How does ToolGPA rank writing tools?

From what each tool's own pages show (price, free plan, platforms, features and limits) and from what people say about it in public reviews and discussions. Not from our own testing. First place goes to the tool that suits the most people, and second and third to the best choices for the readers it leaves out.

Writing Tools

Q: What are the best writing tools?

ToolGPA ranks Microsoft Word first (for: most people), Grammarly second (for: people who want their writing checked in every app), Scrivener third (for: writers of novels, theses and other long manuscripts). These three do different jobs more than they compete. Microsoft Word comes first: it is free in a browser and runs on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. Grammarly is second for people who want their writing checked in every app, and Scrivener is third for long manuscripts. LanguageTool narrowly missed second: it checks more than 30 languages and costs less than Grammarly, but its free plan stops at 2,000 characters per text field. Reedsy Studio narrowly missed third: it is free for unlimited books, but runs only in a browser. LibreOffice Writer is free and open source, with no cloud version.

Distraction-free editors, long-form writing apps and AI help with drafting and editing.

Our top three writing tools

These three do different jobs more than they compete. Microsoft Word comes first: it is free in a browser and runs on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. Grammarly is second for people who want their writing checked in every app, and Scrivener is third for long manuscripts. LanguageTool narrowly missed second: it checks more than 30 languages and costs less than Grammarly, but its free plan stops at 2,000 characters per text field. Reedsy Studio narrowly missed third: it is free for unlimited books, but runs only in a browser. LibreOffice Writer is free and open source, with no cloud version.

First: Microsoft Word
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
For: Most people
Microsoft Word is a word processor for writing, formatting and reviewing documents. Word for the web is free for one person, with real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar checks, dictation and 5 GB of cloud storage, and Word also runs on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 3 million ratings. Know the limits: the Windows and Mac apps are not free. They need a Microsoft 365 subscription, from $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for Personal, or the one-time Office Home 2024 purchase at $179.99 for 1 PC or Mac. Copilot, which drafts and rewrites inside Word, needs a paid subscription and has usage limits.
iPhone and iPad app: 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store
Microsoft Word pricing and details
Second: Grammarly
Free plan · from $12/mo
For: People who want their writing checked in every app
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar and tone and suggests rewrites as you type, inside other apps and sites: it has desktop apps for Windows and Mac, browser extensions, and iPhone and Android apps, and works in tools such as Gmail, Google Docs, Word and Slack. The Free plan covers spelling and grammar corrections, tone detection and 100 AI prompts a month, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 225,000 ratings. It is second because it is an assistant on top of the app you write in, and its Free plan leaves out full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustments. Pro is $12 per member a month, billed annually, but $30 billed monthly, and the advanced suggestions cover six languages.
iPhone and iPad app: 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store
Grammarly pricing and details
Third: Scrivener
Free trial · from $23.99 one-time
For: Writers of novels, theses and other long manuscripts
Scrivener is built for long manuscripts such as novels, theses and scripts. A project is split into sections that sit in a binder beside your notes and research, and moving index cards on a corkboard or rows in an outliner reorders the manuscript itself before it is compiled into one document. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription: $59.99 for macOS or Windows, and $23.99 for iPhone and iPad. It is third because it serves one kind of writing and has no free version, only a trial that lasts for 30 days of use. Each platform needs its own license, no Android, Linux or web version is listed, and sync between the iPhone and iPad app and the desktop versions runs through Dropbox.
Scrivener pricing and details

Ranked on Oct 6, 2026 from what each listing shows and what people say about the tool, not from our own testing. How we rank

