When it comes to different writing apps, tools, and software, writers have more choices than ever.

But, it may also be a distraction to help you do the most important thing: write. 

Are you a content writer, blogger, author, novelist, screenwriter, or entrepreneur? You want to make sure you have the best writing apps available.

A Writing app should help you be more productive and creative.

I used to make many excuses for not writing. One of them was that I needed the ‘perfect writing software’ before I could get started. 

I tried almost every writing app available and switched between them many times.

I even thought about learning how to code to create the perfect and best writing app. 

Talk about trying to do anything to get out of actually writing!

Are you looking to find the best writing app in 2023? I’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. 

What Are Writing Apps?

Writing apps are software programs that help you write more efficiently. They can offer a range of features, such as outlining tools, templates, and writing prompts.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for some products I am recommending. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

What Are The Best Writing Apps?

Here is a list of the best writing apps, software, and tools for Mac and Windows in 2023.

1. Scrivener

Scrivener on 4 screens

Use For: Long-form writing

Available On: Mac, Windows, iOS 

Price: Mac $49, Windows $49, iOS $19.99, Bundle: macOS, & Windows $80

Scrivener is the best writing app for long-form writing and is best suited to novelists. It contains all the tools you need to write your first draft. Scrivener keeps your work organized to give you flexibility over your ideas, research, and writing.

There are many templates to choose from and endless formatting customization options.

Scrivener is one of the most detailed writing apps, and it can be overwhelming the first time you open it. 

It has a steep learning curve, but many tutorials and online courses get you up and running.

Scrivener allows you to sync your work between Mac, Windows, and iOS mobile devices via Dropbox. Although, you need to buy a separate license for each, which is a one-time payment instead of a subscription.

Try Scrivener with a 30-day free trial.

2. Ulysses

Ulysses writing app on mac, ipad and iphone

Use For: Markdown Editor

Available On: Mac, iPad, iPhone Only

Price: $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year

When you first see Ulysses, it may look a little light on features compared to other writing apps and a more stripped-down version like Scrivener. But once you’ve had a closer look, you’ll see that there are many powerful features. 

Ulysses is the best writing app for markdown, plain-text and simple formatting.

You can use it for anything from notes to blogging to long-form novels. Ulysses lets you upload directly to WordPress and Medium for streamlined publishing.

The minimalist interface allows for a distraction-free writing experience, but any tool you need is only a click away. The design is gorgeous and matches the Apple look and feel.

As an example, instead of seeing bold text, it will instead be displayed as **bold**

It may appear strange at first, but many writers prefer writing in markdown. It lets you write instead of wasting time tweaking settings and formatting for hours.

Ulysses has keyword labels, writing projects tracking, and a sidebar to organize your sessions.

Ulysses has a monthly or yearly subscription and is available for Apple users on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. 

3. Google Docs

Use For: Word Processing

Available On: Browser extension, Mac, Windows, iOS App, Android App

Price: Free

Google Docs is quickly becoming the go-to writing app for writers instead of Microsoft Word. 

There is almost no learning curve, as it is similar to Word. But best of all, Google Docs is a free writing app. 

It is an online word processing tool that you can use anywhere and on any device. 

One downside is that you need to be connected to the internet to use it. However, there is a setting in your Google Drive where you can enable offline use also.

Docs is great for real-time collaboration. It allows many users to make suggestions or changes that instantly update.

You never have to worry about losing your work again. Google Docs has an autosave feature, which saves your work as you type.

4. Microsoft Word

Use For: Word Processing

Available On: Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Price: Microsoft 365 Personal $69.99 /year or $6.99 /month or Office Home & Student 2021 $149.99 one-time purchase.

Microsoft Word is the most well-known word processor. After all, it has been around since 1983. As a result, many people have used Word for school and work.

There are now more alternatives to Microsoft Word than ever. But, Word is still the ‘industry standard’ amongst writing apps, especially in the publishing industry.

When I worked as a freelance content writer, most of my clients still requested that I submit work as a Word document.

