iA Writer alternatives · Writing
Free alternatives to iA Writer
iA Writer has no free plan. 45 of the 67 other writing tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.
iA Writer is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac. 8 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
45 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from
The 12 closest to iA Writer
- Free plan · from $16.99 one-time
Calmly Writer
Distraction-free Markdown writing app sold as a one-time purchase
What is free: Calmly Writer Online: a free browser editor with no signup, with auto-save in the browser, word count, typewriter sounds, dark mode and Markdown. It has only a subset of the apps' features.
- Calmly Writer starts at $16.99 one-time (Android); $23.90 one-time for Windows, Mac and Linux. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Calmly Writer has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Calmly Writer lists a web app.
- Only Calmly Writer lists Linux and Android apps.
- Free plan · from $14.99 one-time
Cold Turkey Writer
Text editor that locks your computer until a writing goal is met
What is free: Writer Free: timed blocks, word-count blocks, distraction-free full-screen writing and auto save.
- Cold Turkey Writer starts at $14.99 one-time (Writer Pro). iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Cold Turkey Writer has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only iA Writer lists an iOS app.
- Cold Turkey Writer also covers focus music.
- Free
FocusWriter
Free distraction-free word processor for Windows and Linux
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- FocusWriter is free. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- FocusWriter has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only FocusWriter lists a Linux app.
- Only iA Writer lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Free
ghostwriter
Free, open-source Markdown editor from KDE for focused writing
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- ghostwriter is free. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- ghostwriter has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ghostwriter lists a Linux app.
- Only iA Writer lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Free plan · from $29.99/yr
JotterPad
Markdown and Fountain editor for books, papers and screenplays
What is free: Free with limited access: Markdown editing, importing .md, .fountain and .fdx files, Unsplash images, and printing Markdown to PDF with a watermark. No cloud sync.
- JotterPad starts at $29.99 per year on the App Store; $3.33 per month billed annually on the web. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- JotterPad has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only JotterPad lists a web app.
- Only JotterPad lists an Android app.
- Free
MarkText
Free, open-source Markdown editor with in-place live rendering
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- MarkText is free. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- MarkText has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only MarkText lists a Linux app.
- Only iA Writer lists an iOS app.
- Free plan · from $8.33/mo
Hemingway Editor
Readability editor that flags wordy, hard-to-read sentences
What is free: The free web editor highlights hard-to-read sentences, passive voice and weak wording and grades readability. Grammar fixes and AI rewrites need Hemingway Editor Plus.
- Hemingway Editor starts at $8.33 per month, billed annually ($100); desktop app $19.99 once. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Hemingway Editor has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hemingway Editor lists a web app.
- Only iA Writer lists an iOS app.
- Free plan · from $12/mo
Grammarly
Writing assistant for grammar, tone and rewrites in any app
What is free: Spelling and grammar corrections, tone detection and 100 AI prompts a month. Docs is free to use, though some of its agents are limited to Pro.
- Grammarly starts at $12 per member / month, billed annually. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Grammarly has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Grammarly lists a web app.
- Only Grammarly lists an Android app.
- Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Microsoft Word
Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
What is free: Word for the web is free for 1 person: real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of cloud storage. The mobile apps cover basic editing without a subscription.
- Microsoft Word starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal). iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Microsoft Word has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Microsoft Word lists a web app.
- Only Microsoft Word lists an Android app.
- Free plan · from $8.33/mo
QuillBot
AI paraphraser with grammar, summarizing and AI-detection tools
What is free: Paraphrase up to 125 words in 2 modes, basic grammar fixes, summaries of up to 1,200 words, and limited use of the Humanizer, AI Detector and AI chat. Limits may vary across platforms.
- QuillBot starts at $8.33 per month, billed annually (Premium). iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- QuillBot has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only QuillBot lists a web app.
- Only QuillBot lists an Android app.
- Free plan · from $10/mo
ProWritingAid
Grammar, style and story-critique toolkit for book writers
What is free: Grammar, spelling and punctuation checks on up to 500 words at a time, 2 runs of each line-editing report, 10 Rephrases, 3 Sparks and 3 Creative Nudges a day.
- ProWritingAid starts at $10 per month, billed yearly ($120). iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- ProWritingAid has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ProWritingAid lists a web app.
- Only ProWritingAid lists a browser extension.
- Free plan · from $4.99/mo
LanguageTool
Grammar and style checker for more than 30 languages
What is free: Basic plan: grammar, punctuation and spelling checks in 30+ languages on up to 2,000 characters per text field, with limited Picky Mode and 3 AI rephrasings a day.
- LanguageTool starts at $4.99 per month on a 2-year plan ($119.80); $69.90 billed annually. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- LanguageTool has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only LanguageTool lists a web app.
- Only LanguageTool lists a browser extension.
33 more that are free or have a free plan
- Wordtune
- Lex
- WPS Writer
- Rytr
- Campfire
- Novlr
- DeepL Write
- Paperpal
- Writefull
- Zettlr
- AutoCrit
- Trinka
- Manuskript
- novelWriter
- bibisco
- Slugline
- 4thewords
- LibreOffice Writer
- Overleaf
- Reedsy Studio
- World Anvil
- LivingWriter
- WriterDuet
- Celtx
- Arc Studio
- Jenni AI
- Typst
- HyperWrite
- yWriter
- Story Architect
- Trelby
- Beat
- Ellipsus
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to iA Writer?
Yes. Calmly Writer, Cold Turkey Writer, FocusWriter, ghostwriter, JotterPad, MarkText, Hemingway Editor, Grammarly and 37 more are free or have a free plan.
Does iA Writer have a free plan?
iA Writer has no free plan. iA Writer is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to iA Writer: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.