Guide
Gravity vs Drafts
Drafts and Gravity both open to a blank place to type, so you get a thought down before it slips away. They part ways after that. Drafts treats each draft as text on its way somewhere else, and you send it to email, Messages, a task manager or another app with an action. Gravity keeps your notes in one list you come back to: new ones go on top, the ones you leave alone sink, and you swipe the ones that still matter back up.
I make Gravity, so bear that in mind. Drafts has been around for years and has a devoted following, and for plenty of jobs it's the better app.
The short answer
Use Drafts if a note is usually the start of something else, like a message, a task or a blog post, and you enjoy automating where it goes.
Use Gravity if you want to keep your notes and read back through them now and then. Use Gravity too if you have an Android phone, because Drafts runs only on Apple devices.
Side by side
| Drafts | Gravity | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Pro $2.99/month or $24.99/year | $9.99 per platform; Gravity Sync free in beta |
| iPhone and iPad app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | No | Yes |
| Mac app | Yes | Yes |
| Write and search offline | Yes | Yes |
| Same notes on iPhone and Android | No | Yes |
| Tags | Yes | Yes |
| Links between notes | Yes | No |
| Markdown | Yes | Yes |
| Checklists | Yes | Yes |
| Speak or record notes | Yes | Yes |
| Capture shortcut from any app on desktop | Yes | Yes |
| Export all notes | Yes | Yes |
Where Drafts wins
Drafts sends text almost anywhere with one tap: email, Messages, Reminders, Things, Bear, a Shortcut or a script you write yourself. If your notes are raw material for other apps, Drafts was built for you. Gravity has a share sheet and no action library.
Drafts Pro adds custom actions, themes, syntaxes and saved workspaces, and Drafts supports Shortcuts and its own URL scheme for automation. Gravity has few settings on purpose.
Drafts runs on Apple Watch, and you can link one draft to another. Gravity does neither.
Where Gravity wins
Drafts works best when you empty the inbox: process each draft, then archive it. Gravity works the other way round, using append and review. Everything stays in one list with the newest at the top, and when you scroll back now and then, you swipe the notes that still matter back to the top. An idea you'd have archived in Drafts gets a second look a week later.
Gravity runs on Android. Notes sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac through iCloud, or across those and Android with Gravity Sync.
On your phone, Gravity shows each note lighter as it ages, so you can see at a glance which notes you keep coming back to. You only archive a note if you want it gone from the list.
Start a note with todo: or idea: and Gravity tags and colours it. In Drafts you add tags as a separate step.
"Exactly what I need. Nothing more, nothing less. No noise. Great search. Love the bump function. It makes the app."
App Store review
Price
Drafts is free to use, including unlimited drafts and sync, and Drafts Pro costs $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year. The app is $9.99 per platform. iCloud sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac is free, and Gravity Sync, which adds Android and your AI apps, is free during the beta and becomes a subscription after it.
Who should pick which
- Writers drafting messages, posts and emails: Drafts. Write first, then send it where it belongs.
- Shortcuts and automation fans: Drafts.
- People who collect ideas, to-dos and things to look up, and want to see them again: Gravity.
- Anyone who also carries an Android phone: Gravity.
- People who found an inbox they have to empty turned into a chore: Gravity, which you never have to empty.
Moving from Drafts
Drafts can save drafts as text or Markdown files with its export actions. Run the files through the free import tool, import the result into Gravity, and they land in your list.
Questions
Can Gravity send notes to other apps like Drafts?
Partly. On your phone you can share any note through the share sheet. Gravity has no action library or automation.
Does Gravity have a Mac capture shortcut like Drafts?
Yes. Option-Space opens a capture panel from any app, and Option-Shift-Space adds to your last note.
Can I use both?
Yes. You can keep Drafts for text that's heading somewhere else and Gravity for notes you want to keep and review.