Word is available as part of the Office 365 subscription and includes an online version and collaboration tools.

5. Final Draft

Final draft writing app on Mac

Use For: Screenwriting

Available On: Mac, Windows, iOS (sold separately)

Price: $249.99

Final Draft is the industry standard amongst the best writing apps for screenwriters. It is used by 95% of the entertainment industry.

While expensive, if you are serious about pursuing a screenwriting career, Final Draft is a must-have.

You can be up and writing within minutes from the first time you open the app. 

Final Draft formats your script to strict entertainment industry formats to allow you to focus on your story instead. 

There are over 300 templates available for screenplays, teleplays, graphic novels, and more.

Final Draft has a 30-day free trial.

6. Grammarly

Use For: Checking Spelling and Grammar, and Editing

Available On: Desktop, Browser, Windows, Mac

Price: Free Basic Plan, Premium Plan starting from $12 /month

Grammarly is essential for every writer and is the best writing app for editing your work.

It is an online writing assistant to help you check your writing for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Grammarly integrates with all the most popular writing apps, email clients, and social media sites. These include Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Google Docs, Word, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Whether you are editing a blog post, a novel, writing an email to a client, or a Tweet, Grammarly has got you covered.

It provides powerful editing suggestions, which help make you a better writer. These include replacing repetitive or common words and avoiding passive voice. 

The free plan is good for the casual writer. But for people who do a lot of writing or are professional writers, the Premium plan is worth the investment. It is like having your own personal editor.

7. Hemingway Editor

Use For: Checking Grammar and Editing

Available On: Web, Mac, Windows

Price: Free or $19.99 Desktop App

Writing in a simple way is easier said than done.

Luckily there is an editor named after Ernest Hemingway to help. 

Hemingway App helps tighten up your prose and keep your writing simple.

You paste your text into the editor and see your readability score. You can then see how many times you use adverbs and passive voice. Hemingway also shows if there are words with a simpler alternative. 

Sentences that are hard to read are highlighted in orange. 

Sentences that are very hard to read are highlighted in red. 

At first, the Hemingway writing app can be enough to drive you insane. But, if you follow the suggestions, it does make you a better writer over time.

There is also a desktop version available for a one-time fee of $19.99 for Mac and Windows. 

I have the paid version, and it is the same as the free web-based version, except that it allows you to edit offline.

8. Bear

Bear writing app screenshot

Use For: Notes, Markdown Editor

Available On: Apple – iPhone, iPad, Mac

Price: Free limited-features, Pro $1.49 /month, $14.99 /year

Bear is another markdown editor like Ulysses, although with limited features.

It was designed as a short form note-taking app but has gained popularity amongst writers due to its beautiful interface. You can also use Bear for writing blog posts and even novels.

It is a more affordable alternative to Ulysses. The main difference is it uses #tags to sort files rather than folders. 

There is a free version. But, syncing doesn’t work across devices, which is fine if you only plan to use it on one device. You also only have limited themes.

The Pro subscription gives you access to sync between devices, access to more themes, greater export options, and the ability to lock notes.

9. Vellum

Use For: Publishing eBooks and paperbacks

Available On: Mac

Price: $199.99 for eBooks, $249.99 for eBooks & Paperbacks

Vellum is the best writing app to create beautiful books with ease.

Are you tired of wasting many frustrating days trying to format your eBook? Well, you can do it with Vellum in just a few clicks for Kindle, Kobo, and Apple Books. 

Choose your trim size, and leave the rest to Vellum to magically create eBooks.

Vellum is very expensive. But, it pays for itself, with how much time it saves formatting your books and how beautiful they look.

It is a one-time price of $199.99 for Vellum eBooks or $249.99 for Vellum Press to create eBooks and paperbacks.

10. Evernote

Evernote writing app on laptop and phone

Use For: Notes & Organizing your life

Available On: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web

Price: Free limited-features, from $7.99 /month or $69.99 /year 

Evernote used to be the note-taking app. 

