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Drafts VS Org mode

Compare Drafts VS Org mode and see what are their differences

Drafts logo Drafts

Quickly capture text on iOS and send it anywhere

Org mode logo Org mode

Org: an Emacs Mode for Notes, Planning, and Authoring
  • Drafts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-26
  • Org mode Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-15

Drafts features and specs

  • Quick Capture
    Drafts allows users to capture text quickly with minimal friction, making it ideal for jotting down ideas or notes on the go.
  • Extensive Scripting
    The app supports extensive scripting and automation capabilities, enabling users to tailor workflows to their specific needs.
  • Integration
    Drafts integrates seamlessly with many third-party apps and services, enhancing its utility as a central hub for text-based workflows.
  • Cross-Platform Sync
    With cross-platform support, notes and drafts can be accessed on different devices, ensuring continuity and accessibility.
  • Customizable Interface
    Users can personalize the interface with themes, font choices, and organizational methods to suit their preferences.

Possible disadvantages of Drafts

  • Subscription Model
    Drafts operates on a subscription model which can be seen as costly over time compared to one-time purchase apps.
  • Learning Curve
    The app's extensive features and scripting capabilities can be overwhelming for new users, requiring time to learn.
  • Platform Limitation
    Primarily designed for Apple ecosystems, Drafts is less accessible for users relying on non-Apple devices.
  • Complexity for Basic Users
    For users seeking a simple note-taking app, Drafts might be more complex than necessary given its numerous features.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of Drafts is limited in functionality, potentially pushing users towards the paid version for full capability.

Org mode features and specs

  • Seamless Integration with Emacs
    Org mode is tightly integrated with Emacs, allowing users to take full advantage of Emacs' powerful text-editing capabilities and extensive customization options.
  • Outline-Based Workflow
    Org mode supports hierarchical organization of information, which makes it easy to structure content in a clear, logical manner and manage complex documents or projects.
  • Task Management
    Built-in TODO lists, scheduling, and deadline management features make it a powerful tool for personal productivity and project management.
  • Export Capabilities
    Org mode can export documents to a variety of formats including HTML, LaTeX, PDF, and Markdown, making it versatile for different publishing needs.
  • Customizability
    Highly customizable through Emacs Lisp, allowing users to tailor Org mode to their specific workflow requirements.
  • Community and Extensions
    A robust community and numerous extensions are available, providing additional functionality and support.

Possible disadvantages of Org mode

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Requires significant time and effort to learn, especially for users who are not already familiar with Emacs.
  • Emacs Dependency
    Org mode is dependent on Emacs, which might not appeal to users who prefer different text editors or Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).
  • Complexity
    While it's powerful, the extensive features and customization options can become overwhelming and lead to a complex setup.
  • Lack of Standalone Version
    There is no standalone version of Org mode; it requires Emacs, which can be a barrier for those who do not want to use Emacs.
  • User Interface
    The text-based interface might not be as intuitive or visually appealing as modern, graphical task management or note-taking applications.

Analysis of Drafts

Overall verdict

  • Drafts is an excellent tool for anyone who needs a versatile and efficient solution for capturing and managing text. It is particularly suited for users who prioritize speed and automation in their note-taking process.

Why this product is good

  • Drafts, available at getdrafts.com, is widely praised for its flexibility and ease of use. It allows users to quickly capture and process text, making it ideal for jotting down thoughts or tasks on the go. Drafts features robust automation capabilities, integration with numerous apps, and a customizable interface, which appeals to both casual users and power users looking to streamline their workflow.

Recommended for

  • Individuals who frequently capture spontaneous ideas or tasks.
  • Users seeking an app with strong automation and integration features.
  • Professionals looking to streamline their note-taking and text-processing workflow.
  • People who prefer customizing their tools to suit their specific needs.

