When asked, ‘Which are the best writing apps free?’ the answer should not be MS Word!
Oh come on, it is indeed a useful writing tool but for high-school projects.
If you’re into freelancing, scriptwriting, or working on a novel, you need a distraction-free writing app. The best AppApp for writing a book is probably not your smartphone’s note application or only notepad on your PC. So, what is it?
When you’re dealing with multiple writing projects on hand or want to show your work to your team, you need a smart writing app by your side that supports real-time collaboration & features beyond typing. So, if you are not using such supportive tools, you’re suffering a great loss.
I’ve tried and tested many of the apps that I’m sharing below & trust me, if you’re into content writing, take this as a chance to upgrade your skills. Go on! Moreover, I don’t criticize MS Word. I only see it as a great tool for basic writing stuff.
It’s too complicated at times to deal with words all day long & things are going overhead when writing is time-consuming & basic AppApp has limited features to help!
10 Creative Writing Apps for Windows & Mac [Updated 2020]
What's in this article...
Scrivener
Pricing Plans: Free Trial Available, $40.84 (starting price as a one-time payment)
Runs on: Windows, Mac, web-based, cloud, SaaS, and iPhone/iPad
Recommended for: Proofreading for any Writer, Novelists & Students
Best Features:
- Spelling & Grammar Check
- Text Editor
- Reporting & Statistics
This is the first tool, or should I say – The Showstopper tool!
Scrivener is so far one of the best (& my favorite) writing AppApp whether you’re a novelist, screenwriter, or into any writing. Handpicked for academic as well as dedicated content writing tasks, Scrivener will indulge you in the never-before writing experience.
You get an organized & hierarchy structure with Scrivener, so you don’t get lost while creating lengthy content. The references & research files are on the same screen as the AppApp takes note of them so you can refer them anytime. With manuscript formatting, writing feels easy as a breeze. Also, it makes writing a great time for passionate writers like you.
Lastly, you can download the entire stuff as a single document like Word, PDF, or plain text format.
Google Docs
Pricing Plans: $6 per month (30 GB Storage)
Runs on: Web-based, Cloud & SaaS
Recommended for: Any business size to create, edit & share multiple files
Best Features:
- Collaboration
- Add-ons
- File Sharing
- Document Creation
- Notes Management
- Project Management
- Team Chat
You can always use Google Docs, whether you’re a beginner or professional. Creating persuasive, meaningful & impactful documents makes sense with Google Docs. You can write, edit & share documents free of cost when accessed for personal use. Additionally, GSuite offers added security & team controls for businesses.
You get to create documents in professional templates, format them & make it accessible anytime & anywhere. With real-time editing, you can share & contact views from your team via comments. Moreover, if you forget to press Ctrl + S, your document will be auto-saved after every change along with version history.
Grammarly
Pricing Plans: Free version available, starts at $29.95/month, Business Plan available
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Android Keyboard, Web-based, cloud, iPad, iPhone, and SaaS
Recommended for: Automated Grammar check
Best Features:
- Spelling & Grammar
- Punctuation Corrections
- Plagiarism Check
- Professional Editor Support
- Expert Writing Help
Is there anyone who hasn’t used Grammarly yet?
You must have heard about Grammarly if you’re into content writing. It is one of the best & free writing apps for Windows & Mac. Even if you want to correct the messages sent from your smartphone, you can! Install Grammarly keyboard, that’s all! So, here we have incredible usages of Grammarly.
Easy to use, you can add Grammarly plugin in browser & upload your document/paste it to check spelling & grammar mistakes. This app shares feedback on correctness, clarity, engagement & delivery of the content. With a readability score, you can avail reading & speaking time as well.
You can go the extra mile & subscribe to a premium version for professional proofreader’s help & plagiarism check.
Also, if you think you can carry on with the basic version (free), you can continue using it.
If I would have to choose only one writing app (all-rounder), then I would vote for this App only. Let’s say, for example, this is one tool you can never have enough of. It also shares the reading & speaking time for your content, total word count, and much more.
What are web-based applications? [Overview, benefits & more]
Write! App
Pricing Plans: starts at $24.95
Runs on: Windows, Mac & Linux
Recommended for: Any writing projects, notes & to-do lists
Best Features:
- Cloud Backup
- Workspace Organization
- Document Sharing & Collaboration
- Team collaboration
- Dark-light Writing Modes
Enhance productivity with the minimalist writing interface by write! App. Gain full control over documents. Also, it makes sure that no record is lost with auto-save. Well-structured projects in folders, tabs & sessions make for well-managed writing projects.
In addition, you comfort your eyes with focus mode & night mode depending on when you write.
Evernote
Pricing Plans: Free Basic Version, $190 Premium/per month & $500 Business Plans/per month
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Web-based, cloud & SaaS
Recommended for: Meeting notes, academic projects, notes, web-pages, to-do lists
Best Features:
- Web clipper
- Multi-device Sync
- Search Handwriting
- Notebooks & Tags
- Document Scanning
- PDF & Document Search
If you haven’t accessed Evernote at least once, you haven’t used one of the best & free writing apps yet. Only login & start project planning; create to-do lists or prepare meeting notes from easy to handle UI. Define your shortcuts, create notebooks & also add tags to your content. So, what’s your plan now?
You can share the document instantly. It is like link sharing with editor access to link holder. Moreover, you can also allot viewing rights to someone you want.