People use Evernote to plan their entire lives – for notes, tasks, and their schedules.

Evernote is still an excellent option for taking notes. But, many alternatives, such as Apple Notes, Notion, One Note, and Bear, are now available.

There are so many menus and features that it can appear overwhelming.

What makes Evernote so powerful is its web clipper, which lets you save web pages, articles, and PDFs to Evernote. It also has a dictation mode to get your ideas into a note fast and excellent team collaboration. 

A free plan is available, but it only lets you sync between 2 devices and upload 60MB per month. The Personal Plan starts at $7.99 per month and is a good investment if you intend to use Evernote regularly.

11. Scapple

scapple writing app screenshot

Use For: Mind Mapping

Available On: Mac, iOS, Windows

Price: $18

Scapple was developed by Literature & Latte as a companion writing app for Scrivener. 

It is a freeform virtual sheet of paper that lets you brainstorm ideas. Scribble down all your thoughts and connect them any way you like via lines or arrows.

12. Voice Memos

Use For: Dictation

Available On: Apple iOS

Price: Free

Have a great idea for your book or blog post? Voice Memos is the best way to quickly capture ideas by using either your iPhone or iPad. It is the portable audio recorder that you always have on you.

Voice Memos is free and comes as a pre-installed app.

13. Rev

Use For: Transcription

Available On: Web

Price: From $1.25 per minute of audio

Have you captured your next great idea as a voice memo? Or an interview as part of your research? Rev provides a great service to transcribe it for you to text. 

Prices start from $1.25 per 1 minute of audio transcription. Rev uses human transcriptions and guarantees 99% accuracy for all transcriptions.

14. Otter

Use For: Transcribe your notes

Available On: Web

Price: Basic Free, Pro from $8.33 /month

Otter provides a free automated audio transcription service. While it isn’t as accurate as Rev, it still provides a great starting point. 

Otter offers 600 free minutes per month. It is a time and cost-effective solution than transcribing your own recordings. 

You’ll most likely have to listen through your recording and correct any errors you find, though.

15. Save The Cat! Story Structure Software

Use For: Structuring your story

Available On: Windows, Mac

Price: From $99 /year

Save The Cat is the book on screenwriting. 

But did you know they also offer story structure software?

Save The Cat! Story Structure Software is built for film, novel, and TV writers. It offers the fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation.

Do you already use the Save The Cat structure? 

Hint: you should. 

If so, Save the Cat software makes a great companion.

16. iA Writer

iA Writer Software

Use For: Markdown Writing

Available On: Mac, iOS, Windows, Android 

Price: MacOS $29.99, iOS & iPadOS $29.99, Android $4.99 /year or $29.99 once, Windows $29.99

iA Writer is one of the first markdown writing apps. It is perfect for when you just want to focus on the words on the page and the writing process itself.

It features a minimalist interface and stripped-back tools to focus on your words instead of tweaking formatting. 

Unlike other markdown apps, iA Writer is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. But, you will have to buy it separately for each platform you use.

17. ProWritingAid

Use For: Writing and Grammar Checker

Available On

Price: $20 /month, $79 /year, $399 /lifetime

ProWritingAid is like having a professional editor available 24 hours a day.

A writing mentor, grammar checker, and style editor rolled into one handy writing app.

ProWritingAid integrates with other writing apps such as MS Outlook, MS Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener. It also has a Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge extension.

Are you are an author, copywriter, editor, student, or professional? ProWritingAid gives you clear and easy steps to improve your writing skills.

18. Apple Notes

Use For: Note-taking

Available On: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Price: Free

Need to get an idea down fast? Apple Notes is a great solution and comes pre-installed on your iOS and Mac devices. 

While the early versions of Notes was limited, many new features have been added to turn it into a serious note-taking app over the past few years.

Apple Notes sync flawlessly across devices. It also has a minimalist layout and lets you keep your thoughts organized with folders and tags.

