Stack
iA Writer
A plain-text writing app sold as a one-time purchase per platform, with a 7-day trial on desktop and a stated 30-day refund on direct purchases
Scored on the published rubric, from documentation, pricing and verified user reports.
Best for: A writer who drafts in plain text across a Mac or Windows machine and an iPhone or iPad, and who wants to own the editor rather than rent it.
Verdict
This is a documentation review. It rests on iA's pricing page, its FAQ and support index, and the US Mac and iOS App Store listings, all read on October 10, 2026. Nobody here has graded the app in use.
On those pages iA Writer is the only pay-once product in this cluster that runs on Windows. The vendor states that subscriptions are not available for iPad, iPhone, Mac or Windows, and prices each platform once: $49.99 for Mac, $29.99 for Windows, $49.99 for iPhone and iPad. Use across multiple devices of the same type is allowed, Family Sharing is on in the App Store, and direct purchases carry a 30-calendar-day refund.
Two things need footnotes. The US App Store showed the iOS app at $19.99 on the same day the pricing page said $49.99, and we cannot tell you which figure a reader will see. And the vendor says minor updates are free while major updates may incur costs, with the timeline uncertain, which is honest and also a clock.
The trial is 7 days on desktop and none on iOS.
Visit iA Writer
We have no affiliate relationship with this vendor. Link goes to the official site.
Where it is strong
- **No subscription on any platform**: the pricing page states that subscriptions are not available for iPad, iPhone, Mac and Windows (October 10, 2026).
- **The only Windows option in this cluster**, at $29.99 one-time, with a 7-day trial and no card required (pricing page, October 10, 2026).
- **Multiple devices of the same type on one purchase**, stated on the pricing page; App Store listings add Family Sharing for up to six (October 10, 2026).
- **A 30-calendar-day refund on direct purchases**, paid back through Stripe with proof of purchase (pricing page refund section, October 10, 2026).
- **A 20% education discount** on Mac and Windows bought directly from iA (pricing page, October 10, 2026).
- **Strong iOS ratings**: 1.5K ratings averaging 4.6 on the US App Store for version 8.0.9 (October 10, 2026).
Where it falls short
- **Three separate purchases for three platforms**: a Mac, Windows and iOS set is $129.97 at pricing-page figures by the editors' arithmetic (October 10, 2026).
- **The iOS price is inconsistent between the vendor and Apple**: $49.99 on the pricing page, $19.99 on the US App Store the same day; we cannot say which applies to you.
- **Major updates may be paid**, and the vendor says the timeline for updates is uncertain, so no update window is promised (pricing page, October 10, 2026).
- **No trial on iPhone or iPad**, and App Store refunds are Apple's decision rather than the vendor's (pricing page and FAQ, October 10, 2026).
- **The Android app could not be priced**: the pricing page lists no Android figure and the Play Store listing returned an error on our visit.
At a glance
| Starting price | $29.99 one-time (Windows); $49.99 Mac; iOS $49.99 on the pricing page, $19.99 on the US App Store (October 10, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Pricing note | $49.99 once for Mac, $29.99 once for Windows, and $49.99 for iPhone and iPad per the vendor's pricing page, although the US App Store listed the iOS app at $19.99 on the same day; no subscription on any of those platforms (pricing page and App Store, checked October 10, 2026) |
| Full set | $129.97 for Mac, Windows and iOS at pricing-page figures, by the editors' arithmetic |
| Licence scope | Multiple devices of the same type on one purchase; App Store Family Sharing up to six; each platform a separate purchase |
| Platforms | macOS 10.15+ (8.0.9), Windows 10+, iOS and iPadOS 15+ (8.0.9), Android (price not read) |
| Trial | 7 days, no credit card, Mac and Windows from the vendor's site; none on iOS |
| Refund window | 30 calendar days on direct purchases via Stripe with receipt; App Store refunds by Apple only |
| Education discount | 20% on Mac and Windows bought directly from iA |
| Update policy | Minor updates free; major updates may incur costs; timeline described as uncertain |
| Volume purchase | Apple Business Manager for iOS; contact iA for Mac and Windows |
| Subscription | None for Mac, Windows, iPhone or iPad; Android subscriptions referenced for cancellation only |
Why a text editor is in a pay-once productivity cluster
iA Writer earns its place for one reason the other two apps in this cluster cannot match: it is sold once, and it runs on Windows.
