Overview
Drafts is a markdown text editor. It’s a note-taking system with some unique features that distinguish it from similar apps on the market. The app lends itself well to the super user that is versed in Markdown and proficient with JavaScript but the beauty is that even a novice can have a really positive experience with the platform. Think of it as a powerhouse that is lightweight and easy to use but at the same time can go into overdrive and deliver custom and unique solutions to improve anybody’s workflows.
We really like how the developers take pride in their product and really strive to deliver the best value to their customers. In a world where everything is slowly moving toward the dreaded subscription model, companies are getting more bold with how overt they are about showing you an empty palm and demanding your money. We’re not trying to shame anyone from making a buck and although the subscription model can start to make you feel hopeless after the 15th app charging you for what you feel like are basic functions, Drafts does theirs in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re a victim to day light robbery.
Aside from the value they offer, Drafts just works. It doesn’t overreach with any features that it can’t manage to integrate flawlessly and it gets updated on a regular basis. The features that do exist also come with a simplicity that enables the reliability of the app while still maintaining the elegance of a clean user interface. The overall experience of using Drafts does not leave much to be desired and you’ll quickly find yourself settling in to the app and its structure with little difficulty at all.
Key Features
Access Across Devices
One of the features that we love is the fact that the app exists on most apple devices and it syncs across all of them flawlessly. It exists on iPhone, iPad, Macbook and even the apple watch to some extent. It syncs perfectly across all of these devices and you don’t need to hit any save buttons or worry about any of your data getting lost. We’ve never had any issues with conflicting versions with Drafts which is a bug that plagues some other competitors like Evernote or Standard Notes. Drafts has really nailed down the apple ecosystem and is able to exploit the convenience that such a system offers to users.
Actions
The single most important feature in our opinion is the ‘Actions’ feature. Actions are basically integrations and processing functions that enable you to do automation, exporting, formatting, and more by programmatically creating scripts that run in drafts to perform these tasks for you. Out of the box Drafts comes with the starter set of Actions that enable you to do things such as exporting to email, twitter, or reminders but if you’re handy with Javascript you can create your own powerful and unique custom actions.
There is an Actions Library that you can find on their website that it user-contributed and more than likely already has a solution that you might need. You can even get action groups that cater to specific workflows. If all else fails and you find that you need a unique solution you can accomplish pretty much anything you want so long as you are handy with Javascript and are willing to dig through their docs a bit.
Utterly Yours
It can often be overlooked when developers decide to include features that from the surface might seem purely cosmetic like customizable themes, syntax highlighting, and even app icons. Often times these kinds of features are not deal-breakers but they do speak to the underlying theme that seems present throughout the entire application: that this app is made for YOU the user. Drafts has tons of themes built in and it gives you the freedom to create your own and share them with the world. A subtle touch but not one that is overlooked by us.
Sorting & Organization
Drafts has a few organizational features that also allow them to stand out from their competitors. The big one is the inbox. By default Drafts is enabled with an inbox where all of your notes will live until they are assigned to either a workspaces or given a tag to be sorted with which enables you to focus on quickly capturing notes or ideas without worrying about categorizing them right away. If you have a spontaneous idea while you are out and about and only have your phone you can quickly capture your thoughts, let them sit in your inbox, and then finish the idea when you have more time and resources and figure out how you want to categorize the note.
Outside of the inbox feature the next lowest level of organization that Drafts offers you is tags. These are pretty straight-forward and they work the same way they would on any other app. You simply assign a tag or multiple tags to a note and then you can set custom filters to include or exclude one or more tags at a time. A step up from the tags is the Workspace level of organization which is basically a saved filter that you can use to separate projects, classes, or other structures.
Versatility
The beauty behind Drafts is that you are able to maximize your experience with the application whether you only use the basic set of organizational features or if you exploit every single customizable option that the app has to offer. Let’s say you are just a college student who doesn’t need all the bells and whistles and you just want a quick, light-weight, easy to use note taking system for all of your classes then drafts is perfect for you. You can even reduce a lot of the unwanted actions and features to have only what you actually use show up in the action bars. On the other hand let’s say you’re a tech blogger or developer and you want to create your own custom actions with your own scripts to save time through automation, then Drafts is really the only app even powerful enough to let you do that. They call themselves a Swiss Army knife for text and we feel that title is rightfully deserved.
Value
If you aren’t sold on Drafts up to this point then this may seal the deal. This is an area in which Drafts really sets itself apart from its competitors. The difference between Drafts and some other apps in the space like Evernote is that the free version of the app is not a joke like it is on other platforms. Honestly you can get away with a lot with the free version and there may even be some of you that will never need to subscribe to the premium model. The price of a one year subscription of Drafts at the date of this article being published is a very modest and fair $20.
Another particular area of note about their subscription is that if you use Family Sharing you can even share your subscription with your family members. This means that if multiple people in your family use the app then you are getting even MORE value from your subscription. We’ve noticed that there are not very many apps on the app store that let you share subscriptions this way so it really speaks volumes as to how important it is for them to deliver a great value to their customers.
The Negative
If security and privacy is high on your list of priorities then Drafts might not be the best choice considering it is synced across Apple’s iCloud, but they do state that no data is store on any of Drafts servers. For most of you this probably isn’t a huge concern but it might still be something to consider.