Collection
Apps for writers, from first idea to finished draft
Writing apps split into 2 camps: fast places to catch an idea and calm places to finish a long draft. This collection covers both, plus 3 dictation apps for the days when typing is the slow part.
9 apps5 free to startMac, iPhone, iPad
What gets an app in: An app gets in when its main job is writing or getting words onto the page, including dictation; note apps built for storing information stay out.
- 1
MarkEditOpens instantly for a quick edit to a Markdown file, without loading a whole writing library.Free, open source - 2
HandyFree offline dictation for writers who think faster out loud than at the keyboard.Free, open source - 3
DraftsCatches the idea before it disappears, then sends the text to whichever app you finish in.Free to start - 4
TyporaLets you write Markdown without looking at the symbols, then export a manuscript to Word or EPUB.$14.99 once - 5
iA WriterStyle Check flags filler words and clutter, an editor's pass built into the writing app.From $19.99 - 6
ScrivenerBuilt for the long project, where a novel or thesis outgrows a single document.$59.99 once - 7
SuperwhisperCustom modes turn rambling speech into a tidy email or paragraph, with free offline models.Free to start - 8
UlyssesPublishes straight to WordPress and Ghost, so bloggers can draft and post from one library.From $5.99 - 9
Wispr FlowDrops filler words as you speak, so dictated drafts need less cleanup on Mac and iPhone.Free to start
