Best free writing app of 2024

Bring your words to life with the best free writing apps

Best overall

Best for markup, best word alternative, best word processor, best for mac, best online, how we test.

The best free writing software makes it simple and easy to better manage and organize all your ideas, outlines, and projects. 

A close up of a person typing on a MacBook keyboard.

1. Best overall 2. Best for markup 3. Best Word alternative 4. Best word processor 5. Best for Mac 6. Best online 7. FAQs 8. How we test

Like the best free word processors , writing apps help you get your thoughts on the page without breaking the bank (or your train of thought). But we’ve also made sure they’ll make it easier to save, share, and sync all your documents and keep them safe, whether you need a desktop writing app for work, school, or play. 

If you struggle to stay focused, we’ve tested some of the best free writing apps come with distraction-free layouts or gamification challenges to keep you in the zone. We’ve also reviewed those built for professional document creation, with advanced business features such as speech-to-text transcription and online collaboration tools. 

Our picks cover the best apps for writing on the web, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS - so you’re always ready whenever and wherever creativity strikes. 

literature and latte Scrivener 3

Scrivener: best writing software for authors Scrivener is packed with all the features a novelist needs, helping you track plot threads, store notes on characters and locations, structure your work and (most importantly) get some serious work done. It's not a free writing app like the tools below, but it's well worth the investment if your budget will allow it.

The best free writing app of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Website screenshot for FocusWriter.

1. FocusWriter

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

FocusWriter helps writers combat one of their biggest challenges: distractions. One of the best free writing software tools out there, it's specifically designed to let you just concentrate on your writing. 

The stripped-back interface is deliciously sparse - ideal for when you just need to get your head down and write - and not dissimilar to a moderately powerful version of Notepad, featuring support for TXT, basic, RTF, and ODT files. 

Even the toolbar is hidden until you actually need it. Just swoop your cursor to the top on the screen to reveal a barren menu, from basic formatting to themes and timers.

Features are light within the software, but FocusWriter isn’t made for heavy editing sessions. It’s designed to make the act of writing flow seamlessly onto the page. 

Elsewhere, the writing app boasts the ability to add themes and your own background images, which can help you stay motivated. 

The Daily Progress tool is a sweet extra, adding Duolingo-style gamification that lets you track your daily writing streak. For when it’s oh-so-easy to slip onto social media when you can’t find the perfect word, it’s a nice way to keep you within the app. 

Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, the writing software also comes as a portable download, no installation required. So, you can pop it on a USB stick and plug it into any computer you’re working on. 

Read our full FocusWriter review .

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Website screenshot for Writemonkey.

2. WriteMonkey

WriteMonkey is another piece of free writing software that cuts down on the clutter to deliver uninterrupted writing sessions. 

The free word processor, cleverly described as zenware, is unbelievably pared back compared to more traditional writing apps. 

There’s very little in the way of distracting ‘screen furniture’, which means you’re better positioned to concentrate on the writing process. And absolutely nothing else. 

But don’t let that stripped-back approach fool you. As one of the best free writing apps, WriteMonkey is still rich with the sort of core features that matter to writers. 

However, most options are hidden in a context menu (so you’ll need to right-click to view it). It also only supports TXT files, which may limit those looking to read, write, or edit across multiple formats. It is, at least, a portable download, letting you take it wherever you need.

If you’ve enjoyed Markdown, the simplified text-editing language that lets you format, annotate, classify, and link as you type, then great. WriteMonkey’s inner workings will instantly chime. 

First-timers should spend a little time with this free writing software, to uncover that intuitive simplicity. 

Read our full WriteMonkey review .

Website screenshot for LibreOffice.

3. LibreOffice Writer

Writer, the open-source, free writing software, serves almost all general writing needs.

LibreOffice is a near-perfect example of free office software - a familiar, feature-rich take on the office suite. What the veteran software package lacks in Microsoft polish (its interface is undeniably old-fashioned, for starters), it makes up for in its price-point: free. For that, you get access to six tools: Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math, and Writer. 

Earning it a slot on our list of best free writing apps is the fact that LibreOffice Writer packs the full editing toolbox. 

This isn’t just a note-taking app for staving off distractions when you’re deep in the zone; it’s for when you’re in pure writer-mode. 

If you’re at all proficient with Microsoft Word, you won’t have any problems using the Writer software. Layouts and functions are almost identical, and there’s support for DOC and DOCX file types, making it efficient to switch out of the Microsoft garden.

This free writing app is ideal if you’re hunting for a tool that almost perfectly replicates the Word experience without the cost. 

Read our full LibreOffice review .

Website screenshot for Microsoft Word.

4. Microsoft Word

When it comes to word processors, Microsoft Word is probably the baseline against which all others are compared. It’s the one most of us use at school, home, and work. It’s familiar, comfortable - and it’s available free on the web and mobile devices. 

That may not be the best way to write your masterpiece (unless you’ve hooked up a Bluetooth keyboard). But it’s a great way to jot down ideas on-the-go. When we tested the browser-based version we found it could be a bit slow at first, and we were typing faster than the words appeared on screen. This settles down (mostly) after a minute or so. 

Microsoft’s free writing apps on Android and iPhone had no such issues. Using these was velvety smooth. We especially appreciated the option to switch between mobile view and desktop view, so we could gauge how the document would appear in full-screen. 

As with Google Docs, you’ll need to sign up with a Microsoft account. And, like Google, that also lets you use free versions of PowerPoint, Excel, and the like. While Word offers one of the best free writing app experiences, there’s no denying that the paid-for upgrade is superior, offering more tools, and a true desktop app. 

Read our full Microsoft Word review .

Website screenshot for Author.

Author promises to make it easier to ‘think, write, and cite’. It’s a promise capably delivered, with a clean interface and bags of writing features designed to make it easy to go from first draft to final copy. 

If you're an Apple user in search of the best free writing apps on macOS, this one demands your attention. 

Concept Maps is one of the best features. It’s a great mind-mapping tool to visualize and lay down all your thoughts while they’re fresh in your head without constraint. You can worry about whipping them into shape later. 

Students and report writers will appreciate Author’s ‘fast citing’ tools - speeding up assignment-writing by correctly adding and formatting citations, references, and contents. 

A paid-for upgrade of the writing software that offers exporting options is available. However, unless you need automatic formatting on export, you can stick with the free version. 

Website screenshot for Google Docs.

6. Google Docs

Google Docs is a great free writing platform for any writer. It’s an extremely clean, quick word processor available in the browser, on desktop, and phone and tablet apps. So, you can take notes wherever inspiration strikes. 

Docs is more or less Google’s spin on Microsoft Word. The interface is a bit more simple than the professional office software - although it’s no less powerful. 

You’ll find heaps of writing tools, including a pretty accurate speech-to-text transcription tool (just enunciate and don’t talk too fast). Keyboard shortcuts are very well-supported. 

For best results, you’ll need an internet connection, though documents can be used offline. They’ll be synced, and in our experience, that happens swiftly behind the scenes. 

To take advantage of the free writing app, you’ll need a Google account, which may be a deal-breaker for some - but that also opens up the rest of the Google-stuff in the Google-sphere, such as Sheets, Slides, and . With a free account, you get 15GB of storage, which should be more than enough for word documents. A Google One subscription upgrades your storage space, amongst other things. 

Additionally, Google Docs is great if you want to collaborate with one or more other writers. Just be warned to stay in Google Docs for that, because exporting the data into Word or other writing applications can result formatting errors.

Read our full Google Docs review .

What's the difference between a writing app and an AI writer?

AI writers vs writing apps - what's the real difference?

Artificial intelligence is growing in a big way - and when it comes to writing, it's ChatGPT that's been snatching all the headlines of late, with its ability to generate short- and long-form content based on user prompts.

Generally, an AI writer will write your content for you, based on its current learning (although often without 'understanding' the context). A writing app simply lets you write your way, in your own voice. 

Some platforms, such as Canva , have even integrated AI into its Canva Docs and Canva PDF Editor services. However. its Magic Write tool acts as a writing assistant, serving up suggestions and ideas, leaving real writers to work their magic on the content. Though usually hiding in the back-end, you can also find AI integrated in other ways across other the best PDF editor apps (and even the best free PDF editor apps, too).

As always with AI-generated content, whether it's the written word or an artwork masterpiece, human involvement is usually necessary and always desirable. Even if you're using the best AI writers out there, editing and proofreading is essential to give the content accuracy and emotional resonance.

How to choose the best free writing app for you

When deciding which free writing app is best, start by figuring out what sort of writing you want to do. 

Do you need a handy tool for quick scribbles and jotting down ideas here and there, or are you using the writing software to write and edit an epic novel? Tools like FocusWriter and Write Monkey are great for getting thoughts on the page without friction.

It’s also worth considering if you need a writing app with a distraction-free design, so you can concentrate on what really matters to you. Again, FocusWriter performs admirably here, but as a result, you lose core typography and editing functions. Unlike LibreOffice, this isn’t the best Microsoft Office alternative if you need those tools. In that scenario, it may be worth considering looking at some of the best free office software , which includes MS Word-style apps, alongside other tools similar to Excel, PowerPoint, and so on. 

Access is an important factor when using your writing software. A tool like Scribus needs to be downloaded to your machine. Lightweight apps like FocusWriter, however, offer a portable download that can be downloaded to a USB and carried with you. 

Check what file formats your chosen writing app supports, too. While some let you create and edit the common DOC and DOCX files, others only allow TXT or RTF documents.

But most of all, it’s important to choose the best free writing app for your unique creative flow. 

Testing the best free writing apps and software, we assess how easy it is to get your words down on the page with the least amount of friction. Portable writing apps rank high, because they let you use the program on whatever computer or laptop you’re using. 

We also look at performance for its intended audience. For distraction-free writing apps, do they really foster focus? For word processor-style software, does it offer good formatting and editing options? 

Most importantly, we expect to see free writing apps that are genuinely cost-free - no-one wants to stumble across hidden fees and charges in the contracts. 

We've listed the best laptops for writers .

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Steve is TechRadar Pro’s B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware. He explores the apps and devices for individuals and organizations that thrive on design and innovation. A former journalist at Web User magazine, he's covered software and hardware news, reviews, features, and guides. He's previously worked on content for Microsoft, Sony, and countless SaaS & product design firms. Once upon a time, he wrote commercials and movie trailers. Relentless champion of the Oxford comma.

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The Best 50 Free Writing Software And Free Writing Apps

The best 50 free writing software and writing apps

Writers are spoiled for choice when it comes to free writing software, tools, and free writing apps.

Are you a blogger, author, content writer, or student?

You want the best creative writing tools and software that will do the job for you.

But you don’t want to pay a lot of money to be able to write more effectively. Read on to discover all the choices you have for software, programs, and apps to help you write better and more productively.

Article Contents

Your free tools and software choices

every free writing software or app you will ever need

There is no need for you to spend a penny to get some of the best free writing programs to help you write more productively and accurately.

You can choose and try so many terrific writing programs and tools today. You will find that most of them are unrestricted and will cost you nothing to use.

If you are looking for new apps and tools to improve your writing, you have come to the right place.

This page is regularly updated to bring you the biggest choice of free software and apps for writers.

It includes free writing apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.

You can find creative writing apps, grammar checking apps, word processors, mind maps, index cards, book writing programs, and productivity tools.

All of them will help you get on with what you do best, which is writing, of course.

There are also many lite versions of popular premium apps available that can offer you tons of fantastic features.

I have tried almost all the writing tools and apps in this article and use a lot of them every day.

Find the best free writing software and apps for you

free writing software and apps for new writers

You can find lots of writing software online, but you want writing apps that work best for you and your writing process and style.

With online writing software, I always start with a free version to make sure a new app does what I want it to do.

Very often, a free app will do everything I need.

But yes, sometimes I opt for a premium version to get all the features if it is really a fantastic tool.

It doesn’t matter if you are an author, a blogger, or an article writer.

Choosing the best tools for your writing needs will save you time, effort, and lots of money.

Free apps and writing software for students  are a huge bonus.

They will help you at school, college, or university.

For every type of writer, here are some of the very best free-to-use and freemium apps for you to make your choice.

Scan through my list of the best free writing software and apps below.

See if you can find a few new favorites to download for your laptop or to use online.

Please note that all the apps and software listed on this page are free to use.

However, some are a free version of a premium application, and in this case, the free version may be limited in features.

free grammar apps

6 Free writing apps for accuracy

The most essential writing app you always need must be a reliable grammar corrector and a spellchecker.

There are a lot of online apps to check, correct, and improve your writing.

For every writer, the options will be different depending on your writing style and needs. There is no one best or better choice.

Some writers might only need a simple online checker for blog posts, articles, or essays.

But for a content writer or author, it is different. You are probably looking for more developed programs and options.

In my case, I always use two programs to check my writing.

I use one for grammar and spelling and another for writing style and readability. It always pays to check and double-check your writing and sentence structure before you publish it online.

Here are six of the most popular free grammar apps to get you on your way. Each one will help you improve the quality and accuracy of your writing.

Try them all to see which one or two work best for you and your style or type of writing.

1. Hemingway Editor – Free

Hemingway Editor

I have a love-hate relationship with the Hemmingway Editor app.

The love is due to how quick and easy it is to check my readability score and grade.

The negative is that it always tells me to simplify my writing. It hates the passive voice, but that’s a good thing.

It is also a great tool for finding overused adverbs and difficult to read sentences.

It’s a simple app. But if you are looking for a free writing assistant, it is one of the handiest tools   a writer can have at their fingertips.

You can choose which Hemingway mode to use – either write or edit.

The online version is very convenient for checking up to a page or so of text. It gives helpful hints to improve your writing.

It’s one of the must-have free apps for any writer.

There is a paid version, but I am not sure it offers much value.

2. QuillBot – Free

quillbot logo

QuillBot Grammar Checker is a quick and easy free tool you can use to check your manuscript.

One of the best features is that you can use one-click corrections to fix your grammar, punctuation, and spelling very quickly.

Another advantage is that it has a generous word count limit. I tested it with a text of over 2,000 words, and it quickly analyzed all of my text.

You can probably check one chapter at a time with the tool.

You can check each underlined suggestion and make a quick correction. But it also has a “Fix All Errors” button.

I’m not sure I would trust it for a long text. But it could be useful for a shorter text.

To use the checker, simply paste in your text, or you can use it as an editor and type your text.

When you finish correcting your writing, copy and paste it into your word processor.

Quillbot has other features, but these are only available with the premium version.

However, the grammar checker is totally free to use and is an excellent tool for checking and correcting your writing.

There is also a free Chrome extension you can try.

3. ChatGPT – Free and Premium

ChatGPT to check writing

ChatGPT has to be on my list of free writing tools, but why is it under apps for accuracy?

Yes, it is a valuable and free tool for writers. You can use it as a writing prompt generator to inspire and generate ideas for new stories or articles.

You need only include keywords or phrases related to the topic you want to write about. ChatGTP will respond with various ideas and writing points to help you.

But you might not know that it can also help you correct your grammar and spelling.

All you need to do is start your prompt with, check the grammar and spelling:  then paste your text.

It will rewrite your text with the corrections.

You can also ask it to do other things. Ask it to change passive to active voice , and it will rewrite your text in all active voice.

Another use is to ask it to rewrite your text in a different point of view. Just ask it to rewrite in the second person .

However, don’t rely on it 100%.

It does an excellent job most of the time, but it doesn’t always get everything right, so make sure you proofread carefully.

AI writing tools are everywhere now, so writers can’t ignore them.

The free version of ChatGPT offers plenty of options with very few limitations.

So it’s probably one of the best tools to start learning how to use AI technology to help you with your ideas and writing accuracy.

Read more about how to use ChatGPT to correct your writing .

4. Grammarly – Free and Premium

Grammarly

Without a doubt, Grammarly is the number one online grammar checker.

For a lot of writers, it’s one of the best writing apps around.

I have used Grammarly for years now.

It is one online writing tool that I always have switched on in Chrome to use with my WordPress editor.

It works with so many sites, platforms, software, and applications. So it is always on and always helping me correct my writing in real-time.

Grammarly has a desktop app. It also has a plugin for Word in Microsoft Office for PC users.

You can use it in any web browser, with WordPress, and even on your social media sites. It also works on mobile devices as well as with an iOS Grammarly Keyboard app.

There is also support for Google Docs, but this feature is still in beta.

No matter what, when, or where you write, Grammarly will always help you write better and more accurately.

The browser version of Grammarly works very well for most users. However, a premium version is available for more advanced features to help you in your writing process.

You can read more in my Grammarly review .

5. Prowritingaid – Free and Premium

ProWritingAid

Prowritingaid is one of my favorite writing checkers for long-form writing.

You can use the free version of ProWritingAid.

It offers you a lot of functionality to help you write more accurately online using a simple Chrome extension to check your grammar and spelling.

Are you an author? Then you should consider all the editing and checking tools that are available with this app.

It is a superb writing aid for authors and writers of long-form content articles.

The premium version includes over twenty different writing analysis tools and reports. These will give you a wide range of suggestions for improving your writing.

There are also easy to use extensions available for Chrome, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener too.

It is my number one go-to editing tool when I need to work intensively on very long documents such as long-form articles or book manuscripts.

You can also read my full Prowritingaid review.

6. Grammar Lookup – Free

Grammar Look Up

Grammar Lookup is another good choice for an online grammar-checking app.

I used 3,000 words from one of my book manuscripts to test the app.

It started checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors almost immediately. It is a good app for checking short-form writing, such as blog posts and short stories.

If you’re looking for a robust grammar app with a generous word limit, this one is well worth trying.

Again, like a lot of online writing tools, it is ad-supported.

Free Word Processors

12 Free word processors

The first name writers associate with word processing is almost always Microsoft Word.

Many writers, bloggers, and authors use it as their default writing tool, but it is definitely not cheap.

Depending on your country, the annual license for Office 356 can range from $60 – $100.

If you want to buy the one-time purchase version, which is called Office Home & Student, it can cost you as much as $150.

Microsoft Office is, as its name implies, software for office use. It includes Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and other programs. You will never use these software programs for creative writing.

Do you need to pay for all these extra programs to have a word processor to write a blog post, article, or short story?

What is the best word processor for writers? Are there any free alternatives equal to Word?

Yes. If you want to write, you can always find great word processors that cost you nothing to use. Often they come with many other options and tools that are better suited for writers.

Most of them will be suitable for your writing goals and any form of short creative writing project.

But you should note that a word processor is not the best app for writing a book. You can find better programs for authors in the next section of this article.

1. Google Docs – Free

Google Docs

Like Microsoft Office, Google Docs is a suite of office tools. The big difference, of course, is that Google Docs is available for free online.

If you are familiar with Word, you will have no problem adapting to Docs, the word processor component.

All the formatting options are very similar, as is the user interface.

Unlike some word processors, Docs has a word count so you can keep track of your word count goal.

I know that many writers, particularly content writers, use Google Docs because of the simplicity of sharing documents online.

Writing projects can be quickly and easily shared using Google Drive, which comes with 5 gigabytes of storage. It is usually plenty of storage space for writers. You can also use Docs offline .

If you write every day and collaborate with other writers, content editors, proofreaders, or editors, Google Docs allows you to collaborate easily.

There is no need to know what file format or program others are using.

