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The best free writing software in 2024

27 tools to help you create better content, faster

By Melissa King · August 28, 2024
writing-editing-apps primary img

As a freelance writer, I try to keep my app costs lean, so I'm a sucker for free writing tools. But with so many writing apps on the market, it's hard to tell which free options are actually valuable.

I've done a lot of the legwork for you by bringing together some of the best free writing apps on the internet. All of the options listed here are tools the Zapier team or I have used and enjoyed.

For this roundup, I prioritized completely free tools and freemium apps with a forever free plan that was sufficient for actual regular use. Many of the options have paid plans, but those plans are generally geared toward power users.

  • Brainstorming software

  • Researching and note-taking software

  • Writing software

  • Editing software

  • Proofreading software

The best free writing software at a glance

App name

Category

Best for

MindMeister

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Expanding your ideas with mind mapping

Workflowy

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Creating content outlines

Miro

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Brainstorming together

Google Keyword Planner

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Brainstorming topics

Claude

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Brainstorming ideas with AI

Your computer's dictation software

Brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Brainstorming out loud

Notion

Research and note-taking

Keeping everything in one place

Unpaywall

Research and note-taking

Finding free copies of paywalled research

oTranscribe

Research and note-taking

Transcribing interview and video content

tl;dv

Research and note-taking

Transcribing interview content with AI-powered organization

Google Forms

Research and note-taking

Collecting research from other people

Google Docs

Solo and collaborative writing

Collaborative writing

FocusWriter

Solo and collaborative writing

Writing without distractions

WordCounter

Solo and collaborative writing

Writing messages and blurbs

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus

Editing

Finding the perfect word

Power Thesaurus

Editing

Finding the right word anywhere

Wordtune

Editing

Rewording what you write

Hemingway Editor

Editing

Clear and concise writing

IsItWP Headline Analyzer

Editing

Creating compelling headlines

Cliche Finder

Editing

Finding and removing cliches

De-Jargonizer

Editing

Finding jargon in your text

Expresso

Editing

Varying your wording and sentence length

GPTZero

Editing

Comparing your writing to AI content

Grammarly

Proofreading and optimizing

Catching spelling and grammar mistakes

ProWritingAid

Proofreading and optimizing

Proofreading short-form content

EasyBib

Proofreading and optimizing

Making MLA citations

SEO PowerSuite Website Auditor Content Editor

Proofreading and optimizing

Optimizing content for search engines


Free writing tools for brainstorming and organizing your thoughts

Best free writing software for expanding your ideas

MindMeister (Web, iOS, Android)

MindMeister, our pick for the best free writing software for brainstorming with a mind map

If you like to perform mind mapping to get your thoughts on paper and connect them, MindMeister gives you a virtual space to do it. It includes templates for the traditional mind map as well as more specific layouts for frameworks like SMART goals, case studies, and content plans.

Want to learn more about mind mapping? Check out Zapier's list of the best mind mapping apps, or discover nine ways to use mind maps to jumpstart your projects.

MindMeister pricing: Free for up to 3 mind maps; from $6.50/month for premium plans, including features like unlimited mind maps, advanced exporting, and group sharing

Best free writing software for creating content outlines

Workflowy (Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android)

WorkFlowy, our pick for the best free writing software for creating content outlines

Outlines are a writer's best friend, and Workflowy lets you go as deep or shallow as you want. This tool organizes your outline into bullet points that you can click to nest and expand however you want. You can also incorporate Kanban boards in the mix, whether you add one to an outline or create a Kanban board full of outlines.

Workflowy pricing: Free for up to 100 bullets a month; from $6.99/month for the Workflowy Pro plan with expanded features like unlimited bullets and uploads

Best free writing software for brainstorming together

Miro (Web)

Miro, our pick for the best free writing software for brainstorming together

When you need to write something in collaboration with others, the brainstorming process is one of the trickiest to facilitate with technology. Miro lets you plot out ideas with mind maps, Kanban boards, virtual sticky notes, or whatever strategy you use to get your thoughts down. The free plan allows for unlimited team members to brainstorm with at the same time.

If whiteboards aren't your preferred brainstorming method, explore Zapier's picks for the top brainstorming tools for more collaborative and solo apps.

You can even use Miro with Zapier (also free), so you can automate your brainstorming workflows. Learn more about how to automate Miro with Zapier, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.

