15 Finest Apps for Freelance Writers in 2023 (Free and Paid)

There’s an ever-growing variety of apps for freelance writers. Numerous article writing apps and different software program for freelance writers all declare to have the ability to aid you write extra, higher high quality, and in much less time.

Nevertheless, with so many apps and instruments out there, it may be arduous to know the place to begin. That’s why I’ve put collectively this checklist of the perfect freelance writing apps that will help you resolve which of them are literally price utilizing.

Freelance writing is among the best jobs for digital nomads and anybody else who needs to work for themself and make money with an online job. As a freelance writer myself, I’m all the time searching for new methods to make my work simpler and simpler.

Used correctly, the next instruments might help maintain your work working easily and effectively and assist cease you from feeling overwhelmed.

For those who’re seeking to turn into a contract author, take a look at my overview of the Knowadays Freelance Writer course. I lately accomplished this course and offered my trustworthy insights and suggestions right here in this review.

Finest Apps For Freelance Writers

From apps for content material writing to plagiarism checkers, and file administration to communication instruments, this put up is all about 15 of the perfect apps and packages for freelance writers.

When compiling this checklist of instruments for freelance writers, I included most of the packages that I recurrently use myself. For the remaining, I picked a number of the hottest and highly-reviewed apps out there on-line. To assist these on a price range, I’ve additionally included a number of free freelance writing apps.

1. Grammarly

Grammarly is among the best-known, and most helpful, instruments to assist writers polish their work as much as a excessive commonplace. I exploit Grammarly day-after-day and assume it’s the most effective freelance writing apps on the market.

As a contract author, it’s very important you can constantly ship writing that’s free from spelling errors and grammatical errors. But it surely’s additionally essential to make sure that your writing flows effectively, is obvious, and has the correct tone.

Grammarly delivers this in an easy-to-use, set-and-forget format. It’s easy to put in and arrange and works as a plugin throughout a spread of platforms together with Chrome, Google Docs, Microsoft Workplace, Apple Notes, and extra.

Even higher, the usual model is free to make use of. You’ll be able to pay for the premium version ($144 per yr, $60 per quarter, or $30 per 30 days) which comprises numerous superior options, like superior tone and readability modifying. However for my part, the fundamental free model is completely satisfactory.

Professionals of Grammarly

• Broad vary of checks together with spelling, punctuation, grammar, tone, phrase alternative, and readability.
• Actual-time, correct recommended corrections.
• Customizable settings (e.g. you possibly can set it to British, American, or Australian English).
• Nicely-designed person interface.
• Appropriate with a broad vary of platforms and different apps, together with Chrome and most typical Home windows and Mac functions.
• The essential model is free (and nice).

Cons of Grammarly

• Often it may be a bit buggy with another functions (e.g. the WordPress editor).
• Frequent prompts to improve your account (which, I assume, is truthful sufficient because it’s a freemium product).
• It could actually’t be taught your voice, so typically makes strategies that don’t match with your personal private fashion.
• I’ve discovered that often it makes a suggestion that isn’t correct, though this doesn’t occur too usually.

2. Scrivener

Scrivener is one other useful gizmo designed to assist make freelance writers’ jobs simpler. The app acts as a phrase processor, a portfolio, and a scrapbook in your notes. It means that you can handle and manage your entire supplies, analysis, and writing in a single easy-to-access place.

Scrivener has numerous superior options which are designed to assist create a seamless analysis, writing, and modifying course of. These instruments embrace analysis playing cards, customizable templates and presets, the power to import and index information, and metatags.

Scrivener is especially helpful for managing long-form writing initiatives. Whether or not you’re an aspiring novelist, a scriptwriter, a contract copywriter, or every other kind of freelance author, these options might help enhance your workflow and maintain every part organized and straightforward to entry.

It really works throughout all main working programs together with macOS, iOS, and Home windows. Value-wise, Scrivener has a one-off charge of $59.99 for Mac or Home windows or $23.99 for iOS. There’s no free plan, though there’s a 30-day free trial so you possibly can attempt it out before you purchase.

Professionals of Scrivener

• 30-day free trial with entry to all options.
• Customizable setup and interfaces for a personalised person expertise.
• A wide range of pre-set templates for numerous completely different genres of writing.
• Offline performance.
• Useful tutorials for mastering the platform.
• Comparatively reasonably priced, one-off charge.

