These content writing apps are the best options for quick, concise writing no matter what you’re working on.
We’ve all got writing goals, right? And the whole point of picking a third-party writing app is to make it easier to reach those goals, preferably without spending too much money.
The good news is that we now have an excellent crop of writing programs that are being designed and updated with features specifically for writers – and without the confusing fluff of more generic text editors like Microsoft Word, etc.
Professional content creators can use these to create blog posts, articles, ebooks, digital marketing, and social media content. If you’re looking for a tool to write, edit and publish content faster, here are our current picks!
Grammarly is a top spelling, grammar and plagiarism checker. It'll help you find and fix errors fast, and it works everywhere. It's trusted by millions of writers for a reason.
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Best Content Writing Apps Options for 2022
1. Grammarly
Ideal for: Freelancers, bloggers, every kind of content writer
Pricing: Free/$30 per month
Grammarly is a popular grammar checker and extension (with both free and premium month versions). It helps correct content and fix typos on the go. It’s available for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome, and basically all devices via a suite of add-ons and plugins.
It’s ideal for content writers as you can check your content on the go using the Chrome plugin without copying and pasting from one app to another.
It’s important to note that Grammarly is not a full-text editor, only an enabler. But that’s useful if you already have a text editor that you prefer. The paid version allows you to create rules and additional scans for readability, tone, etc. It also has a plagiarism checker which is useful for checking content by other writers.
I use Grammarly primarily with Ulysses to check content and articles for grammar and typo mistakes prior to publishing. Its AI-powered writing assistant enables me to make a series of changes in a piece of content at a click.
Read my Grammarly review
Grammarly is a top spelling, grammar and plagiarism checker. It'll help you find and fix errors fast, and it works everywhere. It's trusted by millions of writers for a reason.
2. Scrivener
Ideal for: Writers with long-term projects
Pricing: $45
Scrivener ($45) is what you might call the complete package for long-form writing. It’s packed with tools that allow you to organize a book, take quick notes, and create glossaries for characters, locations, etc. It’s available on Mac, Windows, and iOS.
Beginners can easily start with templates for things like a novel, screenplay, or essay, and common tools for adjusting formatting feel very familiar here. You can also hide everything at all and turn Scrivener into a streamlined, distraction-free content editor.
The biggest downside is that Scrivener isn’t especially friendly for internet-related work like blogging and copywriting, although you can use the shorter templates for work like this. All the writing tools and organization may also take a bit of time to learn.
In short, Scrivener is good if you’re working on a big content project like an ebook or guide. However, it’s less useful for managing lots of articles or shorter pieces of content due to the lack of Markdown support and content publishing tools.
Read our Scrivener review.
3. Ulysses
Ideal for: Freelance writers and authors
Pricing: $5 per month
Are you a big fan of the “Apple” aesthetic for software? Ulysses ($5 monthly subscription) is a novel-writing app with some similarities to Scrivener, but a very different interface directly inspired by Mac and iOS apps for a familiar look.
Thanks to its distraction-free writing mode, it’s easy to focus on content. The ability to plan, make notes, keep a glossary, and enable autofill for those names that you can’t quite remember is all present, but mostly stays hidden until you need it.
A final note – Ulysses has a unique markdown text format that allows you to format as you go with text commands that will be translated into formatting. Once mastered, this allows you to easily write without using a mouse, perfect for on-the-go work on an iPhone or iPad.
I also like Ulysses for managing content across a variety of sites as I can organize them using tags and folders, publish directly to WordPress or Ghost sites and check their status. Ulysses even supports preparing a book for self-publishing.
Read our Ulysses App review
4. IA Writer
Ideal for: Freelance writers
Pricing: $20
If minimalism is your primary concern, iA Writer ($20 to $30 depending on the version) is the app for you. It’d distraction-free writing mode is more limited menus than Ulysses. And its interface keeps out of the way of your content at all times.
This has its advantages (markdown formatting and style checking are supported), but there aren’t a lot of additional tools to help you craft a book or similar projects, so you have to accept the barebones nature of the app. Fortunately, that’s just what some people are looking for.
IA Writer is more minimalistic than its rival Ulysses. However, it doesn’t contain as many document management and publication tools. That’s a good or bad thing, depending on your point of view. I used IA Writer for years to write and edit quality content.
Read our IA Writer review.
5. Reedsy
Ideal for: Authors with a draft to self-publish
Pricing: Free
Reedsy is a very minimalistic app with a design somewhat reminiscent of Apple Pages, excellent for focused writing without distractions or being confused by a bunch of buttons. It’s also very novel-friendly, with outline and section management that make it easy to manage chapters.
I also appreciated the change tracking options, which makes it easier to revert to a past version of your work if you made a mistake or changed your mind. Formatting is also friendly if you would like to export directly as an eBook ready for publication.
The app, however, is limited when it comes to anything other than writing novels, although you could use it for shorter works in a pinch if you have nothing else at hand. Perhaps best of all, it’s entirely free at the moment, making it a good choice for writers trying to save money.
