A winning manuscript gets easier to create with the best manuscript editing software, so check out these five programs.
Creating a manuscript requires many hours of work and dedication. While nothing can replace the human mind and a human editor, grammar checkers and manuscript editing software can help you work on that manuscript, polish it and prepare it for publication.
Yet often, manuscript editing software comes with a price tag, so you want to know that you’re choosing the right one. Here are some of the top options as you shop for an editing tool, along with the pros and cons of each.
The right choice will depend on the type of work you are writing, so dig through this list and find one that fits your needs.
Contents
1. ProWritingAid
Pricing: From free to $70 a year
ProWritingAid tops this list because it is a popular choice for non-fiction and fiction writers alike. This web editor and plugin detect grammar mistakes and spelling errors while you write.
It will also help you analyze your writing style to keep things consistent while you work on self-editing.
With ProWritingAid, you not only get the help of a grammar checker, as the program provides help with sentence structure to let you create a readable copy. It has a free version and a paid version that costs $70 a year.
Read our ProWritingAid review
Who Is It For?
ProWritingAid works for any style of writing if you are self-editing. However, its inability to work without the internet means it won’t be the right choice for those fiction writers who choose to write offline.
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.
2. Grammarly
Pricing: From free to $139.95 a year
If you need a grammar checker to check typos and word choice, then Grammarly is one of the best. It works as both a grammar checker and proofreader.
Simply copy and paste your text into an online dashboard or use the Microsoft Word or Chrome browser extension to check your work while you are writing, and see all of your errors highlighted with suggestions for improvement.
Grammarly has both a free version and paid version. Though many writers find the free version to be quite effective, the paid version is one of the best available and costs $139.95 a year.
Read our Grammarly Review
Who It Is For
The functionality of Grammarly means it works for any type of writer, including academic writers, bloggers and business writers.
We tested dozens of grammar checkers, and Grammarly is the best tool on the market today. It'll help you write and edit your work much faster. Grammarly provides a powerful AI writing assistant and plagiarism checker tool. Anyone who works with the written word should use it.
3. AutoCrit
Pricing: From free to $80 a month
AutoCrit will analyze a manuscript to help you find areas where you can improve. It will analyze features like dialog and the momentum and pace of the story. It also lets authors compare their works to other popular writers.
This comparison helps writers find common writing style mistakes and redundancies in a writer’s work. For example, if a writer tends to start a sentence with the same word repeatedly, it will highlight that so the writer can fix it. It has a Free Forever plan, a Professional plan for $30 a month, and an Elite plan for $80 a month.
Who Is It For?
AutoCrit is designed entirely for fiction writers, as it compares written work and sentence structure to that of other well-known fiction writers. This includes writers of short stories and fiction books.
4. Hemingway App
Pricing: From free to $19.99 per month
The Hemingway App is a style checker. It scores your writing based on readability and helps you find areas that you can improve. The program highlights areas of your text that are hard to read or instances of passive voice, both of which hurt the overall readability.
Hemingway App is completely free to use if you use the browser-based version. Writers who want to use a desktop app need to purchase it, but it is just $19.99 for that option.
Who It Is For
Any writer who wants to improve their writing skills and create strong writing can benefit from Hemingway App.
5. SmartEdit
Pricing: Ranges from $67 to $77 for a single license
SmartEdit helps writers edit their short stories and novels. It runs 20 checks on your content to highlight redundancies, misspelled words, over-use of adverbs, and misused words.
With SmartEdit, writers can reduce wordiness and create cleaner, easier-to-read fiction. This program costs $67 for a single license and $77 for SmartEdit for Word.
Who It Is For
SmartEdit is for fiction writers. It is designed specifically for short story writers and novelists
LivingWriter is an intuitive manuscript editing app for authors and novelists. Its drag and drop feature allows reordering chapters and stories without copying and pasting.
You can use the outlines of successful authors who employed infamous stories and movies in LivingWriter. In addition to light mode, this writing software offers a dark mode, which is good for your eyes if you like to edit manuscripts at night.
The handy AutoSuggest feature recommends story elements based, for example, on the character name or location.
LivingWriter integrates with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a fiction book writing challenge that takes place every November.
Who It Is For
It’s a good choice for novelists, storytellers and fiction writers who are comfortable writing online.
Read our Living Writer review
Living Writer contains time-saving templates for authors and novelists. iOS and Android apps available
Living Writer contains time-saving templates for authors and novelists. iOS and Android apps available
7. Scrivener
Price: $45
Scrivener ($45) is a complete package for long-form writing, including manuscripts. It’s packed with tools that allow you to organize a book, take quick notes, and create glossaries for characters, locations and so on. Scrivener is available on Mac, Windows and iOS.
Beginners can easily start with manuscript templates a novel, screenplay, or essays. You can also use it for academic works. The biggest downside is that Scrivener has a learning curve. It also takes time to get full use out of all of its many tools.
Who It Is For
It’s a good choice for anyone working on a long-form project or manuscript on Mac or Windows due to the price and feature-set.
Read our Scrivener review
our Testing Criteria
We selected these manuscript editing software apps based on their ability to help writers edit a draft. We focused on ease of use, price, and useful features. Our choices are best suited to writers who work digitally.
In some cases, we reviewed the individual apps (e.g. ProWritingAid) extensively and we’ve provided links to these reviews. I’ve also written and published several books using some of these apps.
A Final Word on Manuscript Editing Software
Manuscript editing software will not replace a human editor, but it can be a valuable tool as you proofread a document. it can catch mistakes and redundancies that you overlooked in editing. Add one to your writing toolbox for strong writing.
Scrivener should cover most of your needs and is affordable. Living Writer is easier to use. And Grammarly or ProWritingAid are booth excellent complementary grammar checkers.
FAQs About Manuscript Editing Software
What is the best editing software for mac?
ProwritingAid has a Mac-compatible desktop app. As a robust editing option, it is one of the top choices for Mac users.
What is the best editing software for writers?
Grammarly and ProWritingAid are among the top editing software options for writers, but your choice will depend on the type of writing you do.Â
Resources
Check out our guide to the:
The Best Writing Apps and Software
The Best Writing Apps for Android
The Best Writing Apps for iPad
Join over 15,000 writers today
Get a FREE book of writing prompts and learn how to make more money from your writing.