As long as each person has a Google account, and who doesn’t, working together is very easy.

2. Apple Pages for Mac Users – Free

Apple Pages

If you are a Mac user and all you need is a word processor, Apple Pages can handle everything you could possibly need to do.

It really is the best free writing software for Mac.

Like Word, you can start with a blank document or use the template chooser.

Word processing in the page layout document view is easy to work with. All the text formatting, fonts, and writing tools are easy to find and use.

There is a spell checker, word and page count , and track change with an add comments option.

It also auto-saves directly to your hard drive or your iCloud drive when you are online. There is also the file duplicate function. It gives you very easy version control of your revisions and edits.

It is difficult to think of a standard feature or function in Word that is not available in Pages documents.

Pages also shines in one other area. It has much more control over images than Word.

One other big plus with Pages for authors is that you can export directly to epub. You don’t need to convert your file formats into another program.

Pages is one of the best writing programs for Mac users.

There is also a mobile app for iPad and iPhone. You can download it from the Mac App Store.

Related reading: Can Apple Pages Replace Microsoft Word For Mac?

3. MS Notepad and Mac TextEdit – Free

notepad end textedit

These two writing programs are already under your noses. They are installed by default on Windows and Apple computers.

They are both ideal little apps for writing blogs or short articles.

However, they are both worthy of mention because of their usefulness in converting to plain text.

Most word processors can add a lot of background code over the time you take to write a long document.

Cut and pasting, saving, deletions, forgotten tabs and spaces, and formatting changes all add up to a lot that can go wrong.

Because of all this code, there is a chance that the text might have issues when used online. This can be especially true if you use WordPress or publish ebooks.

The quickest and easiest way to clean a document, big or small, is to copy all the text into a plain text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit. Then, you can convert everything to plain text.

Then you can copy back the clean text into your blog editor or word processor for ebook formatting.

4. Libre Office – Free

Libre Office

I used Open Office for many years. It is an open-source project and is still available.

However, many writers now favor Libre Office.

These two office suites branched from the same development stable, so they have a lot of similarities.

Learning to work with Writer, which is the word processor, is easy.

However, it uses traditional and straightforward menus, toolbars, and icons but does not have the ribbon function found in Word.

In some ways, this is a good thing because it lets you get on with the writing process instead of hunting in ribbons for buttons.

If you want a word processor, and that’s all, Writer in Libre Office won’t disappoint you.

5. Word Online – Free

microsoft word online

Microsoft Word Online is a free web browser version of Word.

You can create, edit, and share Word documents, but it comes with relatively basic features compared to the paid desktop version.

But for students and part-time writers, it’s a handy free alternative.

One benefit is that you can use it on any device with a web browser, including computers, tablets, and smartphones.

You will need to create a Microsoft account, which is free. You also get 5GB of free storage.

Overall, it’s a worthwhile option for users who want a free and easy-to-use word processing software similar to Google Docs.

6. WPS Office – Free Edition

WPS Office

If you have used Microsoft Word or Google Docs, then you can work with WPS Office immediately.

Like other alternative word processors, it has all the standard features you would expect, and it works with most file types.

One of its key features is that it allows drag-and-drop paragraphs, which can be practical at times.

Another time-saving yet straightforward feature of WPS is tabbed documents.

While Excel has had this for years, Word has never had it, so working on two documents simultaneously is much more efficient in WPS.

WPS also has a cloud storage service with 1G for PC and iOS.

7. SoftMaker Free Office – Free

Free Office

Free Office gets a mention because it can export .epub. It is a convenient tool for self-publishers.

TextMaker is the word processor in this office suite.

However, unless you opt for the premium version, you cannot save in docx format.

But you can open and edit docx files.

Apart from that inconvenience, it has all the advanced features you would expect in a modern word processor.

It comes with advanced formatting options, the ability to create databases for bibliographies and footnotes, as well as track change.

8. Dropbox Paper – Free

Dropbox Paper

All you need is your free Dropbox account to use Dropbox Paper .

It is a word processor, but there is so much more you can do with this app.

The design is clean and simple, but there are so many features at your fingertips.

As well as being a text editor, you can add audio, images, YouTube videos, Slideshare documents, and Trello cards.

It really is a great free writing app for you to create documents and then share them with your team or online.

9. Focus Writer – Free

Focus Writer

FocusWriter is a simple, distraction-free writing environment.

It uses a full-screen hide-away interface that you access by moving your mouse to the edges of the screen.

It allows the program to have a familiar look and feel to it. But by getting everything out of the way, you can immerse yourself in your work.

It’s available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

10. Calmly Writer – Free

calmlywriter

Calmly Writer has been designed to help you focus on writing.

As you start typing, all the distracting options disappear from the interface.

Calmly also includes a “focus mode” option, which highlights only the paragraph you are editing at the time.

If you are a writing minimalist, it could be a good choice for you.

It is a browser-based app, and there is a Chrome extension available.

11. Zoho Writer – Free

zoho writer

Zoho Writer is an online alternative to Microsoft Word.

You can sync between your PC or Mac, iPhone, Android, or iPad.

Almost everything you do in Word, you can do with this word processor. There are even collaboration tools.

You can import your existing Word documents and get to work.

There is also a plugin to link your Zoho documents to Word.

That’s not a bad deal for at all a gratis online writing tool.

12. Scribus – Free

scibus

Scribus is an open-source program for desktop publishing.

It gets a mention here because it is such a feature-rich cross-platform program.

Scribus is a page layout and desktop publishing program for Linux, FreeBSD, PC-BSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, OpenIndiana, Debian GNU/Hurd, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4, eComStation, Haiku, and Windows.

Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK colors, spot colors, ICC color management, and versatile PDF creation.

Perhaps it is not a choice for most authors and bloggers. But you might have a desktop publishing need one day.

Free Book Writing Software

4 Free book writing apps

Are you ready to start writing a book? You need to hunt a little to find good writing programs for writing books and novels.

A writing app or author software for a book is entirely different from a word processor.

The best book writing programs consist of many elements.

You need plot timelines, character builders, and event tracking. It should also include note-taking and research-pinning tools.

Here are four of the best free book apps for writing, formatting, and publishing your books or ebooks.

There is a link to seven more free book writing programs at the end of this list.

1. Shaxpir – Free and Premium

shaxpir

For a dedicated book writing tool, Shaxpir gives you a lot of features in its free version.

The Manuscript Builder uses drag-and-drop tools to rearrange your manuscript. You can change the order and hierarchy of chapters and scenes. So you can find a structure that works for you.

You can set your goals and track your progress. You can also keep detailed notes about your characters, places, and events.

It also allows you to add margin comments as well as collect concept art.

There is also an in-built spellchecker.

As far as a book writing program or author app goes, Shaxpir offers you a   huge range of features.

It is available for Mac and PC with offline and cloud access.

2. Scrivener – Free Trial

Scrivener-Logo

Although Scrivener is not free, I have to include It in this list of apps because there is a generous trial available.

Scrivener is one of the best book writing software tools for authors and screenwriters.

It has an outliner for chapters and scenes, a corkboard, and index cards.

There is also side-by-side viewing, word count targets, and a full-screen editor, along with print, export, and publishing tools. It has everything any writer could ever need.

There is a 30-day trial period offered by Scrivener.

However, the trial period is counted by the days that you use the software. So, if you use it every second day, your trial period will last 60 days.

If you only write at the weekend, it will last you for a good few months.

Scrivener is available for download for both Windows and Mac. There are also iOS apps for iPhone and iPad.

To access your trial, click the Download Trial link.

3. Calibre Ebook Tool

Calibre ebook tool

Calibre is often called the Swiss Army Knife of ebook formatting tools.

There is so much you can do with Calibre.

But for most new authors, you will use it to convert your Word manuscript to mobi, epub, and pdf.

If you have some technical ability, you can also edit the epub or HTML files of your ebook.

It really is one of the most powerful ebook tools for authors.

It is available for download for PC, Mac, and Linux.

4. Kindle Create – Free

kindle create

If you are a self-publishing author on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Kindle Create is a must-have app for you to use.

The program has improved a lot over the last couple of years. Initially, it was a little unstable, and its primary function was to help you format a Kindle book.

But stability is much better now, and Amazon has been slowly adding new features since it merged Createspace into KDP.

Kindle Create can now format both ebooks and paperback books. However, this latest option is still in beta.

It is so easy to format beautiful ebooks using Kindle Create.

Do you want more free book writing software?

Are you trying to find the best apps for writing your book?

Do you want the best novel writing tool that can help you work on individual chapters and scenes?

Here are seven choices for apps and free writing programs for you that are specifically designed for writing your book.

Read our review of nine free book writing programs for authors.

Free writing Apps For Bloggers

7 Free apps for bloggers

Are you a content writer or blogger? You need to work with ideas, keywords, data, headlines, and images all day long.

It pays to stay one step ahead of your competition. You are continually working on improving your content, search engine optimization (SEO), and SERP rankings.

There is no way you can do all this work without having the best tools for the job at hand.

Make your life a little easier with some of these blogging apps to help you write and rank better.

Here is a choice of seven of the best blogging tools for busy content writers and bloggers. All of them will save you hours of work every day.

1. Fyrebox – Free and Premium

fyrebox

You’re writing lots of content for your blog.

But wouldn’t it be great if you could engage your readers a little more in your post topics?

Well, you can with Fyrebox by creating a free interactive quiz.

All you need to do is create your free account, and then you can start designing your quiz in a few minutes.

There are templates to help you get started with pre-made quizzes for you to personalize.

A quiz is a great way to keep your readers on your blog for much longer by letting them participate in your blog post subject.

2. Hubspot Blog Ideas – Free

hubspot

Hubspot’s blog topic generator is an old favorite for many writers.

All you need to do is enter a few nouns, and it will produce a list of blog title ideas for you.

It is such a handy tool to have when you are looking for new writing ideas.

3. Portent’s Idea Generator – Free

portent

Do you need a cure for writer’s block?

I adore this blog topic generator app.

Portent is an easy and clever way to find new writing ideas.

It is an app primarily designed for bloggers to find headlines and titles, not a genuine headline analyzer. However, writers can use it to discover new ideas for any piece of writing.

All you have to do is input your base word or words, and then you can select a working title for a new writing prompt.

4. ShareThough Headline Analyser – Free

sharethrough

How engaging is your article headline?

Sharethrough must be my absolute favorite little app. Once you have a blog or article title idea, run it through this app to see how effective it will be in attracting readers’ attention.

You can edit as you go, and the app keeps a record of your variations so you can choose the best one.

The app’s blurb says: “Like the lead paragraph in a news story or thesis in an essay, your headline is your one true sentence: the single most important asset for capturing attention in the feed.”

5. Website Grader – Free

website grader

Website Grader is a quick and easy app to help you improve your blog.

Checking and optimizing your blog’s performance is essential if you want to increase your site traffic.

You should make sure that your website is easy for users to discover and easy for search engines to understand.

It is a quick app to check your page titles, headings, and meta descriptions.

It only takes a few seconds to run this performance check of your blog to see if you need to make any improvements.

6. Privacy Policy Generator – Free

privacy policy

Privacy Policy Generator is an app to help you write your privacy policy page for your blog.

You don’t even need to register or give your email address.

It is a time and money saver for all bloggers.

Just add your basic information, and the app will create the full text for your privacy terms.

All blogs should have a policy page about privacy to make sure that your site is GDPR compliant.

7. Canva – Free and Premium

canva logo blue

Now, this is not an app for writing articles. So it might not truly belong in a list of blog writing tools and programs.

But Canva is a fantastic tool for promoting your writing.

Canva is a free online tool for creating images.

Because Internet images you find on Google images are very often copyright protected, it is a much better idea to create your own unique images.

You can find and use stock images to upload to Canva that you can then design and transform into a unique image.

You can use Canva to create images for social media promotion, blog posts, Facebook headers, and even quick and dirty ebook covers.

While there is a paid option, the free version offers more than enough images, graphics, icons, shapes, and backgrounds for almost any image creation project.

It’s so useful; I sometimes feel a bit guilty because I use this app almost every day.

Free Writing Productivity Apps

10 Free productivity apps

There are so many facets to writing. It would be great if all you had to do were to write.

But we all know that a writer’s life consists of lots of tasks and distractions.

You have to be organized to be able to write. Just collecting and collating your ideas takes a lot of time in your day. Then there is your to-do list and probably a long list of pending items.

It would be great if there was an all-in-one help for a writer’s app. But until it ever eventuates, here is a selection of some of the best productivity apps for writers.

Hopefully, some of them will help you stay organized and perhaps save a little time that you can invest in writing.

1. Trello – Free and Premium

trello

Trello must be one of the most popular apps for writers.

There is so much you can do to organize your writing projects, notes, and to-do lists. You can collaborate and assign tasks, start discussions, and so much more.

Trello is a beautiful as well as highly functional app. It is available for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, iOS, and Android.

2. Evernote – Free and Premium

evernote

Evernote is a popular application for lots of writers. It is one of the most popular note-taking apps, but it is much more.

Never let an idea escape when you are not at your keyboard. You can organize your thoughts, and create checklists and to-do lists.

There is also a handy web clipper that lets you save parts of web pages to help you with your writing research.

The free version comes with more than enough storage memory to suit most writers.

3. OneLook – Free

onelook

OneLook lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept.

Your description can be anything at all: a single word, a few words, or even a whole sentence.

Type in your description and hit Enter to see all the related words.

This little writing app is a thesaurus on steroids.

4. Free Pomodoro Timer – Free

promodo

If you are a fan of the Pomodoro technique, to improve your productivity, you will need a Pomodoro timer .

There are many apps to choose from online.

But I like this one because it’s easy to set and to read. Nothing fancy, but effective.

5. Read-O-Meter – Free

readometer

How long will it take to read your article?

Find out with Read-O-Meter , and then you can add reading time to your blog post or article.

6. Wordcounter – Free

wordcounter

Wordcounter ranks the most frequently used words in your text.

You can use this browser app to see what words you are repeating too often and then make changes.

All you need to do is paste your text into the box. Then this little app will go to work and list all your repetitions.

7. Quetext – Free

quetext

Quetext is an online plagiarism checker.

Many paid apps feature checking plagiarism as a premium option.

But with this browser app, you can check your documents anytime you like.

8. Otter V0ice Notes – Free and Premium

otter

Otter is a dictation-to-text app for iOS and Android.

All you need to do is hit the record button, start speaking, and watch your words appear in the app. It even adds in punctuation.

There are many paid and premium dictation apps, but Otter offers a generous free option of 600 minutes a month.

9. Freemind – Free

freemind

If you are into mind maps to develop story ideas, here is a software download for you.

Many authors use mind map apps to help write a book by keeping their ideas connected and logical.

Freemind is open-source mind-mapping software built in Java.

It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

It has a wide variety of features, including location-based mind mapping, collaboration tools, restore sessions, and more.

10. DiffChecker – Free

DiffChecker

Do you sometimes get into a tangle when editing different versions of a text?

What and when did you make a change? Is it nearly impossible to remember every edit you make?

Well, with DiffChecker , it is easy to compare two versions of a text and find the differences between them.

It is a browser app, but if you want to save your revisions (Diffs), you will need to create an account to log in.

Free writing apps - quick mentions

8 Quick mentions

The following software and writing apps are recent additions to this list.

They are not categorized. But all of them could be worth a look to see if they are a match for what you need in an app or program.

As they are quick mentions, you will need to investigate for yourself to see if they might be worthwhile.

1. Kindle Previewer – Free

Kindle Previewer logo

The Kindle Previewer application is a free desktop program that lets authors preview how their ebooks will appear on all Kindle devices.

It makes it easy to check your ebooks for different screen sizes, display orientations, and text font sizes.

2. Zotero – Free

zotero logo

Zotero is a free and easy-to-use program to help you with sources and citations.

You can collect, organize, cite, and share your research.

You can create references and bibliographies for any text editor directly with Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs.

3. Reedsy Book Editor – Free

reedsy logo

It is also a writing program and editor.

4. NaturalReader – Free

natural reader

It’s often a good idea to read aloud when you proofread a draft text.

But with NaturalReader , you can create mp3 files from your text and then play them back to you. It makes it much easier to check your text for accuracy as you listen.

There is a generous free daily limit of 20 minutes for access to premium voices.

But if you select free voices, there is no restriction.

5. Bubbl.Us – Free

bubblus logo

When you want to mind map your ideas, it is easier with an app.

Bubbl.Us is a good choice if you want free mind mapping. You can share your maps with others and even on social media.

6. Pixabay – Free

pixabay logo

You’re right; this is not writing software. But I have to include Pixabay because I use it every day to find great free images for my blog.

There are many free stock image sites, but this one is my favorite because the choice of images is enormous.

7. Pixlr – Free

Pixlr logo1

Again, this is not a writing app. But when you need to edit an image for your blog or ebooks, then Pixlr might do the job for you.

There is a premium version, but the free version can perform most basic photo editing tasks.

8. DramaQueen – Free

DramaQueen logo

If you are writing scripts, this program could be what you are looking for.

With DramaQueen , you can format your script yourself or according to the official rules of the Writers’ Guild.

Fun Free Writing Apps

3 Fun free writing apps

Writers can sometimes be a serious bunch of people. But everyone needs to have a bit of fun from time to time.

To end my long list of apps for writers, here are three little apps to put a smile on your face.

Have fun, and enjoy being a writer.

1. Hipster Sound – Free

hipster

Do you have time to go to a café to relax and write?

If you don’t, you can bring the sounds of a Texas or Paris cafĂ© to you with this cute little app.

Go to Hipster Sound , click play, pop in your air pods, and you will have all the ambient sounds you need to get your creative juices flowing. As an extra bonus, your coffee is on the house!

2. FlipText – Free

fliptext

Okay, you are not going to use Fliptext often. But it is a fun and funny little writing tool.

ÂĄuoıʇuǝʇʇɐ ʇɔɐÉčʇʇɐ oʇ ǝÉčns sı ʇı ˙uʍop ǝpısdn buıʇıÉčʍ ʎÉčʇ ʇou ʎɄʍ ‘uoıʇuǝʇʇɐ ʇɔɐÉčʇʇɐ ŚŸŚŸÄ±Ê ʇɐɄʇ buÄ±É„Ê‡ÇÉŻos op oʇ ʇuɐʍ noʎ uǝɄʍ

Yes, you can write upside down. Did you have to turn your screen upside down, or did you twist your neck in pain trying to read it?

3. The Most Dangerous Writing App – Free

dangerous writing app

The Most Dangerous Writing App is a fun little writing tool with a mean side to it.

You start by setting yourself a writing time of, say, five minutes. Then you start writing. But if you stop writing for more than five seconds, you lose everything you wrote.

However, if you get through your allotted time without stopping, your reward is that you can save your work.

Yes, that’s a seriously nasty little writing app. It is a brutal yet brilliant idea.

But if you treat it like a game, it can be a fun challenge and maybe a clever way to overcome writer’s block.

Summary of free writing apps

Summary of free writing software

For all writers, there are plenty of software, programs, publishing apps , and tools.

You can also find free book writing programs that work very well for any book project.

You don’t need to spend any money at all to get some of the best software and apps.

There are so many open-source and free software alternatives for word processors, book writing, short story writing, and spelling and grammar correction tools.