Things 3 and OmniFocus 4 are Apple-only. A freelancer with a Windows laptop from a client and a personal iPhone has no pay-once task manager in this cluster, but has a pay-once writing tool in this one.
It also makes an instructive contrast with Scrivener, the long-form writing licence in the best pay-once software for freelancers. Scrivener's licence page promises free updates for the life of a major version. iA's pricing page declines to promise anything about updates at all. Both are honest; only one is a commitment.
Everything below was read from iA's pages and the US App Store on October 10, 2026. None of it describes what drafting in the app is like.
What iA Writer is
iA Writer is a plain-text and Markdown writing application from Information Architects AG, sold on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. The US Mac App Store listing on October 10, 2026 shows version 8.0.9, released September 25, requiring macOS 10.15 or later, at 17.1 MB. The iOS listing shows the same version and date, requiring iOS or iPadOS 15 or later.
It stores documents as files rather than in a proprietary database, and the FAQ states that iA cannot access users' content in the app. For a pay-once buyer that is the shape that keeps working after support ends, as what happens after you pay once explains: your writing is in folders you control.
The product page lists the iPhone and iPad app as a one-time payment and offers a 7-day free trial for Mac and Windows.
What one purchase covers, as of October 2026
The pricing page, read October 10, 2026, states the scope in four sentences, and the App Store listings add one more.
- You can use Writer across multiple devices of the same type: several Macs on one Mac purchase, several Windows machines on one Windows purchase.
- Each platform is a separate purchase; the FAQ says the iPad and Mac apps are separate purchases in the same way the Windows and macOS versions are.
- Subscriptions are not available for iPad, iPhone, Mac and Windows.
- Prices are in US dollars with regional adjustments depending on the platform.
- Both US App Store listings say up to six family members can use the app with Family Sharing enabled.
How the pricing is structured, and the iOS discrepancy
Three platform prices on the vendor's page, and one of them disagrees with Apple.
On October 10, 2026 the pricing page listed Mac at $49.99, Windows at $29.99 and iPhone and iPad at $49.99, all one-time. The Mac App Store listing matched at $49.99. The iOS App Store listing showed $19.99.
We cannot explain the gap. It may be a regional adjustment of the kind the pricing page mentions, a sale on Apple's side, or a stale figure on the vendor's page. We are reporting both numbers and declining to pick one. A reader should open the App Store on the device they intend to buy for and trust what it says.
By the editors' arithmetic, a Mac, Windows and iOS set is $129.97 at pricing-page figures or $99.97 if the App Store's iOS price holds. Either way it is more than Things's $79.97 for three Apple apps and more than OmniFocus's $74.99 universal Standard licence, in exchange for the only Windows build in the cluster.
The Android price was not readable: the pricing page lists none and the Google Play listing returned an error on our visit. The pricing page mentions Android subscriptions only in the context of cancelling them through Google Play, which suggests Android is billed differently; we have not confirmed how.
Who it is best for
The platform list and the file-based design decide who this suits.
- A freelance writer or journalist who drafts on a Windows laptop and an iPhone and wants to own the editor on both.
- Anyone who keeps notes and drafts as plain files in a synced folder and wants an app that reads them directly rather than importing them.
- A student or academic buying direct, where the 20% education discount applies on Mac and Windows.
- A writer with two or three Macs, since one Mac purchase covers multiple devices of the same type.
- Someone who wants to evaluate on desktop first: the 7-day trial is the full app and asks for no card.
Who should skip it
Three groups should read the update policy before paying.
- Buyers who want a stated update window; Scrivener promises free updates for a major version, Sublime Text promises three years, and iA promises neither.
- Anyone who needs dates, reminders, projects or a daily agenda; this is an editor, not a task manager.
- iPhone-only buyers who want a trial first; there is none, and refunds are Apple's call.
The trial is 7 days on desktop, and iOS has none
The FAQ and pricing page, read October 10, 2026, agree: downloading iA Writer from the vendor's website starts a 7-day free trial, with no credit card required, on Mac running 10.15 or later and Windows 10 or later.
There is no trial on iPhone or iPad, where the app is a one-time App Store purchase. The product page labels it simply as a one-time payment.
Seven days is the shortest desktop trial in this cluster: Things gives 15 days on the Mac and OmniFocus 14 across every platform. It is long enough to write one piece and decide whether the editor gets out of the way, which is the only question a writing app has to answer. The order in how to read a software deal before you pay applies: trial on desktop, buy direct, and buy the phone app last.