Cons of Scrivener

• Requires separate licenses for every platform (so, if you wish to apply it to each Mac and Home windows, you’ll want to buy two licenses).
• No free model.
• Wide selection of options is likely to be tough for some folks to turn into conversant in.

3. Evernote

Evernote is actually a strong note-taking instrument that gives a easy but efficient means for jotting down concepts, conducting analysis, drafting articles, organizing your notes, and even creating to-do lists.

Many individuals (myself included) can discover the method of writing considerably chaotic and overwhelming at instances. That is the place Evernote comes into its personal, making the inventive course of extra structured and manageable. This system has a spread of templates that will help you kickstart your note-taking course of.

It’s a really versatile platform and means that you can incorporate hyperlinks, tables, attachments, photos, audio recordings, and even sketches into your notes. You’ll be able to even use it as a primary undertaking administration system and it’s suitable with each Home windows and Mac.

Evernote has a free model with restricted options (together with a most be aware dimension of 25 MB and a restrict of 60 MB uploads per 30 days). There’s additionally a Personal plan (at present $10.83/month or $129.99/yr) or a Professional plan $14.17/month or $169.99/yr) with a higher vary of performance.

Professionals of Evernote

• Easy, intuitive interface.
• Wonderful instrument for note-taking and protecting your notes organized.
• There’s a free plan.
• Doc scanner characteristic for digitizing handwritten notes or paperwork​.
• Highly effective search operate makes it fast and straightforward to navigate by way of in depth notes.

Cons of Evernote

• The free model has restricted performance.
• Paid plans are comparatively costly for what you get.
• Often it may be a bit buggy when syncing throughout a number of gadgets.

4. Google Docs

Everyone’s heard of Google Docs, proper? This unbelievable free instrument is tremendous helpful for freelance writers, particularly those that recurrently work in collaboration with purchasers and others.

Google Docs is principally like a free model of Microsoft Phrase, besides every part is saved within the cloud and you may collaborate with a number of different customers concurrently. That is one other app that I exploit on a near-daily foundation and would advocate it to any freelance author.

Having the ability to share a doc along with your shopper and see edits and feedback in real-time is extremely useful. It makes the method of communication and revision a lot faster and simpler in contrast with “conventional” back-and-forth through e-mail.

As a result of every part is cloud-based, your entire work is saved routinely and will be accessed from any machine (Home windows or Apple) at any time. The model historical past characteristic additionally means that you can observe adjustments over time, which may turn out to be useful when engaged on a number of revisions.

Professionals of Google Docs

• It’s free.
• Actual-time collaboration so a number of folks can edit paperwork concurrently.
• Cloud-based, so every part is saved routinely and will be accessed at any time (and from any machine).
• It’s tremendous intuitive and user-friendly.
• A great deal of useful options and settings from easy to superior.
• Appropriate cross-platform, so you possibly can edit the identical doc on an iPhone, an Android cellphone, a PC, and a Mac all on the similar time!

Cons of Google Docs

• Lacks some superior formatting and modifying options in contrast with Microsoft Phrase.
• You’ll be able to work offline, though real-time adjustments are solely synced when you’ve an web connection.

5. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is a strong instrument for freelance writers, serving as each a writing editor and a private writing coach. There’s a (restricted) free model, or you possibly can pay $30 per 30 days, $120 per yr, or $399 for lifetime entry to the premium model.

Just like Grammarly, ProWritingAid helps to boost the standard of your writing by figuring out and fixing any spelling errors and grammatical errors. It additionally checks for plagiarism in addition to any contextual errors in your writing.

Among the finest options of ProWritingAid is its skill to revise obscure or unclear writing, providing useful strategies to enhance the standard of the textual content.

It’s a flexible platform and is suitable with Home windows and Mac by way of browser extensions (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and many others.) in addition to plugins for different apps equivalent to Microsoft Phrase, Scrivener, and Google Docs.

Professionals of ProWritingAid

• In-depth grammar, spelling, and elegance checks to enhance writing high quality.
• Plagiarism checker to make sure content material originality.
• Simple to make use of.
• Appropriate with many different writing instruments.
• Browser extensions for straightforward entry and usefulness.
• Inexpensive pricing (in case you pay yearly) plus a free model out there.
• There’s a lifetime plan, which is cost-effective in the long term.

Cons of ProWritingAid

• The free model has restricted performance.
• The premium model is comparatively costly in case you pay month-to-month.
• Often suggests incorrect amendments.
• No cell app.

