- Best Mac Software For Writing A Book
- Best Mac App For Writers
- Best Macos Software
- Software For Writers Free
There is no one size fits all writing software available in the market. Some writers prefer a distraction-free minimal interface, while others are comfortable with cluttered yet feature-rich softwares. In general, you need to try different writing software to find out which one works best for you. However, we have done the heavy lifting you. I have tested dozens of writing softwares to help you pick the best one depending on your needs.
If you do most of your typing work online, Google Docs is the best dictation software you can use. Among other features, Google's cloud-based word processor program also offers speech typing functionality. The best thing is that you don't need to install any extra software. Mar 05, 2020 Free Software for Writers. A number of free Mac apps designed for writers are worth considering. Manuscripts is a serious writing tool that allows you to plan, edit and share your work. It includes templates, an outliner, writing goals, and publishing features. It has features particularly suited to writing academic papers.
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Why You Need an Advanced Creative Writing Software
While there are free and less expensive alternatives, if you are an advanced writer, you already know why you need a writing software instead of plain old word processors. For newbies and intermediates, who are looking for something more robust, here are some good reasons to upgrade to a premium software.
- More templates
- Advanced editing
- Better organization and tracking
- Advanced features with all the bells and whistles
Best Writing Software
1. Microsoft Word – Freemium
Microsoft Word is standard for writers as it comes pre-installed on almost every Windows PC. You can begin typing the moment it launches. There are basic formatting options like font size, colors, links, attachments, page layouts and then some other options like exporting in PDF format.
MS Word also supports autosave, though you’ll have to manually turn it On by going to File > Options > Save and make sure the “Save AutoRecover info” box is checked. The default number of minutes set in this box will be 10, lower it to 1 minute.
Pros: There are many options and features built into Word
Cons: You cannot purchase Microsoft Word as a standalone program, it comes as part of the Microsoft Office 365 package ($149.99) Fxfactory for el capitan.
Verdict: Word is okay for shorter documents like blogposts and resumes. But not an ideal choice if you are looking for some creative writing like novels or books. That said, if you are looking for a free alternative to MS Word go with LibreOffice Writer. It’s a capable of doing pretty much everything Word can do.
2. Google Docs – Free
Google Docs is everything MS Word never will be. It is free, in the cloud, and simply works on every platform you may use. Many writers use Google Docs, its word processor, to write articles, blogposts, and note down ideas. It is part of a bigger ecosystem, Google Drive, which comes with Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings. Most writers tend to just use the word processor though.
Unlike Word, Google Docs also automatically saves your work every few minutes or so. Meaning even if you lose power or accidentally close the program, you don’t have to worry about losing your work.
Google Docs is extremely easy to use. Just open and begin typing. Formatting tools are not as advanced as some of the paid writing softwares, but covers pretty much everything. Apart from PDF, you can also export in EPUB format which is cool.
Pros: One of the biggest reason to use Google Docs is that you can access your documents from anywhere, even from your phone. You can also collaborate on a single document with other writers, editors, and proofreaders and see what changes are being made in real time. You can leave comments and track suggestions made.
Cons: You normally need an active Internet connection to write in Google Docs, which might be a deal breaker when your Internet goes down or when Google servers are down. Although chances of both of them happening are getting lesser each day.
Verdict: Google Docs is an amazing little free tool that will allow you to write, collaborate, and export your work easily. It is simple to use and works everywhere. But on a flip side, you need internet to write documents.
3. Focus Writer – Free
Focus Writer, as the name suggests, offers a distraction-free writing environment to the writers. If you are like me who often get distracted by constant pop-ups and notifications from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, then use Focus Writer to get things done.
The way it works is pretty simple. It offers a hide-away interface which hides everything else that is visible on your screen allowing you to work on what is important.
Pros: You can set daily goals and add timers. It works on every platform from Windows and Mac to Linux.
Cons: While it is not as robust as Scrivener and WriteItNow (we’ll come to that soon), it is definitely better than Google Docs when it comes to features.
Verdict: Focus Writer offers a distraction-free writing platform with goal setting feature. It is good but Google Docs still wins as far as free tools are concerned.
4. Scrivener – $45
Scrivener is one of the best writing software you will ever use but it can be a little difficult to understand and master at first. Most writers and editors have repeatedly favored Scrivener over other writing software.
Best Mac Software For Writing A Book
The best thing about Scrivener is how the content appears on the screen when you write is completely separate from how it appears when you compile your manuscript. It offers a distraction-free environment so that you can concentrate on the writing first, and once you are done with it, you can focus on formatting and organizing the content.
