Drafts for Mac Status Update

Preview Version Now Available: Details

There has been a lot of interest in Drafts coming to the Mac, so I wanted to give a general update on plans and status of the project as well as a brief preview of what we’ve been working on. Some of the information below is still in flux and may change a little as things shape up, but I expect most of this to remain accurate.

Below is a brief preview video of some of the functionality in place so far…and an FAQ which attempts to address the most common questions about our plans and schedule. I will update this post periodically with new information.

Preview

A short video walkthrough show some of the main window operations in Drafts for Mac. Many user interface elements are still being work on, so the final product will likely vary a bit from this demo.

FAQ

Drafts for Mac? Finally.

Yes, Drafts is coming to the Mac. Much of the groundwork for this release was done while building the Drafts 5 update. We are now in the process of building the Mac user interface and Mac-specific features.

What can Drafts for Mac do?

The initial version of Drafts for Mac will support most of the same draft capture, editing and organization features of Drafts 5 on iOS and all drafts, tags, workspaces, versions, etc. will sync between versions.

The editor will support themes and all the same editing features, syntax highlighting and more.

True to its core, there will be quick-capture tools to easily popup up a window and start typing to start on all your text snippets and notes in Drafts as easily on Mac as you do on iOS.

What can Drafts for Mac NOT do?

The initial release of Drafts for Mac is focused on capture, editing and sync. It will not support actions initially. We do plan full action support for the app in the future – but many can benefit from the ability to create, edit and access all their drafts on both platforms in the meantime while we work to complete the somewhat more complex implementation of cross-platform action support.

Does Drafts for Mac use Marzipan or whatever Apple calls it?

No. Apple announced tools to run iOS apps on Mac coming next year. When those are available we will evaluate whether it makes sense to also incorporate them into the Drafts story, but we want a proper, native Mac experience for Drafts and will be delivering a proper, native Mac app to accomplish that goal.

When will it be released?

Too early to tell exactly. We will begin limited beta testing soon and hope to deliver a release near the end of 2018.

Will Drafts for Mac be a separate purchase?

Drafts for Mac is part of the Drafts family and will operate similar to the iOS version. It will be free to download and use basic features with more advanced features requiring a Drafts Pro subscription. A single pro subscription will cover use of those advanced features on any supported device - there will not be separate subscription required. So your subscription now is already supporting development and helping us get the Mac version out sooner.

What about Drafts for X?

We do not currently have plans for Drafts on platforms other than iOS, macOS and watchOS. Never say never, but these platforms are our focus for the time being.

How do I keep up with news?

If you want to keep up with progress and announcements, sign up for this Community site, or follow @draftsapp on Twitter or Facebook.

39 Likes

Best news ever. Looks great and exactly what I have been waiting for! Sign me up for a beta test!!! :raised_hands: :pray:

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This is awesome and looks even better than I imagined. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.

great news! Counrt me in :slight_smile:

This is indeed great news. I don’t have a problem not having actions on macOS: this will allow me to use Drafts as a cross-platform note-taking tool. This makes me glad I signed up for the “Pro” version.

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This makes me so happy! :blush:

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Can. Not. Wait!! Drafts is seriously the biggest thing I am wishing for on my Mac. Super excited!

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Giddy with excitement! “End of 2018” can’t come soon enough!

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great news! waiting for you!

Thanks for the update, can’t wait to see it realized and in the wild!

(Also very happy to beta test and put it through it’s paces when that time arrives)

Thank you so much Greg. I’m sure this is going to prove a real game changer for me. Can’t wait…

Excited at this news and grateful for this new direction in development. Let me test a beta please!

Amazing news!! Kudos Greg! Would love to be in Alpha testers :slight_smile:

Great news! I’ve been waiting for a native MacOS app for a while now. I like using the iOS app on my iPad Pro as a way to quickly capture ideas before I determine what I want to use them for. An Android app would be highly appreciated :smile:

Very good news!!!

I wonder if will be able to replace Simplenote (sadly for NValt, but BitWriter does not show any progress)

This is welcome news for sure! Finally I can organise and get through those legacy notes.

Great news! Thank you!

That’s great news Greg, especially as I have just taken delivery of a new MBP! (my first Mac :ok_hand:)

I welcome the incremental approach you are taking, and it will be great to have my favourite iOS tool on my new machine.

All the very best,

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