Online tools are essential for any writer. I have compiled this list of free online writing tools available on the internet which facilitate the work of writers. Compare to various online tools available on the internet, I have researched well before selecting these. Also, readers who are interested in knowing about these free online writing tools can visit this page for details.
My goal is to make your writing career more fulfilling and more productive. Below are the tools you need.
Google Docs (iOS/Mac/Online)
Google Docs is simple and doesn’t offer a ton of bells and whistles. Nonetheless, for writers who are easily distracted, the simplicity might be the key to focusing.
| Pros ???? | Cons ???? |
| • The automatic save function is a lifesaver for writers who often forget to save their work. Never lose another word of your work with Google Docs! | • There are no complex organization or planning functions. This might not work for writers looking to easily organize their ideas, characters, or plot. |
| • You can access your writing from anywhere because all documents are saved to the cloud. | • This might not be the best option for writers without a steady internet connection. |
yWriter (Windows)
If organizing is important to you, you’ll love yWriter. This free writing software allows you to organize your plot and character development with ease!
Scribus
Do you need to create beautiful layouts for your words? If so, Scribus may be for you!
Scribus is a free, open source platform that allows you to create rich, professional layouts for everything from one-pagers to magazines. While it takes a bit of learning to get started, Scribus is both easier to use and cheaper (since it’s free!) than tools like Adobe InDesign.
Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator
Even the best writers run into blocks sometimes. Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator can help you when it feels impossible to come up with new content.
Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator Simply input three nouns into the generator and get a week’s worth of topics in seconds! Now, THAT was easy!
Canva
As writers, we don’t just have to worry about the words we put on the page (or screen). Many of us have to create images for our work, whether that’s a cover photo for a blog post or a graphic to promote your book on social media. Canva is an amazing, powerful free tool to help create beautiful images.
Canva’s drag and drop templates can help you create everything from a Pinterest graphic to a book cover. If you’re hesitant to learn Photoshop, Canva is an amazing alternative to help you create rich, high-quality graphics.
Milanote
Milanote is an easy-to-use tool to organize your ideas and projects into visual boards. As a writer, visualizations can help you keep track of everything from character relationships to the order of scenes.
Milanote’s flexible interface allows you to do things like:
- Write notes and to-do lists (handy for keeping yourself on track with your book writing plan)
- Upload images and files (useful for keeping visual inspiration for everything from scenery to character outfits)
- Save images, texts, and links from the web
- and even more!
FocusWriter
Distraction is Enemy #1 to many writers. Facebook never looks as enticing as when you’re on a tight deadline or trying to meet a goal. If this sounds like you, FocusWriter is here to help.
FocusWriter minimizes your work into a clean, distraction-free word processor interface, so you can simply write without worrying about the clutter on your computer screen. FocusWriter isn’t the best tool for going through your second or third draft, but it’s great for getting through that first run so you can do the in-depth editing elsewhere later.
Evernote
Evernote is an amazing “second brain” which allows you to flexibly take notes and capture ideas in a variety of areas.
You can do just about everything in Evernote, from creating to-do lists and checklists to drawing out specific notes to capturing receipts for tracking business expenses. Evernote offers up to 60 MB of space on its free plan, which is plenty if you’re just using plain text notes. If you’d like to add more graphic or larger files, you can upgrade your storage for small fees.
Diaro
Your life is precious, and if you’re the documenting type, you want to remember every moment, good or bad. Diaro is an advanced diary application, but it can be used for keeping a journal or simply writing notes.
Use Diaro to help you keep your thoughts and memories organized and well documented. Attach photos or locations to your entries and share with others via email and social networking sites. With Diaro, you never have to worry about others stumbling across your deepest darkest secrets, because your diary will be password protected.
Todoist
The best writers are able to organize and prioritize their work. Todoist is a task management application that helps you create to-do lists and custom schedules so you can work more effectively.
With Todoist, you can create recurring tasks (e.g. “Write every day at 7 p.m.!”) to help yourself set and achieve goals. Never worry about forgetting an important task again!
Make Writing Apps Work for Yo
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is an amazing word processor option for people who are looking for a free alternative to Word.