Create Miro widgets with new Trello cards

Create Miro widgets with new Trello cards
  • Trello logo
  • Miro logo
Trello + Miro

Create Miro card widgets with new tl;dv recordings

Create Miro card widgets with new tl;dv recordings
  • tl;dv logo
  • Miro logo
tl;dv + Miro

Miro pricing: Free for 3 whiteboards with unlimited team members; from $8/user/month for plans with unlimited whiteboards and advanced collaboration features

Best free writing software for brainstorming topics

Google Keyword Planner (Web)

Google Keyword Planner, our pick for the best free writing software for keyword planning

While Google Keyword Planner's main purpose is to help you find keywords for paid ads, it also works well as a topic generator. Make a new plan and go to the Keyword ideas tab to get related keywords to any topic you enter. Sort the Keywords column by relevance to get more niche topics as you get deeper into the list.

If you're looking for keyword research tools specifically for their main purpose, check out Zapier's roundup of the best free keyword research tools.  

Google Keyword Planner pricing: Free

Best free writing software for brainstorming ideas with AI

Claude (Web)

Claude, our pick for the best free writing software for writing with AI

With the rise of AI, some writers use AI writing generators to brainstorm ideas and build the base for an outline. Claude excels at creative tasks like generating ideas and proofreading, making it ideal for these tasks. (Read more about how Claude compares to ChatGPT.)

Plus, you can use Zapier to send ideas from other apps for Claude to riff on. Here are a few automations you can try, or learn more about how to automate Claude.

Write AI-generated email responses with Claude and store in Gmail

Write AI-generated email responses with Claude and store in Gmail
  • Gmail logo
  • Anthropic (Claude) logo
  • Gmail logo
Gmail + Anthropic (Claude)

Create AI-generated posts in WordPress with Claude

Create AI-generated posts in WordPress with Claude
  • Google Sheets logo
  • Anthropic (Claude) logo
  • WordPress logo
Google Sheets + Anthropic (Claude) + WordPress

Claude pricing: Free with demand-based limits; from $20/person/month for advanced plans with higher limits

Best free writing software for brainstorming out loud

Your computer's dictation software (macOS, Windows)

Windows dictation software
Shoutout to my friend Jacob for grabbing this screenshot for me! For once it's not me referencing my cat.

If you process your thoughts best through speaking, there's a brainstorming app already on your computer. Boot up Windows 10 Speech Recognition or Windows 11 voice access on Windows or Apple Dictation on Mac to record your thoughts as you brainstorm out loud.

For mobile and premium dictation app options, check out Zapier's list of the best text dictation software.

Windows 10 Speech Recognition and Apple Dictation pricing: Free

Free writing tools for research and note-taking

Best free writing software for keeping everything in one place

Notion (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android)

Notion, our pick for the best free writing software for keeping everything in one place

Notion's balance of organization and spontaneity make it a great place to hold your notes, links, social media posts, transcriptions, and any other resources you need to write that draft. Plus, depending on your writing preferences, you can then write the draft itself in Notion—all for free. 

Add Zapier integrations to the mix to bring even more of your writing life together. Learn more about automating Notion, or try some pre-made workflows to get you started.

Add new Google Calendar events to databases in Notion

Add new Google Calendar events to databases in Notion
  • Google Calendar logo
  • Notion logo
Google Calendar + Notion

Create pages in Notion for new tl;dv recordings

Create pages in Notion for new tl;dv recordings
  • tl;dv logo
  • Notion logo
tl;dv + Notion

If Notion doesn't meet your needs, try one of these Notion alternatives. Zapier also has a list of the best note-taking apps for you to browse.

Notion pricing: Free plan available; from $10/user/month for advanced plans

Best free writing software for finding free copies of paywalled research

Unpaywall (Web)

Unpaywall, our pick for the best free writing software for finding free copies of paywalled research

Have you ever come across a search result for the perfect research article, only to discover it's behind a paywall? Unpaywall gets you across those paywalls ethically by looking for legitimate free versions of paywalled academic research. It looks at sources like journals' open-access repositories and university and government databases, so you're never infringing copyright.