19. Apple Pages

Apple Pages Software

Use For: Word Processing

Available On: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Price: Free

Apple Pages is a powerful word processor which allows you to write stunning books and documents. 

It is the Apple equivalent of Microsoft Word. While there are many differences, it is easy to use, and Word users should pick it up quickly.

Pages is free and comes pre-installed on all Apple devices. 

You can use it across multiple devices, including a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. PC users can also use Pages online thanks to iCloud as part of iWork. 

Pages is compatible with Apple Pencil on iPad, and it features excellent collaboration features. 

Are you looking for a great free word processor alternative to Microsoft Word and want to stay in the Apple ecosystem? Apple Pages is an excellent choice.

20. Reedsy

Use For: Editing, Cover Design, Marketing

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Reedsy Book Editor is a distraction-free writing app that helps turn your draft into a professional-grade book. It has a minimal, sleek, and elegant design and interface. 

Reedsy shines by helping you prepare your book for publication with its advanced typesetting features. Then, with ease, you can upload your file to any eBook retailer or print-on-demand supplier. 

21. Plottr

Plottr writing app

Use For: Visual book planning and outlining

Available On: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Price: Annual Subscription – 1 Device $25, $3 Devices $45, Pro $79 | Lifetime – 1 Device $99, 3 Devices $149, Pro $249

Having trouble outlining your book? Well, now there is a better solution!

Plottr is the number 1 visual book planning software that makes outlining faster and easy with its great organization features.

You can visualize your plot points without a corkboard to quickly arrange and rearrange your plots, scenes, and character arcs. Plottr also lets you create your story bible and automate your outlines.

There are templates to get you started immediately, from Hero’s Journey to Romancing the Beat and more. Then, when you’re finished with your outline, you can export it to Word and Scrivener to seamlessly begin writing.

22. Aeon Timeline

aeon timeline writing app

Use For: Timeline Management

Available On: Windows, Mac, iOS

Price: $64.99 (Includes one year of updates)

Aeon Timeline helps you create complex, personalized timelines for your writing projects. The writing app features customized templates for various industries such as creative writing and project management.

It provides chronological views to help writers avoid plot holes. This lets you perfect the art of storytelling and dive deeper into worldbuilding.

Aeon Timeline is a one-time purchase, letting you use it on up to 5 devices.

23. Notability

Use For: Notes, Annotations

Available On: iPad, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac (with M1 Chip)

Price: Free Starter with limited features, $11.99 /year

Notability is a simple yet powerful note-taking app. It features a minimal and intuitive interface so you can get started immediately. 

While it started as a note-taking app, you can now use it to create and annotate anything, from storyboards to study guides. It is simple enough to write without its features getting in the way. But the advanced features are only just a quick menu away.

Notability is compatible with the Apple Pencil to give you the most powerful digital notebook experience on iPad.

24. Bibisco

Use For: Novel Writing

Available On: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Price: Community Edition Free, Supporter’s Edition – 18€+VAT one-time payment

Bibisco is a user-friendly fully-featured novel writing tool. 

It is straightforward and has everything you need to write your book. 

You can use it to organize your ideas, create your world, and write in a distraction-free environment. 

25. HubSpot Blog Ideas Generator

Use For: Creating Spectacular Headlines for blog posts and articles

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Do you have writer’s block and are out of ideas for your next blog post? Well, Hubspot has got you covered.

The Blog Ideas Generator can instantly give you ideas for blog posts. All you have to do is enter a noun to get started. 

The generator will then give you a week of content ideas. 

If only writing blog posts was this easy.

26. Dragon Anywhere

Use For: Dictation

Available On: iOS & Android

Price: $15 /month, $150 /year

Dragon Anywhere is a professional-grade dictation app. It lets you dictate on your iOS or Android mobile devices fast and easily.

Whether you’re at a local coffee shop, visiting clients, conducting interviews, or just at home, Dragon is always there with you in your pocket.

You can create, edit, format, and share documents directly from mobile devices.