LibreOffice has a number of great features, including a clean and sophisticated word processing layout and support for a vast number of file formats. You can create everything from a simple memo to a complete book using the online editor, which makes it a great choice for people looking for a word processor for all types of projects.
Grammarly – Best for Proofreading
Whether you’ve been writing for days or decades, a second pair of eyes can always help. Described as “a free writing assistant,” Grammarly will proofread any kind of text.
As well as highlighting any spelling or grammar mistakes, Grammarly will tell you if you’ve missed a word or are using an incorrect article.
Another plus is that it’s versatile—if you don’t care for (or can’t install) the browser extension, you can visit the Grammarly website and opt for the self-contained online grammar checker instead.
Is It Free?
Grammarly offers a basic free plan, but you can upgrade to one of the premium plans for more advanced checks on punctuation, context, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Having said that, the two premium plans come at a pretty substantial monthly rate.
Scapple – Best for Brainstorming
Sometimes, the hardest part of writing can just be trying to make sense of your initial ideas. Scrapple helps you capture all of your thoughts and establish visual connections between them.
It’s great for making mind maps and tracking your thoughts while you indulge in creative idea generation. The flexible interface is particularly good for visual thinkers and creative types that need a little help organizing and planning.
Is It Free?
You can use Scapple for free for 30 “active” days, which means only the days that you actually sign in, as opposed to 30 calendar days after you sign up. You can then continue to use the tool on a standard license for a very reasonable one-time fee.
Evernote – Best for Capturing Ideas
Still on the subject of collecting your thoughts and getting ready to write, the Evernote note-taking app helps you capture new ideas on the go via your mobile phone.
Who said you have to capture your thoughts in written form? Not Evernote. This app lets you put pictures, voice notes, and web pages in its virtual scrapbook for safekeeping. These features give it an added edge compared to some of the other note-taking apps.
You can also sync your notes across devices and access them anywhere and everywhere.
Is It Free?
Evernote’s basic plan is free, but you can upgrade to the paid plan for a small monthly charge. If you’re not sure whether to upgrade, you can try Evernote Premium for free for 30 days.
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer – Best for First Impressions
As a writer, it’s your job to create click-worthy headlines that capture readers’ attention and invite them to learn more. That’s where CoSchedule Headline Analyzer comes in.
Just enter a headline idea and a few details about your article. Then click “Analyze Now” and your headline will be scored on a scale of 0-100 according to the number of common, uncommon, emotional, and powerful words.
You want to score as highly as possible in the last two categories, because readers will click to read more when they feel an emotional connection.
Is It Free?
Yes, but you have to fill out a couple of forms and provide some details about you and your company to get to the results.
Hemingway App – Best for Improving Your Writing
It doesn’t matter how many times you proof your own work—every good writer needs a great editor.
The Hemingway online editor app is particularly handy for busy content writers on strict time schedules—which pretty much means all of us, all of the time! Just copy and paste your text into the box on the Hemingway website and it will highlight common errors, complex sentences, and words that can be swapped for more concise synonyms.
This tool will also make sure that you’re not overusing the passive voice, and will notify you if any pieces of text are difficult to read. All in all, the Hemingway App really is a no-brainer.
Is It Free?
Yes. You can also download a desktop app for Windows or Mac OS for a small one-time price.
Readable – Best for Engaging Your Audience
As the name suggests, Readable makes your text more…well, readable.
By assessing the level of education that someone would need to read your writing, Readable helps you to write for your target audience. Just copy and paste your copy into the “Score Text” tool to see it analyzed in seconds.
Is It Free?
No, but you have access to a free trial. A paid subscription comes at a low monthly cost.
Cliché Finder – Best for Ensuring You’re Understood
Some styles of writing actually call for clichés and other idioms, but many don’t. Your writing will be better understood by international audiences if you avoid colloquialisms.
If you struggle to avoid overused or confusing language in your writing, then Cliché Finder could be your best friend.
It’s very easy and efficient to use. Just enter your text into the box and click “Find Clichés” to see your results in seconds with any clichés clearly shown.
Is It Free?
Yes.
Conclusion
If you are concerned that the quality of your work might suffer because you use free online writing tools, I’m here to tell you about my experience in using them. I often use free online tools in my education career and I never had any concerns about the quality of work. Get started today!