Refunds: 30 days direct, Apple's rules on the App Store
The pricing page's refund section, read October 10, 2026, is specific where many vendors are vague.
Direct purchases are refunded through Stripe to the original payment method, in full, if the purchase was made within the last 30 calendar days and you provide the receipt or proof of purchase. App Store purchases are refunded only by Apple, and the FAQ repeats that eligibility depends on Apple's policy.
That makes the direct store the better place to buy the Mac and Windows apps. You get the 30-day window, the 20% education discount if eligible, and a licence that is not bound to an Apple account. TablePlus offers 7 days; Scrivener and iA both offer 30 on their own stores; OmniFocus offers 30 on both its store and Apple's.
Update policy: honest, and therefore a clock
The pricing page, read October 10, 2026, says minor updates are free while major updates may incur costs, and that the timeline for updates is uncertain, so future free updates are not guaranteed.
Read as a buyer, that is a licence with an unstated expiry on free improvements. The current builds are version 8.0.9 on both Mac and iOS, so version 8 is the one you would be buying, and the vendor reserves the right to charge for version 9 whenever it arrives.
The record of previous transitions was not on the pages we read, and we are not reconstructing it from memory. What the vendor commits to in writing is that the copy you buy keeps working and keeps receiving minor updates, which is the minimum that how lifetime software deals actually work says to insist on.
Value: what the score is built from
A 4.0, built from the no-subscription statement, the device scope and the refund terms, with deductions for the per-platform total and the update policy.
The case for the score is that the vendor rules out a subscription in writing on four platforms, allows multiple devices of the same type, honours a 30-day refund on direct sales and discounts students by a fifth. Those are the terms this magazine looks for.
The first deduction is the full set. Up to $129.97 for Mac, Windows and iOS is the highest total in the cluster. The second is the update policy, which promises nothing. The third is the price discrepancy on iOS, which a buyer should not have to notice.
The cluster ranking, with the totals set side by side, is in the best pay-once productivity apps.
Features and ease of use: what the scores are built from
The ease score is the second highest in this cluster, drawn from the verified-rating picture: 1.5K ratings averaging 4.6 on the US iOS App Store on October 10, 2026. The Mac listing had too few ratings to display an overview. The product's whole premise, as its pages describe it, is a focused editor with little to configure, and the ratings are consistent with that.
The features score is lower because the scope is narrow by design. There are no tasks, dates or reminders, no team features, and the Android build sits outside the pay-once terms. What the vendor does document is a native app on each platform built separately rather than a web wrapper.
We have not graded either in use. A score here is a reading of listings and documentation, not a test result.
Support: what is actually promised
A 3.6, from a support index that is thorough on the app and thin on the purchase.
The support hub lists an FAQ, legacy app notes and a version history, but no dedicated article on purchasing, licences or upgrades; those answers sit on the pricing page instead. There is no phone line, chat or response time published on the pages we read.
What lifts the score is that the pricing page itself answers the hard questions in plain words: trial length, refund window, device scope, education discount and the update caveat. A buyer can find every term before paying, which is the test this magazine applies.
What verified users report
The App Store is the only verified source we could read.
On October 10, 2026 the US iOS App Store showed 1.5K ratings averaging 4.6 for version 8.0.9. The Mac App Store listing did not display an overview. Apple publishes no star distribution on listing pages, so none is reported.
Trustpilot's page for ia.net returned a 404 on the same day, the Google Play listing returned a 410, and G2 and Capterra were not opened. One App Store average from a mid-sized sample is a thin base, and it is reported as such.
Alternatives
Choose Scrivener if your writing is a book or a thesis and you want a household licence with free updates promised for the life of the version; it costs $59.99 on the Mac App Store but has no Windows-and-Mac single licence. Otherwise choose iA Writer for shorter pieces, plain files and the Windows build.
Choose Sublime Text if your plain text is code or notes and you want one $99 key on every operating system with three years of updates stated. Otherwise choose iA Writer for prose.
For a to-do list rather than a document, Things 3 and OmniFocus 4 are the pay-once picks, compared in Things vs OmniFocus.
What we could not verify
Four gaps, stated rather than filled.
We could not reconcile the iOS price: $49.99 on the vendor's page and $19.99 on the US App Store on the same day.
We could not price the Android app, because the pricing page omits it and the Play Store listing failed to load.
We did not run the trial or buy a licence, so we cannot confirm how the direct-purchase licence is delivered or how the Stripe refund works in practice.
And the vendor's record at previous major versions was not on the pages we read, so we cannot say what version 8 cost version 7 owners.