Are you ready to write your book or get started as a content writer or blogger?

Then the writing tools in the list above will be more than enough to get you off on the right foot.

All of them are user-friendly, as well as quick and easy to learn how to use.

Make your choices based on what you need and want to achieve as a writer and what you think you will need to succeed.

Then head off to the coffee shop with your laptop, or pump up Hipster Sound at home and start writing.

Related reading: Choose Your Writing Apps For iPad To Write Anywhere

About The Author

Avatar for Derek Haines

Derek Haines

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28 thoughts on “the best 50 free writing software and free writing apps”.

Avatar for S Lawrie

No Ywriter? Easy to set up and use. Takes around two minutes to learn from installation. More important it’s free.

Avatar for Derek Haines

I have noted yWriter in our article about free book writing software.

Avatar for Yasmin Dapit

Thank you for this article. It’s very useful.

Avatar for James A. Ritchie

As an editor and writer for thirty years, I’m not at all fond of grammar and style programs. None of them work well at all for the people who need them most. Every one I’ve tied, including Grammarly, makes terrible mistakes, and if you follow the style these programs want you to follow, you’ll never be a good writer. I can tell in a page or two whether a writer has used and RELIED such a program, and it’s almost always an instant rejection.

These programs should only be used by writers who don’t really need them, except for those brain fart moments, or when a truly esoteric question of grammar pops up. As a writer, you MUST know grammar inside out, and you must know style inside out, or you won’t have a clue whether Grammarly, or any such program, be it for grammar or style, is lying to you.

At BEST, these programs produce cookie cutter style that may be technically correct, but that simply is not professional level writing. Such writing may make you a couple of dollars on a site such as Medium, and you may even sell a few copies of something on Amazon, but this is all you’ll do.

If you really want to be a professional writer, you MUST learn grammar inside and out. These programs can’t give you the grammar you need, and contrary to popular belief, it is NOT an editor’s job to correct a manuscript full of bad grammar. Ain’t gonna happen. Grammar is your job, not the job of a software program, and not the job of an editor. Period.

Nor can you leave style up to software, or to an editor. Software can’t give you professional level style, and an editor simply doesn’t have the time. An editor will correct minor mistakes here and there, overlooked brain farts, but that’s it.

If you really want to be a writer, forget such silly software. Plant your butt and learn grammar. For style, story, characterization, plot, and other such necessities, read five hundred novels and a thousand short stories, then write several novel or fifty short stories. If you have any talent at all, this will bring it out. If you lack talent, well, you need a new profession.

Avatar for Reeta Chauhan

This era of digitization has changed the publishing industry completely and is still revamping it . The book writing software and industries are a true companion for writers and editors. They are just making our work more easy and accurate. Totally agree with your article.

Avatar for Tom

I have a fixed income due to my disabilities. I plan to purchase a new computer but is Microsoft Home and Personal a very reputable writing program? Is a Dell computer highly recommended?

I write ‱ plays ‱ poetry ‱ historical fiction ‱ children’s picture books ‱ essays ‱ short fiction for children and adults

Thank you! :-)

Sorry, Tom. But I can’t help you with advice about buying a computer. You’d be better trying computer review sites.

Avatar for Fabio Martines

Hi Derek, I hope someone is interested in my Scribis Project, a series o free online editors dedicated to those who want to work quickly moving between dictionaries, thesauri and databases of sentences selected from the great classics. Based on what you type in the editor, you will get synonyms, collocations, intermediate concepts, semantic fields, and dozens of sentences that contain analogies, similarities, emotions and images. With another tool, Scribis Matrix, you can generate word matrices from the same dictionaries and thesauri.

Avatar for Stuart

Why no YWriter? It does everything important that scrivener can do, but it is free.

We do feature yWriter in our listing of free book writing software. So, we haven’t missed it. https://justpublishingadvice.com/choose-your-free-book-writing-software-for-your-new-book/

Avatar for Doug Walters

PowerWritingAid and Grammarly are not free programs. You have to pay expensive monthly subscriptions.

StyleWriter will make you a better writer and does not get a mention in your reviews!

Prowritingaid and Grammarly both offer free versions. But I will investigate Stylewriter.

Avatar for Babs

I use Grammarly on a daily basis and only the free version and I don’t feel I am missing out on anything. I also use the free version of pro writing aid, not as often but I’ve never encountered an instance where I have wished I had the paid version. A lot of paid apps have a really good free version of those apps too. This is a pretty perfectly crafted reply because of my free Grammarly lol

Avatar for Arianna

Very great article with many great Apps. Recently I discovered Neperos, it is very intuitive and gives you the possibility to style your article with multiple pictures.

Avatar for Peter Caffrey

I bought Prowritingaid for the Word add-in, but found one of the most important features, the ability to customise reports, doesn’t work. Contacting the Support team led to promises of an investigation followed by nothing. A reminder led to a promise the issue would be passed to a developer who,would be in touch, then nothing. If you want it work with Word, look elsewhere or you’ll pay for a non-functional product with no support!

Avatar for Lisa Lepki

Hi Peter, Lisa here from ProWritingAid. I’ve just been through our support inbox and can’t find any emails under the name Peter Caffrey.

Avatar for marquez_MPH

So far, I am enjoying 3 out of your 10 recommendations. Your reviews seem honest and unscripted-thank you for that.

Avatar for seo a5

The only serious free option for desktop publishing right now is Scribus. It’s software, not web-based. I’ve used it a few times and it’s pretty decent. Of course, I also have QuarkXPress, which I prefer. Hope that helps!

Avatar for L.R. Hackert

It was informational and I liked it very much.

Avatar for S. K. Gardner

I found this article to be informative. In search of one thing, I happily stumbled upon much more. Thanks!

Avatar for Craig Warhurst

Generally in life you get what you pay for so you should expect limitations from anything free. If you’re serious about writing then Scrivener is what you need. Yes, you have to pay for it but it costs about the same as a couple of takeaways and once you learn how to use it you’ll wonder how you lived without it. I agree about Canva, but I wouldn’t bother with anything else on the list!

Avatar for Krzysztof BusƂowicz

There is free Windows alternative for Scrivener named Quoll Writer. Of course, it has some limitations but is a lot easier to use and gives you all essential features writer or journalist needs. Chapters, characters, items, linking, tagging, annotating and more. It has Idea Board and stats and readability indexes. Text formatting is basic but hey, it’s software for writers not for editors. You can export your texts as .docx or .epub and format them with Sigil or Calibre. I’m using it for couple of years.

Avatar for David Davies

Good article, but you don’t mention StyleWriter – a powerful program to change the way y0u write. It shows you how to write and edit like a professional.

Avatar for Pamela Staton

So thankful I found this site. All the info I need in one place and much simpler than what I was trying to work with. Especially great for a tech dummy like me.

Avatar for Aleta K Dye

Great post, informative and gives me some options to consider that I didn’t know about before. Thanks.

Avatar for Cary Richards

Great article, I love Canva, Couldn’t run my website without it! Thanks for this. I learned some things.

Avatar for patriciaruthsusan

Thanks for this informative post. :) — Suzanne

Avatar for Frank Szewczyk

This post is one of the best and most informative I have read in years on publishing for home-based writers. Through your post, I have discovered new resources that will make my writing life easier. Thanks!!!

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In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

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The ship, the stalwart vessel known as 'The Serenity Mariner,' was plunged into chaos as the sky became a swirling maelstrom of opalescent tendrils. The flying jellyfish, their bioluminescent bodies illuminating the blackened sky, descended upon the ship with an otherworldly fury. Their membranous bodies pulsated as they sailed through the air, their long, poisonous tentacles trailing behind them like deadly streamers.

Captain Anabelle "Storm-Eye" Hawthorne stood at the helm, her grip firm on the worn, salt-crusted wheel. Her eyes, the color of the stormy sea itself, narrowed as she watched the spectral onslaught. Years of navigating treacherous waters had hardened her, but she'd never faced a tempest of living, breathing creatures before.

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7 free writing apps for designers and writers in 2024

Struggling to get words on the page? These 7 free writing apps can help you streamline your writing process and craft improved and refined content.

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If writer’s block has you staring at a blank page, your next burst of inspiration might be an app away.

With thousands of writing apps available, it’s hard to know where to start. Whether you’re tangled in the brainstorming phase or lost in the editing maze, we’ve handpicked the top free writing apps for designers, writers, and creatives. Follow our lead, and let these digital helpers guide you to writing success.

How do writing apps help?

Writers of all backgrounds and experience levels encounter creative challenges. Writing applications provide useful solutions for everyone, from professional writers and designers to individuals mastering a second language. These apps can transform time-consuming, poorly communicated projects into efficient, high-quality content, enhancing creativity and effectiveness. 

Writing apps can improve your writing process by:

  • Speeding up processes
  • Improving your designs
  • Communicating designs effectively
  • Diversifying your services

Speed up processes

Writing apps using generative AI produce large volumes of content quickly. While the initial output might not be perfect, it’s an excellent starting point. Using generative AI can provide inspiration and reduce the time and effort you need to transform a blank canvas into a polished product.

Improve your designs

Effective writing refines designs. Crisp, error-free copy, whether on a website or in a brochure, builds reader trust and boosts conversions. You can leverage writing apps to refine microcopy and UX writing elements, including headlines and calls-to-action (CTAs) — all while ensuring more inclusive language. These apps can help you avoid common SEO writing mistakes and as well as communicate more effectively with your audience, aligning written content with visual elements for a cohesive and user-friendly experience.

Communicate designs effectively

Using writing apps can sharpen design communication by guiding clear and persuasive articulation and enhancing content and presentation. This articulation adds value to tasks like presenting your design portfolio , collaborating on projects, or offering insights to those seeking advice. While they’re not a replacement for comprehensive written communication training, these apps offer valuable tools to help designers communicate more effectively. 

Diversify your services

Integrating writing services into your offerings can expand your creative reach. For example, leveraging tools like Copy.ai can empower web designers to craft marketing materials as part of a comprehensive design and marketing package. Alternatively, they could use app-generated blog post ideas as part of a content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

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7 types of free writing apps for each stage of your project

Today, various free writing software are available, each offering tools to support every aspect of the writing process, including research management, idea generation, writing, editing, and time organization.

Here are our top picks for the best writing apps. Our curated list includes a variety of tools, both AI-powered and traditional. Some of these offer a “freemium” model, providing basic options for free with optional paid plans for more advanced features, while others are completely free to use.

1. Research: Google Keep

Google Keep screen with fitness website design notes.

If you enjoy having multiple browser tabs open simultaneously, consider using Google Keep to manage everything. With Keep, you can save essential websites, notes, drawings, and images all in one spot. Rearranging your notes is simple with a drag-and-drop feature. Available as a Chrome extension and a mobile app for Android and iOS, Keep offers a practical way to organize your research — like a collection of digital Post-It notes.

Pricing: This app is completely free.

2. Ideas: Ahrefs Content Idea Generator

Ahrefs Content Idea Generator screen showing a large input field with text saying “a blog post about designing fitness websites.”

The Ahrefs AI-backed Content Idea Generator is a powerful ally in conquering writer’s block. Designed with bloggers in mind, this generator refines broad topics into focused articles by suggesting different approaches to the content, allowing complete control of the register (formal, casual, professional, creative, academic, or simplified), the language, and the output length. Ahrefs goes beyond tackling writer’s block by offering free complementary tools — an SEO-optimized title generator and a meta description generator enhance online content visibility.

Pricing: The content idea generator is included in Ahrefs’ free marketing tool set, along with an alt text generator, a title generator, and a meta description generator. Full Ahrefs packages, which include SEO and other website tools, range from $99/month (Lite) to $999/month (Enterprise).

3. Writing short-form copy: Copy.ai

Copy.ai tools page with text saying “Free AI-powered writing generators.”

‍ Copy.ai harnesses AI to create marketing materials, including social media posts and captions, marketing emails, digital ads, product descriptions, website copy, and blog posts. It’s perfect for designers marketing their services or those wanting to offer marketing materials to clients. You can tailor the output to your brand voice by choosing a writing style — including friendly, witty, and empathetic — or uploading existing content so the software can analyze and recreate it in your style.

Pricing: The free plan covers one user seat and up to 2,000 words. The Pro plan, which offers unlimited words and five user seats, costs $49/month. 

4. Writing long-form pieces: FocusWriter

FocusWriter screen showing text on paper against a wood background.

While many AI-based apps can produce long-form pieces, they often exhibit inaccuracies and lack nuance. Despite technological advances, the depth and originality of human voices remain unmatched. To harness AI’s potential, many professionals, from writers to designers, benefit from distraction-free environments to enhance their productivity. Desktop apps like FocusWriter offer spaces that minimize digital interruptions, including features like daily goals to maintain productivity, adjustable themes to cater to individual preferences, and typewriter sound effects to enhance the tactile experience.

Pricing: This app is completely free (although donations are welcome).

5. Editing: Grammarly

Grammarly app analyzing text about riding a bike.

‍ Grammarly needs little introduction: around 30 million people and 50,000 teams rely on it daily for editing and proofreading. Grammarly’s free version includes grammar, spelling, passive voice, and tone checking, as well as suggestions for decreasing wordiness and increasing clarity. The paid version offers more advanced functionality like plagiarism checking and suggestions to improve readability, tone, and formatting. You can access Grammarly through various platforms, including desktop apps for Windows and Mac, browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, and other browsers, a Microsoft Word plugin, and a specialized mobile device keyboard.

Pricing: The Premium plan costs $12/month, and the Business plan (which includes functionality for teams) costs $15 per member/month.

Bit.ai homepage with text saying “The World’s Most Powerful Workplace and Document Collaboration Platform.”

If you’re part of a collaborative writing team, Bit.ai can simplify the sharing process. This user-friendly platform organizes collections of documents, linked websites, and other resources intuitively. Pre-made templates enable effortless presentation and sharing of documents within your team and with clients. The entire collection remains searchable, and embedding videos, spreadsheets, and other materials in document drafts is a breeze. Bit.ai offers a free limited plan for small teams, monthly pro and business subscriptions, and special pricing for education, non-profit, and startup organizations.

‍ Pricing: The Pro plan costs $8 per member/month, and the Business plan costs $15 per member/month.

7. Time management: Pacemaker Planner

Pacemaker Planner site showing users’ progress graphs.

Great writers integrate writing into their daily routine, honing their skills consistently. The Pacemaker Planner app streamlines the logistical side of this habit, allowing you to tailor your writing goals to fit your lifestyle. Using Pacemaker, you can specify a word count target and track your progress with visual aids like graphs and tables. By documenting notes on your daily achievements, you can spot trends or tendencies, potentially discovering which conditions or times of day make your writing sessions most productive.

For the fiercely committed, a “No Excuses” feature ensures accountability by automatically charging a default amount of $10 for each workday you planned but didn’t log. The free version limits you to two plans, making it ideal for longer projects like dissertations or books, or you can link daily or weekly blog posts into one large project.

Pricing: The Premium Lite plan costs $5/month or $55/year (and includes five-year-long plans and email reminders). The Premium Pro plan costs $8/month or $72/year (and includes unlimited plans, time tracking, and high-level organization options).

Transform your content with the right tools

Writing apps can’t run the race for you, but they can give you a head start. Journalist Gene Fowler once wrote: “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

While writing apps might not take all the torment out of crafting compelling content, they significantly streamline the process — guiding both writers and designers toward efficient, profitable creations that resonate deeply with target audiences.

When you’re happy with your content, the next step is to share it with the world. Visit Webflow University to find out how to put your work online with no coding needed. 

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15 Best Free Writing Apps To Create Content

Pragati Gupta

Table of contents

Brainstorming, drafting, and editing - Whew! ✍️

Let’s cut to the chase; navigating the world of words, managing ideas, and eliminating errors can be slightly challenging, even for seasoned writers.

But don’t worry!

With the right selection of writing apps, you can simplify the overall process, as they can help you craft, organize, and polish your writing piece smoothly and efficiently.

From jotting down spontaneous ideas to editing and proofreading your meticulously crafted content, this blog post covers the 15 best free writing apps that can help you write better, faster, and smarter.

Ready to transform your scattered thoughts and innovative ideas into a properly structured and amazingly written masterpiece at 10x speed?

Let’s get started. 🚀

Table Of Contents

How do writing apps help.

Ever felt stuck staring at a blank page, not knowing how to start? Or maybe you’ve lost track of your thoughts halfway through? 🤷‍♂️ It happens to the best of us. But guess what? Writing apps can help you! Here’s how:

  • Idea generation: Ever run out of ideas? There are various apps to write that can be your source of inspiration, offering prompts, scenarios, and even AI-powered suggestions to kickstart your brainstorming process.
  • Organization: If your ideas are all over the place, these apps help you organize them better. With features like drag-and-drop outlines, digital notebooks, and categorization, these apps transform your scattered thoughts into coherent structures, making the process smoother.
  • Efficiency and flow: Free writing apps can streamline the writing process through distraction-free interfaces, goal tracking, and progress analytics, enabling you to write more efficiently and maintain a seamless flow of ideas.
  • Editing and refinement: Nobody’s perfect, and mistakes happen. From grammar checks to style enhancements, writing apps ensure your final draft is not just error-free but also polished to perfection, reflecting your unique voice and style.
  • Collaboration: Working on a group project? Free writing platforms can help! For projects involving multiple contributors, these apps offer real-time editing, feedback tools, and version control, fostering a collaborative environment even when miles apart.

In short, writing apps are like your all-in-one toolkit for writing. They’re there to spark inspiration, tidy up your thoughts, and even catch those sneaky typos. All this, so you can focus on what you do best: creating amazing stories, articles, or whatever your heart desires.

Let’s explore the top 15 free writing tools that you can try in 2024.

Best free writing software for brainstorming

Okay, so you're at your desk, ready to churn out your next piece, and... nothing! The ideas are just not coming, frustrating, right? 😓

No worries! Here are the 4 best free writing software that can turn your brainstorming into a fun, creative process.

These tools are designed to generate fresh ideas, fuel thoughts, and streamline efforts, setting you on the path to creating persuasive pieces.

And here's the best part - they're absolutely FREE!

1. Chatsonic

Have you ever wished for a brainstorming partner available around the clock who never gets tired and, guess what, even does half the job for you?

Chatsonic by Writesonic can be your go-to brainstorming partner! The advanced tool uses GPT-4 technology to generate innovative ideas quickly, amplifying your creative process.

Chatsonic - Free writing apps

To be precise, Chatsonic is one of the best ChatGPT alternatives with superpowers like generating factual content, understanding voice commands, creating captivating images, and more.

With Chatsonic by your side, it’s like having a thought generator that ensures you never run out of ideas again.

Pricing : Chatsonic offers a free plan with 25 generations/month. You can always upgrade your plan to get unlimited generations.

If you want access only to Chatsonic, you can upgrade to a plan that costs $12/month, billed annually. If you want access to the whole suite of Writesonic products, the paid plans start from $16/month.  

Ready to take your brainstorming sessions from 'Oh no' to 'Let’s go'?

Ready to visualize like a pro? Say hello to Miro - a digital collaborative whiteboard platform where your ideas can spread over a board, and you can see the linkages and connections coming to life.

