6 writing apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac that will help you start writing your novel and stay inspired until it's finished By Ashleigh Macro, Head of Ecommerce 30 Dec 16.
Google Docs writing templates. I use Google Docs (part of GSuite) as a writing app to collaborate with other writers and editors. Google Docs comes part of G Suite and as a word-processing software goes, it’s easy to use and works anywhere. I also use the rather generous Google Drive cloud storage to back up my writing, notes, source files, images, writing prompts and more.
Ulysses is a Mac-focused writing tool available in the Mac OS and iOS app store. It also automatically syncs files to Apple’s iCloud, so it’s heavily embedded in this entire ecosystem. If you’re in the Mac-obsessed writers crowd, this app is ideal.
Get Ulysses via Setapp here today: Ulysses is one of the most popular writing tools for Mac and iOS lovers.
Apple puts an immense focus on Education for students and it reflects on the apps they create and provide for Students. It is important for a student to keep up with the pace of the changing world of education in order to get good grades as well as proper adequate knowledge. With more and more things in the world becoming associated with the computer it is absolutely essential to have an idea.
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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…
Book Writing Software For Mac
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. 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,
it is certainly one of the most feature-rich writing apps for Mac.
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.
Just the way above-mentioned tools will help you improve your writing productivity, these apps will help you achieve more work in less time.
There are many reasons why most writers prefer a Mac over a PC. The prominent one is this: compared with any platform, Mac app store has more writing apps. These apps offer a non-distinctive writing environment, writing-oriented features and support — which you can’t find in Pages or Google Drive.
Many writers will tell you that the text editor are not important, and you should just write. Although, this could be true for some people, I don’t believe in it. Text editors really help to get best out of you. For example, with Scrivener you can keep a track of character development, while Vellum is the best choice for exporting eBooks. You can’t find these advance options in basic text editors like Word or Google drive.
The past week, we have been trying out the best writing apps for Mac, from every possible category. Below, we have the ultimate showdown of these apps, based on what they offer and what they don’t. After reading this article, you will have an idea which writing app you should use on your Mac. We have tried almost every sort of writing app, so that you will have the best choices for casual writing and a better one for fiction.
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Best Writing App for Mac
#1 Ulysses
Ulysses is not an alternative to Word or Pages, however, if you need a simple writing app with support for markdown and seamless editing, you can count on Ulysses.
Design & USP
As far as the design is concerned, Ulysses is quite minimal. There aren’t any toolbars or button-rich sidebars. That having said, you can access basic formatting options from the writing interface. Probably the best thing about Ulysses is project management and content organization. From its Attachment tab, you can add labels, insert images and even set up a Writing Goal.
Workflow & Exporting
The overall workflow of Ulysses for Mac is impressive enough. All the features are arranged in a distraction-less manner. In addition to that, the full-screen mode brings absolute freedom for writing. Ulysses also does a great job when it comes to Publishing section. You can always export to formats like PDF, DOCX, HTML and Text. In addition to that, you can connect your WordPress and Medium accounts for direct publishing.
Backups & Security
The program also takes care of timely backups for your writings. There are options for hourly, daily & weekly backup options you can explore. In addition, there is iTunes sync to make sure that you don’t lose writings due to sudden shut-downs or crashes. However, it’s worth noting that Ulysses is pretty stable and you won’t have to worry about crashes.
Availability & Pricing
Ulysses is available for macOS and iOS, with cross-device sync. You can access anything you write on a Mac from your iPhone or iPad. While there is no free version, all versions offer 14-day Free Trial. In the iOS version of Ulysses, you miss some features like Minimal Mode. Ulysses has a subscription model, priced at $4.99 per month. You can pay annually to save some money too. It’s also available via Setapp.
#2 iA Writer
iA Writer is a wonderful choice when you are looking for an ultra-minimal writing app for Mac. Compared to Ulysses or any other app in the list, iA Writer has kept the minimum number of advanced features. On the other hand, it focuses on writer-centric options like syntax highlighting and easy formatting.
Design & USP
If minimalism is a throne, iA Writer will be its king. Everything has been kept so minimal, and users can have the sidebar removed. Of course, there is a full-screen mode, which provides better focus. You can also shift to a Night Mode, where everything becomes dark. The best thing about iA Writer is that you can stay focused all the time, highlighting only the things you want.
Workflow & Exporting
It feels really easy to blend into the workspace offered by iA Writer. All your writings can be accessed from the sidebar, and the writing interface is big-enough. Although not comparable with Ulysses, iA Writer offers standard customization options too. Coming to publishing and exporting, Ulysses and iA Writer are on the same boat. You can directly publish to Medium or WordPress, or export files to PDF, DOC, TXT etc.
