Collie vs iA Writer
Both are Mac writing apps you buy once. Collie is the calmer pick for specs, notes, and thinking — Focus, Reader, revisions, and Board for $19. iA Writer stays the craft pick if Style Check and iA’s typefaces are why you write every day.
Choose Collie if you want Focus, Reader, automatic revisions, and a Board beside the page — $19 once, local files, no account for notes, AI optional and off by default.
Choose iA Writer if Style Check, Authorship, and iA’s fonts are your daily craft, or you already live in iA’s Focus Mode and typefaces for long prose.
Price
Collie is $19 once — free updates, 14-day refund. iA Writer is about $50 once on the Mac App Store; see iA’s terms. Details: Refund and Privacy.
Side by side
| Collie | iA Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Mac) | $19 once | About $50 once |
| Refund | 14 days | See iA’s terms |
| Files | Local on your Mac | Local or cloud folders you choose |
| Account for notes | None | None for writing |
| Focus | Glides in; dimming, typewriter scroll, options, no scrollbar flash | Focus Mode; Style Check and typefaces nearby |
| Re-reading | Reader with annotations | Preview and publish |
| History | Automatic revisions; mark milestones | Library versions |
| Beside the draft | Board | Library and folders |
| AI | Optional; off by default | Not built around AI |
| Best for | Specs, notes, thinking, going back over drafts | Prose with iA’s craft tools |
Focus in Collie
- Chrome leaves. The page fills the window.
- Dim around the caret. Paragraph or sentence stays bright; the rest softens.
- Typewriter scrolling. Your line holds still while you type.
- Glides in and out. No jump; scrollbar stays hidden so it does not flash.
- Options beside Focus. Highlight, typewriter, toolbar, and word count — hover edges to bring bars back; Esc leaves.
iA Writer’s Focus Mode, Style Check, and typefaces are their craft. Collie does not try to replace that set. Collie’s Focus sits next to Reader, automatic revisions, and Board.
Short answers
Is Collie a substitute for iA Writer?
No. If Style Check, Authorship, and iA’s fonts are why you write every day, keep iA. Collie is for people who open a Mac to write how something works, what to build next, or a messy first pass — then read it back, mark it up, and keep going.
Is $19 really one-time?
Yes. Pay once. Updates stay free. No subscription. 14-day refund. Details: Refund.
Where do my notes live?
On your Mac. Nothing is uploaded just to save a document. AI only runs if you connect it. Full detail: Privacy.
Can I try before buying?
Download Collie for Mac, write locally, buy when you want. Download.
Buy Collie for Mac · $19One-time payment · free updates · 14-day refund. Or download first.