Natural Reader
Pricing Plans: Free version available, Upgrade starts at $99.5 (one-time payment)
Runs as: Web App & Software for Mac & Windows
Recommended for: Personal Use, Students, Professionals, Dyslexic Readers & Foreign Language Learners
Best Features:
- Text-to-Speech Conversion
- Natural-sounding Voices
- OCR technology-based Reading
I would instead call it an incredibly useful document reader. It’s your go-to AppApp that converts any text or scanned documents into an mp3 version that sounds surreal. Mostly preferred by broadcasters & eLearning material creators, Natural Reader is also legit to create AI-voice narration for YouTube videos.
So, if you are planning something that will be audible-friendly, go for it.
You may wonder why I’ve added this AppApp to the list & the reason is nonetheless its commercial use capabilities. After all, you have seen the features & they’re lovely.
My experience says you’ll enjoy using this one!
Living Writer
Pricing Plans: 30-Day Free Trial, Upgrade starts at $8 per month
Runs on: Windows, Mac & Web-based SaaS, Cloud-based
Recommended for: Writers, Authors & Novelists
Best Features:
- Mess-free Writing Environment
- Straightforward Plot & Outline making
- Auto-suggest
- Dark-Light Writing Modes
- Writing Goals
Living Writer is one of the best writing apps for Mac. It offers a distraction-free interface where plots & stories are beyond Ctrl + C/V, use drag & drop features to organize and reorder elements. Besides having similar features to other tools, it also has some perks.
In this paragraph, you’ll see something exciting. The best part about Auto-suggest is that it will reduce your work & time spent on plotting a story. For instance, it has suggestions that ease your job. Embrace the focus & defocus modes while you work day & night to create a compelling account.
All your work is stored on the cloud for independent accessibility & even if you forget to hit ‘Save.’ Create any-length story irrespective of word limits with Living Writer. If you have an account saved in your local drive, import it & continue writing on it with this beautiful App.
So, will it get into your good book or not?
Final Draft
Pricing Plans: Free 30-Day Trial, Upgrade $79.99
Runs on: Windows, Mac, iPhone/iPad
Recommended for: Film Studios & TV Productions, Screenwriters
Best Features:
- Advanced Brainstorming
- Unlimited space to organize ideas
- Story Map
- Real-time Collaboration
- Feasible Formatting
- Huge Unicode Support – 97 Languages
Former choice of world’s leading studios (PIXAR, Walt Disney, Netflix, BBC, SONY Pictures, and more) & production companies, Final Draft is a screenwriter tool you cannot ignore. So, would you like to know more about this tool?
If you’re a budding screenwriter, tame yourself just the way professionals do. In other words, you’ll have to work as professionals to see your future self there one day. For instance, if your aim is to become a script-writer someday, you can start with this tool to meet your goals.
Visualize your ideas to brainstorm better. Personalize your writing environment, use tags & involve your team with collaboration features. You can even store your entire character research as well with Beat Board.
Final Draft 11 – the latest version has it all that creates industry-level screenplay formats. With formatting made easier with Format Assistant, you also enjoy using reformat tool & keyboard shortcuts. Its page management & pagination support is unbelievably amazing.
So, which feature did you like the most?
Hemingway App
Pricing Plans: Free, Upgrade $19.99 for one-time purchase
Runs on: Web-based SaaS
Recommended for: Beginners/Academic Use
Hemingway is a writing app that is legit for any beginner. Its primary purpose is to identify errors & improve content quality. It eliminates the weak points of your content, including jumbled sentences, weak adverbs, excess passive voice usage, and so on. In a nutshell, it is a neat & tidy tool for anyone who wants to write on the go.
You get to access two basic features, i.e., writing Mode & Editing Mode with Hemingway App.
Writing mode lets you create content without distractions in a minimalist interface. Go on writing unless you finish. Once you’re done with paper, toggle to Edit Mode & Hemingway features will light your way. Above all, it may seem like a simple tool, but it is convenient. So, how did you like this feature?
Any problematic areas in your content will be highlighted in different colors. For instance:
- Blue highlights: an adverb/qualifier
- Purple highlights: a tricky word that can better be replaced with a simpler word
- Green highlights: passive voice
- Yellow highlights: complex sentences
- Red highlights: an extremely complex sentence
All you have to do is correct each of them one by one & you’re done!
Moreover, once you get used to this App, you will start identifying your errors without any help. No matter it will take time, but you will get habituated for sure.
So, did you like this tool suggestion or not?
ProWritingAid
Pricing Plans: Free Trial, $20 (Monthly), $59.25 (Yearly Plan), $224.25 (Lifetime)
Runs on: Windows, Mac, Web-based, Cloud & SaaS
Recommended for: Non-fiction writers, Bloggers, Essay composers
Best Features:
- Productivity
- Document Creation
- Office Suite
ProWritingAid is more into making your writing grammar-checked from the very beginning. In addition, its billing is based on grammar rather than a writing app, as it does a brilliant job for grammar-check. ProWritingAid offers tool integrations, which means that you can seamlessly integrate with any of your favorite writing apps like Final Draft, Evernote, or Scrivener. After all, these are the features I am in love with.
Moreover, the cherry on the top is ProWritingAid shares feedback to fix style issues, readability & content structure. Kudos! You don’t just write but also improve writing by ditching bad habits. So, what are you up to now?
Free Writing Apps 2020 on its way!
We hope you find this handpicked Free Writing Apps 2020 list useful. In case, if you have any queries or wish to drop comments, feel free to share your mind with me here.
However, I would like to share that no matter which writing tool you use, make sure you extract it’s best. After all, what matters is your thoughts.
In conclusion, you have got many options to choose from. After all, the choice is yours!
I’m a cheerful spirit who is in love with Food, at first sight, a wifey on 24*7 duty & an enthu-cutlet to explore untapped sources of knowledge. A writer by passion & profession, I’m still learning new things every day & don’t want to stop this process ever.
