interesting, and highlights verbs, adjectives, etc. But I cannot see why anyone would really want to pay for this, or how this would be of use in a document of any sort of substantial length. 6. The help web site has largely been deleted, and one can only obtain support on a number of issues by digging up the cached pages (by Google). One bright spot: the support team is fast to respond to queries. Unfortunately, all blame for current difficulties with both iA Writer and the pro version is laid upon Apple and Yosemite, and no solutions seem to be forthcoming. Also, there seems to be unwavering support of the “Workflow” (without much to back it up). I feel a bit sorry for them to be honest. I will not change this review until: 1. Crashing issues are addressed. 2. A real modification is made to the idea and function of Workflow, to make it worthwhile.

I don’t use Writer’s workflow or syntax features. With that said, it’s still my go-to word processor (short or long form) due to its simplicity, dark-mode and excellent typeface. The app has been rock-solid for me on Yosemite and iCloud sync across all of my devices has been flawless.