Unpaywall pricing: Free

Best free writing software for transcribing interview and video content

oTranscribe (Web)

oTranscribe, our pick for the best free writing software for transcribing interview and video content

oTranscribe simplifies the manual transcription process by placing your audio controls and a word processor on the same screen. This tool has keyboard controls and speed adjustment, so you can seamlessly transition between your audio and transcript.

If you're willing to pay a bit, here's Zapier's list of the best transcription apps and services.

oTranscribe pricing: Free

Best free writing software for AI transcription

tl;dv (Add-on for Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams)

tl;dv, our pick for the best free writing software for transcribing interviews

There is a workaround to the upload limits on transcription services: using an AI meeting assistant to transcribe during your interviews. And tl;dv offers unlimited meeting transcriptions in its free plan. As a bonus, it'll summarize your transcription into notes based on the template of your choice.

Once tl;dv uploads your meeting, you can send the transcript or recording wherever you want to keep them using Zapier. Give these automations a shot, or learn more about how to automate tl;dv.

Create pages in Notion for new tl;dv recordings

Create pages in Notion for new tl;dv recordings
  • tl;dv logo
  • Notion logo
tl;dv + Notion

Upload new files in Google Drive to tl;dv

Upload new files in Google Drive to tl;dv
  • Google Drive logo
  • tl;dv logo
Google Drive + tl;dv

Best free writing software for collecting research from other people

Google Forms (Web, iOS, Android)

Google Forms, our pick for the best free writing software for collecting research from other people

When you need original quotes or data from other people, a free survey tool or form builder will help you organize it all. Google Forms is an accessible choice for most people because it's completely free and works with the rest of Google Workspace.

Turn your form responses into Trello cards, Notion database entries, or any other nugget of info that serves you well with Google Forms' Zapier integrations. Try one of these pre-made workflows, or learn more about automating Google Forms.

Send email via Gmail for new Google Forms submissions

Send email via Gmail for new Google Forms submissions
  • Google Forms logo
  • Gmail logo
Google Forms + Gmail

Share Google Forms responses in a Slack channel

Share Google Forms responses in a Slack channel
  • Google Forms logo
  • Slack logo
Google Forms + Slack

Google Forms pricing: Free

Free writing tools for solo and collaborative writing

Best free writing software for collaborative writing

Google Docs (Web, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Google Docs, our pick for the best free writing software for collaborative writing

Google Docs' straightforward interface and ease of use make it a great tool for writing solo, but this app really shines through its collaborative features. Its suggestion, sharing, and version history features put it on par with its paid alternatives at no cost to you.

You can connect Google Docs to all the other tools you use with its Zapier integration. Here are some ideas for free automations you might set up, or you can learn more about how to automate Google Docs.

Create Google Docs documents from text for new tl;dv transcripts

Create Google Docs documents from text for new tl;dv transcripts
  • tl;dv logo
  • Google Docs logo
tl;dv + Google Docs

Copy data from new Google Sheets rows to a Google Doc template

Copy data from new Google Sheets rows to a Google Doc template
  • Google Sheets logo
  • Google Docs logo
Google Sheets + Google Docs

Google Docs pricing: Free

Best free writing software for focused writing

FocusWriter (Windows, Linux)

FocusWriter, our pick for the best free writing software for focusing

If you find your user interface distracting while you write, FocusWriter takes you to a full-screen writing experience where it's just you and your words. It comes with a variety of calming themes, like a galaxy or the above sky, with the option to create your own. You can also set a timer for your hyper-focused writing sprints.

If FocusWriter isn't quite right for you, check out Zapier's list of the best distraction blockers—there are a few free options on there.

FocusWriter pricing: Free

Best free writing software for messages and blurbs

WordCounter (Web)

WordCounter, our pick for the best free writing software for messages and blurbs

Sometimes you need to write a small amount of text, such as a message or a blurb, without the pressure of accidentally hitting the Enter button too early. WordCounter acts as a combination clipboard and editor with a word count that saves your work in your browser cache for the next time you visit.

