Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

iBooks Author VS ForthWrite

Compare iBooks Author VS ForthWrite and see what are their differences

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iBooks Author logo iBooks Author

iBooks Author, free from the Mac App store, allows you to create beautiful Multi-Touch textbooks โ€” and just about any other kind of book.

ForthWrite logo ForthWrite

Email that sounds like you, and gets measurably more like you every week. Drafts in Gmail, Outlook, and the browser. Free to start.
  • iBooks Author Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • ForthWrite Landing Page
    Landing Page //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Dashboard
    Dashboard //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite In Gmail
    In Gmail //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Pricing
    Pricing //
    2026-06-19

ForthWrite is an AI email writing assistant for Gmail and Outlook that learns your writing style from your real sent mail. The more you use it, the more it sounds like you. Get smart drafts in seconds, auto-draft replies before you open your inbox, and maintain your personal voice at scale. Free to start, no credit card required. Works inside Gmail and Outlook on the web.

How it works

ForthWrite captures your tone, sentence rhythm, and sign-offs from your actual sent emails, then uses that profile to generate drafts that match how you write, not a generic AI voice. Every draft you edit or send improves the model over time.

Key features

  • Auto-draft: replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Voice matching from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Recipient-aware drafts that adapt to who you are emailing
  • Prompt Lab for version-controlling and A/B testing your persona prompt
  • BYOK support: bring your own API key for Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Works in Gmail and Outlook on the web, plus a standalone browser widget
  • Training data export and full data portability

Who uses it

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, founders, and anyone who wants their inbox handled without sounding like a chatbot wrote it.

Pricing

Free tier includes 10 drafts per week with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $12/month and include unlimited drafts, custom persona prompts, and auto-draft.

iBooks Author

Website
apple.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

ForthWrite

$ Details
freemium $12 / Monthly (Standard plan)
Platforms
Web
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
San Diego
Founder(s)
Curtis Boortz
Employees
1 - 9

iBooks Author features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    iBooks Author offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, allowing users to create engaging ebooks with drag-and-drop functionality and predesigned templates.
  • Rich Media Integration
    The application allows authors to embed interactive elements such as videos, 3D objects, and galleries, making the ebooks more dynamic and engaging for readers.
  • Apple Ecosystem Compatibility
    Ebooks created with iBooks Author are highly compatible with Apple's ecosystem, providing seamless integration with devices like iPads and MacBooks.
  • Customizability
    Authors have the ability to customize a wide variety of aspects in their ebooks, from layout to font styles, providing flexibility in design.
  • Free to Use
    iBooks Author is free to download and use, which is beneficial for authors looking to create ebooks without incurring additional software costs.

Possible disadvantages of iBooks Author

  • Limited to Apple Devices
    Ebooks created with iBooks Author are primarily intended for Apple devices, which can limit the audience to users within the Apple ecosystem.
  • Discontinued Support
    Apple discontinued iBooks Author in July 2020, meaning there are no future updates or support, which could lead to compatibility and security concerns.
  • Proprietary Format
    The books are output in a proprietary format (.ibooks) that is not widely supported by non-Apple devices, further restricting distribution.
  • Limited Export Options
    Authors have limited formats to export their work, primarily focused on the .ibooks and PDF formats, limiting cross-platform accessibility.
  • Complexity for Advanced Features
    While the basic interface is user-friendly, integrating more complex interactive features might require additional time and technical knowledge.

ForthWrite features and specs

  • Voice Matching
    Learns from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Auto-draft replies
    Replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Batch-drafting
    Draft replies for your entire inbox with one click
  • Works in browser
    Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers
  • BYOK support
    Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Prompt Lab
    Version control and A/B test your persona prompt
  • Free tier
    10 drafts per week, no credit card required

Analysis of iBooks Author

Overall verdict

  • iBooks Author was a powerful tool for creating interactive eBooks within the Apple ecosystem. However, it has been discontinued as of July 1, 2020, with Apple encouraging users to transition to Pages for book creation. Thus, while it was a good tool during its time, users will need to consider alternative solutions moving forward.

Why this product is good

  • iBooks Author was designed to allow users to create and publish interactive and multimedia-rich eBooks for the Apple iBooks Store. It provided a wide range of templates and design tools that made it relatively easy for users, particularly educators and authors, to produce elegant and professional-looking eBooks. The platform's integration with other Apple products also offered a seamless experience for those within the Apple ecosystem.

Recommended for

    Individuals and educators who are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and are looking for a straightforward way to create multimedia-rich eBooks might have found iBooks Author beneficial. Currently, they should explore Apple Pages or other alternatives for similar purposes.