Dragon Anywhere has 99% accuracy. It also features a correction menu to correct any spelling mistakes. 

Over time, you can train Dragon to improve its accuracy based on how you speak.

27. OneLook Thesaurus/Reverse Dictionary

Use For: Reverse dictionary

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Are you struggling to find the right word no matter how hard you think? Now there is a much easier way. 

OneLook’s thesaurus/reverse dictionary lets you search for a concept. It then gives you back a list of words and phrases. 

Simply enter a word, phrase, description, or pattern, and OneLook will find what you mean, like magic.

I discovered OneLook a few years ago and have been using it daily ever since.

There is also a free Google Docs Add-On to let you find synonyms, related words, adjectives, rhyme words with ease without having to leave Google Docs.

28. WriteRoom

Use For: Distraction-free Writing

Available On: Mac

Price: $9.99

WriteRoom is a distraction-free writing app for Mac. 

They proudly state that, unlike ‘cluttered word processors,’ WriteRoom lets you focus on writing. 

WriteRoom has a full-screen writing environment to let you focus on your work, clear your mind, and write better. 

Forget page layout, graphs, or insert tables. The entire app has a distraction-free writing environment, which may be good to get your first draft down before moving to another app. 

You can download different themes submitted by other users to customize the look to suit your needs.

29. Freedom

Freedom writing app screenshots

Use For: Block Websites, App & Internet

Available On: Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Chrome

Price: $8.99 /month, $39.99 /year, $159.99 /forever

Do you find yourself getting distracted? Are you doing anything but writing? 

I used to be guilty of that until I discovered Freedom

Checking social media for just a minute can quickly turn into an hour of wasted time before you know it. All without even opening any writing apps.

Freedom lets you get rid of distractions while you are writing. You can choose to block websites and apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chrome, so that you can focus on the task at hand instead. 

Select your devices, choose sites and apps to block, and set your schedule. Then, take back your time, and be more productive.

30. FocusWriter

Use For: Distraction-free writing

Available On: Windows, Linux, Mac

Price: Free, with optional donation

FocusWriter is another distraction-free, simple writing environment. The interface gets out of the way to immerse yourself in your writing and concentrate on the words. When you move your mouse to the edge of the screen, the interface then appears. 

It is excellent for turning your ideas into words and then importing them into another program for editing later. 

FocusWriter is available on both Linux and Windows.

31. Storyist

Storyist writing app on mac, ipad and iphone

Use For: Novel writing & Screenwriting

Available On: Mac & iOS

Price: $59 for Mac, $19.99 for iOS

Storyist is similar to Scrivener in many ways. It has excellent organization with long-form writing in mind. 

Unlike traditional word processors, Storyist is intuitive. It is easy to use and helps you keep track of your characters, plot, and settings.

There are many manuscript and screenplay templates. So you can spend more time telling your story and less time worrying about formatting options.

Storyist is not the cheapest writing app with a one-time fee of $59. But, if you are a serious novelist or screenwriter, then it is a good investment.

32. Dynalist

Use For: Outlining

Platforms Available: Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS

Price: Free Plan, or Pro $7.99

Do you like to outline your work before you start writing? Dynalist is great for organizing your thoughts, ideas, and tasks into simple lists. It works well for outlining either an article, blog post or novel.

Dynalist is very easy to use yet extremely powerful. You can nest things infinitely and keep breaking them down into smaller ideas. Connect the dots, and reorganize your thoughts. You can also track your tasks.

The free version has almost everything you need. But, the Pro version includes Google Calendar integration, Dropbox & Google Drive backup, version history, and much more.

33. SelfControl

Use For: Avoid distractions while writing

Available On: Mac

Price: Free

Sometimes it can be hard to have self-control, especially if you find it easy to procrastinate. 

SelfControl has got your back. While not a ‘writing app’, this free Mac app helps you to avoid distracting websites and email. 

You set a time, choose the sites to add to your blocklist, and click start. 

