uFocus

Name: uFocus
Rating: 4.9 (29 reviews)
Author: Nicolas Kick

Distraction-free text editor

Free

29 Ratings
Ages

4+
Years
Category

Productivity
Developer

Nicolas Kick
Language

EN
English
Size

6.7
MB

uFocus is a distraction-free writing environment that supports plain text files and allows you to keep them organized inside libraries. It allows everyone to express their creativity in the most simple way. • Unobtrusive interface: the navigation bar disappears while writing. • Swipe to show the sidebar. Here you can link your favorite libraries and quickly access your documents. • Show text statistics including character and word count and reading time. • MultiMarkdown: easily add headings, quotes, ordered and unordered lists, links, images, italics, bold, footnotes, citations, glossaries and acronyms. You can then export your documents to HTML. • Highlighting: you can stay even more focused by fading out all the text but the current sentence or paragraph. • Typewriter scrolling: automatically scrolls the text when you get on a new line. • Sound mode: experience the ultimate feeling of a typewriter. • No deletions mode: disable deletions and replacements if your greatest temptation is always to edit your text instead of writing. • Fullscreen: focus on your words and hide everything else. • Choose between three different editor widths, four font sizes and a light, dark, sepia or amber theme, or create your own theme. • Print single files or entire directory hierarchies. If you have any requests, suggestions or bug reports, you're welcome to visit the website through the Support link.

Ratings & Reviews

4.9

out of 5

29 Ratings

Best Free Writing App I Have Found!
Apr 8

Dracoslayer024
Now, I am not usually the type who writes reviews—in fact this is my first review I have ever written for an app. This app has honestly changed my writing for the better, and I felt it deserved a review. Before I downloaded uFocus, I would write in Apple Pages and constantly try to ignore my highly distracting Grammarly edit bubble. I would draft once, and then edit in the same document. However, I was wanting a tool to help me write faster and without distractions. I considered Freewrite but didn’t have the budget to buy one. Then I found uFocus. The app is extremely plain and small. Utilizing .txt files, my longest documents are still no more than 50 KB, compared to the 300+ KB that the same document is in Pages. The interface is easy to navigate, and if you want to work with bold and italics, there are keys to use them. I use uFocus for all of my first drafts (the typewriter sounds keep me going), then edit them in Pages later. For a free writing app, I cannot recommend more highly uFocus.
Best Free Writing App I Have Found!
Apr 8

Dracoslayer024

Now, I am not usually the type who writes reviews—in fact this is my first review I have ever written for an app. This app has honestly changed my writing for the better, and I felt it deserved a review. Before I downloaded uFocus, I would write in Apple Pages and constantly try to ignore my highly distracting Grammarly edit bubble. I would draft once, and then edit in the same document. However, I was wanting a tool to help me write faster and without distractions. I considered Freewrite but didn’t have the budget to buy one. Then I found uFocus. The app is extremely plain and small. Utilizing .txt files, my longest documents are still no more than 50 KB, compared to the 300+ KB that the same document is in Pages. The interface is easy to navigate, and if you want to work with bold and italics, there are keys to use them. I use uFocus for all of my first drafts (the typewriter sounds keep me going), then edit them in Pages later. For a free writing app, I cannot recommend more highly uFocus.
An elegantly simple markdown editor
03/01/2022

apprev2021
I was fortunate to start using markdown with two of the best editors, uFocus and Typora. I use uFocus for text documents that need minimal formatting, and Typora for more complex documents with equations, tables etc. After using markdown for more than a year and testing about a dozen editors, I still use these two editors the most. The default setting in uFocus with medium editor size is very well thought out, so much so that I constantly refer to uFocus for formatting ideas when customizing other markdown editors. The developer is among the most responsive and helpful developers I have ever encountered, especially considering that uFocus is a free app. He implements suggested functions with frequent updates and responds to questions during Christmas break!Tip: you can open a folder and then link it as a library for future access. Read "uFocus Introduction" under the help menu for this and other hidden functions.
An elegantly simple markdown editor
03/01/2022