Miro is an advanced tool that can provide various brainstorming solutions like the mind map, concept map, flowchart maker, sticky notes, wireframe, and more to streamline the overall process.

Miro - Free writing apps

Moreover, what sets Miro apart is its collaborative nature, allowing you to brainstorm with your team in real time.

Key features of Miro:

  • Infinite canvas to brainstorm ideas
  • Pre-built templates
  • Supports 100+ integrations
  • Mouseover collaboration to track and engage
  • Super easy screen sharing and presentation

So, if you're a business that is a fan of visually organizing thoughts or believes in the power of collective brainstorming, Miro is your platform.

Pricing : Miro provides a free plan with 3 boards and unlimited team members. The started plan starts at $8/month, billed annually.

3. MindMeister

MindMeister is an amazing software that helps you to organize your thoughts, offering a visual playground where you can map out your ideas, connect the dots, and create a comprehensive picture of your overall creative concept. This is what brilliant brainstorming looks like in practice.

MindMeister - Free writing apps

What's even better? MindMeister encourages real-time collaboration, meaning you and your team can contribute to an idea, explore different perspectives, and develop a collective vision in one place.

From mind mapping and brainstorming to note taking and project planning, MindMeister can help you with all. In simple terms, the tool helps to visualize ideas, collaborate with the team, manage tasks, and share with others effectively.

Key features of MindMeister:

  • Provides multiple solutions
  • Multiple integrations
  • Various styling options like line styling, topic styling, and more
  • Advanced features like outline mode, focus mode, and more

Pricing : MindMeister provides a free plan where you get up to 3 mind maps. The paid plan starts at $3.50 per user/month, billed annually.

Best free writing software for research and note-taking

After brainstorming tons of brilliant ideas, what’s next?

Well, it’s transforming those creative ideas into well-researched facts and organized notes.  The best part is that even this task becomes incredibly straightforward with the right tools on your side.

Let’s explore the 3 best free writing apps for research that can take your research and note-taking efficiency to a sky-high level.

4. Google Docs

Next up on the list of research and note-taking tools is a reliable old friend - Google Docs. However, don't let its familiar face fool you; this tool packs quite a punch when it comes to functionality and ease of use. 🌟

From drafting initial ideas and conducting and compiling research to finalizing fully-fledged pieces, Google Docs has got you covered at all stages.

Google Docs - Free writing apps

What makes it stand out? Definitely, the robust collaboration feature. You can share your document with your team or friends, inviting them to contribute, edit, and comment in real-time.

Moreover, its cloud-based storage automatically saves your work and can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. No panic over unsaved files or working from different devices - all your work stays synced!

Key features of Google Docs:

  • Automatic cloud saving
  • Tracks document version history
  • Seamless collaboration
  • Voice typing
  • Tons of easy-to-use templates

In essence, Google Docs is more than just a writing space. It's your portable writing desk, your collaborative workshop, and your safe storage all rolled into one.

Pricing : Google Docs is free to use. However, if you need more space and features, you can opt for a paid plan.

Notion is one of the best note-taking and idea-organizing apps that can help you simplify and streamline your research process.

Notion - Free writing apps

The advanced tool can help you take notes, create a system design, track and manage content, organize and manage project details, and do more.

And guess what? Notion recently launched Notion AI, an AI writing assistant to help you write better and faster. From brainstorming ideas and generating content to summarizing lengthy documents and enhancing the writing piece, it can help you with all.

However, you can check out various Notion AI alternatives for more options.

Features of Notion:

  • User-friendly collaboration tool
  • Shallow learning curve
  • Rich media integration
  • Customizable interface
  • Mobile app to coordinate easily
  • Access to Notion AI - an AI writing tool

Wave goodbye to countless tabs and say hello to focused and efficient research through just one neat interface - Notion.

Pricing : Notion offers a free plan. The paid plan starts at $8/month, billed annually.

Here comes another tool ready to revolutionize your research and note-taking process - ChatGPT. This isn't just your regular tool; it's an AI-powered assistant tailored to smooth your research process.

ChatGPT - Free writing apps

ChatGPT by OpenAI is an advanced AI tool that can quickly help you find relevant information on any topic - saving you countless hours of research.

Be it brainstorming ideas, generating topics, creating an outline, or coming up with specific information, ChatGPT has got you covered.

If you want more options, check out these ChatGPT alternatives for research .

Features of ChatGPT:

  • An AI-powered tool powered by GPT-4
  • Generates responses in a human-like manner
  • Create content on any topic
  • Ability to handle complex tasks
  • Contextual understanding
  • Multilingual features
  • Self-improvement abilities

With ChatGPT by your side, you can say goodbye to endless hours of research, information overload, and unending note piles.

Pricing : ChatGPT has a free plan. However, if you want to access the internet, you need to go for ChatGPT Plus, which costs $20/month.

Best free writing software for creating content or writing

After brainstorming and researching comes the most exciting part - turning those ideas and information into compelling content.

Whether you’re writing a high-quality blog post or creating a compelling social media post, AI writing software goes beyond just keying in words; it facilitates a smooth writing process, enhances your content, and amplifies your message - ensuring your content stands out in the loud digital world.

So, are you ready to transform your thoughts into beautifully penned paragraphs? Here are the 3 best free AI content creation tools to 10x your process.

7. Writesonic - #1 AI writing tool

First on the list of best free writing software is none other than - Writesonic, a powerful AI platform that's here to transform how you write.

Writesonic - Free writing apps

Writesonic is the best AI writer , powered by GPT-4, which can help you effortlessly create high-quality and engaging content at a 10x speed.

The advanced AI content creation tool offers 100+ AI templates catering to your requirements, from blog posts and landing pages to email copy and social media posts.

What's even more exciting is how user-friendly Writesonic is. Tech-savvy or not, anyone can smoothly generate professional-grade content using Writesonic. And here’s the best part - Writesonic offers an extremely cost-effective solution for a high-performing AI platform, giving you unmatched value for your buck. 💰

Writesonic isn’t confined to content generation alone. Its diverse range of tools can elevate your entire writing process. Here's how.

Chatsonic , an AI chatbot powered by GPT-4, can help you create up-to-date content, understand voice commands, serve as your personal assistant, and more.

And it doesn't end there! Need eye-catching images? Writesonic's AI image generator - Photosonic can help you.

And if you’re looking to create a customized AI chatbot for your business, Botsonic by Writesonic lets you do just that.

Key features of Writesonic:

  • Article Writer 6.0 lets you quickly generate factually correct, SEO-optimized articles with proper citations. Learn more about how to write a blog post using AI writer.
  • It offers various SEO tools like the keyword research tool, SEO Checker and Optimizer to make your content rank higher.
  • Multiple integrations like Zapier, Wordpress, and more.
  • 100+ AI templates to generate various types of content like blog posts, landing pages, social media posts, and more.

Pricing : Writesonic offers a free plan where you get 10k words for free. The paid plan starts at $16.67/month, billed annually.

Ready to try the best writing app and automate your writing process?

8. Jasper AI

Coming next on the list of best apps for writing is Jasper. Formerly known as Jarvis, this AI writing buddy is taking content creation to a whole new level.

Jasper AI - Free writing apps

Whether you're writing a captivating blog post, crafting a persuasive sales email, or amplifying your social media presence, Jasper can lend a hand.

Key features of Jasper:

  • Leverages GPT-3.5 technology to generate content.
  • Multilingual capabilities - supports 30+ languages.
  • 50+ pre-built templates to create content.
  • Offers Jasper Chat - an AI-powered chatbot.

If you are looking for better alternatives, check out these best Jasper AI alternatives you can try in 2024.

Pricing : Jasper AI offers a 7-day free trial, but you need to add credit card details to it. Moreover, the paid plan starts at $49/month, billed monthly.

Next on the list comes Copy.ai, one of the best AI writing tools that can transform and streamline your content creation process. It is a great tool for bloggers, writers, business owners, and more that can help you ace your blog posts, email copies, social media posts, and more.

Copy.ai - Free writing apps

Tailored to suit the needs of teams looking for an efficient writing solution, Copy.ai boasts over 90 templates to whip out high-quality content.

Key features of Copy.ai:

  • Provides 90+ content types.
  • Supports 95+ languages.
  • Offers Chat AI, an AI-powered chatbot.
  • Access to pre-built templates.

However, every tool has its strengths and weaknesses. While Copy.ai undoubtedly is a great tool, some users find the generated content less creative and original. It might also lack some features and integrations compared to some of its competitors and can seem a bit pricey. Don’t worry - alternatives like Writesonic are there to fill any gaps.

Check out Writesonic vs. Copy.ai to get a clear picture.

Pricing : Copy.ai offers 2000 words for free. The pro plan starts at $49/month.

Best free writing software for SEO

Now that we've got the knack for brainstorming, research, note-taking, and content creation, it's time to make sure your well-crafted content reaches the right eye.

For that, you need to take into consideration the SEO aspect.

From identifying perfect keywords with Writesonic's Keyword Research Tool to optimizing your content using the SEO Checker, these tools are game-changers, ensuring your content doesn't just read well but ranks well, too.

Ready to let your content climb the rankings and meet the right eyes? Let’s get started!

10. Writesonic Keyword Research Tool

First on our list of free SEO writing tools is a star performer that’s integral to every solid SEO strategy – Writesonic’s Keyword Research Tool. It isn't simply a tool; it's the most important player in your SEO team that can take your content's visibility to new heights.

Writesonic Keyword Research Tool - Free writing apps

The advanced Keyword Research Tool helps you find both short-tail and long-tail keywords, thus amplifying your content's effectiveness and visibility on search engines.

Moreover, the tool gives insights into search volume, keyword difficulty, and traffic potential, helping you craft content in line with your audience. A perfect tool for increasing website traffic and boosting your revenue! 💰

Key features of Writesonic Keyword Research Tool:

  • User-friendly interface.
  • Provides detailed analysis like volume, KD, traffic potential, and more.
  • It helps to find both long- and short-tail keywords.
  • Streamlines the overall workflow.

Pricing : The Writesonic Keyword Research Tool comes along with the Writesonic subscription. You can sign up for a free trial offering 10k premium words. The paid plan starts at $19/month. (billed monthly)

So, ready to level up your content game with Writesonic's Keyword Research Tool, one of the best free SEO tools of 2024 and beyond? Let's get started! 🚀

11. Writesonic SEO Checker and Optimizer Tool

Next comes Writesonic's SEO Checker and Optimizer Tool, a powerful tool that can enhance content quality by highlighting SEO gaps in your content and suggest quick fixes to reach the top of Google rankings seamlessly! 🚀

Writesonic SEO Checker and Optimizer - Free writing apps

Consider this tool as your personal SEO critic, reviewing your content, comparing it against all known SEO standards, and providing practical suggestions to enhance your content's SEO score.

From tweaking your title to optimizing keyword density and enhancing readability - the advanced tool leaves no SEO stone unturned.

And guess what? The magic doesn't stop with just checking; it goes one step further to help you actively optimize your content. Simply enter your raw content and watch the tool work its magic.✨

Key features of Writesonic SEO checker and optimizer tool:

  • A comprehensive tool to make your content SEO-optimized.
  • Gives actionable recommendations that you can easily apply to your content.
  • Use the 'Improve SEO’ option for the tool to automatically make your content more SEO-friendly.
  • Offers a user-friendly interface.
  • Integrates with Sonic Editor, allowing real-time checking and optimization of your content during the writing process.

Pricing : The Writesonic SEO Checker and Optimizer come along with the Writesonic subscription. You can sign up for a free trial offering 10k premium words. The paid plan starts at $19/month. (billed monthly)

So, are you ready to give your content the SEO advantage it needs in 2024?

12. Answer The Public

Another exceptional SEO tool is Answer The Public - a mind-blowing platform that uncovers the questions your audience is asking.

Answer The Public - Free writing apps

The advanced social listening tool lets you tap directly into people’s most common inquiries about your niche, helping you dive deeper into their audience's minds.

It uses the autosuggest data from Google or Bing to come up with insights on queries, concerns, and more. These popular questions and phrases can steer your content creation, giving you targeted themes to focus on in your articles, blogs, and more.📝

Key features of Answer The Public:

  • Get insights into what questions the public is asking about your chosen keyword in real-time.
  • Presents the data in easy-to-understand, visually appealing mind maps.
  • Separates queries into varied categories like who, what, where, why, and how, giving you a well-rounded view of your audience's inquiries.
  • It lets you filter the results based on language and region for targeted insights.

With Answer The Public, your content becomes more audience-focused, more pertaining, and, thus, more impactful. Transform your audience's curiosity into compelling content. 🚀

Looking for more such tools to strengthen your SEO game? Check out 16 free SEO tools that you can try out in 2024.

Pricing : Answer The Public offers a free trial. The paid plan starts at $5/month.

Best free writing software for editing and proofreading

13. sonic editor.

Stepping into the editing limelight is Sonic Editor by Writesonic. An AI-powered editor that functions much like Notion AI, Sonic Editor brings many superpowers, such as advanced search engine optimization, AI image generation, keyword research, and more.

Sonic Editor - Free writing apps

What's more, Sonic Editor gives you access to over 100+ AI templates for a quick content creation process, all set to hit the SEO mark. Whether crafting meta descriptions, SEO tags, or content with relevant keywords, Sonic Editor becomes your pillar of productivity and quality. 🔥

Key features of Sonic Editor:

  • Provides comprehensive editing capabilities.
  • Offers an easy and efficient editing workflow.
  • Integrated with SEO tools that can help create SEO-optimized content.
  • 100+ AI templates to speed up the content creation process.

And it’s super easy to use. Simply log into your Writesonic account and select 'Create a new document,' you'll find Sonic Editor and its robust features on the left side of your screen.

Pricing: Sonic Editor by Writesonic comes along with Writesonic subscription. The free plan offers 10k premium words, and the paid plan starts at $19/month.

Ready to take advantage of this incredible free SEO tool?

14. Grammarly

Next on the list of editing and proofreading is a tool that hardly requires an introduction - Grammarly, a name synonymous with error-free, polished writing.

Grammarly - Free writing apps

Grammarly is more than just an editing tool; it’s your grammar guru that helps you spot grammatical errors, typos, punctuation inconsistencies, and more.

And it doesn’t stop there! The tool also provides style, tone, and readability suggestions, further polishing your content.

Built with an intuitive interface and infused with real-time insights, Grammarly is perfect for writers. From writing an important email to crafting a compelling blog post, it operates seamlessly to scrutinize every word you write, ensuring your content is absolutely top-notch.

Key features of Grammarly:

  • Ensures your writing is error-free.
  • Edits content effortlessly and efficiently.
  • Offers multiple integrations to streamline your process.
  • Grammarly’s Generative AI provides various versions to consider.
  • Make sure that the language and tone are unique to your brand.

Pricing: Grammarly offers a free plan. The Grammarly Premium starts at $12/month.

Get ready to come up with error-free, clear, and compelling writing with Grammarly.

15. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is another comprehensive editing tool. It does more than polish your words; it's like having a professional editor and personal writing coach all wrapped in one!

ProWritingAid - Free writing apps

ProWritingAid is designed to fine-tune your text and enhance its impact. It scrutinizes your drafts for any redundancies, errors, or suggestions, all without losing the essence of your unique writing style. And it goes beyond the basic grammar checking; it checks phrasing, overused words, and more.

So, whether you're penning down a novel, drafting an important email, or writing an engaging blog post - ProWritingAid can be your secret weapon in delivering clear, concise, and compelling narratives.

Key features of ProWritingAid:

  • It helps you perfect your writing with 25+ reports.
  • Offers a rephrasing tool to make your writing formal, longer, shorter, and more.
  • Sparks edit to improve readability, fluency, tenses, and more.
  • Provides Critique Report (Beta) for custom suggestions for improving your content.

Pricing: ProWritingAid offers a free trial that lets you edit 500 words at a time. The paid plan starts at $30/month.

How to choose the best free writing app for you?

Choosing the right free writing app can seem like searching for a needle in a digital haystack. But worry not, here's your quick guide to finding your ideal match without the hassle.

Understand your needs

First things first, pinpoint what you need the most. Is it organizing chaos, beating writer's block, or cleaning up typos and grammar? Your primary need will guide your choice.

Check for user-friendliness

Opt for a writing app that doesn't require a manual to understand. It should feel like a helpful buddy, not a puzzle.

Essential features

Make a list of must-haves, whether it’s syncing across devices, providing style suggestions, or enabling easy sharing. Match these with what the app offers.

Compatibility check

Ensure your creative writing apps plays nice with your devices. Whether you’re team Android, iOS, or Windows, your writing app should be right there with you.

Look at reviews

A quick glance at user reviews can reveal a lot. They're like getting advice from fellow writers without the need for a meet-up.

By following these steps, you’ll not only save time but also land an app that feels tailor-made for your writing adventures. Happy writing!

Amplify your writing process with Writesonic

And there you go! From brainstorming and researching to writing and editing - the above-mentioned top-notch free writing software can streamline your writing process and amplify your content quality.

But what if you need one tool, a super tool, that can handle it all? Go for Writesonic - your all-in-one writing assistant. From generating SEO-friendly content to polishing it to perfection to optimizing it for higher rankings, Writesonic is the writing partner you need to elevate your content journey.

Ready to create words that ‘wow’ your audience and rank on the top of SERPs! Start your free trial of Writesonic today and transform the way you write.

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The 10 Best Writing Apps of 2024

Useful tools for novelists, playwrights, editors, and other wordy types

creative writing application free

  • The University of Phoenix
  • Payment Services

If you're serious about writing, consider getting serious about your writing tools. These writing apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS , and Android put your words into the right format, adding polish and professionalism to your creations.

Best Word Processor for All Genres: Microsoft Word

Hundreds of templates make creating any document simple and fast.

Easily add charts, graphs, and images.

Built-in translation tools.

Overwhelming interface.

Full app is expensive.

Only one person can edit shared documents at a time.

No writing tool list is complete without Microsoft Word. This word processor is the best option for all genres, complete with hundreds of templates to choose from, endless formatting tools, and a robust online support system. From a poem to an e-book to a novel, Word can help you do it all. You can even create your own Word templates .

Word is available for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. You can start with a free trial of Microsoft 365, which includes other Microsoft applications as well. If you choose to purchase, packages range from $69.99 a year to a one-time payment of $149.99. If those prices are too high for you, you can also use Word for free .

Download For:

Best Tool for Long-Form Content: Scrivener

Keyboard shortcuts make writing a breeze.

Templates are ready-made to jumpstart your creativity.

Easy to manage and rearrange pages and chapters.

Has a learning curve.

Spelling and grammar check are not enabled by default.

Intended for users who have an intermediate understanding of word processing.

Do you write long-form works like novels or non-fiction books? If so, you need a tool that performs some of the low-level tasks for you. Scrivener offers ready-made templates that eliminate the need to spend time on tedious formatting tasks.

This application also includes features for storing details about your characters and other critical background information, writing sections and placing them in your manuscript later, and viewing a detailed outline built from synopses that you write for each chapter. If you don't like the flow, you can move chapters around. When you're ready to publish, Scrivener makes it simple to compile and export a completed manuscript.

Scrivener is available for macOS, Windows, and iOS. You can try it free for 30 days. After the trial, a standard license costs $59.99 or $50.99 for students.