6. Final Draft
Ideal for: Screenwriters and playwrights
Pricing: $250
Finally ($250), a recommendation for serious screenwriters: Final Draft is made to create screenplays with all the features you need for proper details and direction. That includes line-by-line formatting, comments, collaboration markup for working with a team, and a variety of tracking/glossary features to keep everything straight and develop themes more clearly.
The wide variety of tools makes this the go-to app for screenwriting, although you certainly have to pay for it. It’s not very suitable for work outside of plays and screenplays.
Read our Final Draft Review
7. ProWritingAid
Ideal for: Copyediting fiction and long-form writing
Pricing: From free to $70 a year
ProWritingAid is another popular proofreading tool for content editors. This web editor and plugin detect grammar mistakes and spelling errors while you write. It also helps analyze your writing style to keep content and tone consistent.
ProWritingAid provides help with sentence structure to let you create readable copy. It has a free version and a paid version that costs $70 a year.
Read our ProWritingAid review
ProWritingAid is a powerful, accurate grammar checker and style editor. It's suitable for non-fiction and fiction writers and doesn't require a monthly subscription. Save 20% per month or year.
8. AutoCrit
Ideal for: Copyediting book chapters
Pricing: From free to $80 a month
AutoCrit is designed for fiction writers, as it compares written work and sentence structure to works by other well-known fiction writers.
AutoCrit analyzes a manuscript to help you find areas to edit. It will analyze features like dialog and the momentum and pace of the story.
This comparison helps writers find common writing style mistakes and redundancies. The Free Forever plan is… free. The Professional plan costs $30 a month, and the Elite plan costs $80 a month.
9. Hemingway App
Ideal for: Copyediting articles
Pricing: From free to $19.99 per month
The Hemingway App is a style checker. It scores content based on readability and helps spot areas you can improve. The program highlights text that is hard to read and instances of passive voice, both of which hurt readability scores.
Hemingway App is a free content editing tool if you use the browser-based version. Content writers who want to use a desktop app need to pay $19.99. If you’re a content creator on a budget, it’s a good choice.
Read our Hemingway App review
Our Testing Criteria
We regularly update this roundup of content writing apps as the products evolve. We test new features by checking articles, book chapters, and blog posts for grammatical mistakes and other issues. These articles and other writing samples range from several hundred to several thousand words in length. Typically, we test content writing apps using the web, desktop, and browser apps and plugins.
Why You Can Trust Us
I’ve written and published dozens of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications including, Forbes and Lifehacker. I’m also a best-selling non-fiction author, a trained journalist, and a copywriter.
Content writing apps like the above form a key part of my writing workflow for non-fiction. I use these types of software regularly to improve my work and also to check work by freelance writers who publish content on this site.
Final Word on Content Writing Apps
These are some of the best apps content writing tools for content writers for getting started on large projects, and I encourage you to think about trying at least once if you want to find a content writing job.
If you’re unsure which use for your writing process, I suggest starting with Scrivener and seeing how you like its features. iA Writer is also a good choice for bloggers and new content writers. You could also use Grammarly to check your content for grammar and typo mistakes.
Most of these apps have free writing trials for a couple of weeks, so you really can shop around if you want. If you only want to dip your toe in the water, download the free version of Grammarly instead and let it help you out! When you’ve tested out these apps, you may be ready to try out more advanced content optimization software.
FAQs about Content Writing Apps
Do I Have to Use a Content Writing App?
No. But I like these writing apps because they add specific features that you aren’t going to find on the average text or web editor, especially when it comes to writing novels or other large projects.
Do All Content Apps Cost Money?
Many do, but there are some free options for content creators. Reedsy is a notable example. If you are only interested in basic text editing functions, you should look at a variety of free web apps that allow for speedy wordsmithing without any additional costs. Even something like Google Docs or FocusWriter could be all you need.
Is My Content Private on a Writing App?
Always, always check the security and privacy details of content writing tools. The ones I listed are pretty good about understanding that writers’ work needs to be private and unaccessible (unless you are in a collaboration), and have some safeguards in place to help prevent issues. In some ways, they are safer than using a traditional cloud app or web app.
Can Content Writing Apps Make Me a Better Writer?
Many can. In addition to helping you organize your writing, some apps help monitor your content for tone, phrasing, potential synonyms, etc. You may have to spend some time with these features to get used to them, but they can help. And apps like Grammarly are entirely devoted to “watching you write” so you can improve as you go.
Is There a Content Writing App Specifically for Novels?
Yes, our picks Ulysses and Scrivener are both excellent for writing full novels, including the ability to keep track of multiple characters and places, outline a plot, and go chapter by chapter as needed. This is a spot where content writing apps really show their value, and serious novelists should definitely consider choosing one.
Content Writing App Resources
What Does a Content Writer Do?
Interview With Bernard Huang: Clearscope Founder
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