The 10 Best Writing Apps of 2024

Brenna Miles is a technology writer with a B.A. in Business Management and HR Management. She's been writing about technology for 6+ years.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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