WordCounter pricing: Free

Free writing tools for editing

Best free writing software for finding the perfect word

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus (Web)

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus, our pick for the best free writing software for finding the perfect word

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus offers all the synonyms you could dream of like a regular thesaurus, but it stands out in its reverse dictionary capabilities. Enter a phrase—or even a full sentence—to get words that match that meaning. This feature comes in handy when you want to write more concisely or find that word that's on the tip of your tongue.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus pricing: Free

Best free writing software for finding the right word—anywhere

Power Thesaurus (Web, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Power Thesaurus, our pick for the best free writing software for finding the right word—anywhere

As a freelance writer, I find myself needing to switch up words when I write on various platforms across the internet. Power Thesaurus gives me synonyms, antonyms, definitions, and other forms of word assistance wherever I like to write. It can do the same for you—put it to use on its website, in your browser, on your phone, in Google Docs, in Word, and in Gmail.

Power Thesaurus pricing: Free for fundamental features; starting from $2.49/month for Power Thesaurus PRO, featuring filters and a wider selection of synonyms

Best free writing software for rewording what you write

Wordtune (Web, Chrome, iOS)

Wordtune, our pick for the best free writing software for rewording what you write

When you just can't get phrasing right in your writing, you might turn to a friend or editor to help you sort it out. Wordtune acts as that person by offering suggestions to reword, expand, and shorten your content using AI. It doesn't have as robust of a free plan as some of the other options on this list, but it provides enough if you need assistance here and there.

If you want more features and are willing to pay a monthly fee, you can put AI to work in your editing process with Zapier's list of the best AI rewording and grammar-checking tools.

Wordtune pricing: Free for up to 10 rewrites or AI suggestions, and three summaries a day; from $6.99/month for advanced plans featuring more rewrites/AI suggestions and summaries

Best free writing software for clear and concise writing

Hemingway Editor (Web, macOS, Windows)

Hemingway, our pick for the best free writing software for clear and concise writing

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway's concise writing style, the Hemingway Editor points out opportunities to sharpen your writing. This tool highlights passive voice, complex sentences, and adverbs that make your work harder to understand. It also supplies a readability score to estimate how accessible your writing is to a broad audience.

Hemingway Editor pricing: Free for editing in the Hemingway web app; $19.99 for the Mac or Windows desktop app

Best free writing software for creating compelling headlines

IsItWP Headline Analyzer (Web)

IsItWP Headline Analyzer, our pick for the best free writing software for analyzing titles

IsItWP Headline Analyzer helps you write compelling headlines by analyzing the sentiment and word balance in your titles. Type in a headline to get a score, and test different variations based on the suggestions you get. 

Just keep in mind that this analyzer also analyzes your title as though you'll use it in search results, so the Word Count category isn't always reliable. For example, the headline I entered above has "too many words," even though I plan on using it only for the on-page headline.

IsItWP Headline Analyzer pricing: Free

Best free writing software for finding and removing cliches

Cliche Finder (Web)

Cliche Finder, our pick for the best free writing software for finding and removing cliches

Cut cliches out of your writing using Cliche Finder. After you paste your text into the textbox and click the Find Cliches button, the tool will highlight any cliches in bold, red text. It's up to you from there, but the tool is 100% free.

Cliche Finder pricing: Free

Best free writing software for finding jargon in your text

De-Jargonizer (Web)

De-Jargonizer, our pick for the best free writing software for finding jargon in your text

Another writing mechanism that gets in the way of clarity is jargon—terms that only people in a specific role will understand. The De-Jargonizer highlights potential jargon in your writing in orange or red for you to consider rephrasing.

Once you identify jargon in your text with the De-Jargonizer, you can get suggestions for rewriting it from Zapier's Corporate Jargon Translator, built using Zapier's free AI chatbot builder.

De-Jargonizer pricing: Free

Best free writing software for varying your wording and sentence length

Expresso (Web)

Expresso, our pick for the best free writing software for varying your wording and sentence length

Two of the best ways to amp up your writing are to switch up your words and sentence length. Expresso helps you achieve both of these goals by breaking your writing down into metrics based on word usage and sentence length, such as frequently repeated words and average sentence word count.

Expresso pricing: Free

Best free writing software for comparing your writing to AI content

GPTZero (Web, Chrome)

GPTZero, our pick for the best free writing software for comparing your writing to AI content

Due to the complexity of the AI situation, it can be tricky to truly detect AI writing with an AI content detector. But these tools work well for picking out human content that sounds like AI due to repetitive phrases and generic writing. GPTZero is a free option that judges text based on perplexity (complexity) and burstiness (sentence variation).