Best Screenwriting Application: Final Draft

It has everything professional screenwriters need to meet industry standards.

Powerful story mapping tools.

Integrates with Storyboard Pro.

May not be great for beginners due to the hefty price and steep learning curve.

You must sign in to the platform each time you use it.

No support for real-time collaboration.

Final Draft is used by 95 percent of film and television productions. Why? There are hundreds of templates to choose from and Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to the industry standard, allowing you to focus on writing.

With advanced tools, the program allows you to easily brainstorm and collaborate as well as plan set pieces or store character research with customized visualizations.

Final Draft offers a free 30-day trial. After that, the cost is $199.99. The program works with both macOS and Windows and also offers a mobile app for iOS devices.

Best Organizational Companion: Evernote

Add photos, audio snippets, and more.

Robust collaboration tools.

Search for text in PDFs, images, scanned documents, and handwritten notes.

Only 60 MB of monthly upload space is available for free.

May include more features than you need for simple note taking.

Free version limits you to two devices.

To electronically capture ideas on the fly, use a text-based note app on your device. For an enhanced organizational experience, we recommend Evernote. It enables you to collect many types of input, including whiteboard photos, website screenshots, different document formats, audio recordings, and your handwriting. You can separate items into different notebooks for multiple projects.

Evernote is free to download for both Android and iOS devices, or you can use it online. Users can upgrade to Evernote Premium for $7.99 per month or Evernote Business for $14.99 per user per month.

Best Application for Distracted Writers: FocusWriter

The tool is easy start using as soon as it downloads.

Free with no catches.

Simple, intuitive interface.

There are no editing functions outside of cut and paste.

Need another word processor for editing purposes.

No mobile version.

Given all the distractions in the world and especially online, it's easy to get off track during your writing time. FocusWriter allows you to focus and get your work done. The interface is basic, with all the tools hidden beyond a screen until you need them, so it's just you and the document in front of you. Hidden timers and alarms alert you when it's time to stop.

Best Writing Software for Bloggers: Google Docs

Changes to your documents save automatically, so no more lost work.

View the history of edits and track changes.

Collaborate in real time.

The Google Docs app for mobile devices is slower than the desktop version.

Limited options for adding charts and other visuals.

Fewer formatting features than premium word processors.

One of the best things about Google Docs is how easy the program makes it to collaborate with others. No more "version shuffle" as you send drafts and revisions back and forth in email.

When you share a document with your blog editor, they can insert suggestions, comments, and changes right there. Then, when it's time to implement the changes, accept the revisions and close comments about issues you resolved. You can even use Google to work on Microsoft Word documents.

Google Docs is a free online tool that's also available as an app for Android and iOS devices.

Best Writing App for Novelists: Werdsmith

Keeps track of your writing goals and tells you how close you are to reaching them.

Lots of helpful templates and formatting options.

Publish your writing to the web from the app.

Must purchase a membership to use the novel and screenplay features.

Text formatting tools could be more intuitive.

Not worth the price if you don't regularly use all the features.

Werdsmith is a portable writing studio, complete with instant formatting for novels and screenplays. You can even use it to publish your online writing portfolio. Werdsmith features a clean design, it's easy to use, and it's the perfect place for keeping your notes and finished work. The goals and stats function helps keep you motivated.

Werdsmith is free to download and use for iOS devices. In-app purchases are offered through a membership for $4.99 per month. Members receive four new themes, novel and screenplay writing tools, hundreds of writing prompts, and more.

Best App for Journalists: Dictation

It's designed for one thing: dictation. This simplicity makes it an easy tool to use on the go.

Accurate transcriptions.

Helps prevents strain on your joints and back.

Without the pro version, you'll see an ad after each dictation you create.

Doesn't integrate with word processing apps, so it can be tedious to use.

No word counter.

For journalists who interview individuals for news stories and features, a good dictation tool is a must-have. Dictation is a speech-to-text app that translates voice to text for mobile devices. It can also be used to dictate any voice while on the go. It's perfect for capturing your brilliant ideas as well.

Dictation is free to download for iOS devices. Dictation Pro, which costs $44.99 per year, removes ads and allows you unlimited app usage.

Best Application for Editors: TextEdit

When the full-scale capabilities of a word processing program are unnecessary, TextEdit fills in the gap.

HTML and JavaScript support.

Save files in various formats (.DOCX, ODF, and others).

Only available for macOS devices.

No third-party plugins.

Formatting issues when you copy-and-paste.

This simple tool is perfect for editing documents, including Word files, on the fly and converting them into other formats seamlessly. Need to change a Rich Text Format (RTF) document to another format quickly? TextEdit is the perfect app for that. You can also easily create and edit HTML documents for the web.

TextEdit comes standard with macOS.

Best App for Song Writers: Lyric Notepad

Record yourself performing and attach the file to your song.

Counts syllables and tracks rhyme schemes to help you maintain your flow.

Inexpensive pro version.

The interface is a bit clunky.

No way to back up your lyrics to the cloud.

No search tool.

For poets, rappers, songwriters, and lyricists, inspiration can strike at any moment. That's why it's important to have a tool available at your fingertips. Lyric Notepad goes beyond typical word processing tasks to track rhyme and syllable schemes, help you find new words, and record your lyrics, all in one app. The built-in notepad allows you to add notes about your songs as you write and the metronome helps you easily keep time.

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Home / Book Writing / The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024

The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024

In general, I recommend Atticus as the number one writing tool for authors. But this article is about the best writing apps for mobile devices , and Atticus is still working on its mobile capability (stay tuned). So while I would normally recommend Atticus, today I will be talking about Scrivener's mobile app, along with a few other writing apps that I categorized by their primary purpose.

Today's world is on the move. From fast food to fast cars, I'm always on the go, making mobile technologies all that much more critical. You need the best writing apps at your fingertips.

When you imagine a writer's life , you might imagine the stereotype: a pair of glasses hunched over a typewriter furiously punching keys and drowning in endless pots of coffee.

Yes, writers tend to drink a lot of coffee, but the world of writing is changing.

Many writers manage their writing projects with mobile devices.

So let’s talk about the best writing apps for those mobile devices.

What do professional writers use to write? Professional writers use a variety of apps to write their novels . Scrivener, MS Word, Final Draft, Google Docs, Plottr — there are so many great apps that bestselling writers use for their writing process.

Here are my recommendations for the best writing apps for Android and iOS. (Nearly all of them work on desktop as well, but I weeded out the apps that only work on desktop.)

  • Best Writing App for Novelists
  • Best Writing App for General Writing
  • Best Free Writing App
  • Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form
  • Best Writing App for Screenwriters
  • Best Writing App for Productivity
  • Best Writing App for Outlining
  • Best Writing App for Notes
  • Best App for Text To Speech

Table of contents

  • Which platforms does Scrivener work on?
  • Best used for:
  • Other Good Apps for Novelists
  • Which platforms does Word work on?
  • Other Good Apps for General Writing
  • Google Docs Pros:
  • Google Docs Cons:
  • Which platforms does Google Docs work on?
  • Other Free Writing Apps:
  • Which platforms does Grammarly work on?

Other Good Apps for Emails & Short-Form

  • Which platforms does Final Draft work on?
  • Other Good Apps for Screenwriters
  • Which platforms does Novlr work on?
  • Other Good Apps for Productivity
  • Which platforms does Plottr work on?
  • Other Good Apps for Outlining
  • Which platforms does Evernote work on?
  • Other Good Apps for Notes
  • Best Artificial Intelligence App: ChatGPT
  • Which platforms does FromTextToSpeech.com work on?
  • Other Good Apps for Text to Speech
Ideal ForPlatforms AvailablePriceCheck It Out!

Best Writing App for NovelistsiOS$49 (use my discount code )
Best Writing App for General Writing

Android

iOS

$139.99, or $6.99/month

Best Free Writing AppAndroid
iOS
FREE
Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form

Android

iOS

Free, or $12-$30/month

Best Writing App for ScreenwritersiOS$249.99
Best Writing App for Productivity

Android

iOS

$10/month, or $100/year
Best Writing App for OutliningAndroid
iOS
$25/year, or $99/lifetime (for 1 device)

Best Writing App for Notes

Android

iOS

Free, or $69.99/year
Best App for Text To Speech

Android

iOS

FREE

When you use a link in this article, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps with my coffee fund (AKA writer fuel), so I can keep bringing you the content you deserve. Plus, it means I can get you exclusive discount codes!

Why Am I Qualified to Talk about Writing Apps?

Let's face it, there are many people out there that write these kind of articles by just doing some research on what others say, and regurgitating it out without firsthand knowledge of the tools in question (or worse, have AI write it for them). That's not the case here.

As someone who's been publishing books for over 13 years, I've seen a lot writing tools go up and down. Some have been revolutionary game-changers, while others haven't lived up to the hype.

However, choosing the right writing app isn't just about picking the most popular one. Each writer has unique requirements and preferences. What works wonders for me might not for you. For example, Grammarly is hugely popular, but it's not what I recommend for long-form editing.

So, in order to create a top-notch overview of the best writing apps (for mobile devices, remember), I sent out surveys to my readers, and talked to some heavy-hitting authors in the industry – many of which I have been a consultant to as well.

Based on my observations, the results from those surveys, and talking with some of the most well-known authors out there, I feel very strongly that this is a subject I can truly tackle.

So, with that, let's jump into a list of what I think are the best writing mobile apps for authors.

Best Writing App for Novelists: Scrivener

Scrivener is the best mobile writing app for novelists, for now (again, see Atticus ). It’s more organized than any other app. It’s got awesome, ready-made templates for all sorts of genres and layouts. And it works great on iPad and iPhone. (Sorry, Android users.)

What is the best mobile app for writers? Scrivener on iOS is the best app for book writers. If you've read a few of my other articles, you may already know of my absolute love of Scrivener. If I had to recommend a single piece of writing software , Scrivener would be it — including for mobile devices.

Scrivener comes with a steep learning curve because it offers so much customizability and handy features. But there are plenty of free tutorials if you ever need help.

Scrivener for iOS is great for planning, drag-and-drop organizing, and even highlighting types of words. This means you can look for adverb overuse. From corkboard arrangement to keyboard shortcuts to word count goals , this app has almost as much power as its desktop app.

(For a complete review on the desktop software, check out my Scrivener review article, complete with coupon code .)

Once you're done, you can always transfer your work over to your devices with Scrivener via Dropbox . Or you can export to DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, HTML, or even Multi-Markdown.

The only downside: The one-time price is a little steep for a mobile app ($19.99), and you have to buy a separate license for iOS if you already have a license for macOS or Windows.

If you’re an Android user, I’d try Novlr, which is browser-based, so you can use it on any mobile device with an Internet connection.

  • Mac (most updated version)

(Sorry again, Android tablet/phone users.)

  • $19.99 for iOS
  • $49 for Mac or Windows
  • $80 for both Mac and Windows licenses
  • $41.65 for students & academics

Download Scrivener with this link and get an exclusive coupon code, KINDLEPRENEUR20 , for a 20% discount on your Scrivener purchase.

Follow these steps to use the discount coupon.

Scrivener is great for authors who love organization, distraction-free writing, and ready-made templates. Authors can place audio files, research files, images, and more into Scrivener’s sidebar. This means all your documents and research are in one window — it’s so convenient!

  • Ulysses (Mac and iOS only)

Best Writing App for General Writing: Microsoft Word

There’s a reason Microsoft Word is the industry standard text editor: it is versatile and easy to use.

Microsoft Office’s Word works well on mobile devices, running smoothly on iOS and Android. It creates beautiful, professional documents that you can export to multiple file formats.

MS Word is suitable for general writing, but I would not recommend it for novel writing. Although it is perfect for memos, email drafts, and print-ready documents, its organization capabilities are not as robust as Scrivener, Ulysses, or other excellent writing software.

Also, its spelling and grammar checker is not as powerful as ProWritingAid or Grammarly.

MS Word is expensive, but many people can use the app without an extra cost because of work or school giving them access.

Though Microsoft Word comes with some computers, it actually costs a pretty penny:

  • $139.99 for Microsoft Word by itself
  • $6.99 a month for Microsoft 365, which includes Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is best used for general writing , business-related documents, and print-ready formatting options. It’s great for corporate America, journalism, students, and the like.

  • Google Docs
  • LibreOffice

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Best Free Writing App: Google Docs

What is the best free writing app? Google Docs is the best free writing app on Android and iOS. If you’re on a budget, Google Docs is the perfect app for everything except proofreading, novel writing, or writing without the Internet.

It lets you customize headers, spacing, fonts — all the things you expect from a professional word processor. Google Docs autosaves every change you make and saves your version history. It exceeds at real-time collaboration, making it ideal for co-authors, bloggers, and ghostwriters .

  • Conveniently browser-based
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Trackable changes
  • Autosave functionality
  • Export to multiple file types
  • Laggy and buggy once you get over 15,000-20,000 word count
  • Google Docs proofreader is weaker than Grammarly or ProWritingAid
  • You need the Internet and a Google account to access

Google Docs works on all major platforms and on most mobile devices — both Android and iOS.

  • FocusWriter
  • Reedsy Book Editor
  • Apple Pages

Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form: Grammarly

Grammarly’s browser app is free to use and great for making sure your emails, memos, and other short-form projects look professional and error-free.

Check out my full review on Grammarly .

Grammarly offers a keyboard that checks your spelling and grammar on mobile devices, offering helpful suggestions on how to improve whatever you’re typing.

Not many people realize that Grammarly’s browser app can download your text as a DOCX file. This is great if you need to attach a DOCX file to your email instead of putting the text in the body.

You can also download Grammarly’s browser extension. This editing tool automatically checks your grammar and spelling when on Gmail, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media sites and email sites.

Read this article on the Best Email Services For Authors , like GetResponse or MailerLite .

Grammarly’s free version offers robust proofreading features that are way better than Microsoft Word or MacOS’s built-in grammar and spelling checker.

The premium version of Grammarly is fantastic, too. It offers many more suggestions to improve your writing style, readability, passive voice, and dialogue formatting .

However, if you are paying for a premium proofreader, I’d recommend ProWritingAid’s premium version . Its web version can also export to DOCX. Check out this video where I explain how ProWritingAid’s premium version is superior to Grammarly’s.

Grammarly’s browser application and browser extension make your emails, posts, and memos more professional and error-free. It gives you confidence and lets everyone know that you are not a joke.

Grammarly is a browser-based app and extension that runs on:

Grammarly’s free version is a powerful proofreading tool that ensures your emails, memos, or Facebook ads and posts are professional and error-free.

Grammarly’s premium version offers a lot more suggestions about word choice and writing style. It has multiple pricing options:

  • $29.95 per month
  • $59.94 per 3 months ($19.98/month value)
  • $139.95 per year ($11.66/month value)
  • Grammarly Business is $12.50/month per member (minimum 3 members)
  • Blog posts (WordPress, etc.)
  • Social media posts
  • ProWritingAid
  • Text Expander
  • Readable (Android only)

Best Writing App for Screenwriters: Final Draft

Screenwriting is a type of writing apart from a novel or article that is growing in popularity. Final Draft is an iOS-exclusive paid app dedicated strictly to screenwriting.

According to Final Draft’s own research, fewer than 5% of their users use Android mobile devices, so they won’t develop the Android app anytime soon.

Final Draft has a lot of great features, such as:

  • Professionally formatted templates for TV, Film, and Stage Plays
  • SmartType, which remembers your character's names , scenes, etc.
  • The ability to export PDFs to iCloud, Dropbox , or email
  • Element-based script searching
  • Color-coded ScriptNotes

David Seidler, the Academy Award-winning author of The King's Speech , loves the ability to change his drafts quickly and on the go.

What app do screenwriters use to write? Screenwriters use the Final Draft app on iOS to write their screenplays.

If you're a serious screenwriter or looking to break into the biz, you should definitely consider getting this app. It’s expensive, but it is the industry standard. According to their website, Final Draft is “used by 95% of film and television productions.”

However, if you don't own an Apple device, Celtx Script is probably your best bet.

Final Draft does not intend on developing or maintaining an Android version of their app.

The full license for Final Draft 11 costs a one-time fee of $249.99, but there are usually deals you can snag to earn 20% off.

Final Draft is best used for writing screenplays, even on mobile devices. There’s a good reason it’s the industry standard for screenwriting.

  • Celtx Script (for Android or iOS )
  • Storyist (iOS only)

Best Writing App for Productivity: Novlr

Novlr is an aesthetically-pleasing, browser-based creative writing tool that automatically saves to the cloud. Its distraction-free Focus Mode is customizable and perfectly sets the mood for writing productively.

How do I start just writing? If you have trouble just getting started writing, consider using a productivity app like Novlr , Daily Prompt , or FocusWriter.

Features of Novlr:

  • Minimalist aesthetic
  • Track writing stats
  • Motivational goals and positive feedback
  • Organization and outlining functionality
  • Writing style suggestions
  • Collaboration
  • Day-night color options
  • Easy exporting to multiple file formats

Read my full review of Novlr here.

Novlr is a browser-based app that works on all major browsers:

  • Microsoft Edge

You can save app.novlr.org to your phone/tablet’s home screen , and it works much like an application.

After a 2-week free trial, Novlr costs:

  • $100/year ($8.33/month value)

Novlr is best used for distraction-free writing that encourages productivity in a plethora of ways. It is sleek, chic, organized, and syncs across all your devices.

  • Daily Prompt
  • Write or Die (This is a funny site.)

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Looking for the Best Mobile Writing Apps? I've got you covered! Check out my list of apps sure to make your on-the-go writing experience better! #amwriting #writingapps” quote=”Looking for the Best Mobile Writing Apps? I've got you covered! Check out my list of apps sure to make your on-the-go writing experience better! #amwriting #writingapps”]

Best Writing App for Outlining: Plottr

With its innovative dashboard functionality, Plottr is a fantastic outlining tool for mobile and desktop. It is a browser-based app, so you can access it from anywhere you have Internet, including from a phone or tablet.

Check out my full review on Plottr .

Read my comprehensive article on The Best Software to Outline Your Book .

You can organize plot points, create colorful characters, and build your world with ease on Plottr. It even comes with ready-made templates.

Plottr offers these intuitive outline templates:

  • The Snowflake Method
  • The Three Story Method
  • The Story Circle
  • The Seven Point Plot Structure
  • The Hero's Journey

Although you can use Plottr on your Mac or Windows computer, its app is very mobile-friendly. Download Plottr today!

Plottr is an app available on all major platforms:

There are 3 tiers for Plottr:

  • 1 Device — $25/year or $99/lifetime
  • 3 Devices — $45/year or $149/lifetime
  • 5 Devices — $65/year or $199/lifetime

Plottr is best used for outlining novels , but it is an organizational tool at its heart. You can use it to organize nonfiction or even screenplays.

  • The Novel Factory
  • Plot Factory
  • Microsoft Word

Best Writing App for Notes: Evernote

When it comes to note-taking, look no further than Evernote . This award-winning app automatically syncs your notes to every device you have it installed on (only 2 devices with the free version).

Honestly, I am so thankful for my Evernote app. I'm a big fan of jotting down fresh new ideas on my phone. But notes aren't the only thing you can save. You can actually save web clippings, video, PDF, images, GIFs, and more (with a paid upgrade, of course).