Drafts videos

Drafts Tips & Tricks: The Best Note Taking App

More videos:

  • Review - Tips for Using Drafts: The One Notes App to Rule Them All
  • Review - Why I Use Drafts For Collecting To-dos and Notes

Org mode videos

org mode is awesome

More videos:

  • Review - 2018-11-14: Building a Second Brain in Org Mode - Tasshin Michael Fogleman

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Drafts and Org mode)
Note Taking
31 31%
69% 69
Task Management
0 0%
100% 100
Personal Notes
100 100%
0% 0
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Drafts and Org mode

Drafts Reviews

We have no reviews of Drafts yet.
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Org mode Reviews

Ask HN: Favorite note-taking software?
Before going full Org Mode, I used MS OneNote, and liked it very much. My notes from that period has tons of images and annotated screenshots dumped into them. I miss that in my Emacs workflow nowadays. My dream software would be pieces of Org Mode on a OneNote-like canvas, with support for easily pasting images and drawing on them (especially using a graphics tablet, or at...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Org mode should be more popular than Drafts. It has been mentiond 186 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Drafts mentions (75)

  • Notetime: Minimalistic notes where everything is timestamped
    Interesting. I have almost the same workflow with https://getdrafts.com/ where I only take short notes and I have custom action which sets the creation date+time of the note as its first line. But, having a separate entry for each line is the next level of this approach. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: What note taking app do you use and why?
    I use https://simplenote.com - Syncs across multiple platforms. - Plaintext based (with MD support). - Search + edit UI similar to https://notational.net and https://brettterpstra.com/projects/nvalt - Simple to publish/share notes - Free (as in beer and speech) --- If I used MacOS or there were web versions, I would love to use the following (they are all better at plaintext than SimpleNote): -... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What software sparks joy when using?
    In no particular order: Prologue [0] - iOS Audiobook player, used Plex as a media source Overcast [1] - iOS Podcast player CleanShotX [2] - macOS screenshot/video/gif capture with annotation Drafts [3] - iOS/macOS note taking tool Paprika [4] - Cross platform recipe app YNAB [5] - "You Need A Budget" - web/mobile budgeting app 1Password [6] - Cross platform password manager Carrot Weather [7] - iOS weather app... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Question: Best Statistics/Dashboard Solutions for Todoist?
    Finally, using Google Apps Script, I email myself a weekly summary of tracker/Todoist tasks completed with a comparison versus the previous week. It also contains a link to the graph that is published on the web. I also send this to Drafts using the mail drop feature. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Taking notes on podcasts/audiobooks
    When I want to take notes on something I'm listening to, like a book quote or a thought I have while listening, I stop and make a note right then. Because I don't know if the next paragraph is going to suck me in more and make me forget whatever I wanted to note. I have a few ways to do this. I often take a voice recorder with me in the car, so if I have interesting ideas while driving I can just push a button,... Source: over 2 years ago
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Org mode mentions (186)

  • Knowledge Should Not Be Gated
    I've been using org[0] for the past 10 years to store knowledge, project write-ups, notes, etc and love it. As I get deeper into AI I'm keeping that, like recently I created an org-edit tool to manage especially issues in the project write-ups. 1 file with all my several hundred projects accumulated over the years, and the value has only grown although it's becoming harder for me to personally consume; I'll likely... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • strace-ui, Bonsai_term, and the TUI renaissance
    > But I think we will swing back to using GUIs when we find a performant way of making them I like this new TUI renaissance as well, but if you wanna see what a symbiotic relationship between GUIs x TUIs could look like you need to see what Emacs does with Orgmode and the whole Org ecosystem of org-agenda, org-roam, etc. Lot's of these TUIs from the awesome are somewhat already inside Emacs. https://orgmode.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Org Mode Syntax Is One of the Most Reasonable Markup Languages to Use for Text
    Question: why is `https://orgmode.org/` in html and not in ... Org mode? - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Kaomel: a snappy kaomoji picker for Emacs
    Each code block could be evaluated in place, with results appearing inline. Want to test JSON parsing? Write a block, execute it, see the output. Need to try different data structures? Compare approaches side-by-side with immediate feedback. This resembles the classic Lisp REPL workflow but with all the organizational benefits of org-mode. The development document became a living laboratory. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file
    I'm a fan of Org Mode with Emacs [0] and using the app BeOrg [1] on my iPhone. I have 3 main task files: - todo.org for things I need to do - backlog.org for things that I don't have to do now but should do in the future - inbox.org for any random ideas or notes The concept of an Inbox was taken straight from Getting Things Done [2]. I have different searches set up in BeOrg so that it is easy to view tasks from... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Drafts and Org mode, you can also consider the following products

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

Todoist - Todoist is a to-do list that helps you get organized, at work and in life.

Bear - Bear.app is a note-taking and content writing app that helps you boost productivity with its intuitive tools.

Workflowy - A better way to organize your mind.

Simplenote - The simplest way to keep notes. Light, clean, and free. Simplenote is now available for iOS, Android, Mac, and the web.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.