Best writing apps

Best Apps for Writing Essays and Long-Form Non-Fiction

Writing apps for essays, research-heavy articles and non-fiction, with citation tools, research companions, prices and platforms.

All apps Novel writing Essays and long-form non-fiction Markdown and minimal Editing and proofreading Blogging and articles Mac list
Disclosure.

I built Writing Desk because I was frustrated with apps that were too complicated, too busy, or without the features I needed entirely. I built it for novels, but now use it for everything.

That said, some writing apps are better at certain jobs than others, and whilst I obviously think Writing Desk is the best of the best, I have tried to be impartial in my assessments.

Last updated 11 October 2026. Prices and verdicts reviewed quarterly.

My pick

Writing Desk (on Mac, iPhone and iPad); Zettlr for citation-heavy work

For essays and long-form non-fiction on a Mac, my pick is Writing Desk, which also has an iPhone and iPad app. I built it, so weigh that. It opens Markdown and Word files as they are and saves back to the same format, so your documents stay yours.

  • Markdown and Word files that open and save in their own format
  • Editorial review for documents through four lenses: Argument, Clarity, Evidence and Voice
  • Proofreader and Prose Analysis alongside the draft

Pick something else if you want…

  • Citations at the centre of your work: Zettlr, which is free with Zotero and JabRef support and Pandoc export, or Zotero itself
  • To draft on an iPad or iPhone as much as a Mac: Ulysses
  • Research kept across many projects in a system of your own: Obsidian
  • What your editor or collaborator expects: Word or Google Docs

Every app is checked against the vendor's own pages with the date shown. The category mixes writing apps and research companions (Zotero, DEVONthink), which are labelled as such.

The apps

Essayists, students and non-fiction writers who need citations, research tools or clean long-form documents.

Writing DeskMade by us

Novel writing · Documents · Markdown · Editing and analysis · Formatting and publishing

A native Mac app, with a mobile app for iPhone and iPad, for writing a novel from first idea to finished book, with planning, editing and book formatting in one project. Markdown and Word files open and save as they are.

Best for: Novelists on Mac, iPhone and iPad who want planning, editing and formatting in one app

MaciOSAI: assistive
Pricing Free plan; Premium from £8/mo billed annually (£10 monthly) or $10/mo USD billed annually ($12 monthly) Checked 6 Oct 2026 · Free plan, plus a 30-day Premium trial
Model Freemium + subscription (credit-metered AI)
  • Plotting and outlining
  • Worldbuilding
  • Markdown
  • Export to EPUB, PDF or DOCX
  • Grammar and style checks
  • Collaboration (partial)
  • Works offline

Choose it if

you write on a Mac, want your book on your iPhone and iPad as well, and want the plan, the draft and the editing tools in one project with AI that gives feedback and leaves the prose to you

Skip it if

you need Windows, Linux or a browser version, want real-time co-authoring, or want AI to draft prose for you

Download Writing Desk free Write anything in Writing Desk →

Free plan, with 30 days of Premium included. Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Scrivener

Novel writing

The long-standing manuscript tool with a binder, corkboard, outliner and a powerful Compile export.

Best for: Long, research-heavy manuscripts

MacWindowsiOSNo AI
Pricing £55 one-time per desktop platform; £88 multi-device bundle; iOS $23.99 (USD) Checked 6 Oct 2026 · Trial (30 days)
Model One-time licence
  • Plotting and outlining
  • Worldbuilding (partial)
  • Export to EPUB, PDF or DOCX
  • Works offline

Choose it if

you write on Windows as well as Mac, want a one-off purchase, or enjoy tuning every compile setting

Skip it if

you want to start writing straight away, because setup takes time and deeper prose feedback means another tool

Read the full comparison with Writing Desk →

Ulysses

General writing

A Markdown writing app for Apple devices with a library, iCloud sync and writing goals.

Best for: Bloggers and article writers on Apple devices

MaciOSAI: assistive
Pricing From $5.99/mo (USD) or $39.99/yr Checked 6 Oct 2026 · Trial (14 days)
Model Subscription
  • Markdown
  • Export to EPUB, PDF or DOCX
  • Grammar and style checks
  • Works offline (partial)

Choose it if

you write on iPad and iPhone as well as Mac, keep a large library of articles, or want the simplest writing surface

Skip it if

you want a one-off purchase or story structure tools, because it is subscription-only

Read the full comparison with Writing Desk →

Obsidian

General writing

A free, local-first Markdown knowledge base with backlinks and a large plugin ecosystem.

Best for: Researchers and writers who like building their own system

MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidNo AI
Pricing Free; paid plans up to $8/mo (USD) Checked 6 Oct 2026 · Yes (free)
Model Free + paid services
  • Plotting and outlining (partial)
  • Worldbuilding (partial)
  • Markdown
  • Export to EPUB, PDF or DOCX
  • Works offline

Choose it if

you enjoy assembling plugins, keep research across many projects, or write on Windows, Linux or mobile

Skip it if

you want a ready-made novel environment, because planning and manuscripts come from plugins you add

Read the full comparison with Writing Desk →

Microsoft Word

General writing

The industry-standard word processor, with Track Changes, comments and a free web version.

Best for: Submissions and working with editors

MacBrowserWindowsiOSAndroidAI: general assistant
Pricing From £8.49/mo; up to £18.99/mo Checked 10 Oct 2026 · Yes (Word for the web is free)
Rating Capterra 4.7 / 5 Rating from Capterra, checked 2026-10-02. Not combined with other scores.
  • Export to EPUB, PDF or DOCX
  • Collaboration
  • Works offline

Choose it if

your agent, editor or publisher expects Word files

Skip it if

you want to organise a novel, because Word has no novel planning tools

Also worth a look

iA Writer

General writing

MacWindowsiOSAI: assistive

Plain-text and Markdown writers who want few features
Full comparison →

From £34.99 one-timeChecked 6 Oct 2026

Bear

General writing

MaciOSNo AI

Notes and short pieces on Apple devices

From $2.99/mo (USD)Checked 10 Oct 2026

DEVONthink

Research companion

MaciOSAI: general assistant

Researchers who manage large source libraries

From $99 one-time (USD)Checked 10 Oct 2026