If you are a fiction writer, it will help you with creating plots and going back and forth in time.
You can write on the corkboard which you can later move around to work with synopses. You won’t have to reshuffle the index because every section is logged into a virtual index. This way when you move cards, you also rearrange the whole manuscript.
Once you finished writing, you can export the manuscript to Nook, Kobo, Kindle, B&N and other platforms.
Pros: Scrivener’s strength lies in the fact that you can save web pages, notes, images, and links and it will understand that you are still working on the same project. This makes brainstorming and creative writing easy.
Cons: Ease of use is not its main strength, however, if you spend some quality time and have the patience to understand nitty-gritty things, you will fall in love.
Verdict: Scrivener allows you to write drafts, organize references, and visualize manuscript on a single platform instead of working with 5 softwares at the same time. And if you are a plotter, Scrivener is probably the best place to get started.
5. WriteItNow – $59.95
If you thought Scrivener was jam-packed with features, WriteItNow will have your mind spinning. It is amazing how easy it is in spite of having so many tools and features.
Like Scrivener, you can easily create and keep track of plots, characters, and content depending on what you are using it to write. There is a separate tab for managing Characters which is really helpful for fiction writers. Each character must have different personality traits. You can assign values from 1-5 to each trait for different characters.
Organizing notes, links, and stories or ideas are pretty similar to how it is on Scrivener. One particular feature that it offers over and above others is the ability to keep track of submissions to publishers. You can surf the web using the inbuilt browser and download names of different countries, ethnicities, and cultures automatically to use for your characters.
Pros: WriteItNow is the best writing software when it comes to character and location support
Cons: WriteItNow doesn’t supports genres which is something fiction writers need to consider
Verdict: WriteItNow offers all the features that Scrivener does, and then some more for a price that is pretty competitive. It scores better because it is easier to use and has some additional tools to offer.
Honorary Mentions
Storyist and Ulysses are few other amazing writing softwares but they didn’t make the list because they are not cross-platform and the later comes with a subscription plan which may not be suitable for all writers.
Wrapping Up: Best Writing Software
In the end, any software that helps you to complete projects in time is the best writing software for you. I like WriteItNow because it is easy to use, comes with tons of features like character and story management, web browsing, and better management.
When it comes to free writing softwares, I like Google Docs because it works everywhere and every time. It is free and allows me to collaborate with others.
Which one are you using?
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3.2/5(5 votes )
As a child, I used to read a lot of novels. My fascination for reading kept me glued to books all the time. I used to finish up a Sidney Sheldon novel within days of starting. But do you know how much it takes to write a book? There are authors who take years to finish up writing one. It is for the ease of all those authors and budding writers that writing applications have been developed. If you are in search of the best writing apps for Mac, the buddy, you are in the right place!
The history behind writing…
Contents
- So, improve your productivity with the following writing apps for Mac…
Writing began with stone tablets which then moved on to palm leaves and manuscripts. And then when the paper was invented, books started showing up everywhere around the globe. Writing a book with a pen took several months to complete. Typewriters shortened this time by many folds. But with the invention of computers, writing became super-convenient.
In the present generation, writing applications are being developed which will make the life of authors and writers even easier. If you are a tech blogger, the promising writer, author, then a good writing app is a must!
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What is the use of a writing app?
Though a general word file covers the basic needs of a writer, yet for a more convenient experience, you can go for a writing app. It creates the right ambiance in the system for the writer to concentrate just on the content of his write-up.
Additional editing tools, backgrounds, correcting tools etc. will help you create a better story or article in lesser time. When you write a book, you add various chapters or sub-sections to it.
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Managing all these documents can turn quite messy; in these times writing apps come to your rescue.
So, improve your productivity with the following writing apps for Mac…
Mac systems are widely used all over the globe and if you are a writer or author, then this app is god’s gift for you. This ultimate writing application can be used for focused writing sessions encouraging immersion with the text.
The app also helps you organize your write-up related documents and daily blog posts. It works on iPhones and iPads and you can also sync up your work with iCloud through this application.
It has got a 14-day free trial and after that, the monthly rental price is Rs 299.
Microsoft Word 2016
Really guys? Do you even need an introduction to this app? Popular across the globe for its simplicity yet abundant features, Microsoft Word 2016 can be used in Mac as well as Windows systems.
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Though it is tailor-made for Windows systems, yet it works more than fine in Mac ones. Available at a price of Rs 454, you can find cheaper alternatives of this in this list.
Even the name of the app has got an ‘I’ in it indicating it is made for Apple products. Listed as the best-selling text editor in the Apple store, it is a minimalistic writing application used for focused writing experience.