Backups & Security
All the writings are automatically saved to and synced with iCloud. Still, iA Writer allows you choose other library locations as well. However, unlike Ulysses, iA Writer does not offer customizable backup options. It’s just that all your writings will be synced with iTunes on a regular basis. It is actually great since iA Writer has apps available for Android and iOS.
Availability & Pricing
iA Writer is available for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS, offering almost the same features everywhere. Of course, you won’t have iTunes sync in Windows and Android devices. But, you can access all your writings via your iPhone or iPad. iA Writer Pro for Mac costs $19.99 while the iOS version has a price-tag of $4.99. It, however, offers a free trial for all the platforms.
#3 Manuscripts
Unlike Ulysses and iA Writer, Manuscripts is a writing app with a specific purpose — scholarly writing. It lets you simplify a Herculean task of following the formatting style, keeping track of references and lots of other things. Of course, you can use Manuscripts for writing blog posts and normal fiction content, but it has the best performance when it comes to a Dissertation or Research Paper.
Design & USP
Manuscripts has a fully-fledged interface, which is a requirement when it comes to scholarly writing. You will have access to the basic toolbars on top, and the sidebar helps for easy navigation. The USP here is simple: Manuscripts has been designed exclusively for academic writing and the job is done neatly. You can choose from popular templates and set up preferences even before you start writing.
Workflow & Exporting
If you are an academic scholar, you will really love the workflow offered by Manuscripts. Things are simple, but organized from the very start. For instance, before writing, you can choose the Citation style, word count limits etc. Manuscripts lets you export the academic writings into formats like PDF, Word, Text, HTML and more.
Backup & Security
This is where Manuscripts disappoints most users. In both of the tools we mentioned above, there was support for iCloud Sync or third-party backup. However, Manuscripts does not offer any kind of backup options. In case of sudden crashes, your data will be lost, which is a problem. Since the app isn’t available for any other platform, there is no room multi-device access either.
Availability & Pricing
Manuscripts is available for macOS only and it’s a completely free to use. If you ask us, Manuscripts has been designed for research enthusiasts and academic writers. There is a powerful community of writers behind this tool, which is great. The developers also say that Manuscripts will be made open-source in 2018. At the end of the day, no matter how much you use, you’ve to pay nothing.
#4 Scrivener
Scrivener is the perfect tool if you are looking for professional writing solutions. It has been made to write both fiction and non-fiction. But, most people use Scrivener for writing novels, screenplays and scripts. You can simply choose the template and start writing with this app. This tool does not rely on minimalism or the focused writing. Rather, its focus is on productivity.
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Design & USP
Scrivener was not designed with simplicity in mind. On the other hand, it has a design suitable to help you create a novel, from scratch to publishing. Depending on the type of writing, you can have more templates and control over content. The best part about Scrivener is that it has tools for keeping track of characters and scenes without having to go back and read.
Workflow & Exporting
In terms of workflow, we’d say Scrivener is more like Manuscript. You can start a document by choosing one template and make changes to that in the long run. When it comes to exporting, Scrivener has a lot of options — apart from common formats like Word and PDF. You can also export your novel into a Kindle eBook or an ePub-based eBook.
Backup & Security
Scrivener has dedicated options for backup, synchronization and overall security of your writings. You can set up sync between an external storage drive or your mobile device. It will be using Dropbox for sync, which is great. It also has Auto-Save feature so that crashes won’t be a problem. Altogether, the security aspect of Scrivener is impressive enough.
Availability & Pricing
This is the big deal: Scrivener is available for macOS, Windows and iOS. You can have your writings available on all these devices. As far as the pricing is concerned, Scrivener costs $45 for the Standard macOS license. You have to purchase separate licenses for Windows and iOS. However, on Windows and Mac, you can try the software for 30 days before finalizing. The cool thing is that it’s 30 days of actual use, meaning, if you use it only two days a week, it lasts fifteen weeks.
#5 Notebooks
Notebooks does exactly what you would expect from its name. You can use this writing tool to create many notebooks and store all your notes inside. It’s a great way to organize notes and journals. Compared to Ulysses, Scrivener or any other tools we’ve covered, Notebooks does not have a minimal UI. There are a lot of features to check out, in organization department, though.
Design & USP
Although not minimal, Notebooks has a non-distractive design. There is a sidebar on the left, where you can manage notebooks and other files. While starting up, you can choose a central Library folder. The USP here is that you have better organization of your documents, be it PDFs, Excel files or something else. This is truly a great feature when you are preparing some serious notes.