The best (or worst) thing about SelfControl, is that you can’t access those sites until the timer ends. So even if you restart your computer or delete the app, there is no way to ‘cheat.’

34. Trello

Trello screenshot

Use For: Storyboards

Available On: Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Price: Free Basic Plan, from $5 /month Standard Plan

Trello is a great tool for fiction writers. 

As well as managing your to-do list, you can also create a board for your novel. 

You can add chapters and scene cards.

Trello makes it easy to move and rearrange scenes and change the order of your chapters and timeline with ease. 

35. The Novel Factory

Use For: Plot Templates, Character Builders, Writing Guides

Available On: Web, Windows

Price: Basic $75/Year, Standard $198/Year, Premium $600/Year

The Novel Factory is a fiction writing tutorial and writing software all in one. 

The Novel Factory simplifies the novel-writing process whether you’re struggling to write your first novel or want to take your writing to the next level.

It is web-based, and the online version of The Novel Factory works with any internet browser. There is also a Windows Desktop app that lets you work offline, with a Mac Desktop version coming soon.

36. Ayoa

Use For: Mind Mapping

Available On: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Web App

Price: Pro $10/Month, Ultimate $13/Month

Ayoa is the only mind mapping app powered by AI. You can take your brainstorming to new levels and boost your creativity and productivity.

Ayoa is an all-in-one mind mapping, task management, and collaboration app designed to help you achieve your best work.

You can choose between structured speed maps or visual organic maps seamlessly. Utilize mind maps, whiteboards, workflow, canvas, Gantt, radial working methods.

Ayoa also integrates with Google Drive, iMindMap, Evernote, Dropbox, and many more writing apps.

37. Canva

Use For: Graphic Design

Available On: Web, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android

Price: Free for Standard, Pro from $9.99 /month

It is no longer about just words. Writers now often need to create graphics as well. 

Luckily, it has never been easier, even if you don’t have a design background.

Canva is a free drop and drag tool which helps you create beautiful, eye-catching graphics. Design a cover photo for a blog post, find stock images, a book cover, or social media content in minutes. 

Canva has templates for everything.

If Photoshop seems overwhelming, or you don’t want to pay for the Creative Cloud membership, Canva is a great alternative.

38. Dropbox

Dropbox Logo

Use For: Online Cloud Backup

Available On: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android

Price: Basic Free, Plans from $9.99 /month

We’ve all been there before, writing the perfect chapter, blog, essay, or work presentation. But then, suddenly the program crashes, or there is a blackout, and all our best work is lost.

Most writing software now includes auto saving every few seconds. As well as auto-recovery to prevent this from ever happening again. 

But, there is still the chance a file may become corrupt, you lose your backup drive, or your hard drive fails. If any of these happen, you can no longer recover your work.

Dropbox gives you peace of mind, as it makes an extra backup in the cloud, allowing you to recover it from anywhere.

39. Day One

Day One App on Macbook, iPhone, Apple Watch

Use For: Journaling your life

Available On: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Android

Price: Free To Use. Premium $2.92/year (billed annually)

Day One is the one of the best writing apps for journaling. It even calls itself your journal for life.

It has won many awards, including App of the Year, Apple Editor’s Choice, and an Apple Design Award. 

Day One is a gorgeous app that makes journaling easy. It provides you with your own private space to share your most intimate moments and thoughts. 

Day One uses biometric security, automatic backup, and end-to-end encryption to keep your thoughts safe.

The layout and design let you focus on your writing without any unnecessary bloated features. 

Add photos, videos, drawings, and audio recordings to your journal entries to give them that extra personal touch.

40. AutoCrit

Use For: Editing

Available On: Web

Price: Free Forever Basic Plan, Professional Plan $30/Month, $297/Annually

AutoCrit is a self-editing online editing platform for both fiction and non-fiction. 

The platform is built from real, best-selling books. So you can improve your editing with confidence and increase your productivity.

AutoCrit is a membership site. It provides all the practical tools you need to grow as a writer, including world-class editing software. 

