I ditched Notion for this simple app to reclaim my focus

I’ve been using Notion for a few years now as my “everything app,” but the time has come to gradually part ways with it. Notion is where I keep all my recipes, meeting notes, and data related to things like my fitness journey and various side projects. It’s also where I write all my posts for Android Authority, but it has honestly become more of a hassle than a solution.

I needed a change. Something new. Something fresh. I wanted to ditch Notion because of its complexity and move to something designed around simplicity and focus. So, I switched to iA Writer, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

It’s not a complete replacement

As I mentioned, the move away from Notion is gradual because I’ll need several apps to completely replace it. iA Writer isn’t a full replacement for Notion. Sure, it can hold my recipes and the rest of the data I have in Notion, but that’s not really what it’s designed for.

It’s designed for writing. It offers a distraction-free experience that lets me focus solely on putting words on paper. That’s the only thing I use it for, while I’ll likely move the rest of my Notion data over to another minimalist app — Google Keep.

Before jumping into the details of what makes the app special, I want to point out that it’s not free. There is a free trial available, but after that, you’ll have to pay up. I do appreciate the one-time fee, though, as I’m not a big fan of today’s subscription economy. Since it’s a very simple app, the price seems reasonable at around $30.

Another thing worth pointing out is that while there is an iOS app available, the Android app was pulled from the Play Store back in 2024 — you can read the company’s statement on why that happened at the link. It’s not a deal-breaker for me since I only write on my PC, but if you’re looking for a solution for your Android device, iA Writer isn’t it. At least for now.

What iA Writer does better than Notion

I’m on a mission to simplify my apps and workflows, and iA Writer is perfect for this. It’s hard to find a simpler writing app.

I really like how the app puts all formatting and other options aside and just shows me a blank, white page. It really helps me focus on my writing and forget about everything else. There are formatting options available, of course, but the idea is to write first and format later instead of mixing the two.

I also like that I can see the word count constantly in the bottom corner as I write, which is an important feature for me as someone who makes a living writing. I aim for a specific length for each post, and it’s nice to keep tabs on it to see how close to the limit I am. I can even see the word count of a specific paragraph just by highlighting it — a feature not available in Notion.

Then there’s Focus Mode that highlights the paragraph I’m working on and grays out everything else. It’s a simple solution you don’t know you need until you try it. And while I’m working, all my docs are visible in the side menu, which I can easily hide when I don’t need them. I can also create custom folders, so organizing those docs is easy.

The whole experience is very different from Notion. The “everything app” has proven to be too much for me, especially for writing. Sure, the customization and file management options seem endless, but it lacks these brilliant focus-oriented features found in iA Writer.

In Notion, the word count is also hidden behind an extra click. Then there’s the slash command. As soon as I type a slash, a massive menu pops up inviting me to insert a block, page, or image. While useful for building a wiki, it’s a constant distraction when I’m just trying to type a sentence that contains a slash. It breaks my flow, forcing me to hit escape or click away just to keep writing.

Should everyone make the switch?

No, it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s a great solution for me personally — better than Notion and Google Docs. However, for those who don’t care about iA Writer’s focus-oriented features and just want to streamline their data in a single app, Notion is still better.

Notion can do it all, but it has its limits. An app like iA Writer is better for writing since that’s its sole focus, but the downside is that it’s another app in your lineup you have to keep up with — and pay for.

I always wanted to keep as much data as possible in a single app. So, the idea was for Notion to replace dedicated apps for task management, money management, writing, note-taking, and more. However, the more I use it, the more I see that using dedicated apps that do just one thing well may be better for me personally. Your mileage may vary, though.