apprev2021

I was fortunate to start using markdown with two of the best editors, uFocus and Typora. I use uFocus for text documents that need minimal formatting, and Typora for more complex documents with equations, tables etc. After using markdown for more than a year and testing about a dozen editors, I still use these two editors the most. The default setting in uFocus with medium editor size is very well thought out, so much so that I constantly refer to uFocus for formatting ideas when customizing other markdown editors. The developer is among the most responsive and helpful developers I have ever encountered, especially considering that uFocus is a free app. He implements suggested functions with frequent updates and responds to questions during Christmas break!Tip: you can open a folder and then link it as a library for future access. Read "uFocus Introduction" under the help menu for this and other hidden functions.
One of the best. And it's free!?
10/10/2019

Sagan K
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Very reliable! I'm not sure why this app is not in the most downloaded app list – it should be. NoWayBack mode? You got it. Highlighting mode (selected sentence) you got it. Typescrolling? you got it. And my favorite is the typewriter sound. All these are optional, check those you like, uncheck those you don't want. Another thing I love is that this app doesn't offer tens of different selections of various editor or viewing modes, themes. It does offer a few, and that's how it should be. No freedom=not good / too much freedom = not good. This app is the balance in between. I don't have any suggestions other than perhaps add a sephia mode in addition to the dark and light mode. And it'd be nice if this app had iOS (ipadOS) versions, but maybe it's better this way. In short, excellent piece of software. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Thanks a lot to the developer!

Developer Response
Thank you for your report and your suggestions. I added a sepia theme recently, since it’s something that some other users asked for as well. An iPadOS app is also on the way. Thank you for your time.
One of the best. And it's free!?
10/10/2019

Sagan K

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Very reliable! I'm not sure why this app is not in the most downloaded app list – it should be. NoWayBack mode? You got it. Highlighting mode (selected sentence) you got it. Typescrolling? you got it. And my favorite is the typewriter sound. All these are optional, check those you like, uncheck those you don't want. Another thing I love is that this app doesn't offer tens of different selections of various editor or viewing modes, themes. It does offer a few, and that's how it should be. No freedom=not good / too much freedom = not good. This app is the balance in between. I don't have any suggestions other than perhaps add a sephia mode in addition to the dark and light mode. And it'd be nice if this app had iOS (ipadOS) versions, but maybe it's better this way. In short, excellent piece of software. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Thanks a lot to the developer!
Developer Response 01/19/2020
Thank you for your report and your suggestions. I added a sepia theme recently, since it’s something that some other users asked for as well. An iPadOS app is also on the way. Thank you for your time.
Elegant simplicity, easy to keep using
11/28/2020

Kuriokon
Ever since the original WriteRoom I have enjoyed simple clean plain-text editors. But through the years I have found that simple is not simple and easy is not easy to do. There are features to add to increase functionality or to reduce friction of using the application. And it seems these applications require of the programmer an artistic sensibility with a insightful restraint on the added features. For me, uFocus has come very close to this "platonic ideal". Plain-text; focus mode; easy access and control of iCloud storage in an easy to hide side bar; sidebar outline of markdown headers; dark mode. And all with a donation-ware approach that allows me to pay according to ability and value and desire. I highly recommend this app and encourage you to see if it will fit in your workflow and catalyze greater productivity.
Elegant simplicity, easy to keep using
11/28/2020

Kuriokon

Ever since the original WriteRoom I have enjoyed simple clean plain-text editors. But through the years I have found that simple is not simple and easy is not easy to do. There are features to add to increase functionality or to reduce friction of using the application. And it seems these applications require of the programmer an artistic sensibility with a insightful restraint on the added features. For me, uFocus has come very close to this "platonic ideal". Plain-text; focus mode; easy access and control of iCloud storage in an easy to hide side bar; sidebar outline of markdown headers; dark mode. And all with a donation-ware approach that allows me to pay according to ability and value and desire. I highly recommend this app and encourage you to see if it will fit in your workflow and catalyze greater productivity.