Autocrit also offers professional expertise such as peer connection, regular workshops, and events.

There is a free plan which includes essentials for every author. The Professional Plan starts from $30/Month or $297/Annually.

41. Zoho Writer

Use For: Word Processing

Available On: Web

Price: Free for individuals, Standard $5 /month, Premium $8 /month

Zoho Writer is one of the best online free writing apps. It is an alternative to Microsoft Word, which lets you open and edit Word documents. You can also sync between your Mac, PC, iOS, or Android devices and save your files as MS Word or PDF files.

Zoho Writer is a powerful word processor. It features WordPress integration, a free grammar checker, and real-time online collaboration tools.

42. Minimal

Use For: Note taking

Available On: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch

Price: $4.99 /month or $49.99 /mear

Minimal is a meditation-inspired writing app with simple and elegant typography. It helps you increase focus and write beautifully to create highly-readable and clean notes. 

The powerful tools keep out of the way to allow you to write until the moment you need them.

The ‘Note Lifetime’ feature lets your notes expire after a specific time. This may be the best way to keep your workspace organized and reflective of the current moment.

43. LibreOffice

Use For: Word Processing

Available On: Windows, Mac, Linux

Price: Free

LibreOffice is a free, open-source writing tool, which is like Microsoft Office. 

If you want most of the features of Microsoft without the high price tag, then LibreOffice is a powerful alternative. 

It features Writer, which has everything you need for a modern, full-featured word processor similar to Word.

LibreOffice is also compatible with.doc, .docx, and standard Microsoft file formats. You can be sure not to have any compatibility issues when sharing with colleagues.

44. Headline Analyzer from CoSchedule

Use For: Creating Powerful Headlines

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Headline Analyzer from CoSchedule is the best free Headline Analyzer tool. Based on data, it gives you suggestions to write headlines to drive traffic, boost shares, and improve your SEO and search result rankings.

Headline Analyzer uses word balance, headline type, sentiment, word count, and character count. It also uses skimmability, clarity, and reading grade level factors to help you craft the perfect headline for your blog post or article.

There is also a free Google Chrome extension.

45. Campfire

Campfire writing app screenshot

Use For: Organization, Create Characters, Timelines & Interactive Maps

Available On: Web, Mac, Windows

Price: Free Version, and & Modules – from $0.25 /month per module.

Campfire provides a platform to build and reach an audience so that you can write better stories faster. It also has organizational tools and educational resources.

Campfire Write helps you create characters, timelines, and interactive maps.

While Campfire Learn features blogs, videos, podcasts, and tutorials to teach about the craft of writing.

Campfire Explore lets you share your work with the Campfire community and read projects by other writers.

Use For:

Available On:

Price:

46. Noisli

Use For: Creating a perfect Sound Environment

Available On: iOS, Android, Chrome Extension

Price: Basic Free, Pro $10 /month

Do you find it difficult to write in total silence and prefer background noise and color to keep you focussed? Well, whether you’re in an office, on public transport, or in a library, Noisli is the perfect companion for you. 

It lets you select from many different soundscapes to help you work and relax. They include white noise, forest with birds, water, seaside with seagulls, wind, rain, a lake, and even a coffee shop. 

Best of all is that you can mix sounds and set their volume to choose the perfect soundscape for you, depending on your vibe and feel for what you are writing!

47. Cliché Finder

Use For: Removing clichés from your writing

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Do you find yourself using clichés way too often in your writing? 

It is easy to do so without even realizing it!

Cliché Finder makes it easy to improve your communication skills and writing. 

Cliché Finder will identify any words, phrases, or expressions which are overused or stale. It works for copy, creative writing, or poetry.

The free tool finds clichés in your writing and highlights them, making it easy to remove them.

48. Capitalize My Title

Use For: Convert text to Title Case

Platforms Available: Web

Price: Free

Capitalize My Title is a simple web tool that makes title capitalization easy. 

Save time, and automatically capitalize and case convert your titles. You can choose from Title Case, sentence case, UPPERCASE, lowercase, and more. 

