The Writing Tools Insider’s Guide
Every one of the 70 writing tools we grade in one document: the top three, what they cost, the grades and the full list. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Writing Tools
The Insider’s Guide
Distraction-free editors, long-form writing apps and AI help with drafting and editing.
- Microsoft Word
- Grammarly
- Scrivener
- Beat
- JotterPad
- LibreOffice Writer
Every one we grade, what they cost, the best buy at each budget and the three to look at first.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
- 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
- 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
- 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
- 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
- 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Writing Tools page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
70
writing tools we grade, from their own pages
Distraction-free editors, long-form writing apps and AI help with drafting and editing.
Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about writing tools, worked out from every one we grade.
- 1
We grade 70 writing tools
45 of them are free or have a free plan, and 21 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8 a month in the middle
From $0.50 (Campfire) to $59 (Jasper), going by what each one's paid plans start at.
- 3
Best value: Microsoft Word, JotterPad and LibreOffice Writer
Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.
- 4
13 of 70 have iPhone and Android apps
47 run in a web browser and 39 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.
- 5
The middle GPA is 2.6
13 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Microsoft Word, at 3.4.
- 6
Best free option: Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.4. Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser.
- 7
43 worth keeping, 4 you could make
By our keep-or-make rules, 43 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 4 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 23 are a close call.
Part 02 · Top three
Our top three
The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
The three writing tools we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.
1st
3.4GPAMicrosoft 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.
The Microsoft Word Insider’s Guide2nd
3.0GPAGrammarly
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.
The Grammarly Insider’s Guide3rd
2.8GPAScrivener
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.
The Scrivener Insider’s Guide
Part 03 · Pricing
What they cost
What paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
$8
A month to start, in the middle of those that charge
Going by our grades, Microsoft Word, JotterPad and LibreOffice Writer give the most for the money among writing tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.
Paid plans start at a middle price of $8 a month across the 45 that charge, from $0.50 (Campfire) to $59 (Jasper). 8 more cost nothing at all.
16 of the 53 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 5 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.
The best buy at each budget
Free
LibreOffice Writer
Costs nothing. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $5 a month
JotterPad
Starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $10 a month
Microsoft Word
Starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 53 writing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. The green line is the best score at each price.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
The best free ones
- 3.4
Microsoft Word
Free plan · Free plan · from $9.99/mo
- 3.2
Beat
Free plan · Free plan · from $11.99 one-time
- 3.2
JotterPad
Free plan · Free plan · from $29.99/yr
- 3.2
LibreOffice Writer
Free
- 3.2
Typst
Free plan · Free plan · from $7.99/mo
- 3.2
WPS Writer
Free plan · Free plan · from $5.83/mo
Part 04 · Grades
The grades
The highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
3.4
The highest GPA, Microsoft Word's
Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded writing tools, then how the whole category does on each subject.
| Tool | Value | Free | Features | Ease | Platforms | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | C | B | A | A | A | 3.4 |
| Beat | A | A | B | B | C | 3.2 |
| JotterPad | A | C | B | B | A | 3.2 |
| LibreOffice Writer | A | A | B | B | C | 3.2 |
| Typst | A | A | B | C | B | 3.2 |
| WPS Writer | A | B | B | B | B | 3.2 |
| bibisco | A | C | B | B | B | 3.0 |
| Cold Turkey Writer | A | A | C | B | C | 3.0 |
| FocusWriter | A | A | C | B | C | 3.0 |
| ghostwriter | A | A | C | B | C | 3.0 |
| Grammarly | C | B | B | B | A | 3.0 |
| MarkText | A | A | C | B | C | 3.0 |
How the whole category does
Each bar is every writing tool we grade, cut by the letter it got on that subject.
- Value for moneyavg 2.7
- Free plan and trialavg 2.4
- Featuresavg 2.5
- Ease of useavg 2.5
- Platforms and integrationsavg 2.6
Part 05 · Keep or make
Keep or make?
Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
4
Simple enough to make yourself, of 70
Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where writing tools land, by the same rules for every tool.
43
Keep it
It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.
23
Your call
You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.
4
You could make this
What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.
Worth keeping
Microsoft Word
To replace Microsoft Word you would be making dictation that types into any app on your computer. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
JotterPad
The plain part of JotterPad you could make: Markdown, long-form writing and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice Writer is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Typst
The plain part of Typst you could make: templates and long-form writing. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
You could make these yourself
- Pangram$180 a year
- Fictionary$168 a year
- Gingko Writer$117 a year
- Type.ai$96 a year
What each costs a year on its cheapest paid plan, which is what making your own would save. A judgement from each listing and our own testing.
Part 06 · Every tool
Every tool
All of them, best graded first, with what each costs
70
Tools, best graded first
Every writing tool we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.