GPTZero pricing: Free for 10,000 words per month; from $10.00/month for plans with higher word limits

Free writing tools for proofreading and optimizing

Best free writing software for catching spelling and grammar mistakes

Grammarly (Web, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, browser extensions)

Grammarly, our pick for the best free writing software for catching spelling and grammar mistakes

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes everywhere you write with Grammarly. It looks for even the nit-pickiest details, like missing dashes and incorrect prepositions. Stick to its web editor, add it to your favorite writing tool, or add the browser extension to check your writing wherever you go.

Grammarly pricing: Free for the basic spell- and grammar-checker; from $12/month for plans with advanced features like tone, vocabulary, and rewrite suggestions

Best free writing tool for proofreading short-form content

ProWritingAid (Web, macOS, Windows, browser extensions)

ProWritingAid, our pick for the best free writing tool for proofreading short-form content

ProWritingAid's free plan can analyze less text at a time than Grammarly, but it includes a word explorer, thesaurus, and rephrasing tool on top of its grammar-checking features. These capabilities make it a better fit for writers who like to get really granular with their improvement. ProWritingAid's free plan could be a better option for you than Grammarly if your total word count usually clocks at 500 words or fewer.

ProWritingAid pricing: Free for a 500 word count limit and 10 rephrases per day; from $10/month for a Premium plan with no word count limit, unlimited rephrases, and advanced grammar improvement features like in-depth analytics of your writing

Best free writing tool for making MLA citations

EasyBib (Web)

EasyBib, our pick for the Best free writing tool for making MLA citations

This one's for the academics out there. Enter your paper's sources into EasyBib, and it'll organize them into an MLA bibliography for you. I had to give everything a once-over and make minor changes, but EasyBib helped me win my college library's bibliography contest back in the day.

EasyBib pricing: Free

Best free writing tool for keyword optimization

SEO PowerSuite Website Auditor Content Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux)

SEO PowerSuite, our pick for the best free writing software for optimizing content for SEO

The content editor in SEO PowerSuite's Website Auditor checks how well your SEO writing could perform based on the keywords you want to rank for. It offers pretty powerful features in its free version, such as suggesting related terms and listing competitors.

It does have one catch—you can't save your content in the free version. But since it still works well for checking content after you finish it, it deserves a spot on the proofreading list.

You can find even more content optimization tools with free and paid versions in our list of the best SEO content optimization tools.

Free writing software FAQ

Here are some questions lots of people have about writing apps and how to choose the right one.

What's a good free writing tool?

A good free writing tool offers the features you need to write efficiently and comfortably without charging you. The exact variety of features it offers depends on the job the tool needs to do in the first place.

Tools like Google Docs and WordCounter are free forever and very functional. Other apps, like Grammarly or ProWritingAid, have free plans that offer basic features, with more advanced features available via a paid plan.

But there are a lot of free writing tools available that perform a wide variety of functions—everything from brainstorming to research and note-taking to writing to editing to proofreading.

What writing tool do most writers use?

There's a wide variety of writing tools out there, and which one a writer uses really comes down to preference. A lot of writers use Google Docs to write because they already use Google for so many other things—but some may prefer a tool like Notion, where they can combine writing with project management. Then there's a solid group of Markdown aficionados, who write in tools like iA Writer or Ulysses.

What makes a good writing tool?

In short, whatever helps you write! If a blank page and no distraction is what helps you actually get words down, then open a new Google Doc and go at it. If you need to organize your thoughts before you even think about writing, consider adding a brainstorming tool to the mix. Each writer's process is different, and it's all about finding tools that enable your writing, not add another roadblock to your process.

Sharpen your craft with your new toolkit

As is the case with many skills, it can be easy to focus too much on improving your writing through tools alone. You'll maximize the results you'll get from your apps with a solid foundation in writing techniques. Grab the tools that appeal to you on this page, then brush up on your core writing skills to become a killer prose machine.

Related reading:

  • The best journal apps

  • How to capitalize all letters in Word, Excel, and other apps

  • How to write great copy: 11 copywriting tips

  • Copywriting vs. content writing: How to do each one well

  • How to write a business letter: Formatting + template

  • The best free AI tools

This article was originally published in June 2015 by Jane Callahan and has also had contributions from Jessica Greene. The most recent update was in August 2024.

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