On top of that, you're able to share your notes with other people. All you need is to grant the proper permissions to a co-author, friend, or ghostwriter , and voila!

Evernote is always improving. Though I think their table function could use an upgrade, Evernote releases free updates all the time.

The free version of Evernote is robust and useful. Having the “freemium” version of Evernote is still worth getting, even if you don’t plan on spending any money on the premium version.

The premium version of Evernote is separated into 2 versions:

  • Premium — $69.99/year
  • Business — $14.99/user/month

Evernote’s award-winning app is best used for taking notes in many different ways on many different devices. It is intuitive, versatile, and beyond helpful.

  • Simplenote ( iOS or Android )
  • Apple Notes
  • Google Keep
  • Microsoft OneNote ( iOS or Android )
  • Plain text editors

When it comes to AI-driven conversation, brainstorming, and writing assistance, look no further than ChatGPT/ChatGPT Plus. This app brings the powerful capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT to your fingertips on any device where you have it installed.

For writers, ChatGPT can be invaluable for brainstorming, drafting, and editing text right on your phone. But it's not just limited to generating text. With the browser tool (available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers), it can search the internet, summarize articles, and even help you fact-check or find new ideas. And that's just some of what's available with the paid upgrade of ChatGPT Plus.

On top of that, you're able to share your conversations with others. All you need is to send the session link to a collaborator, friend, or editor, and voila!

Which platforms does ChatGPT Plus work on?

  • Android (coming soon)

The free version of ChatGPT is great for a lot of people, and runs on GPT 3.5 technology. However, if you want GPT-4 technology (which is far superior), you'll need ChatGPT Plus.

The premium version of ChatGPT Plus is: $20/month

ChatGPT Plus’s versatile app is best used for generating human-like text, aiding in content creation, brainstorming, or even casual conversation on many different devices. It is intuitive, creative, and an invaluable tool for writers.

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Best App for Text To Speech: FromTextToSpeech.com

FromTextToSpeech.com is a browser-based app that turns up to 50,000 characters at a time into MP3 files that you can listen to or download. It is simple. Although it looks kind of sketchy, it is entirely safe and legit. It is the best free text to speech service available.

The most natural-sounding voice option is British English Harry. In fact, you will hear British English Harry all across the Internet — on YouTube, Twitch, etc. Many web users utilize British English Harry’s voice because it almost passes for a British human male.

Other text-to-speech apps either cost a lot of money or only allow a few hundred characters.

Read my article on Best Book Transcription Services for Authors .

I know authors who copy and paste in a chapter to FromTextToSpeech.com and listen to it while editing that same chapter. It really helps to be able to hear your words read back to you.

Unfortunately, FromTextToSpeech.com is sometimes down with no warning for upkeep and maintenance.

This is a browser-based application that works on all browsers and operating systems:

FromTextToSpeech.com is free-to-use. There is no premium version.

FromTextToSpeech.com is best used for converting your written word to spoken word. This may help you with editing, experimenting, or simply your own enjoyment.

  • Natural Reader
  • Amazon Polly
  • Google Text-to-Speech
  • ReadSpeaker

Which app is the best fit for you?

You use the best tools when you write at home. You should use the best mobile writing apps to take your frantic phone scribbles to the next level.

Gone are the days of jotting down in your notepad, only to have a hard time deciphering it later.

Save time and effort by investing in your craft and selecting the “write” tools for the job. Even if you aren't at your primary workstation.

There may have been a few I missed out on. After all, the world of writing is ever-expanding.

And I know I've said it before: Sorry, Android users. While I understand the pros of being on the Android system, there are just so many more quality writing applications for Apple users.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

  • Other Good Apps for Emails & Short-Form

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4 thoughts on “ The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024 ”

What is the best writing app for non-fiction other than Scrivener? I want the same options, to see my chapters on a side bar and be able to put notes with each chapter. That is the basic requirement but other tools are nice, like word count, grammar, etc. Most of the writing apps I am finding are either simple writing, like Word or Goggle Docs, or for novels with characters, plots, etc. Scrivener is too time consuming to learn. Writing and editing takes long enough. (Novlr looks like the closest to what I want even though the app is based on novel writing). Hoping there might be another that I am unaware of. Anyone can answer!! I am using Word currently but really want to get moving on the writing with more organization.

I’m actually building one – Atticus.io. It’s actually combining scrivener and Vellum together – but we’re making the writing area much easier and intuitive. It’s in final beta now and should be releasing publicly mid July.

How about a review of dictation apps? You’ve got text to speech, but I want that turned around. Dragon, of course, but on a phone?

Good overview, Dave!

Two quick things about Google Docs (which I use): 1. It certainly can be used for full-length novels. I write all mine with it (one is 160,000 words). 1b. And it exports well to .docx and works fine with editors using Word’s track changes and commenting. 2. You can use the Grammarly extension with it.

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13 Best Free Writing Software in 2024

February 23, 2024

Washija Kazim photo

1. aiseo.ai

4. evernote, 5. frase.io, 6. grammarly business, 7. google workspace, 9. peppertype.ai, 11. scalenut, 12. scrivener, 13. writesonic, faqs on free writing software.

Writing can be hard. Or easy and fun. Or fun and hard.

Putting words on paper might seem straightforward, but putting them all together in the best sequence? That’s another story – probably one you don’t feel like writing.  

Jokes aside, writing fulfills us, so we keep doing it. From writing a seven-part book series to jotting down a to-do list, writing is a part of being human. 

Over the years, writing has changed its forms many times. One of the biggest shifts was going digital. Novels, short stories, scripts, textbooks, research papers, and magazine articles: we can find everything online. 

And while nothing can replace the satisfaction of scribbling in your favorite notebook, writing software solutions can assist your process in ways traditional methods can’t. The best part? It’s free!

Whether you’re looking for creative artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools or a simple note-taking platform , this list of free writing software surely has something useful for your needs.

What are the best writing software solutions in 2024?

  • Grammarly Business
  • Google Workspace
  • Peppertype.ai

* These free writing software solutions have been arranged alphabetically.

Best free writing software

Writing software enhances the writing process with insights and suggestions. Some platforms assist with research, grammar, and tone checking, making it perfect for all kinds of drafts, including online articles, scripts, and books. 

The list below contains real user reviews. For context, the vendors that offer a free trial are also considered free . To be included on this list, a solution must:

  • Create AI-generated text to assist in some portion of the writing process.
  • Suggest insights on improving the work.
  • Present relevant resources intended to educate the writer.
  • Correct grammatical errors.
  • Create editable, text-based documents.
  • Allow users to store multiple notes.
  • Offer collaborative note-taking and note-sharing tools.

* This data was pulled from G2 in February 2024, and the product list is ranked alphabetically. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.

aiseo.ai combines the power of AI and search engine optimization (SEO) data to generate copy. It’s perfect for bloggers, copywriters, and content marketers aspiring to rank high on Google.

The software offers a variety of free tools for title generation, paraphrasing, rewriting, and rewording. It comes with a free 7-day trial that offers 60 credits with access to all features.

What users like best:

“I recently started using aiseo.ai, among several similar products, and I love them all! I think this is the only one with a readability improvement feature, and I really like it. It makes reading and understanding the text much easier and has helped me improve my writing. The other features are great too, but this is the feature that makes it stand out to me.”

- aiseo.ai Review , Kristen D.

What users dislike:

“One potential downside of using an AI Content Detector is that it may not always be completely accurate. While the tool is designed to identify characteristics commonly found in machine-generated content, it’s possible that it may flag content as being potentially machine-generated even if it’s actually written by a human. This could lead to unnecessary revisions or changes to the content, which could be time-consuming and frustrating for the user.”

- aiseo.ai Review , Dadash V.

Marketers turn to Anyword to write copy that converts. With text personalization and robust predictive analytics, you can validate the potential of every message you create for your customers. In fact, Anyword has increased conversion rates by 30% for several clients. 

There’s a 7-day free trial available for new users, after which their access automatically converts to a free plan. 

“It does not distort the tone or messaging of what is already written. It just takes a draft and makes it more engaging and easy to read. It also helps that it offers multiple versions so users can pick which one best suits what they're looking for and then they can edit it even more. It can simultaneously process large volumes of texts such as long-read blog articles.”

- Anyword Review , Seun O

“It lacks several templates, such as meta descriptions, headlines, social media posts, conclusions, and templates for rewriting/rephrasing. These are the features that I would like to see added in the near future.”

- Anyword Review , Habib K.

Use Copy.ai to generate content that’s more engaging and targeted and watch as it brings in faster and better results. The tool is perfect for sales and marketing teams trying to drive copy that closes more deals. From digital ads to social media posts, you can write any form of content with this writing tool.

The free version allows unlimited writing projects with 90+ copywriting tools. You can also register for a free demo to understand how to make the most of your plan.

What users like best: 

“The most important thing I like about Copy.ai is free credits. It helps me know about Copy.ai and AI generation. Also, the results are very satisfying, with many types of AI-generation word content for Facebook descriptions and YouTube title generation. The part I like the most is the landing page hero text; it greatly helps me.”

- Copy.ai Review , Kumaran R.

“What I find is missing from this product is the ability to pull data from an existing website. I'm not interested in plagiarizing! I just mean facts or data listed on an informational website. I would like to pull specific information and then write commentary around it. Also, the grammar is bad (run-on sentences, switching from first to third person, etc.) I always need to run it through a grammar check software after. I would also love to see a feature like a script writer for creating video scripts.”

- Copy.ai Review , Kate A.

Evernote has the ability to meet all your writing needs on a single platform. Whether you’re scanning documents, taking extensive notes, or jotting down a list, Evernote manages it all. 

You can get this free writing app for iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux; it even has an offline mode. If you wish to upgrade to the paid professional plan, it comes with a free 30-day trial. 

“I have been using Evernote for a very long time, and I think the thing I like the most about it is that it just does such a good job of being both functional and fun. The user experience is clear and clean, I can search based on all kinds of tags, and there are many robust options for those times when I need more formatting than just basic headers and text.”

- Evernote Review , Sara C.

“One thing I don't like is the way notes are managed. When you’re a beginner with few notes, it works very well, but for more advanced users with a lot of information, this management is very short.”

- Evernote Review , Jesus M.

With Frase.io , optimizing your content for search engines is a matter of minutes, not hours. This all-inclusive free writing software provides everything from content briefs to analytics post publishing so you can make popular content. 

You can begin with a five-day (pretty much) free trial at only $1 and cancel your plan anytime you want.

“Frase.io is easy to use and gives you everything you need to create excellent content. I love how easy it’s to research competitors, find reference sources to use for blog posts, and create outlines and briefs. Most of all, their team is always looking to improve the product and takes customer feedback seriously.”

- Frase.io Review , Chris F.

“Too many updates and changes to the user interface. There should be a ‘use the old layout’ option. I'm used to getting what I need from the layout. It would be cool if you could connect SEMrush or Ahrefs to get the traffic data.”

- Frase.io Review , Marc P.

Grammarly Business offers advanced AI-powered features and a distraction-free writing experience. It improves word choices, refines sentence tone, enhances content clarity, and fixes grammatical errors.

The free forever plan is available for all platforms and is accessible through your browser or the app for desktops. You can also download it for Mac, iPhone, and other mobile devices. 

“Grammarly Business is the best to write content error-free. It has a  grammar checker and a spell check feature that easily identifies errors. We can install Grammarly Extension in our Chromium or Chrome Browser, which can help all websites where we want to write the correct content. Even G2 uses this service to allow customers to write error-free reviews.”

- Grammarly Business Review , Devang S.

“Sometimes, Grammarly may suggest corrections that are not necessary or even incorrect. This can frustrate users who rely on the software to catch errors.”

- Grammarly Business Review , Husnain M.

Google Workspace is powered by Google AI to create, connect, and collaborate. And when it comes to free word processors , Google Docs is the go-to answer for millions of users. With a premade template gallery, you can create all kinds of content, including project proposals, meeting notes, and newsletters.

Perfect for individuals or teams, users can sign up for Google Docs for free and get unlimited access to all features, including real-time collaboration and auto-save. 

“One of the things I appreciate is how easy it is to collaborate with other people in real time. Google Docs, for example, allows several people to edit the same document simultaneously, which is very useful for teamwork. In addition, having all the tools integrated into a single platform, such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, makes work much more efficient and organized.”

- Google Workspace Review , LuĂŁ Fhelyp G.

“One area that could be improved is integrating Google Workspace and other third-party applications. While many integrations are available, they’re not always seamless and can require manual work. Enhancing the integration capabilities would make connecting with other tools easier for my work.”

- Google Workspace Review , Alejandro D.

Jasper encourages collaboration and the pursuit of creative writing ideas over word count. The software works for more than 29 languages and comes with a Chrome extension. Designed to match your brand voice and style guide, Jasper also optimizes your copy for SEO.

The starter plan is free forever for up to five users. Jasper also offers a one-hour AI masterclass tutorial to communicate best practices for using this tool. 

“Jasper is a great AI that will create helpful written content. Jasper is everything I have come to expect over the many years of using this AI. You can be sure pricing will be around the same as other competitors, if not less expensive. I use the highest tier, saving time and money as I learn how to use the platform.”

- Jasper Review , Justin D.

“It makes our content creation easy and fun to use. The mental fatigue and self-talk about what I wrote not being good enough are no longer factors. I can start with an idea, Jasper runs with it, I tweak around the edges to clarify the message/point/CTA, and what would take me hours or days to do, is completed way faster and much better than what I have previously created.”

- Jasper Review , Jonathan F.

Peppertype.ai learns from your writing style and makes it more competitive to work best for your audience. It provides an intelligent text editor, an SEO assistant, and integrations that ensure your writing is free from grammatical errors. 

New users can get a seven-day free trial to get started with this tool and enjoy unlimited access to all the features.

“I've used this tool to create countless pieces of content. It's really easy to use and is a great way to create high-quality content quickly. I've used it to create blog posts, ad copy, and Facebook posts. I love how it's written with a conversational tone that feels natural. And it's never written a line that my audience would find boring. I can literally create any type of content in seconds with Peppertype.ai. I've gotten content out the door in less than five minutes, which is great!”

- Peppertype.ai Review , Pallav B.

“Sometimes the input contents are not recognized correctly, and Peppertype returns the same input as output but takes the credits. They should not take the credit if they’re not rewriting anything.”

- Peppertype.ai Review , Md Farhanul I.

Rytr uses AI technology to create the best versions of written content. From social media captions and video ideas to business pitches and product descriptions, Rytr helps make the most compelling copy for your projects.

The free forever plan supports more than 30 languages and has an inbuilt plagiarism checker for a seamless experience. 

“I've been using Rytr for a few months now, and I absolutely love it. It's incredibly intuitive and easy to use, and the quality of the content it generates is top-notch. I've tried other AI writing and editing tools before, but none compares to the speed, accuracy, and convenience that Rytr offers. It's definitely the best AI writing tool out there!”

- Rytr Review , Abdi A.

“While AI writing can undoubtedly create exceptional quality content, its programming restricts it from offering truly creative or original ideas. Additionally, Rytr needs an internet connection to work optimally. If I’m in a region with slow or unreliable internet, it might be difficult for me to benefit from it.”

- Rytr Review , Chibuike U.

Scalenut helps marketers build their brands through AI-generated content, content planning, and keyword research. This free writing program offers a customizable user interface for multiple file formats. 

Try out Scalenut for free with a 7-day trial that comes with AI templates, an SEO editor, and search engine research page analysis functionalities. 

“One of the standout features of Scalenut is its user-friendly interface. The platform is easy to navigate, and the reports generated by its tools are well-organized and straightforward. This makes it a great option for businesses that may not have much SEO experience.

The platform offers tools for keyword research, content optimization, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and more. After trying it for the first time, I realized it works great!”

- Scalenut Review , Teofil K.

“Customization. While Scalenut is designed to be easy to use, it may not offer the same level of customization or flexibility as other AI platforms. This may limit the ability of businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs or integrate it with existing systems and workflows.”

- Scalenut Review , Yashel M.

Scrivener is the go-to free script writing software for thousands of users, including self-published authors, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, and academics. With integrated research, outline, and writing support, creative writing becomes effortless. 

Also known for being one of the best book writing software tools, Scrivener supports footnotes, various text styles, and easy organization with its drag-and-drop function. Download the mobile app for iOS or the desktop version for Windows and macOS and get a free trial for 30 days (subject to use).

“When I'm writing, I need to keep things as organized as possible, and Scrivener makes that not only possible but easy and efficient with its organizational tools. It allows me to create multiple folders, manage my writing and outlines, and research characters how I want. It's ideal for working on a long project like a novel.”

- Scrivener Review , Alex T.

“I wish using cloud services to sync your writing was a little more intuitive. If you have two devices open working on the same document, it's possible to save over changes without being able to get them back.”

- Scrivener Review , Sydney R.

Writesonic is a complete solution for AI writing, copywriting, and paraphrasing. It works for long-form content like blog posts and website content and short copy like ads and emails. Writesonic’s platform supports over 25 languages and it’s the perfect addition for writers, entrepreneurs, e-commerce companies, and marketing teams.

New users can sign up for a free trial with their Google or Apple IDs or create a new account using their business email. 

“The options it offers with different tools. You can do literally whatever you need for your blog or social media ads. I like that it’s consistent with bullet points, subheadings, and everything else that really needs to be done.”

- Writesonic Review , Simon P.

“The tool sometimes generates content that is not entirely accurate or relevant to the intended use case and may require manual editing or rewriting. Additionally, sometimes I faced technical issues with the platform's interface and functionality. While generating articles using the AI tools, I noticed that the same sentences are used repeatedly.”

- Writesonic Review , Santosh E.

Click-to-chat-with-G2's-Monty-AI

1. How do I choose from several free writing software?

Choosing the right free writing software depends on your specific needs and preferences. Here are some factors to consider when making your decision:

  • Assess your writing needs and prioritize essential features.
  • Choose user-friendly software that fits your workflow.
  • Ensure compatibility with your devices and file formats.
  • Opt for cloud synchronization for easy access and backup.
  • Consider reviews and recommendations from other writers.

2. What are the challenges of using free writing software over paid options?

Choosing free writing software comes with some challenges when compared to paid options:

  • Free software offers fewer tools and options.
  • Storage space and export choices are restricted.
  • Intrusive ads can disrupt your workflow.
  • Updates are sporadic, leaving you with outdated features.
  • Integration with other software is often lacking or non-existent.

Some of these capabilities may be available in free versions, but they will most certainly be restricted compared to their expensive equivalents.

3. Is free writing software compatible with different devices and operating systems such as Mac and Windows?

Many free writing software options are compatible with desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. While most options are cross-platform and can be used on multiple operating systems, they may have restrictions or limitations on certain platforms. Make sure to check compatibility before choosing a particular software.

Metaphors be with you.

If the complexity of the written language and the search for metaphors keep you up at night, turning to free writing software is the right call. 

Say goodbye to struggling with active-passive voice or the incorrect use of adverbs. AI writing assistants not only conduct spell checks and proofreading for your drafts but also generate content ideas from plain text. Whether you’re working on a script, sales copy, or a newsletter, writing software has features that get your words on the page.

Of course, many writing software solutions specialize in different kinds of writing as well. Check out the best free script writing software in 2024 to choose the perfect tool for drafting a screenplay. 