Bottom line
On its published terms iA Writer is the pay-once writing tool for people who are not all-Apple: $29.99 on Windows, $49.99 on Mac, no subscription on either, multiple devices of the same type, a 30-day refund on direct purchases and a 20% education discount.
The costs are a per-platform total that can reach $129.97, an update policy that promises nothing beyond minor releases, and an iOS price that the vendor and Apple disagreed about on the day we checked.
Take the 7-day trial on desktop, buy direct from iA rather than the App Store, and check the App Store price on your phone before buying the iOS app.
Sources
Every figure above was read on October 10, 2026 from the following pages.
- iA Writer pricing page: ia.net/writer/pricing
- iA Writer FAQ: ia.net/writer/support/basics/faq
- iA Writer product page: ia.net/writer
- iA Writer on the US Mac App Store
- iA Writer on the US iOS App Store
- Google Play listing for iA Writer (410 on the day, not read)
- Trustpilot listing for ia.net (404 on the day, not read)
Buy it if
- You write on Windows and want a pay-once editor; nothing else in this cluster offers one.
- You keep several machines of one type, since one purchase covers multiple devices of the same type.
- You buy direct from iA, where the 30-day refund and the 20% education discount apply.
- You want a trial before paying on desktop: 7 days, full app, no card.
Skip it if
- You need every platform. Mac, Windows and iOS are three purchases, up to $129.97 at pricing-page figures.
- You want a promised update window. The vendor explicitly declines to promise one.
- You need tasks, dates or reminders. This is a text editor; for those, see Things or OmniFocus.
Frequently asked
Is iA Writer a one-time purchase?
Yes, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad. The pricing page, checked October 10, 2026, states that subscriptions are not available for those four platforms and prices each once: $49.99 Mac, $29.99 Windows, $49.99 iOS. Minor updates are free; major updates may be paid.
How much does iA Writer cost on the iPhone?
The vendor's pricing page said $49.99 for iPhone and iPad on October 10, 2026, while the US App Store listing showed $19.99 for the same app the same day. We could not reconcile the two. Check the App Store price in your own region before relying on either figure.
Does iA Writer have a free trial?
On desktop only. The pricing page and FAQ, checked October 10, 2026, offer a 7-day free trial for Mac and Windows downloaded from the vendor's site, with no credit card required. There is no trial for iPhone or iPad, where the app is a one-time App Store purchase.
Can I use one iA Writer purchase on several computers?
On several of the same type, yes. The pricing page, checked October 10, 2026, states you can use Writer across multiple devices of the same type. Mac and Windows are separate purchases, as are iPhone and iPad from Mac. App Store listings add Family Sharing for up to six people.
Can I get a refund on iA Writer?
Direct purchases, yes, within 30 calendar days. The pricing page, checked October 10, 2026, says refunds on direct purchases go through Stripe to the original payment method with a receipt or proof of purchase. App Store purchases are refunded only by Apple.
Will the next major version of iA Writer cost money?
Possibly. The pricing page, checked October 10, 2026, states that minor updates are free while major updates may incur costs, and that the timeline for updates is uncertain. The current builds on the Mac and iOS App Stores are both version 8.0.9, released September 25.
Is there a student discount for iA Writer?
Yes, 20% on Mac and Windows purchased directly from iA, per the pricing page checked October 10, 2026. The discount does not apply to App Store purchases. Volume buying is through Apple Business Manager for iOS and by contacting iA for desktop.
Sources
- iA Writer pricing page (platform prices, trial, education discount, device scope, refund policy, update policy) - checked October 10, 2026
- iA Writer FAQ (7-day trial, separate purchases per platform) - checked October 10, 2026
- iA Writer product page (7-day trial, one-time payment for iPad and iPhone) - checked October 10, 2026
- iA Writer on the US Mac App Store ($49.99, 8.0.9) - checked October 10, 2026
- iA Writer on the US iOS App Store ($19.99, 1.5K ratings at 4.6) - checked October 10, 2026
- Google Play listing for iA Writer (returned 410, not read) - checked October 10, 2026
- Trustpilot listing for ia.net (returned 404, not read) - checked October 10, 2026
Update history
- October 10, 2026 - First published. Prices and terms read from the vendor's pricing page and FAQ; App Store figures from the US Mac and iOS listings; iOS price discrepancy noted.
Visit iA Writer
We have no affiliate relationship with this vendor. Link goes to the official site.