Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

FocusWriter VS GitHub Gist

Compare FocusWriter VS GitHub Gist and see what are their differences

FocusWriter logo FocusWriter

FocusWriter is a fullscreen, distraction-free word processor designed to immerse you as much as...

GitHub Gist logo GitHub Gist

Gist is a simple way to share snippets and pastes with others.
  • FocusWriter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18
  • GitHub Gist Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-28

FocusWriter features and specs

  • Distraction-Free Interface
    FocusWriter offers a clean, full-screen interface that helps minimize distractions, allowing writers to concentrate solely on their writing.
  • Customizable Themes
    The software provides multiple themes and customization options, enabling users to tailor their writing environment to their preferences.
  • Goal Setting
    FocusWriter includes goal tracking features such as daily word counts and session targets, which can help writers stay motivated and measure their productivity.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    FocusWriter is available on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
  • Minimal Resource Usage
    The application is lightweight and consumes minimal system resources, ensuring smooth performance even on older machines.
  • Auto-Save and Recovery
    FocusWriter offers auto-save and session recovery features, which protect users from losing work due to accidental closures or system crashes.
  • Free and Open-Source
    The software is free to use and open-source, fostering community contributions and allowing users to modify the software if they have the technical skills.

Possible disadvantages of FocusWriter

  • Limited Advanced Features
    FocusWriter lacks some advanced features found in other writing software, such as advanced grammar checking and extensive formatting options.
  • Basic Export Options
    The application offers limited export options primarily to plain text and Rich Text Format (RTF), which may not be suitable for all users.
  • Limited Integration
    FocusWriter does not offer extensive integration with other productivity tools and services, which could be a drawback for users who require seamless workflow management.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might face a learning curve due to the minimalistic interface and lack of in-app tutorials or guides.

GitHub Gist features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    GitHub Gist provides a simple interface for creating and sharing code snippets or textual information. Users can quickly create new gists without needing to set up a full repository.
  • Version Control
    Each gist benefits from built-in version control, allowing users to track changes and roll back to previous versions if necessary.
  • Collaboration
    Gists can be shared with others easily, and collaborators can comment on, suggest changes, and fork the gist for further modification, making it a good tool for code reviews and quick sharing.
  • Embed and Share
    Gists can be embedded into websites and blogs, making it easy to share code in a readable and aesthetically pleasing way.
  • Public or Private
    Users have the option to create public or secret gists, offering flexibility in terms of visibility and accessibility.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Gist

  • Limited Features
    Gists are not full-fledged repositories and lack many features that GitHub repositories offer, such as project management tools and issue tracking.
  • Search and Organization
    Managing and finding gists can become challenging as there is no internal folder structure or advanced search capability to organize them effectively.
  • Security
    While gists can be made private, they are still accessible by anyone who has the URL. They do not provide the same level of access control as private GitHub repositories.
  • Limited Collaboration
    While gists support basic collaboration through comments and forks, they do not offer the comprehensive collaboration tools available in full GitHub repositories, such as detailed pull requests and issue tracking.
  • File Size Limitation
    Gists have a file size limit, making them unsuitable for larger files or projects. This limits their use for anything beyond simple or small code snippets.

Analysis of FocusWriter

Overall verdict

  • FocusWriter is generally considered a good choice for writers who prioritize a clean and focused writing workspace. Its simplicity and customization options make it suitable for those who want a straightforward tool without the distractions of more complex writing software.

Why this product is good

  • FocusWriter is a popular choice for writers who seek a distraction-free writing environment. It offers a minimalist interface that helps users concentrate on writing by hiding toolbars and menus until they are needed. It is also highly customizable, allowing users to change themes, fonts, and background images to suit their preferences. Moreover, FocusWriter includes features such as daily goals, timers, and basic statistics, which can help motivate and track writing progress.

Recommended for

    FocusWriter is particularly recommended for writers, authors, bloggers, and anyone who needs a distraction-free environment to focus on their writing tasks. It is ideal for users who prefer a lightweight, simple application and do not require advanced formatting or publishing features.

FocusWriter videos

Focuswriter Review

More videos:

  • Review - FocusWriter - App Reviews
  • Review - Writing Software - FocusWriter

GitHub Gist videos

Deploy Website using GitHub Pages in less than 10 mins

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FocusWriter and GitHub Gist)
Text Editors
84 84%
16% 16
Design Playground
0 0%
100% 100
Markdown Editor
100 100%
0% 0
JavaScript
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 FocusWriter and GitHub Gist

FocusWriter Reviews

11 Best Scrivener Alternatives
Scrivener may be more complicated than FocusWriter, but if you want simplicity or minimalism, FocusWriter is worth considering. There are no elaborate formatting options or research notes to tinker around with so all you do is write.

GitHub Gist Reviews

We have no reviews of GitHub Gist yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FocusWriter should be more popular than GitHub Gist. It has been mentiond 25 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.

FocusWriter mentions (25)

  • Ensō: write now, edit later
    Reminds me of the (dead) RoughDraft mac app by 43 Folders(?). There is also FocusWriter - opensource and multi-platform. https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • A collection of useful Mac Apps
    FocusWriter - Price: Free Distraction-free writing app for Mac that allows you to focus on your writing. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What do you people write on?
    You can get it here: https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is there an app to keep track of all the details when writing a story?
    Also, if you're kinda of an indie author, try Bibisco or Focuswriter. Source: about 2 years ago
  • is there a computer that can only run word a processor
    If you have a spare laptop, I recommend just disabling the Internet altogether. But before then, install a program called FocusWriter - it goes full screen. Or instead of the spare computer idea, maybe create a new user account on your computer maybe called Writing, install FocusWriter and have it launch on startup, and disable that account's Internet. Source: about 2 years ago
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GitHub Gist mentions (8)

  • Help…I’m slightly embarrassed to post this…but could anyone look at my profile and let me know if there are any “newbie red flags”. I’ve fallen in love with Python and decided to post projects from the classes I’ve taken. I’ve got more advanced projects to post and still have some project cleaning!
    If you are learning things, you could also create github gists. That way your repos will only be coding related, while you can create tutorials / work exercises in gists. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Best Practice for keeping a library of code/functions to reuse in future projects
    I use Github, both for full repos and for short gists. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Flutter Challenges: Challenge 02
    On the other hand, shared DartPads are just gists on GitHub so theoretically they can include code that works with different packages. Of course, such gists will not compile in DartPad and will be displayed as having errors :(. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best way to make notes about coding?
    Perhaps github gists? https://gist.github.com/discover. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Some information that may be useful on the *nature of the problem* posed by the pandemic and SARS-cov-2 virus
    I looked at Github gists, but they are focused in displaying the markdown sourcecode (so e.g. Hyperlinks won't be clickable [1] ). Options just don't seem to be focused on simply hosting PDFs/information with clickable references. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing FocusWriter and GitHub Gist, you can also consider the following products

Scrivener - Scrivener is a content-generation tool for composing and structuring documents.

Pastebin.com - Pastebin.com is a website where you can store text for a certain period of time.

iA Writer - Minimal Design, Maximum Focus

PrivateBin - PrivateBin is a minimalist, open source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of...

Typora - A minimal Markdown reading & writing app.

hastebin - Pad editor for source code.