- 1Microsoft WordFree plan · from $9.99/mo3.4
- 2BeatFree plan · from $11.99 one-time3.2
- 3JotterPadFree plan · from $29.99/yr3.2
- 4LibreOffice WriterFree3.2
- 5TypstFree plan · from $7.99/mo3.2
- 6WPS WriterFree plan · from $5.83/mo3.2
- 7bibiscoFree plan · from $3.49/mo3.0
- 8Cold Turkey WriterFree plan · from $14.99 one-time3.0
- 9FocusWriterFree3.0
- 10ghostwriterFree3.0
- 11GrammarlyFree plan · from $12/mo3.0
- 12MarkTextFree3.0
- 13yWriterFree plan · from $5.49 one-time3.0
- 14Calmly WriterFree plan · from $16.99 one-time2.8
- 15EllipsusFree plan · from $6/mo2.8
- 16Fade InFree trial · from $79.95 one-time2.8
- 17iA WriterFree trial · from $19.99 one-time2.8
- 18LanguageToolFree plan · from $4.99/mo2.8
- 19ManuskriptFree2.8
- 20novelWriterFree2.8
- 21QuillBotFree plan · from $8.33/mo2.8
- 22ScrivenerFree trial · from $23.99 one-time2.8
- 23SluglineFree plan · from $19.99 one-time2.8
- 24Story ArchitectFree plan · from $4.17/mo2.8
- 25TrinkaFree plan · from $48/yr2.8
- 26WriterDuetFree plan · from $7.49/mo2.8
- 27ZettlrFree2.8
- 28Arc StudioFree plan · from $69/yr2.6
- 29DeepL WriteFree plan · from €6.99/mo2.6
- 30Highland ProFree trial · from $4.99/mo2.6
- 31NovelcrafterFree trial · from $4/mo2.6
- 32PangramFree plan · from $15/mo2.6
- 33PaperpalFree plan · from $12/mo2.6
- 34ProWritingAidFree plan · from $10/mo2.6
- 35Reedsy StudioFree plan · from $4.99/mo2.6
- 36TrelbyFree2.6
- 37TyporaFree trial · from $14.99 one-time2.6
- 38UlyssesFree trial · from $39.99/yr2.6
- 39AntidoteFree trial · from $59.95/yr2.4
- 40CampfireFree plan · from $0.50/mo2.4
- 41CeltxFree plan · from $11.24/mo2.4
- 42DabbleFree trial · from $19/mo2.4
- 43Hemingway EditorFree plan · from $8.33/mo2.4
- 44Jenni AIFree plan · from $12/mo2.4
- 45LivingWriterFree plan · from $15/mo2.4
- 46Markdown MonsterFree trial · from $99 one-time2.4
- 47MellelFree trial · from $69.99 one-time2.4
- 48OverleafFree plan · from $16.75/mo2.4
- 49RytrFree plan · from $7.50/mo2.4
- 50SudowriteFree trial · from $10/mo2.4
- 514thewordsFree plan · from $10/mo2.2
- 52Final DraftFree trial · from $99.99/yr2.2
- 53HyperWriteFree plan · from $16/mo2.2
- 54JasperFree trial · from $59/mo2.2
- 55NovelAIFree trial · from $10/mo2.2
- 56PlottrFree trial · from $60/yr2.2
- 57The Novel FactoryFree trial · from $82.50/yr2.2
- 58WordtuneFree plan · from $6.99/mo2.2
- 59WritefullFree plan · from $12.50/mo2.2
- 601WriterFrom $4.99 one-time2.0
- 61AutoCritFree plan · from $15/mo2.0
- 62CastmagicFrom $19/mo2.0
- 63Gingko WriterFree trial · from $9.75/mo2.0
- 64NovlrFree plan · from $8/mo2.0
- 65World AnvilFree plan2.0
- 66AtticusFrom $147 one-time1.8
- 67FictionaryFree trial · from $14/mo1.8
- 68LexPaid1.8
- 69Type.aiFree trial · from $8/mo1.8
- 70VellumFree trial · from $199.99 one-time1.8
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
9
Questions, each answered in a line or two
What are the best writing tools?
Microsoft Word first, Grammarly second, Scrivener third. Microsoft Word is for most people.
Which writing tools give the most for the money?
Microsoft Word, JotterPad and LibreOffice Writer. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: LibreOffice Writer scores 2.7 out of 4 and is free; JotterPad scores 3.3 out of 4 and starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year; Microsoft Word scores 4.0 out of 4 and starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year.
Which are the best free writing tools?
Of the 8 writing tools here with no paid plan at all, LibreOffice Writer scores highest, at 2.7 out of 4.
Which writing tools are best for under $5 a month?
JotterPad, with a score of 3.3 out of 4: the highest among the 19 that start at $5 a month or less.
Which writing tools are best for under $10 a month?
Microsoft Word, with a score of 4.0 out of 4: the highest among the 39 that start at $10 a month or less.
Which writing tools cost the most for what they offer?
On this chart, Fictionary (starts at $14 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 35 tools score higher for less), Gingko Writer (starts at $9.75 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 27 tools score higher for less) and AutoCrit (starts at $15 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 26 tools score higher for less).
How much do writing tools cost?
The middle starting price is $8 a month: half of the 45 writing tools with a recurring price start below that and half above.
How is the score on this chart worked out?
It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0.
How does ToolGPA grade writing tools?
Five grades, A to F, for value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them.
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Writing Tools, kept up to dateEvery tool in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/categories/writing
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Writing Tools: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/categories/writing
Know someone choosing between writing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/categories/writing/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The top three writing tools have guides of their own, and so does every category near this one.
- Microsoft Word Insider's GuideWord processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser3.4 GPA
- Grammarly Insider's GuideWriting assistant for grammar, tone and rewrites in any app3.0 GPA
- Note-Taking Apps Insider's Guide148 note-taking apps, graded and compared
- Docs & Wikis Insider's Guide52 docs and wiki tools, graded and compared
- Read Later & Bookmarks Insider's Guide37 read-later and bookmark apps, graded and compared
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what each tool’s pages, app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Product names are trademarks of their owners, and no maker made, paid for or approved this guide. Prices and plans change: check each maker’s own site before you buy.