6. Dropbox

I’ve been utilizing Dropbox for so long as I can keep in mind, since effectively earlier than I began working as a contract author. Nevertheless, it’s a very useful gizmo for freelance writers who must retailer, backup, share, and entry their work from wherever, together with on the go.

Dropbox is seamless and tremendous straightforward to make use of. It’s primarily a drag-and-drop system the place you decide the information and folders you need it to entry and the platform does the remaining for you.

There’s a free plan that gives as much as 2GB of storage. If you need more, you possibly can pay $22/month (or $18/month in case you pay yearly) for as much as 3TB of knowledge.

I exploit Dropbox to again up my most essential photographs, paperwork, and information. It’s additionally an effective way to share bigger information (like high-res photographs) with others, particularly if these information are bigger than the restrict that you simply’re in a position to ship by e-mail.

Professionals of Dropbox

• Actual-time syncing of information throughout numerous gadgets.
• Simple option to collaborate and share information/folders with others.
• Safe technique of backing up essential work.
• There’s a free model with as much as 2GB of storage.
• Appropriate on all main working programs, together with iOS.

Cons of Dropbox

• The free plan presents solely 2GB of storage which is likely to be inadequate for some.

7. Freedom

Freedom is a good app for freelance writers who wish to be free from distractions throughout their working hours. And in flip, being more productive.

The app blocks out distracting web sites and apps in your gadgets (Instagram, information web sites, and many others.) permitting you to work in a quiet, conducive digital atmosphere.

You’ll be able to customise the web sites/apps that it blocks, and schedule “blocked” periods throughout which all distractions are saved at bay. It even has a “locked” mode for many who is likely to be tempted to attempt to disable the blocker.

The app is suitable with most main working programs (each cell and desktop) and prices $8.99/month in case you pay month-to-month, or $3.33/month in case you pay yearly.

Professionals of Freedom

• Effectively blocks distracting web sites and apps.
• Nice for many who wrestle with productiveness due to distractions.
• You’ll be able to pre-schedule “blocked” periods.
• “Locked” mode for stricter enforcement of the blocking guidelines.

Cons of Freedom

• It’s comparatively costly for what it’s (particularly in case you pay month-to-month).
• It is likely to be too restrictive for some, particularly in case you wish to take common breaks and browse different issues on-line when working.
• Not obligatory for everyone.

8. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is one other widespread instrument for freelance writers seeking to improve the standard of their written output. In addition to containing a normal spelling and grammar checker, it additionally presents enhanced insights on readability, sentence complexity, and lively vs. passive voice.

Hemingway Editor helps make sure that your writing is obvious, participating, and simply digestible. It makes strategies the place obligatory to assist enhance the readability and tone of your writing.

This can be a notably useful gizmo for many who discover themselves writing overly advanced sentences, or utilizing an excessive amount of passive voice, which may typically have a unfavorable affect on the readability of the message being conveyed.

The online version of Hemingway Editor is free, making this an excellent choice for freelance writers on a decent price range. The offline desktop version is on the market for a one-off charge of $19.99, making it the most effective low-cost freelance writing apps out there at present.

Professionals of Hemingway Editor

• Effortly improves your writing fashion, making textual content clearer and extra participating.
• Assesses readability and sentence complexity.
• Nice for many who wrestle with readability and overuse of passive voice.
• The web model is free.
• The offline desktop model is reasonably priced ($19.99 for lifetime entry).
• Appropriate with each Home windows and Mac.

Cons of Hemingway Editor

• It could typically oversimplify advanced concepts or matters.
• Will not be appropriate for sure technical or advanced genres of writing (e.g. science, legislation, engineering, and many others.).
• Some folks may discover the strategies unhelpful, particularly when you’ve got a definite writing fashion.

9. Canva

Canva is a good instrument for freelance writers who additionally must create visually interesting content material, equivalent to social media posts, shows, posters, ads, official firm publications, and the like.

With an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and an enormous variety of customizable templates and design sorts, it makes the in any other case lengthy and (dare I say it) tedious strategy of graphic design tremendous straightforward, fast, and satisfying.

I exploit Canva pretty usually and notably like its wealthy library of photographs and graphics. I additionally love how straightforward it’s to format and customise your personal templates, permitting you to provide constant designs at scale.

You’ll be able to entry the fundamental model of Canva totally free. Canva Pro presents a spread of extra superior options, templates, and pictures and prices $119.99 for an annual subscription, or $14.99 if paid month-to-month.

