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DIRECTORY

Best Writing Apps in 2025

Showing 128 writing apps that match your search.

Capture what’s on your mind. Add notes, lists, photos, and audio to Keep.

Platforms: Online, iPhone, iPad, Android

Best for: Note-taking, Story, Book, Blog, Journal, Poetry, and Free

Website: https://www.google.com/keep/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

Set reminders

Share easily

Quick search and filter

★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.5 on TechRadar

Enjoy a distraction-free writing experience, including a full screen mode and a clean interface. With Markdown, you can write now, and format later.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, PC

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, Poetry, Journal, Blog, Essay, and Free

Website: https://ghostwriter.kde.org/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

Light and dark themes

Focus mode

Document and session statistics

Autosave

★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

★★★★★ Value

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

Website: https://www.autocrit.com/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

$30.00 monthly

Pre-made templates

Digital notecards

Interactive reports

★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

★★ Value

Also rated 4.0 on TechRadar

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Compose bold, clear, mistake-free writing with Grammarly. Work with an AI writing partner that helps you find the words you need⁠—⁠to write that tricky email, to get your point across, to keep your work moving.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, Online, PC

Best for: Editing, Proofreading, Book, Essay, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://www.grammarly.com/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

$12.00 monthly

Grammar & plagiarism checker

Tone detector

Citation generator

★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★★★★ Accessibility

★★★ Value

Also rated 4.4 on the App Store

A tactile tool to randomly combine a plot, a subject and a setting or style, the Brainstormer can provide that elusive moment of inspiration for writers, painters, or any kind of creative endeavour.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad

Best for: Brainstorming, Book, and Story

Website: https://www.tapnik.com/brainstormer/

Base price:

$1.99 one-time payment

Premium price:

Lists of 100s of prompts

Wheel Mode & Slot Machine Mode

Random spin to combine different ideas

★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

★★★ Value

Also rated 3.5 on the App Store

Your thoughts in words. Say exactly what you mean through clear, compelling and authentic writing.

Platforms: Online

Best for: Editing, Proofreading, Blog, Essay, and Free

Website: https://www.wordtune.com/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

$9.99 monthly

Find synonyms

Rephrase sentences

Avoid plagirism

AI autocomplete

★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

★★★ Value

Also rated 4.4 on Capterra

Elevate your writing, create beautiful documents, and collaborate with others—anywhere, anytime.

Platforms: Online, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Chrome, PC

Best for: Drafting, Essay, Journal, Book, Story, Poetry, and Blog

Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word

Base price:

$6.99 monthly

Premium price:

$9.99 monthly

Sharing and real-time collaboration

Premium templates and stickers

Dictation and transcription

★★★★ Performance

★★★★★ Features

★★★★★ Accessibility

★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.5 on TechRadar

Write without distractions. WriteRoom is a full screen writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you're used to, WriteRoom lets you focus on writing.

Platforms: Mac

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, Journal, Essay, Blog, and Poetry

Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/writeroom/id417967324?mt=12

Base price:

$4.99 one-time payment

Premium price:

Distraction free

Full screen

Plain text editor

★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

Accessibility

Value

Also rated 3.6 on the App Store

iWriter Pro is elegant and minimalist text editor with built-in MultiMarkdown support. Distraction-free and subscription-free.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://serpensoft.info/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

Distraction-free writing

Markdown highlighting

iCloud support

★★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.8 on the App Store

Made by writers, for writers, Novlr is the writing platform that will have you achieving your writing goals.

Platforms: Online

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, and Free

Website: https://www.novlr.org/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

$15.00 monthly

Distraction-free writing interface

Set goals and get motivational messages

Track your progress

★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

★★★ Value

Also rated 3.0 on Reedsy

Simple. Effective. Personal. Keep life moments and ideas always with you. Diaro is here to help.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome

Best for: Note-taking, Journal, and Free

Website: https://diaroapp.com/

Base price:

Free

Premium price:

Search entires by tags or location

Sync across devices

Multi window mode

★★★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★★ Accessibility

★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.6 on Google Play

Diarly is built for the best journaling experience. With every feature you will need and a beautiful interface, starting a journal has never been so simple.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Best for: Note-taking and Journal

Website: https://diarly.app/

Base price:

$2.00 monthly

Premium price:

Built-in gallery and maps

Timeline

Notes

Custom fonts and templates

★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

★★★★ Value

Also rated 4.8 on the App Store

What makes a good writing app?

Put simply, what makes a writing app good for you will depend on the kind of writer that you are. 

  • If you’re an author, you might be interested in a writing app with outlining, planning, and formatting functionalities.
  • If you’re a student, you’re probably in the market for a writing app that blocks out distractions while you’re writing.
  • If you’re a screenwriter, you’ll want a writing app that’s specifically dedicated to writing screenplays.

Or, if you’re none of the above, worry not: that’s why we built this directory of writing apps. Whatever you need, we’ve gathered the outstanding writing apps of 2024 across multiple categories (drafting, editing, note-taking, etc) and platforms (Android, iOS, online browsers, etc) in one place. Feel free to use the filters to make your quest for the perfect writing app even easier!

So what are the best writing apps of 2024?

We can now put an end to the age-old debate of which writing app is best: Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs

The answer, of course, is neither! Hopefully, this directory will point you towards a much better match that actually fulfills your writing needs. We objectively evaluated each writing app based on four metrics.

  • Performance: How seamlessly does the writing app do what it’s purported to do? How good is the user experience, from top to bottom?
  • Features: How many bells and whistles are built into the app to augment its use?
  • Accessibility: Is it widely available on many different operating platforms (e.g. iOS, Windows, mobile, desktop, etc)?
  • Value: Is it worth the cost that it would take to download it?

Here are some general recommendations to give you a headstart.

The best writing app for authors

If you’ve been searching for an all-in-one outlining, writing, formatting, and typesetting tool, look no further than Reedsy Studio. Used by over 50,000 authors every month, it’s publishing’s most trusted companion to take them from a first draft to a professionally exported manuscript.

💰 Price:  Free

🚉 Runs on: Web

The best writing app for note-takers

Evernote is the king of written organization. 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

🚉 Runs on: Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

The best writing app for screenwriters

Along with standard scriptwriting features, Final Draft enables you to measure character traits using its inclusivity analysis feature, and tweak your “beat board” until you find your perfect arrangement. And when you’re ready to bring in editors, you can all work simultaneously in real time.

💰 Price: Free trial for 30 days, $249.99 license fee

🚉 Runs on: Mac, iOS, and Windows

I’ve found the perfect writing app. What next?

Congratulations! Now the fun part begins: actually writing the project that you’ve got in mind.

For authors, this means that you have a long and exciting road ahead. In addition to a writing app, we recommend that you arm yourself with some writing knowledge before you embark on it: whether it’s an understanding of story structure or careful thought put into your character creation, all of it can help you realize your goal of a novel.

If you don’t know where to start, check out the list of free resources below. Good luck, and happy writing!

Free online materials

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