Analysis of ForthWrite

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified information about a product called ForthWrite (forthwrite.ai). I cannot confirm its features, quality, or reputation, so I'm unable to provide an accurate assessment of whether it's good.

Why this product is good

  • No reliable data available on this specific product in my knowledge base
  • This may be a newer product, a niche tool, or possibly a fictional/hypothetical name
  • Providing details without verified information could result in inaccurate or fabricated claims

Recommended for

  • Unable to determine without verified product information
  • Consider checking the official website, user reviews on platforms like G2 or Trustpilot, and independent tech review sites for accurate details

iBooks Author videos

Goodbye, iTunes U โ€ฆ and iBooks Author

More videos:

  • Review - iBooks Author - Adding review questions to an Electronic textbook
  • Tutorial - IBooks Author Tutorial For Book Writers

ForthWrite videos

No ForthWrite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iBooks Author and ForthWrite)
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Email
0 0%
100% 100
Graphic Design Software
100 100%
0% 0
Email Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing iBooks Author and ForthWrite.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Next.js, React, Supabase, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Stripe, Vercel, Chrome Extensions API

What makes your product unique?

ForthWrite's answer:

ForthWrite learns your writing style from your actual sent mail, not a generic prompt. Every draft sounds like you wrote it because it was trained on how you actually write. It also auto-drafts replies before you open your inbox, so your email is partially handled before your day starts.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ForthWrite's answer:

Most AI email tools give you a blank box and a "write for me" button. ForthWrite builds a voice profile from your sent history and gets more accurate with every draft you edit or send. Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, it works natively inside Gmail and Outlook with no copy-paste. Unlike Lavender, it writes the draft, not just scores it.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email and cannot afford to sound generic: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, consultants, and founders managing their own inbox.

What's the story behind your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Built out of frustration with AI writing tools that produce text that sounds nothing like the person sending it, and as a way to handle large amounts of daily email. The core insight was that your sent mail is the best training data you already have, and no tool was using it.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare iBooks Author and ForthWrite

iBooks Author Reviews

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ForthWrite Reviews

  1. curtisboortz
    ยท Founder at ForthWrite ยท
    I built ForthWrite to fix generic AI email, and I still use it every day

    I built ForthWrite because I kept sending emails that sounded like they came from the same generic AI as everyone else. After launching it, I still use it for my own inbox every day, which is about the most honest endorsement I can give.

    The Chrome extension lives inside Gmail and Outlook on the web. Open a thread, hit Alt+Shift+D, and a draft comes back in your voice, not a template. The free tier is real: 10 drafts per week, no API key, no credit card. Voice matching is included on free, because that is the point.

    What keeps it useful compared to Gemini or a chat tab: it learns from what you actually send. Every edit you make before hitting send becomes a signal. Over time the drafts drift closer to how you really write, and the dashboard shows the improvement curve so you can see it happening.

    The web compose surface lets you draft from forthwrite.ai without installing anything, useful for people who want to try before committing to the extension.

    Standard adds recipient-aware and intent-aware drafting plus AI coaching. Pro adds auto-draft (replies waiting when you open Gmail), batch replies, and Prompt Lab for version-controlling your prompts. Teams adds a shared persona and seat-level analytics.

    ForthWrite is not for everyone. If you just need quick replies and tone does not matter, Gemini is free and already in your inbox. ForthWrite is for people where tone does matter: client communication, relationship-driven threads, external correspondence where sounding off costs something real.

    Disclosure: I am the founder and use it daily. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Jace.ai, Fyxer, Mailmeteor
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Drafts land inside gmail and outlook; no copy-pasting from a chat window|Voice matching is on the free tier, not paywalled behind paid plans|No api key, no credit card to start; free tier runs on a server-side proxy|Learns from every edit you make before sending; drafts improve over time|Full keyboard flow: alt+shift+d to draft in any thread, no mouse required|Byok on paid plans, 9 providers supported, keys encrypted at rest|Web compose at forthwrite.ai works without installing the extension at all
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    10 free drafts/week is enough to evaluate, not enough for a heavy inbox|Auto-draft, batch replies, and prompt lab all require the pro tier|Early-stage product; fewer third-party integrations than mature inbox tools|No mobile app: the extension and add-in are desktop-only (chrome on web, or the outlook desktop add-in)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iBooks Author and ForthWrite, you can also consider the following products

Adobe InDesign - Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing software application.

ReclaimAI - Helps users prioritize their work and personal calendars

Microsoft Publisher - Microsoft Publisher is an entry-level desktop publishing solution.

Superhuman - Superhuman is an email management tool.

QuarkXPress - Fully-integrated graphic design and layout software

Shortwave - Email smarter & faster with a reinvented experience for your Gmail