Professionals of Canva

• Enormous library of templates, photographs, and graphics.
• Fast and easy to create lovely visuals and professional-looking designs.
• Customizable templates for model consistency.
• Person-friendly drag-and-drop editor.
• Simple to make use of, even for these (like me) with none background in graphic design.
• Appropriate with Mac and Home windows.
• The free model is nice and has a number of performance.

Cons of Canva

• You have to pay for some superior options.
• The massive variety of options and templates is likely to be overwhelming for some.
• Not more likely to be helpful for text-only freelance writers.

10. Yoast Search engine marketing

For those who’re a contract author who wants to put in writing SEO-friendly content (eg. web site copy, weblog posts, and many others.), Yoast SEO is among the greatest and most helpful instruments round.

Yoast analyzes your writing and gives actionable insights and suggestions on methods to optimize your content material to make sure that it complies with SEO best practices. It has a beginner-friendly interface, making it an excellent instrument even for these unfamiliar with Search engine marketing.

Yoast Search engine marketing is a plugin for WordPress, which is a standard platform for managing on-line content material on web sites. The essential model is free and there’s additionally a paid Premium model that prices $99 per yr.

I exploit the free model on a regular basis and would extremely advocate it to any freelance author producing on-line content material.

Professionals of Yoast Search engine marketing

• Simple to make use of and intuitive interface.
• Gives sensible insights and suggestions for on-page Search engine marketing optimizations.
• Focus key phrase characteristic helps you optimize content material round particular key phrases.
• Common updates and good buyer help.
• The free model is nice.

Cons of Yoast Search engine marketing

• Suggestions could be a bit overly prescriptive and mechanical.
• Solely helpful for freelance writers who want to put in writing Search engine marketing-optimized content material for on-line publication.

11. Copyscape

Copyscape is among the greatest packages for plagiarism detection and is a good instrument for any freelance author to make sure that the content material you produce is unique and free from any type of plagiarism.

It’s a web based platform the place you enter the writing you wish to examine and it shortly scans the content material and allows you to know the way a lot (if any) of this materials seems wherever else on-line.

Copyscape is affordable and easy to make use of. You’ll be able to both copy and paste content material into the instrument or just add complete PDFs or Phrase paperwork and the software program scans it for you routinely.

Copyscape is accessible through an online browser so isn’t depending on any working system. Pricing is predicated on the variety of phrases checked, beginning at 3 cents for the primary 200 phrases and 1 cent for every extra 100 phrases.

Professionals of Copyscape

• It’s pretty low-cost so long as you don’t must examine very giant volumes of content material.
• Helps checking total paperwork in PDF and Phrase format.
• There’s a WordPress plugin for these writing on-line content material.

Cons of Copyscape

• The free model of Copyscape solely means that you can examine for plagiarised variations of your content material already on-line.
• To examine whether or not your content material comprises plagiarism itself, you’ll want to pay.
• The fee can shortly add up for bigger paperwork/initiatives.
• It’s web-based so that you want web entry to make use of it.

12. Otter

Otter is an app that gives professional-quality speech-to-text dictation. It’s an excellent instrument for freelance writers preferring dictating their concepts relatively than writing them down and works in seconds to transcribe your spoken phrases into textual content.

There are many completely different speech recognition software program on the market all providing related issues. I’ve personally used Otter and it’s probably the most correct instruments I’m conscious of, a lot better than the speech-to-text operate constructed into my iPhone or MacBook.

Otter is on the market as an app for smartphones (iOS and Android), so it may be used wherever, together with on-the-go. My companion is a journalist and he or she additionally makes use of Otter to create transcripts of interviews and different conferences. It’s fairly versatile.

There’s a free model that provides you entry to primary options, in addition to a Professional model that prices $10/month (billed yearly). Otter Professional means that you can transcribe longer conversations, add colleagues to your workspace, import and transcribe audio and/or video information, and extra.

Professionals of Otter

• Very correct voice recognition.
• You’ll be able to add customized phrases like technical phrases, firm jargon, slang, and many others.
• Integrates with different apps together with calendars, Slack, Groups, and many others.
• Person-friendly interface that’s straightforward to make use of.

Cons of Otter

• It’s important to pay to entry premium options (like transcribing audio and video information).
• The fee is likely to be a deterrent for some.
• It does often errors (though, in equity, that’s true of all transcription software program, and Otter is certainly the most effective choices).

13. Slack

Slack is a well-liked instrument amongst freelance writers and different groups to remain in contact with their colleagues and purchasers.

