Scratch: feature-rich notepad app

First there was built-in Notes, and then we rejoiced at Drafts, and now Scratch has arrived in a blaze of glory, and we're rejoicing again - but for different reasons.

Scratch is primarily designed for quickly jotting down ideas. When you’re done with a note, you can export it through email, message or Twitter, create a new Dropbox file or append the text to an existing one, or open the content in another app on your device. Tap the 'delete' icon and the note is sent to a searchable reverse-chronological history, easily accessed with a clock icon.

So far so Drafts, but Scratch does have some tricks that nudge it ahead of its rival. The toolbar above the keyboard can be swiped, revealing a customisable character bar. Another swipe and you get a Markdown toolbar. There's no Markdown visual preview, but this toolbar alone propels Scratch ahead of Drafts for advocates of the popular mark-up language.

But there's no cross-device sync, landscape support is entirely missing, and it has fewer sharing options. So why not get both?

Key info

• Price: £1.99 / $2.99
• Works with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
• Optimised for iPhone 5? Yes
• Version: 1.2.1
• App size: 1.7MB
• Developer: Karbon
• Age rating: 4+

This review originally featured in Tap! Magazine issue 22.

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