Workflow & Exporting
The writing interface of Notebooks resembles a notebook, with proper ruling. Once written, you can turn to the Formatted View mode to see how the document looks like. The lack of customization is a problem here, though. By default, Notebooks writings are saved as plain text, but you can export to many formats like PDF. Unlike Ulysses or iA Writer, Notebooks does not offer publishing integration.
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Backup & Security
Like all other tools above, Notebooks too has auto-save feature, but the program does not backup anything. It’s really a problem, since you have to rely on local storage only. It’s quite disappointing that the developers have not included iCloud sync, especially when its iOS version has it. As far as syncing goes, you have to use Notebooks Server, which is a custom WebDAV server for syncing between Mac and iOS.
Availability & Pricing
Notebooks is available for macOS, iOS and Windows. As mentioned earlier, iOS and macOS can sync writings using the Notebooks server, while Windows users have to rely on Dropbox. Notebooks for Mac comes with a fixed price-tag of $19, and they have some deals if you purchase both Windows and Mac. On all versions, there is a 30-day trial.
#6 ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid says it can be your writing coach and mentor. We think that’s possible only when you have to stay strict to grammar, syntax, diction and style. At the same time, it doesn’t become an alternative to Word or Pages either. But, when you need a kind of simple writing app with grammar-check support, you can count it in.
Design & USP
Do you remember the design of the old versions of Microsoft Word? Well, ProWritingAid pretty much does the same. There is a toolbar with all the options, and you can click on one to see the details on the sidebar. Coming to the USP, it’s the fully-fledged options for editing, proofreading and grammar-check. ProWritingAid can also check aspects like diction, style, readability and more.
Best Apps For Writing On Macbook
Workflow & Exporting
ProWritingAid offers the standard workflow compared to other options. Apart from the toolbar on the top, there isn’t anything to distract you. However, features like Focus Mode would have been awesome, since the app doesn’t offer real-time editing. It gets even worse in the exporting department. You can save your writings only as TXT files, not even PDF.
Apps For Writing Macbook
Backup & Security
Best Book Writing Software Mac
Once again, ProWritingAid keeps its mediocrity. Of course, you can take manual backups all your works in the local storage. There aren’t any other options, not even multi-device sync. At this point, ProWritingAid is one of the worst editing tools you can get. Of course, there is an Auto-save option, but the minimum interval time is 1 minute.
Availability & Pricing
ProWritingAid is primarily web-based and the single subscription gives you access to Mac, Windows apps as well as popular writing tools like Word and Google Docs. The subscription costs $50 a year, and the lifetime plan priced at $175. There is also a Premium Plus plan where you get Plagiarism check. However, for this, it charges something extra, based on the checks you need.
#7 Vellum
Vellum is a wonderful Mac writing app for writing books — full-length books with multiple chapters. It does not matter whether you are publishing print or digital, you can count in Vellum. Don’t even think about using the program for blog writing or research paper writing, though. What matters is that it packs superb stability along with minimal design.
Design & USP
Despite the wonderful features under the hood, Vellum has kept everything minimal. Customization is not a strong area of the tool, but you can manage. If you don’t need the Preview and Navigator while writing, you can have a rather simple writing interface too. The best thing about Vellum is that it packs everything you’d need from the start to the end of the book you’re writing.
Novel Writing Software Mac
Workflow and Exporting
This might sound a bit weird: even if you don’t like to write a book, Vellum will make that awesome. Its easy workflow is so cool that you can start writing in the first step. You can also choose from different templates for Chapter Title, First Paragraph, Captions etc. Coming to exporting section, Vellum lets you save the file to Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo and Android. You can also export it to print.
Backup & Security
Vellum does not offer any feature in this department. The bigger problem here is that it does not even have auto-save functionality. To be frank, this is the only area where Vellum disappoints users. If anything happens to your Mac, your unsaved data will be lost. We really wish Vellum does something here.
Availability & Pricing
As of now, Vellum is available for macOS only. Concerning the price, things are a bit detailed. While Vellum is completely free to download and use, you need the premium license to generate books, in any format. In that case, you have two options. There is a plan for $249.99 that lets you create unlimited eBooks as well as paperbacks. Its $199.99 plan lets you create unlimited eBooks only.
Top Writing Apps For Mac
Wrapping Up: Best Writing App for Mac
Now that you have seen the ultimate showdown of writing apps for Mac, it’s time to decide. It’s quite hard to find the so-called best one from this list. But, we can recommend some quick options.
Go for Ulysses if you need a simple tool with publishing integration
Scrivener is your choice when you need more control over professional writing
Manuscripts works best for research writing; so does Notebooks for journals
Vellum is the best choice for writing and exporting eBooks
And, if you can compromise better control and features for grammar check, ProWritingAid is good too. This is what we think, and we are eager to know your opinion about these tools.