Use our picks of free writing software to finish that novel or assignment in style.
We’ve hand-picked the very best free writing software, which will make it easier to plan, write without distractions, and prepare your work for publication. Google Docs or even Microsoft Word is the default tool for many writers, but a subscription to Office 365 is pretty expensive if you only need the word processing element. However, there’s a bunch of free options that could make finishing that upcoming novel or college report that much easier, and cheaper. The applications here are specifically created with writing in mind, and are packed with thoughtful extras to make your life easier, particularly for creative tasks that require your full concentration. Available for Linux, Windows and macOS, FocusWriter is designed to eliminate distractions so you can actually get on with the job of writing. To that end, it enables you to hide other apps, customize the way your text appears on screen and keep track of your progress. If you’re feeling particularly old-school you can even add typewriter sound effects. FocusWriter isn’t for everyone – it’s not the right tool for going back through and editing your work – but it’s a lovely little app with a very modest footprint that stops you keeping an eye on Twitter all day. Read our full FocusWriter review We’re big fans of Markdown, the text-editing language that enables you to format, annotate, classify and link as you type with the minimum of fuss, and the superb WriteMonkey makes good use of it.