Select the capitalization you want, paste your title, and automatically convert it.

49. Dabble

Dabble Software on 4 Devices

Use For: Cloud-based Book Writing

Available On: Web

Price: Basic $10 /month, Standard $15 /month, Premium $20 /month

Dabble is the best cloud-based book writing platform. The easy-to-use novel writing software helps to turn your story into a reality. It includes feature-rich tools to develop your characters, plot your novel, and notation.

Dabble has a similar look and feel like Scrivener, minus the learning curve. You can drag and drop scenes and characters, view your notes while writing, and set word count goals and deadlines.

There is a 14-day free trial available and then a monthly subscription. While it is rather pricey compared to other writing apps, it is money well spent if it helps you achieve your writing goals.

50. Writing Master Academy

Use For: Improve your writing skills

Available On: Web

Price: $15/Monthly, $160/Annual

Whether you’re a new writer or have already written a few novels, Writing Master Academy helps you take your writing to the next level. 

Jessica Brody is the author of the best-selling Save The Cat! Writes A Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need.

She teaches how to craft more engaging plots, develop strong characters, and finish first drafts faster. Topics also include how to revise with confidence, boost productivity, brainstorm the perfect idea, and more.

You get unlimited access to all online writing courses and live webinars for a monthly subscription of $15 monthly or $160 annually.

51. WorldAnvil

Use For: Worldbuilding, Plot & Character Development

Available On: Web

Price: Free Account with basic features, Journeyman, Master, Grandmaster

WorldAnvil aims to be your complete writing toolset and has everything you could imagine or need to create your world and story. It has many more features than most other writing apps.

The tools to help you every step of the way. They include writing prompts, worldbuilding templates, interactive maps, timelines, family trees, and more.

You can set scenes, keep track of timelines and plots, and follow your characters on their epic quests across your maps.

Create your world bible, and develop your plots and characters. Then write and publish your novel with WorldAnvil’s writing software.

What sets WorldAnvil apart is a community with over 750,000 people. It gives you a platform to publish and monetize your writing as an author.

52. Kindle Direct Publishing

Use For: Publishing eBooks and paperbacks

Available On: Web

Price: Free

Have you written the next great best-seller? Do you want to self-publish Kindle eBooks and paperbacks for free and reach millions of readers on Amazon? 

Kindle Direct Publishing makes it easy, and publishing takes less than 5 minutes. Within 24-48 hours, your book will appear on Kindle stores worldwide. You can also up to 70% of royalties and enroll in KDP Select to earn through Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

You set your prices, make changes to your books at any time, and keep control of your rights. 

Laptop, and woman writing in notebook

Further Reading on SkylerBenson.com

Looking for the perfect gift for the writer in your life? Check out the best gifts for writers in 2023.

Did you know that you can use AI writing software to help boost your productivity and improve your writing?

Want to write the next Hollywood blockbuster? Here are the best apps for screenwriting.

Want to turn your text into speech? Here are the best text-to-speech tools.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for some products I am recommending. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Choosing The Right Writing Apps

Choosing the best writing apps can be a difficult decision. 

Unfortunately, it can also be the cause of a lot of procrastination.

Hopefully, this guide has been able to help you choose the right writing software for your needs. 

Try not to get caught up in the features the writing software offers. Instead, look for the one that best suits your workflow. A writing app should make you more efficient and productive.

Many writing apps offer a free trial, so be sure to try a few of them out first before making a final decision. 

It can get easy to get caught up learning new writing software apps instead of doing the most important thing, writing. 

So, choose the best writing apps for you, and keep writing!

Skyler Benson
Skyler Benson

Skyler Benson is a full-time blogger. Join Skyler on SkylerBenson.com and learn how to start an online business and create a life of freedom. Before starting this blog, Skyler worked online as a freelance content writer. He worked with digital marketing agencies and B2B companies for four years. Skyler reviews the best software for your online business and teaches you how to write better and start your freelancing career.