Drafts

Where text starts, before you decide where it belongs.

By Agile Tortoise · since 2012 · getdrafts.com

6.8

B- · out of 10

Drafts opens to a blank cursor every single time, which is the whole idea. You capture first and file later, then run the text through actions: send it to Reminders, append it to a note in another app, post it, or push it through your own JavaScript. Tags and workspaces handle the filing, and a deep scripting engine handles everything else. It is plain text only, and it never leaves the Apple ecosystem.

How it scores

  • Features25% of score

    6.8

    Depth and breadth of what the app can do.

  • Ease of use20% of score

    8.6

    Speed, polish and how long it takes to feel at home.

  • AI15% of score

    3.0

    Quality and usefulness of the built-in AI, not just its presence.

  • Sync & reliability15% of score

    8.6

    How dependably notes move between devices.

  • Value15% of score

    8.8

    What you get for what you pay.

  • Platform coverage10% of score

    3.6

    How many places you can actually use it.

Pricing

$1.99/month · $19.99/year

Free tier: The full capture and editing experience, plus a good share of the action directory.

Drafts Pro is $1.99/month or $19.99/year, which unlocks themes, workspaces, custom actions and the scripting engine. Family Sharing is included.

Platforms

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Web

40 tracked features supported

What it does well

  • Opens on a blank cursor faster than you can finish the thought
  • Actions turn a scratch note into an email, a task or an API call
  • Scripting is a real JavaScript environment, not a macro recorder
  • Twenty dollars a year for something this deep is a bargain

Where it falls short

  • Apple only, with nothing on Windows, Android or the web
  • Plain text means no images, no PDFs and no attachments
  • The power is behind actions and scripts you have to build
  • AI only arrives if you wire it up yourself

Our take

The best capture box on iOS, and a genuine automation platform hiding inside a text field. It is not where notes go to live.

Best for: People whose notes are inputs to other apps, not a library to keep.

Minimal & fast

Feature by feature

YesPartlyVia pluginNo

Capture & input

How notes get into the app in the first place.

  • Voice recordingPartly
  • Audio transcription
  • Speaker identification
  • Meeting recording
  • Handwriting / stylus
  • Drawing canvas
  • OCR / handwriting search
  • Web clipperPartly
  • Share extension
  • Quick capture
  • Images
  • PDF & documents
  • Document scanning

Organization

How notes are structured, linked and found again.

  • Tags
  • Folders / notebooks
  • Multi-level folders
  • Internal links
  • BacklinksPartly
  • Graph view
  • Databases / boards
  • Daily notes / journal
  • Note templates
  • Saved searches
  • Pins / favorites
  • Merge notes

AI

Assistants, generators and meaning-based search.

  • AI chat / writing assistantVia plugin
  • AI agent with tools
  • Custom AI agents
  • Semantic search
  • AI web searchVia plugin
  • Connected apps for AI
  • Prompt templates
  • Custom AI instructions
  • AI memory
  • Scheduled AI tasks
  • Flashcard generator
  • Spaced repetition
  • Quiz generator
  • Fill in the blank
  • Mind maps
  • AI image generation
  • Infographic generator
  • Slide deck generator
  • AI mini apps
  • Brainrot video generator
  • AI audio overview
  • Bring your own modelPartly
  • AI job notifications

Writing & editing

What the editor itself can actually do.

  • Markdown
  • Rich text
  • Code blocksPartly
  • Math / LaTeXPartly
  • TablesPartly
  • Find and replace
  • Version history
  • Note info

Sync & data ownership

Where your notes live and how easily they leave.

  • Cloud sync
  • Sync through your own cloud
  • Offline support
  • Offline-first / own your dataPartly
  • Self-hosting
  • End-to-end encryptionPartly
  • Locked notes
  • Daily backup
  • Import
  • Export
  • Public APIPartly
  • Command line tool
  • Remote MCP serverPartly
  • Plugins / extensions

Sharing & collaboration

Working with other people inside your notes.

  • Share with people
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Comments
  • Public sharing

Experience

The everyday polish around the writing surface.

  • Dark mode
  • Custom themes
  • Multi-language
  • Command palettePartly
  • Split viewPartly
  • Focus mode
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Shortcuts

Compare with

All Drafts alternatives

Drafts vs Grape

Adds: AI agent with tools, AI memory

9.0

Drafts vs Obsidian

Plain markdown files on your disk, with a plugin ecosystem bolted on top.

8.4

Drafts vs Apple Notes

Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.

8.1

Drafts vs Craft

Documents that look designed before you touch anything.

8.1