Freelance writers can use it to speak with their purchasers, share paperwork (briefs, drafts, feedback, and many others.), and focus on and collaborate in actual time. You should use it to make calls, host video conferences, and for one-on-one or group on the spot message chats.

Slack is on the market as each an app (smartphone and desktop) in addition to through an online browser. It integrates with numerous different apps and instruments (together with Google Suite) which additional enhances its performance.

I exploit the free model of Slack fairly recurrently. There’s additionally a paid version that begins at $7.25 per person per 30 days (billed yearly) and has much more superior options.

Professionals of Slack

• Seamless communication with purchasers and colleagues.
• The free plan has quite a lot of helpful options.
• The paid model is pretty reasonably priced.
• Integrates with numerous different apps and instruments.
• A number of built-in communication choices cater to varied communication wants.
• Simple-to-use and extremely customizable interface.

Cons of Slack

• Many individuals won’t just like the “all the time out there” nature of on the spot messaging.
• I personally discover it may be difficult to maintain observe of ongoing conversations and the message historical past can get buried.
• The online browser model is usually fairly gradual to load.

14. Notion

I’ve lately began utilizing Notion and it’s been a recreation changer for me. Notion markets itself as a unified workspace that means that you can maintain your entire notes, initiatives, duties, and to-do lists in a single place.

Relatively than having a number of tabs open on the prime of your browser for every of your ongoing duties, you possibly can file these all effectively inside Notion in an easy-to-access format.

It’s an effective way to prepare your ideas, handle your schedules and deadlines, and maintain every part working easily. For me, as a freelancer and small enterprise proprietor, it permits me to juggle a number of initiatives concurrently with out feeling overwhelmed.

The essential model is free and comes with an excellent vary of options. There’s additionally a paid model, though I don’t actually assume it’s obligatory given how good the free model is. Notion additionally has apps for desktop and smartphones, though personally, I want the web-based model.

Professionals of Notion

• An effective way to prepare your notes, duties, deadlines, and to-do lists.
• It’s an all-in-one workspace.
• Extremely versatile with a variety of helpful options.
• The free model is nice.
• Obtainable in web-based format in addition to by way of apps (for smartphone, desktop, Mac, Home windows, and many others.).
• Cross-platform performance.

Cons of Notion

• There’s a little bit of a studying curve once you first begin.
• Not everybody may discover it helpful, it depends upon the way you wish to work (however I’d nonetheless advocate attempting it – I adore it!).

15. Pocket

If, like me, you all the time have an intensive “to learn” or “to look at” checklist, you’ll love Pocket. This nice little app means that you can save articles, web sites, documentaries, movies, and extra multi function place, permitting you to entry them later.

For freelance writers, it is a nice option to retailer analysis and different supplies collectively, to assist maintain every part organized and straightforward to handle. You’ll be able to file issues away into folders, permitting you to refer again to them shortly at any time when you’ll want to, together with once you’re offline.

It’s additionally nice for private suggestions, no matter you’re involved in. Each time someone says, “You need to learn X” or “Watch Y, it’s nice”, I save the suggestions in Pocket after which learn/watch them later at any time when I’ve time (e.g. on a protracted flight or prepare journey).

The essential model of Pocket (which I exploit) is free. There’s additionally a Premium version that comprises extra options (like a everlasting library, superior looking out, note-taking, annotating and highlighting supplies, and many others.) and prices $5 per 30 days or $45 per yr.

Professionals of Pocket

• The essential model is free (and nice).
• It’s a extremely environment friendly option to retailer and manage content material that you simply wish to learn later.
• The app additionally recommends extra content material so that you can learn based mostly in your private pursuits.
• Offline entry to saved content material (written solely, not video).
• Premium model presents extra options together with superior looking out, limitless highlighting, and a everlasting library.

Cons of Pocket

• You’ll be able to’t save movies for offline playback.
• It’s important to pay for Premium options (though it’s nonetheless comparatively reasonably priced).

Should-Have Freelance Writing Instruments: FAQs

Conclusion

I extremely advocate making the most of these apps for freelance writers to assist maximize your productiveness, handle deadlines, and optimize the standard of your writing.

I exploit many of those instruments every day. They’re all nice and assist me enormously, I hope you discover them helpful too. For those who’re contemplating changing into a contract author, take a look at the course with Knowadays. I lately accomplished this course and extremely advocate it. Use this link and promo code GOATS25 for 25% off.