Washija Kazim

Washija Kazim is a Sr. Content Marketing Specialist at G2 focused on creating actionable SaaS content for IT management and infrastructure needs. With a professional degree in business administration, she specializes in subjects like business logic, impact analysis, data lifecycle management, and cryptocurrency. In her spare time, she can be found buried nose-deep in a book, lost in her favorite cinematic world, or planning her next trip to the mountains.

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Best Free Writing Apps: Top 11 Software Writers Need

Lisa Lepki

By Lisa Lepki

free writing apps list

Writing isn't easy. Thankfully, there are all kinds of apps out there to make the process easier by helping you stay organized and focused. Whether you are writing for a living or just writing a grocery list, these free apps for writers will help you complete your project with ease.

1. ProWritingAid

2. hubspot's blog ideas generator, 4. milanote, 5. libreoffice, 7. focuswriter, 8. evernote, 10. todoist, 11. colorcinch, 1. the prowritingaid blog.

  • Try ProWritingAid's editor for yourself below:

2. Writing Forward

3. 5 minute english, 4. grammar girl: quick and dirty tips, 5. daily grammar, 6. lousy writer, 7. the purdue online writing lab (owl), 9. english grammar 101, 10. grammar ninja, you can master english grammar.

Come on. You were expecting this. But our writers really do believe that ProWritingAid should be at the top of this list. ProWritingAid is an online editor, writing coach, and style guide, all rolled into one. It highlights a range of potential pitfalls in your writing that your average grammar checker misses, like overused words , transitions , vague and abstract words , and more.

The free ProWritingAid online editing tool allows you to upload your documents and access more than 20 in-depth writing reports , which will help you improve the strength and clarity of your texts quickly and easily.

You'll get an overview of your writing, with tips on how to make the most improvement in the shortest amount of time. You'll also keep learning while you write with informational videos and blog articles that pop up as part of ProWritingAid's suggestions.

prowritingaid suggestion

Check out this review and tutorial by bestselling author, Joanna Penn:

ProWritingAid also has more software integrations than any other editing software, including MS Word , Google Docs , Scrivener , Open Office , and Chrome so that you can edit wherever you write.

Ready to try it for yourself? Click the button below to get started.

Even the best writers run into blocks sometimes. Hubspot's Blog Topic Generator can help you when it feels impossible to come up with new content.

hubspot blog ideas generator

Hubspot's Blog Topic Generator Simply input three nouns into the generator and get a week's worth of topics in seconds! Now, THAT was easy!

As writers, we don't just have to worry about the words we put on the page (or screen). Many of us have to create images for our work, whether that's a cover photo for a blog post or a graphic to promote your book on social media. Canva is an amazing, powerful free tool to help create beautiful images.

canva interface

Canva's drag and drop templates can help you create everything from a Pinterest graphic to a book cover. If you're hesitant to learn Photoshop, Canva is an amazing alternative to help you create rich, high-quality graphics.

Milanote is an easy-to-use tool to organize your ideas and projects into visual boards. As a writer, visualizations can help you keep track of everything from character relationships to the order of scenes.

milanote interface

Milanote's flexible interface allows you to do things like:

  • Write notes and to-do lists (handy for keeping yourself on track with your book writing plan)
  • Upload images and files (useful for keeping visual inspiration for everything from scenery to character outfits)
  • Save images, texts, and links from the web
  • and even more!

LibreOffice is an amazing word processor option for people who are looking for a free alternative to Word.

libre office interface

LibreOffice has a number of great features, including a clean and sophisticated word processing layout and support for a vast number of file formats. You can create everything from a simple memo to a complete book using the online editor, which makes it a great choice for people looking for a word processor for all types of projects.

Do you need to create beautiful layouts for your words? If so, Scribus may be for you!

scribus interface

Scribus is a free, open source platform that allows you to create rich, professional layouts for everything from one-pagers to magazines. While it takes a bit of learning to get started, Scribus is both easier to use and cheaper (since it's free!) than tools like Adobe InDesign.

Distraction is Enemy #1 to many writers. Facebook never looks as enticing as when you're on a tight deadline or trying to meet a goal. If this sounds like you, FocusWriter is here to help.

FocusWriter interface

FocusWriter minimizes your work into a clean, distraction-free word processor interface, so you can simply write without worrying about the clutter on your computer screen. FocusWriter isn't the best tool for going through your second or third draft, but it's great for getting through that first run so you can do the in-depth editing elsewhere later.

Evernote is an amazing "second brain" which allows you to flexibly take notes and capture ideas in a variety of areas.

Evernote interface

You can do just about everything in Evernote, from creating to-do lists and checklists to drawing out specific notes to capturing receipts for tracking business expenses. Evernote offers up to 60 MB of space on its free plan, which is plenty if you're just using plain text notes. If you'd like to add more graphic or larger files, you can upgrade your storage for small fees.

Your life is precious, and if you’re the documenting type, you want to remember every moment, good or bad. Diaro is an advanced diary application, but it can be used for keeping a journal or simply writing notes.

Diaro interface

Use Diaro to help you keep your thoughts and memories organized and well documented. Attach photos or locations to your entries and share with others via email and social networking sites. With Diaro, you never have to worry about others stumbling across your deepest darkest secrets, because your diary will be password protected.

The best writers are able to organize and prioritize their work. Todoist is a task management application that helps you create to-do lists and custom schedules so you can work more effectively.

Todoist interface

With Todoist, you can create recurring tasks (e.g. "Write every day at 7 p.m.!") to help yourself set and achieve goals. Never worry about forgetting an important task again!

With Colorcinch you can instantly create, edit and turn your photos into artwork. It is the #1 photo editor & cartoonizer designed to be simple, beautiful, and free.

Colorcinch Interface

You can go from photo to cartoon in one click. Turn your photos into truly unique art using the cartoonizer, sketcher, and hundreds of other specialty filters and effects.

Make Writing Apps Work for You

These apps are never going to replace you as a writer, editor or designer. But they'll definitely help you become a better one. Without the right app, writing is harder than it needs to be. Simplify your life and kickstart your success with these writing apps.

Improve Your Grammar with These Sites

Grammar

Whether you're a native English speaker or an English language learner, English grammar can be tricky to master. Take the examples below:

  • The young boy loved cooking, his dog and going outside.
  • The young boy loved cooking his dog and going outside.

Eek! With the simple omission of a properly placed comma, that sentence goes quickly from cute to macabre.

No matter how long you've been writing, you can always freshen up your grammar skills. Thankfully, there are numerous sites online that exist purely to help you write correctly. Here are 10 of our favorites.

From quick lessons on commonly misspelled words to in-depth examinations of pleonasms , the ProWritingAid blog is a great place to dive into the intricacies of the English language.

Here, you'll find articles, videos and quizzes that teach and examine common grammatical errors, with plenty of contextual examples to help you learn.

ProWritingAid Editing Tool

Practice always makes perfect, so once you're done perusing the blog, hop over to ProWritingAid's Editing Tool and input your work. ProWritingAid's in-depth reports will check your work and see how well you've mastered your study.

The Writing Forward blog , created by a passionate writer, offers tons of posts on creative writing, grammar and more. The "Grammar Tips" section will walk you through tons of pesky grammar rules, from whether or not you can end a sentence with a preposition to figuring out subject-verb agreement.

The blog also offers great advice about every part of the writing process from plotting to publishing, so be sure to check out the rest of the site's informative content.

What 5 Minute English lacks in style, it more than makes up for in quick, useful lessons. 5 Minute English's lessons are designed for non-native speakers, so they cover some of the trickiest language topics, such as parallel verbs and reflexive pronouns.

Visit 5 Minute English if you're looking for a fast, fun review of some of the most complex and confusing English language topics.

Winner of the 2017 "Best Education Podcast" Award, Grammar Girl (aka Mignon Fogarty) exists to help "you do things better." Like grammar, for instance.

Articles on Grammar Girl cover all sorts of topics (such as the weird history of oxymorons or the meaning of the phrase "in the doldrums") so you can visit to not only brush up on your grammar skills, but get a lesson in English language history. The articles are snappy and fun to read, so you don't feel like you're engaging with boring material.

A self-described "fun, convenient way to learn grammar," Daily Grammar is a comprehensive teaching tool for anyone needing to polish up their English grammar skills.

Daily Grammar is more a course curriculum than a blog, with over 400 free lessons and over 80 free quizzes for you to learn and then test your knowledge. You can visit the site to access topics or have them delivered to your inbox through their complimentary email service. By visiting Daily Grammar, you'll be on your way to grammar mastery in no time.

Lousy Writer's main goal is to help you become a better writer, fast. Lousy Writer focuses on how to communicate effectively by breaking down word usages and sentence construction into clear, easy-to-understand tips.

Of particular use on Lousy Writer are the cheat sheets, which help you understand tricky concepts like possessive nouns or homonyms. These cheat sheets are great refreshers on difficult topics for English language speakers and English language learners alike.

The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) offers over 200 free resources on writing, teaching writing, grammar and mechanics, English as a Second Language, and style guides. Sponsored by Purdue University, this website is a great resource for people looking to teach and learn.

In addition to their grammar lessons, you can find formatting guides for styles such as MLA and APA, as well as suggestions on how to avoid plagiarism in your work.

FluentU

One of the best ways to learn English grammar is to hear English being spoken aloud. FluentU's library of real-world English houses videos that are timely, fun, and useful for people looking to master the English language.

While FluentU does have a subscription fee, you can access a limited free trial to see if you like the service and find it useful before deciding to commit to pay.

Are you one of those people who simply loves learning from a textbook? If so, English Grammar 101 is the site for you!

English Grammar 101 is basically a grammar textbook, only digital, so you don't have to worry about hurting your back lugging it around every day. You'll go through hundreds of in-depth lessons on everything from nouns to capitalization, with quizzes, reviews, and tests for each topic to assess your mastery.

Who says learning grammar can't be fun? With Grammar Ninja , you'll play games that help reinforce the grammar rules you've been learning.

Playing games is one of the best ways to improve your understanding and mastery of concepts, and grammar is no exception! If your eyes are going a bit crossed after studying one of the more serious lessons, pop on over to Grammar Ninja for an exciting, refreshing take on the same concepts.

No matter how tricky or frustrating it might seem, you can master English grammar! The free resources listed in this article will help you become a stronger writer in no time.

Have we missed one of your favorite sites? Tell us in the comments!

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Love writing? ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of your stories.

Lisa Lepki is Fictionary CMO and a former ProWritingAid employee. A word nerd, she loves the technical elements of writing almost as much as the writing itself. She is the co-author of The Novel-Writing Training Plan, Creating Legends: How to craft characters readers adore... or despise!, How to Build Your Author Platform on a Shoestring and 20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers.

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10 1990s comedies that simply don't get enough respect, the 10 worst sports movie coaches of all time.

Regardless of talent or experience level, everyone can use tips to help improve their writing skills. Whether a young student, professional scribe, aspiring author, or somewhere in between, the best writers are unafraid of taking advice and consistently applying it to their work in order to make great creative strides.

Luckily, in 2022 there is no shortage of cost-free digital applications specifically designed to improve a writer's daily process while upgrading the quality of the results. From idea-generating tools and daily writing assignments to helpful visual layouts and minimized workspaces, the best free writing apps currently available offer a little something for everyone.

A graph displayed on 750 Words app

As every writer knows, practice makes perfect. The more someone writes, the quicker they can become an expert. One great free app to help people get into the daily habit of writing consistently is 750 Words , an app that encourages writers to stay committed by completing 750 words a day (roughly 3 standard pages).

The app automatically tracks a writer's word count and rewards points for each completed assignment, allowing a fun way for the users to compile monthly scores. With over 555,000 free users to date, 750 Words is ideal for those who need extra motivation to stay in the creative process day in and day out.

Daily Page app logo

Sometimes, all a writer needs is a swift kick in the pants to get the creative juices flowing. One helpful free writing app that encourages its users to consistently stay active is Daily Page , which provides prompts and specific writing assignments every day to ensure a writer stays focused and in the groove at all times.

A great tool to get writers into the habit of being comfortable with writing on a daily basis, Daily Pages also forces its users to get used to staring at a blank page, a crippling reality that often deters writers from progressing. Users can either receive daily reminders or emails that provide writing prompts or choose to free-write their own topics, with the app tracking past assignments to monitor improvement as well.

EverNote's template page is displayed

Organization is every writer's best friend. The more orderly they can keep their thoughts, the clearer their writing will eventually become. Enter EverNote , a free app (with monthly limits and paid upgrades) designed for note taking, organizing, task management, and archiving. As such, a perfect tool for keeping a writer's scattered thoughts and important notes in one organized area.

While many use EverNote for checklists, note-taking, to-do lists, and other short-form scribblings, the 60 MB of free ram allows for more expressive long-form writing assignments that users can think of. If nothing else, EverNote is ideal for ensuring writer's meet their deadlines on time.

FocusWriter

A page template displayed on the FocusWriter app

Given the multitude of devices, gadgets, and screens that vie for everyone's attention, remaining focused in 2022 is harder than it's ever been. For writers who require deeper concentration to finish assignments and stay focused on the task at hand, FocusWriter is a free app specifically engineered to combat the problem of distractions.

FocusWriter minimizes a writer's workspace by utilizing a hide-away interface that eliminates all outside visual distractions and fully immerses a writer into the page of text and nothing else. The app comes with timers and alarms for those who want to increase writing speed, as well as spell-check, live stats, daily goals, customizable themes, and even a typewriter sound effect to really immerse a writer.

Grammarly's logo and slogan is displayed

While Grammarly has an upgraded pay option for $29.95 per month, the basic free version is one of the most universally utilized writing apps in 2022. Compatible with Microsoft and nearly every CMS and WordPress, the extremely useful tool provide several helpful tips and editing suggestions that go far beyond a simple spell-checker.

Using color-coded underlining to highlight specific areas of text that need improvement, Grammarly will suggest ways to make sentences flow better, avoid confusing syntax, improve clarity, and collate spelling errors, the corrections for which combine to upgrade the overall grammatical accuracy of the text. While the advanced version offers even more cool features, the free version of Grammarly is easily one of the best free writing tools in 2022.

Graph Words

A mindmap from Graph Words is displayed

A writer's arsenal is their vocabulary. The more words they are comfortable using, the more dynamic their prose will inevitably become. An ideal free app to help expand a writer's vernacular is Graph Words , which visually displays synonyms and antonyms like a mind map while one types, functioning as a digital thesaurus of sorts. Writers can simply drag a cursor over any word they write and instantly access a web of related terminology.

Connected to WordNet, a massive lexical database that has a wealth of English-language words categorized by adjective, noun, verb, and adverb, Graph Words will save writers immense time by no longer having to thumb through old thesaurus texts while vastly improving their lexicon. It's even a great tool when paired with some of the best free reading apps for kids .

A text page is displayed on the Hemingway app

One of the biggest challenges a writer faces is expressing their ideas clearly and concisely. A helpful tool to improve clarity includes Hemingway , a free app specifically designed to make a person's writing bold and clear.

The app uses color-coding to highlight specific areas of improvement, such as adverbs and weakening phrases highlighted in blue, and passive voice highlighted in green. Red is used to highlight sentences that are too dense and confusing, and yellow is used to denote sentences that are too long and needed to be broken up. A perfect tool for writers and copywriters who want to make their text as syntactically accurate and concise as possible, Hemingway is the place to be.

Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator

The logo for Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator is displayed

As every writer knows, consistently finding a muse to avoid writer's block is one of the keys to staying creatively productive. For writers who struggle to come up with ideas and concepts to write about, check out Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator  to help find inspiration for new content.

The free writing app asks its users to simply enter three different nouns into a search bar. Afterward, a week's worth of topics related to the nouns will be generated and displayed on the screen for the writer to explore. The great thing is the topics can be used for any type of writing, not just blog posts, making it useful for every type of writer. To avoid becoming like a movie character with writer's block , give Hubspot a try.

MilaNote app's homepage is displayed

For many writers, visualization is the key to making inroads into a piece of prose. One helpful free writing app that understands this better than any is MilaNote , which allows users to organize their thoughts and concepts into visual boards. Ideal for a screenwriter or director illustrating storyboards or for general brainstorming, MilaNote has tons of options for every type of writer. As such, it's ideal for use with the best free photo collage apps like Canva as well.

Offering a macro glimpse to keep a writer's work on course at all times, MilaNote is exceptional for creative writers as it provides in-depth character templates, story outlines, fast research tips, mindmaps, and all sorts of other useful tools to help visualize and translates their ideas onto the page.

ProWriting Aid

A text page is displayed in the ProWriting Aid app

Arguably the best of the bunch, ProWriting Aid is a free app that serves as a digital editor, writing coach, and style guide all packaged as one. Writers can upload documents and get 20 minutes of free feedback. The reports will advise writers on how to improve everything from syntactical flow, overused words, unclear transitions, vague verbiage, and the like.

After the reports are issued, writers will get an in-depth overview of their work replete with key tips for rapid improvement to make the text as clear and strong as it can be. As writers apply the advice to future assignments, pop-up blogs and vlogs will appear and provide even more helpful information on how to become a better scribe.

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Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

The Best Novel Writing Software of 2024 (+ 5 Free Programs)

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Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

So, you’ve just started to write your novel — which means you’re figuring things out as you go . You probably have a flock of Google Docs to wrangle, you’re always scribbling on napkins, and you have no idea where anything is. Know what you need? Some good ol’ fashioned (well, more like new-fashioned) novel writing software.

Luckily for you, we’ve come up with this list of the best, most affordable pieces of novel writing software in 2024. All of these will help you stay organized and inspire you to keep writing until the very last page! You can jump to each review using the ToC on your left, but here's a quick rundown of these writing programs and how much they cost:

  • Reedsy Studio   (word processor, formatting, and conversion) — free
  • FastPencil (word processor and exporter) — free
  • Bibisco (story planning and word processor) — free
  • Evernote (word processor and organizational tool) — free
  • FocusWriter  (writing productivity tool) — free
  • Freedom (site blocker and time management tool) — $6.99/month
  • Scrivener (story planning and word processor) — $44.99
  • Milanote  (story planning and organizational tool) — $12.50/month
  • Novlr  (word processor and grammar/style editor) — $10/month
  • WriteItNow (chapter planning and word processor) — $59.95
  • AutoCrit  (advanced editing program) — $10/month
  • Ulysses (story planning and word processor) — $5.99/month

If you want to cut straight to the chase and find out which is the right writing app for you, we recommend taking this quick 30-second quiz.

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Otherwise, let's head for the reviews! In the spirit of thriftiness, we're starting with your free options.

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Reedsy Studio

💰 Price tag: Free software ✅ Features: Format as you write, track changes, export files that are ready for instant distribution, choose between “classic” and “romance” themes

Though modesty should forbid us from crowing about Reedsy Studio , we've seen first-hand how this writing app has totally changed how many authors write and publish their novels. While some writers like programs brimming with bells and whistles (tools to research, structure, and outline your book) and others prefer software that's free from those distractions, Studio offers a happy medium between these poles.

Definitely more than a blank piece of paper, its functions are super user-friendly and geared toward a single goal: creating a beautiful book. This is a production tool that typesets as you write, turning your manuscript into a fully-formatted book or ebook that can compete with traditionally published, professionally formatted books .

