When it comes to taking notes or writing a small blog post or document, most people turn to Apple Notes, Evernote, or OneNote on Mac. But to write appropriate documents, you need applications designed with writers in mind. If you’re looking for a writing app for your documents, thesis, editing, or anything else, take a look at our compilation of the best writing apps for Mac.
Unlike any traditional note app, a typing app focuses on a minimalist look and a distraction-free typing experience. Instead of bombarding users with endless editing options such as highlighter, table, different font styles and colors, you concentrate on words and text. We will look at widely accepted and used applications with a simple interface and extensive features. Of course, it comes at a cost, and some offer a trial.
1. iA Author
iA Writer has a simple and clean look. At first, it might seem like just another Notepad app, but when you dig deeper you’ll be surprised by the number of features and options on offer.
For example, it includes a feature to help you highlight parts of speech. The app helps detect unnecessary adjectives, weak verbs and unwanted repetitions. You can change your text accordingly and follow a routine to make your writing clearer.
My favorite in the group is the Focus mode. As the name suggests, Focus mode only focuses on the sentence or paragraph you are working on. We’ve seen similar plugins in other apps, but we think iA Writer has the best app.
Apart from that, it carries all the features like Markdown support and HTML view that lets you decide how things will look when published on Medium or WordPress online blogging platforms.
iA Writer is available on Mac as well as iOS, Android and Windows. It is priced at $29.99 as a one-time payment on the Mac App Store.
2. Drafts
Drafts is another critically acclaimed writing app for Mac. After uploading, all you have to do is open the app and start drafting your post. You do not need to do any installation. You can even add new posts directly from the macOS menu bar. You don’t have to navigate a home screen. The developers paid a lot of attention to the UI as it felt fluid and the animations were also smooth when switching between sketches.
Any new entries you make are available in the Inbox. From there, you can use the tagging system to organize notes. Text editing options range from custom fonts, line height, margins, spacing, and even different font styles.
The app works perfectly with the macOS dark theme; this means it can be cleverly adapted if you prefer to type after sunset or in low brightness mode. We appreciate the seamless sharing and third-party integration. For example, you can mail the draft to your editor with one click from the edit menu. Users can also save the post to iCloud Drive, Evernote, OneDrive, Google Drive, Google Docs and even publish it to the WordPress platform. Regular!
Drafts is software proprietary to Apple. Accessible on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Sketches comes with a 7-day trial and after that, it’ll cost you $29.99 per year to include fancy features like widgets, Family Sharing, and other Pro-level features.
3. Ulysses
Among others on this list, Ulysses wins hands down with the organization of your business. Ulysses’ unified library holds anything you type into it. The app can seamlessly handle any type of writing project, large or small.
When it comes to customizations, you can change Theme, Font style, display options and more from the settings menu. Ulysses also lets you add images, keywords and goals as you type. Extremely useful for long writing projects or assignments with fixed word counts.
Ulysses also has an advantage over its competitors when it comes to sharing options. The application allows you to convert a note to HTML, ePub, PDF or DOCX. Better still, Ulysses supports publishing platforms like Ghost, WordPress, and Medium directly from the app itself.
Ulysses is accessible on iPhone, iPad and Mac. While exclusive to the Apple software platform, its annual subscription set you back $49.99 a year, while providing full syncing of documents and access across all your devices.
4. Printer
Scrivener was weak for a while, but that all changed with Scrivener 3 in late 2020. The company finally reworked a rather vintage look with modern design and elements.
One of the best aspects of Scrivener is the Binder plugin. As the name suggests, Binder helps you keep all your notes, research and manuscript files in one place. You can easily access it from the sidebar.
We like that Scrivener offers a separate note area in each section to jot down ideas. It comes in handy when dealing with dozens of ideas for various chapters of the novel or book.
As for the export options, you can share the file as Word, PDF or plain text. The app uses Dropbox to sync data between devices.
Scrivener is available on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows. The app asks for $49 as a one-time payment.
5. Bear Notes
Ok, we know this app has the word Notes in its name, but there’s more to this app. Bear has one of the best user interface among all writing apps for Mac. On top of that, the company cleverly adds just the right amount of features to keep you engaged in writing.
Bear Notes takes you directly to the notes page. You can access the notes from the hamburger menu by swiping left. The company is currently working on a new editor that should bridge the gap between Bear and other authoring tools.
Export options include support for PDF, HTML, JPG image, Docs, and more. Who doesn’t love to add themes? At least, we do. Bear offers multiple Theme options including dark, high contrast, red, snow theme and more.
Bear Notes supports iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Apple Watch. The subscription price is set at $1.5 per month.
Begin Your First Draft
While writing is a creative activity, a good writing practice can certainly make it a pleasant experience. Therefore, you should carefully choose your companion app for your next writing project. Share your favorite free ones in the comments below.
Next: Want to stay organized on Mac? Read the post below to learn about the seven best Mac apps to stay organized.
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