It is also used by famous author Augusten Burroughs. Though some users complain about its missing settings of preferences, it is this very feature that makes the app help writers focus on their content.
The item is prized at Rs 590.
Just like Microsoft Word is for Windows systems, Apple pages are for Mac systems. But it is not only limited to Mac users. If you have any other PC, then you can download pages and use it through iCloud. And the best part about this writing app for Mac? It is free of cost!
It is certainly one of the best free word processors for Mac. Though it has got an impressive user interface and features, it is not very popular as every user with whom you would like to share or collaborate would have to install Pages in their systems too.
Released back in 2007, it is one of the bestnovel writing software for Mac. It is also supported by systems running on Windows and Linux. Checkbook pro for mac catalina. You can now easily organize your documents and notes with the help of this content managing app. The app also offers various templates for creating screenplays, fictional, and non-fictional manuscripts.
The split-screen mode and drag-drop feature of virtual index cards make it a top choice for various writers.
TextEdit
The Mac word processing app SimpleText was replaced by TextEdit. It uses the Cocoa text format to read and edit documents in various formats like Rich Text Format, plain text and HTML.
Though it is not a very advanced tool, it can be used for applying various text edits to your content, adding multimedia inputs to it and writing different character encodings. And the best part? It is a free novel writing software for Mac.
A top-notch text editor and writing app for Mac is Byword, available on Mac and Apple app store. You can easily use this app anywhere to edit your stories, blog posts, and school projects.
There are various features like on-the-tip keyboard shortcuts and syntax highlighting that help the user achieve better productivity.
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Sync up your work in iCloud or Dropbox so that you can work on them from any device, anywhere, anytime.
The finest in the industry, it has been used by various authors and movie script writers in the entertainment industry. All have given rave reviews about this app. Tailor-made for the entertainment industry, it offers more than 100 templates for drafting screenplays and stage plays.
You can also collaborate with a partner for real-time writing, outline act, scenes and sequences easily. Apart from these, there are several other text editing features that make it one of the best word processor for Mac.
It also works on Windows systems.
Write!
Yet another free writing app for Mac is Write! Though currently, only its Windows version is available, its Linux and iOS versions are on their way for release. If you get quite distracted while writing your blog or story or even school essay, then use this tool for a distraction-free writing session.
Features like automatic spell-check, tunable autocomplete (completes your word before you end), multiple keyboard shortcuts, support for Markdown, Wiki, and Textile syntax, unlimited undo etc. make authors prefer this over the others.
Storyist
An advanced writing app for Mac preferred by various novelists and screenplay writers is Storyist. Talk about focused writing environment, more organized writing, easy access to all documents…Storyist covers them all.
It supports Mac systems and also works on iPhones and iPads.
With the help of this app, you can now create stunningly formatted manuscripts and screenplays and get a customized high-level view of the story with the help of index cards.
Experience a distraction-free writing session with app Whiteroom which creates a full-screen writing environment. It was developed as an alternative to Microsoft Word to provide a more convenient writing environment. It has got spell check and auto-save feature in addition to basic features of Word.
More the features more the distractions; that is why Whiteroom has stuck to the basics.
Writing a movie script or screenplay? Go for one of the best writing apps for Mac named Slugline. It is a simple and elegant writing application for Mac and iOS systems. Its outline navigator helps you write sections and sub-sections of the write-up in a more organized way.
Just like other writing apps in the list, you can sync up your documents in iCloud and Dropbox and then work on them on other devices too.
The dark mode of the app helps you work in low light conditions. You can also pair a keyboard to your iPad and then write using it.
- Tinyword:
Work on multiple document types like DOC, DOCX, PDF, HTML, RTF etc. and create amazing stories with the help of Tinyword. Featuring multiple editing tools like inserting tables, symbols, footnotes, hyperlinks, page numbers etc., it is highly preferred by budding writers and authors.
You can also protect your content with a password and also put editing restrictions on your content.
Focus on your story or write-up with the help of this amazing writing app for Mac. With quick note feature, easy to use interface, advanced markup editor with knowledge of over 20 programming languages, multiple work themes, cross-note links, focus mode, hashtags, smart data recognition, multi-device sync…and many more,
Best Mac App For Writers
it is certainly one of the most feature-rich writing apps for Mac.
Best Macos Software
We hope the above writing apps for Mac help you create your dream story or screenplay in time. If you want a better work space, do take a look at free time tracker apps for Mac and Calendar apps for Mac.
Software For Writers Free
Just the way above-mentioned tools will help you improve your writing productivity, these apps will help you achieve more work in less time.