In "Writing Mode," you can insert chapter breaks, scene breaks, images, and endnotes. It comes with a spell-checker that offers an automatic proof as you write — and a goal reminder system that you can toggle on if you find that you're falling behind on your writing schedule! You can view previous versions of your manuscript, in case you removed a passage you now want to re-add. When you've completed your book via Studio (congratulations!), you can export a distribution-ready EPUB or PDF file.

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Novel Writing Software | Fastpencil

💰 Price tag: Free software ✅ Features:  Easily navigable dashboard, drag-and-drop chapters, collaborative editing, multiple layout preview options, publication setup

FastPencil is essentially Google Docs for the professional (or aspiring) author. This online platform cannot be downloaded and is therefore only usable if you have WiFi. However, its nonexistent price tag more-or-less makes up for the inconvenience of not being able to work on planes, outdoors, etc.

FastPencil’s simple, streamlined interface allows users to set up a writing project, invite collaborators, and communicate entirely through the app if they wish. Two people can also upload mutually accessible “Assets” for reference during the writing process, and devise “Tasks” for each other to complete. Remember PalmPilots and other personal digital assistants? FastPencil is like a 21st-century, writing-oriented version of that.

Once your book is done, you can preview it with distinct layout templates for different genres — such as “Business,” “Memoir,” and “Dragon” (designed for YA fiction). These templates are pretty basic, but they'll give you a solid idea of what your published book will look like.

Finally, you can export your manuscript under “Publication Setup.”

Looking for the perfect playlist to get you in the writing mood? Tell us about your book, and we'll give you a made-for-you writing playlist.

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Novel Writing Software | Bibisco

💰 Price tag: Free software (Community Edition) ✅ Features: Overview screen for story “architecture,” separate section to construct characters, scene-by-scene word processing, distribution analysis for each story element

If you find most desktop writing programs unwieldy and overwhelming, then the minimalist interface of Bibisco might just solve all your problems. This is especially true if you're a plotter rather than a pantser , as Bibisco is that rare breed of free story planning  software, with plenty of virtual outlines and notecards to help you out.

With the free “Community” version of Bibisco, you can navigate among six different screens to organize and expand upon the elements of your novel. The architecture screen (above) is perhaps the most unique part of this software, with notecards for your premise, setting, and fabula. Here you can create narrative threads and articulate how they connect to one another, then flesh them out using your “scene” notecards.

Indeed, the name of Bibisco's game is breaking down your work into bite-sized, manageable pieces. Of course, this approach may make it difficult to envision your manuscript as a whole , especially as you can only write scene-by-scene — a feature which may frustrate users who are accustomed to writing in one long, all-inclusive document.

Still, Bibisco is a good choice for any author who's tired of busy interfaces and wants to prioritize productivity. And if that sounds like you, don't miss out on this next piece of software... 

Novel Writing Software | Evernote

💰 Price tag:  free “basic” plan, $9.99/month for “premium,” $14.99/month for “business" ✅ Features: writing templates, web clipper function for easily storing research, the ability to sync across multiple devices

If only the process of writing a book involved just sitting down and  going . Although sure, to an extent, this may be true. But most of us need to find the right way to capture and organize our ideas before our fingers start flying over the keyboard — or risk running out of steam. Evernote is great for the writer who needs to declutter a space (or their mind) before they can make real headway on a project.

Some of their great organizational features include their writing templates — some of which are user-created, and others are created by Evernote themselves. If you spot a chapter outline, a storyboard template, or character development profile you enjoy, you can save it and come back to it each time. The web clipper function is also popular amongst writers — especially for genres like sci-fi or historical — as you can use the clipper to save pertinent facts or articles you come across online, and save them right into your Evernote folders. 

At its core, Evernote excels as a brainstorming tool. This is why its syncing ability is also key — if you're out and about, you can drop ideas into your Evernote app and continue working on them at a later point.

If you struggle to write consistently, sign up for our How to Write a Novel course to finish a novel in just 3 months.  

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FocusWriter

Novel Writing Software | Focuswriter

💰 Price tag: Free software (you can tip, though!) ✅ Features:  A beautiful blank page for you to write your novel

FocusWriter isn’t novel-specific software per se, but it will help you rocket-boost your productivity. And of course, it's completely, permanently free — no limited-time trial, no payment with a warranty, no “premium upgrade” — so you may as well try it out!

This software is exactly what it sounds like: it helps you laser-focus your efforts onto writing , and nothing else. You can still format your manuscript and check your word count and daily writing goals via offscreen tools, but the default state is simply a blank page. You can also use full-screen mode so the only thing you see is the page in front of you — just like writing IRL.

For authors who struggle to concentrate on their work more than anything else, FocusWriter is a dream come true. You might also consider combining it with app-blocking software, like the next entry on this list, to achieve maximum productivity .

And that rounds off our section on free writing software! Now let's get into your options for paid programs.

Novel Writing Software | Freedom

💰  Price tag: $6.99/month or $20/year, free 7-session trial ✅ Features: Website and app blocking, advance block scheduling, customizable block lists and whitelisting, optional “Locked Mode,” session history, syncing across devices

Writers who procrastinate uncontrollably, get ready for a game-changer: Freedom.  This is by far our favorite time management software due to the crisp user interface, the thoughtfully designed features, and the crucial fact that it works — unlike that fickle mistress, human willpower.

Freedom allows you to block specific apps, sites, or the entire Web for any amount of time. You can schedule your blocks in advance and sync across all your devices, so you can't have a last-minute, Netflix-based change of heart. And if you're prone to mid-work moments of weakness, simply put Freedom in Locked Mode! This completely prevents you from disabling it until that time is up.

Yes, Freedom might be a difficult adjustment for someone unaccustomed to any kind of discipline, self-imposed or otherwise — but hey, we're writers. We all need a little tough love sometimes to get us going. In that sense, there's no novel writing software more effective than Freedom.

Novel Writing Software | Scrivener

💰  Price tag: $44.99 license fee, free 30-day trial ✅ Features:  Corkboard planner with virtual index cards, planning templates, integrated outlining system, customizable full-screen interface, split-screen function, import and export capabilities

Scrivener is one of the most storied (no pun intended) programs in use today. It markets itself as a “typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook all in one,” and comprises tons of helpful features . But perhaps Scrivener’s greatest benefit is the freedom it enables: with so many sections that you can arrange to your heart’s desire, the program lets you write however works best for you.

With Scrivener, you can do as much or as little planning as you want, so you don’t feel pressured to stay within certain constraints. You can shuffle your notes, outlines, and even chapters around wherever you need. It also has one of the most generous trial periods on offer — you can use it free for 30 days, but they don’t have to be consecutive. (When you do decide to pull the trigger, make sure to apply a discount !)

The only potential catch with Scrivener is that some authors might find it a little too liberating. It doesn’t provide much novel-specific instruction, as some other programs do. But it’s still an excellent organizational tool with a great interface. Whether or not you choose Scrivener just depends on how much guidance you feel you need.

Novel Writing Software | Milanote

💰 Price tag: $12.50/month or $119.88/year, free “basic” plan ✅ Features: Easy drag-and-drop interface, flexible notes board, "moodboard" for inspiration, web clipper to save research and inspiration from the Internet

As all authors know, writing isn't always linear, because thinking itself isn't linear. Too often, straight-laced writing apps can't match up to the messy, chaotic, and wonderful way in which writers brainstorm and develop their stories — especially when they're just starting to take shape.

That's where this software comes in! Milanote is a super-versatile app that allows you to organize your research, ideas, characters and outline in one single place. Its visual workspace lets you clearly connect your thoughts, create mind maps, and develop moodboards. And for those who really struggle to get started, Milanote's amazingly detailed templates (see above) could be just what you need to hit the ground running.

In other words, Milanote is ideal for the initial planning stages of your novel. Not to mention it's incredibly easy-to-use, so authors can concentrate on the important stuff — their writing — rather than trying to figure out all the complexities of the app.

Novel Writing Software | Novlr

💰 Price tag: $10/month or $100/year, free two-week trial ✅ Features: Flexible word processing, mechanical and stylistic notes, goal-setting and progress tracking, learning courses

When it comes to writing apps that really push you to improve ,  Novlr is pretty darn effective. A relative newcomer to the novel writing software scene, Novlr has been climbing the ranks since 2017, with constant improvements being made based on user feedback.

In terms of actual writing, Novlr features a clean word processor which users can customize as they please. For example, there's “Evening” mode for those who prefer a darker color scheme, and “Focus Mode” to help with concentration. Making even the smallest formatting change, such as font size, will automatically update the entire text — convenient for writers who like to keep their aesthetics fresh.

Then when it's time to edit, the Proof Reader function at the bottom of the screen offers suggestions re: punctuation, adverb use, passive voice, and more. And for authors hoping to boost their productivity as well as their prose, a quick trip to the Dashboard reveals tons of useful features: a place to set your writing goals, an analytics tab for progress, and so on.

The one thing Novlr noticeably lacks is templates for story elements like plot, characters, etc. This may be a dealbreaker for writers who require (or simply prefer) that kind of structural guidance. But for seasoned writers looking for a sophisticated, web-based writing tool — and who don't mind paying for access to it — Novlr could be just the program for you.

Or you can check out Reedsy Studio  — a sophisticated, web-based tool that's 100% FREE (and not just for two weeks, either).

Novel Writing Software | Writeitnow

💰 Price tag: $59.95 license fee, free demo (doesn’t save your work) ✅ Features:  Chapter outlines, element sheets, editing tools including readability score and repetition finder, prompts and other tools for story inspiration

WriteItNow ’s no-frills design facilitates that all-too-elusive endeavor for authors: to simply write . Its interface is pretty basic, with a planning toolbar and a sidebar to keep track of the actual writing. But don’t let its minimalism deceive you: WriteItNow also offers a variety of unique resources, especially for editing your manuscript.

After you’ve written a chapter or two with WriteItNow, not only can you check things like spelling and word count, you can also run editorial “Critiques” via the Editor Tools tab. The program will point out any repetitive phrases, unnecessary “padding” words, and even clichĂ©s you might have used — helping you polish your writing in the same way a professional copy editor might.

Another one-of-a-kind feature in WriteItNow is the “Create Idea” function. You can select a character and type of idea — in a maneuver reminiscent of choosing personality traits on The Sims — and the program will spit out creative prompts for you to integrate!

This program may seem a bit on the pricey side, but the license fee does cover both Mac and PC. In any case, WriteItNow absolutely lives up to its name in terms of helping writers get their work done. (And as every veteran writer knows, you can’t put a price on that.)

For book formatting software, check out this post on Vellum.

Novel Writing Software | Autocrit

💰 Price tag:  $10/month for the “basic” plan, $30/month for “professional,” $80/month for “elite,” or $1 for a two-week trial ✅ Features:  “Professional” plan entails genre filtering, an array of editing options for pacing, dialogue, “strong writing,” word choice, repetition, and direct comparisons to bestselling works

While other pieces of novel-writing software help you organize, develop, and even self-edit your story, they don’t include the in-depth editorial functions that AutoCrit does. This is the program to use if you already have a decent draft ready to edit. (Or if you’re a micromanaging kind of writer who likes to edit meticulously as you go.)

AutoCrit tests your work for all the factors above, and even individual elements within those factors. So for example, after selecting “word choice” as your focus area, AutoCrit allows you to narrow it down even more. Do you want to check for generic-sounding descriptions? Improve your sentence starters? Work on personal phrases? You can achieve all that and more with AutoCrit.

The program also boasts an appealing modern interface, and decent prices considering the range of editing possibilities. Some writers might be reluctant to shell out for an editing program — but those writers probably don't know how hard it is to self-edit. When you think of it that way, AutoCrit is an amazing service: it helps you edit your manuscript with the perspective of a professional, all by yourself.

Novel Writing Software | Ulysses

💰 Price tag: $5.99/month or $49.99/year ($4.17/month) ✅ Features: Typewriter mode, themeable editor, distraction-free interface, ability to set writing goals, ability to sync between multiple devices.

Ulysses is lauded for its sleek, clean, "distraction-free" interface. Some reviewers claim that this writing app gives you just the right amount of customization options in terms of appearance — without offering so many different options that it tempts you away from the actual goal of writing.

It does, of course, offer up a number of different functions that will appeal to authors. For instance, you can set daily writing goals, and even keep tabs on your progress so you can see when there are dips or spikes in your productivity. You can also organize your file into various groupings — for instance, you can just have one group called 'Works in Progress,' or you can set multiple subgroups like 'Characters Names' within 'Fantasy Novel Ideas' within 'Works in Progress,' etc., etc.

At the end of the day, Ulysses is something of a digital typewriter. You will find various features that may help you along the way, but the software is built such that when you arrive to it, you get to work right away.

Remember...

No novel writing software is actually magic — that is, none of it is going to write your book for you. But with the right tools to lend you some focus, structure, and a dash of inspiration, you might just be able to get ‘er done all by yourself. 🙌

Iain Wood says:

06/03/2019 – 14:51

You missed out wavemaker.. Https://wavemaker.co.uk

Comments are currently closed.

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COMMENTS

  1. 83 Free Writing Apps in 2024

    In addition to its free organizational templates, Evernote also gives you impressive tagging capabilities, an omnipresent Web Clipper, and the ability to share notes with collaborators, so that you'll never forget anything again. 💰 Price: Free basic plan, $4.99/month for premium.

  2. Best free writing app of 2024

    Google Docs is a great free writing platform for any writer. It's an extremely clean, quick word processor available in the browser, on desktop, and phone and tablet apps. So, you can take notes ...

  3. The Best 50 Free Writing Software And Free Writing Apps

    2. Apple Pages for Mac Users - Free. If you are a Mac user and all you need is a word processor, Apple Pages can handle everything you could possibly need to do. It really is the best free writing software for Mac. Like Word, you can start with a blank document or use the template chooser.

  4. The best free writing software in 2024

    Cliche Finder (Web) Cut cliches out of your writing using Cliche Finder. After you paste your text into the textbox and click the Find Cliches button, the tool will highlight any cliches in bold, red text. It's up to you from there, but the tool is 100% free. Cliche Finder pricing: Free.

  5. Novlr: the creative writing workspace designed with your writing goals

    Add notes, share your work, and focus on your writing, without distraction. Set goals, track your writing streaks, and get success nudges. Write wherever you are on any device with seamless online word syncing. Get access to the Academy, Community, Writer Discounts, The Reading Room and more.

  6. 7 free writing apps for designers and writers in 2024

    Pricing: The free plan covers one user seat and up to 2,000 words. The Pro plan, which offers unlimited words and five user seats, costs $49/month. 4. Writing long-form pieces: FocusWriter. Source: FocusWriter. While many AI-based apps can produce long-form pieces, they often exhibit inaccuracies and lack nuance.

  7. Reedsy Studio: A FREE Online Writing App

    Feel free to email us at [email protected] with some feedback and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Reedsy Studio is the best online writing app to help you go from blank page to published book. Organize chapters, set goals, format as you write, collaborate in real-time, and write your book—anywhere, on any device.

  8. 15 Best Free Writing Apps To Create Content

    9. Copy.ai. Next on the list comes Copy.ai, one of the best AI writing tools that can transform and streamline your content creation process. It is a great tool for bloggers, writers, business owners, and more that can help you ace your blog posts, email copies, social media posts, and more. Copy.ai.

  9. 41 Writing Apps in Android in 2024

    Writer Plus. Writer Plus is a writing application without the fuss and distraction of a traditional word processor, perfect for writing notes, novel, lyrics, poems, essay, draft on your phone or tablet. Platforms: Android. Best for: Note-taking, Poetry, Story, Essay, and Free.

  10. The Best Writing Apps for 2024

    We have two favorite apps for long-form writers. One is Scrivener, which has templates and tools for a variety of genres and forms. The other is Ulysses, which is better for writers who find ...

  11. 32 Best Free Writing Software (2024)

    3. Apple Pages. Price: Free with Macs. Operating system: Mac, iOS. Apple Pages is an excellent free writing app for Mac users. If you use a Mac, then there is a good chance you have heard about Apple Pages. It's one of the best writing programs for Mac users, and it works smoothly.

  12. The 10 Best Writing Apps of 2024

    Creative writing apps are plentiful, and as a writer, you can use all the helpful writing apps you can find. Whether you write novels or screenplays, there's a writing app out there for you. ... Evernote is free to download for both Android and iOS devices, or you can use it online. Users can upgrade to Evernote Premium for $7.99 per month or ...

  13. The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024

    Best Free Writing App: Android iOS: FREE: Check It Out: Grammarly: Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form: Android. iOS. Free, or $12-$30/month: Check It Out: Final Draft: Best Writing App for Screenwriters: iOS: $249.99: Check It Out: Novlr: Best Writing App for Productivity: Android. iOS. $10/month, or $100/year: Check It Out: Plottr: Best ...

  14. 13 Best Free Writing Software in 2024

    12. Scrivener. Scrivener is the go-to free script writing software for thousands of users, including self-published authors, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, and academics. With integrated research, outline, and writing support, creative writing becomes effortless.

  15. Best Free Writing Apps: Top 11 Software Writers Need

    10. Grammar Ninja. You CAN Master English Grammar. 1. ProWritingAid. Come on. You were expecting this. But our writers really do believe that ProWritingAid should be at the top of this list. ProWritingAid is an online editor, writing coach, and style guide, all rolled into one.

  16. 37 Best Writing Apps to Improve Your Skills

    2. ProWritingAid. Use for: Proofreading and grammar checking. Pricing: From free to $25+ per month. ProWritingAid is another proofreading and grammar checker writing app that will help you improve your writing and refine the art of self-editing. ProWritingAid works similarly to Grammarly, but it's more affordable.

  17. The Ultimate List of 128 Writing Apps in 2024

    AutoCrit. The only online writing and editing platform that guides your hand based on data from real, bestselling books, AutoCrit is built to match the genuine demands of publishing professionals and discerning readers. Platforms: Online. Best for: Outlining, Drafting, Proofreading, Book, Story, and Free.

  18. Free writing software recommendations? : r/writing

    Asciidoc and LaTex might be worth a consideration but they tend to get in the way for quick writing or are time consuming to get nice output. All popular plain text/coding editors have great plugins and previews for all mentioned options. Vscodium, texstudio and typora might be worth extra mentions. Reply reply.

  19. 10 Best Free Apps To Improve Your Writing

    Grammarly. While Grammarly has an upgraded pay option for $29.95 per month, the basic free version is one of the most universally utilized writing apps in 2022. Compatible with Microsoft and nearly every CMS and WordPress, the extremely useful tool provide several helpful tips and editing suggestions that go far beyond a simple spell-checker.

  20. The Best Novel Writing Software of 2024 (+ 5 Free Programs)

    FastPencil (word processor and exporter) — free. Bibisco (story planning and word processor) — free. Evernote (word processor and organizational tool) — free. FocusWriter (writing productivity tool) — free. Freedom (site blocker and time management tool) — $6.99/month.

  21. DeepL Write: AI-powered writing companion

    Write with confidence, powered by AI. Get perfect spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Sound fluent, professional, and natural. Fine-tune your writing with word and sentence alternatives. Choose a writing style and tone that fits your audience.