Price

Runs on

Must be

48 tools

Antidote
Writing
Grammar corrector, dictionaries and language guides in one
Free trial · from $59.95/yrWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Arc Studio
Writing
Screenwriting app with outlining and real-time co-writing
Free plan · from $69/yrWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Atticus
Writing
Book writing and formatting app for ebooks and print
From $147 one-timeWeb · Windows · macOS +1
AutoCrit
Writing
Online manuscript editor and story analysis for book authors
Free plan · from $15/moWeb
Calmly Writer
Writing
Distraction-free Markdown writing app sold as a one-time purchase
Free plan · from $16.99 one-timeWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Campfire
Writing
Modular novel writing and worldbuilding app with per-module pricing
Free plan · from $0.50/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Celtx
Writing
Online scriptwriting with pre-production planning tools
Free plan · from $11.24/moWeb · Android · Windows
Dabble
Writing
Novel writing app with plotting, story notes and sync
Free trial · from $19/moWeb · macOS · Windows +1
DeepL Write
Writing
AI writing assistant for corrections, rephrasing and tone
Free plan · from €6.99/moWeb · Windows · macOS +2
Fade In
Writing
One-time-purchase screenwriting software for Windows, Mac and Linux
Free trial · from $79.95 one-timeWindows · macOS · Linux +1
Final Draft
Writing
Screenwriting software with automatic script formatting
Free trial · from $99.99/yrmacOS · Windows · Web +1
FocusWriter
Writing
Free distraction-free word processor for Windows and Linux
FreeWindows · Linux
ghostwriter
Writing
Free, open-source Markdown editor from KDE for focused writing
FreeWindows · Linux
Grammarly
Writing
Writing assistant for grammar, tone and rewrites in any app
Free plan · from $12/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Hemingway Editor
Writing
Readability editor that flags wordy, hard-to-read sentences
Free plan · from $8.33/moWeb · macOS · Windows
Highland Pro
Writing
Plain-text screenwriting app for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Free trial · from $4.99/momacOS · iOS
HyperWrite
Writing
AI writing assistant with autocomplete, chat and cited research
Free plan · from $16/moWeb
iA Writer
Writing
Minimal plain-text Markdown writing app with Focus Mode
Free trial · from $19.99 one-timemacOS · Windows · iOS
Jasper
Writing
AI content platform with marketing agents and brand voice
Free trial · from $59/moWeb
Jenni AI
Writing
AI writing workspace for cited academic papers
Free plan · from $12/moWeb
LanguageTool
Writing
Grammar and style checker for more than 30 languages
Free plan · from $4.99/moWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Lex
Writing
Collaborative word processor with built-in AI editing
Free plan · from $14.99/moWeb
LibreOffice Writer
Writing
Free, open-source word processor for Windows, macOS and Linux
FreeWindows · macOS · Linux
LivingWriter
Writing
Cloud writing app for books and screenplays with planning boards
Free plan · from $15/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Microsoft Word
Writing
Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
Free plan · from $9.99/moWeb · Windows · macOS +2
NovelAI
Writing
AI co-writer for fiction with an anime-style image generator
Free trial · from $10/moWeb
Novelcrafter
Writing
Novel writing platform with a story wiki and optional AI
Free trial · from $4/moWeb
Novlr
Writing
Browser-based novel writing workspace built around writing goals
Free plan · from $8/moWeb
Overleaf
Writing
Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses
Free plan · from $16.75/moWeb
Paperpal
Writing
AI writing and checking assistant for academic papers
Free plan · from $12/moWeb
Plottr
Writing
Visual book outlining and series bible software
Free trial · from $60/yrmacOS · Windows · Web
ProWritingAid
Writing
Grammar, style and story-critique toolkit for book writers
Free plan · from $10/moWeb · Windows · macOS
QuillBot
Writing
AI paraphraser with grammar, summarizing and AI-detection tools
Free plan · from $8.33/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Reedsy Studio
Writing
Browser-based book writing app with free EPUB and PDF typesetting
Free plan · from $4.99/moWeb
Rytr
Writing
AI copy generator with 40+ use cases and tone matching
Free plan · from $7.50/moWeb
Scrivener
Writing
Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner
Free trial · from $23.99 one-timemacOS · Windows · iOS
Sudowrite
Writing
AI writing partner for drafting and revising fiction
Free trial · from $10/moWeb · iOS · Android
Type.ai
Writing
AI document editor for books, screenplays and long-form stories
Free trial · from $8/moWeb
Typora
Writing
Minimal Markdown editor that renders formatting as you type
Free trial · from $14.99 one-timemacOS · Windows · Linux
Typst
Writing
Markup-based typesetting system with a collaborative web app
Free plan · from $7.99/moWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Ulysses
Writing
Markup-based writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Free trial · from $39.99/yrmacOS · iOS
Vellum
Writing
Mac app for formatting ebooks and print books
Free trial · from $199.99 one-timemacOS
Wordtune
Writing
AI rewriting, grammar and summarizing assistant for English
Free plan · from $6.99/moWeb · iOS
World Anvil
Writing
Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters
Free planWeb
WPS Writer
Writing
Word-compatible word processor in the WPS Office suite
Free plan · from $5.83/moWindows · macOS · Linux +3
Writefull
Writing
Academic language feedback inside Word and Overleaf
Free plan · from $12.50/moWeb
WriterDuet
Writing
Screenwriting software built for real-time co-writing
Free plan · from $7.49/moWeb · macOS · Windows +3
Zettlr
Writing
Free, open-source Markdown editor for academic writing
FreemacOS · Windows · Linux

Our top three writing tools

First: Microsoft Word

Second: Grammarly

Third: Scrivener

Tools