Whether you’re a novelist, a blogger, or building a thriving newsletter, having the right writing tools can transform your solo creative process. In today’s digital world, writing apps aren’t just about putting words on a page—they’re about focus, flow, collaboration, and polish. If you’re a solo creator, choosing the right writing app can impact how well, how fast, and how passionately you publish your work.
TLDR: Favourite 9 Writing Apps Solo Creators Use
Solo creators often rely on intuitive and versatile writing apps to keep their creative momentum alive. From all-in-one publishing platforms to distraction-free editors and organization-focused tools, the modern writer’s toolkit is diverse. This list walks you through 9 of the most popular writing apps that independent authors, bloggers, and newsletter writers swear by. Whether you’re penning your debut novel or weekly Substack post, you’ll find a helpful app or two that fits seamlessly into your writing workflow.
1. Scrivener – The Ultimate Writing Studio
Scrivener is a powerhouse application that caters especially well to long-form writing projects like novels, research papers, and nonfiction books. It allows you to structure and rearrange your content through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, while also keeping your research material in one place.
- Best for: Authors and screenwriters
- Platform: macOS, Windows, iOS
- Key features: Corkboard, outlining tools, note integration, manuscript export
Its learning curve can be steep, but for solo book authors, the level of control Scrivener offers is unmatched.
2. Ulysses – Clean, Minimal, Focused
For solo creators who value simplicity with power beneath the surface, Ulysses has become a go-to writing companion. With a sleek Markdown-based interface, it offers distraction-free writing combined with robust organization tools.
- Best for: Bloggers and newsletter writers
- Platform: macOS, iOS
- Key features: Library-style project management, publishing directly to WordPress, goal tracking
If you’re focused on consistency and elegance, Ulysses helps you keep your writing tidy and accessible across devices.
3. Notion – The All-in-One Workspace
Notion isn’t a traditional writing app, but it’s become indispensable for many creators who need flexibility, templates, and collaboration features. Writers use it for planning, taking notes, and even composing editorial calendars or drafting posts.
- Best for: Multitasking creatives and digital planners
- Platform: Web, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
- Key features: Kanban boards, databases, Markdown support, embeddable media
Notion’s versatility makes it a favorite for creators managing multiple projects or juggling different content types like blogs, newsletters, and podcasts.
4. Google Docs – Collaboration King
If you need a reliable, simple, and universally accessible tool for writing, editing, and collaborating, Google Docs is still a winner. Editors and freelance writers especially love the real-time commenting, autosave feature, and cloud access.
- Best for: Content collaboration, articles, guest blogging
- Platform: Web, Android, iOS
- Key features: Real-time collaboration, version history, seamless editing across devices
It may lack some fancy features of specialty apps, but nothing beats its universal usability and team-friendly nature.
5. IA Writer – Distraction-Free Perfection
IA Writer is a minimalist’s dream. Designed with a focus mode that keeps the spotlight on your current sentence or paragraph, it encourages deep work. It also supports Markdown and exports nicely into various formats.
- Best for: Writers seeking clarity and focus
- Platform: macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
- Key features: Syntax highlighting, content blocks, seamless publishing to Medium and WordPress
Solo creators who often get lost in their tabs love how IA Writer brings their attention back to what truly matters—the words.
6. Bear – For Notes and Quick Drafts
Bear is a flexible note-taking and writing app especially popular among iOS users. Its tagging and search features make it a great choice for organizing snippets, thoughts, quotes, outlines, and quick post ideas.
- Best for: Writers who jot wherever inspiration strikes
- Platform: macOS, iOS
- Key features: Markdown support, beautiful themes, tagging and folders
While not ideal for long-form writing or formatting-heavy tasks, Bear is excellent for fast, elegant capturing of ideas on the fly.
7. Quip – Writing Meets Team Collaboration
Quip is a unique blend of documents, spreadsheets, and team chat—all in one. Solo creators who regularly collaborate with clients or editors enjoy its streamlined environment.
- Best for: Writers who need integration with tasks and discussion
- Platform: Web, Android, iOS
- Key features: Embedded spreadsheets, commenting, shared docs, integration with Salesforce
It’s not as elegant for pure writing as Scrivener or IA Writer, but its collaborative DNA makes it a robust choice for content strategists and editorial teams of one working with contractors.
8. Hemingway Editor – Clarity at a Glance
More of an editing tool than a writing application, Hemingway Editor helps creators achieve bold, clear prose by analyzing sentence complexity, passive voice, and readability grade. It’s a fantastic companion for blogs, emails, and newsletters.
- Best for: Editing web content and newsletter copy
- Platform: Web, macOS, Windows
- Key features: Readability scoring, sentence complexity flags, formatting highlights
It’s the digital equivalent of having a no-nonsense editor look over your shoulder—and every solo creator can benefit from that kind of focus.
9. Substack – One-Stop Publishing for Writers
If you’re writing to an audience directly via email and blogs, Substack is more than a writing app—it’s a distribution and monetization platform. Solo newsletter creators in particular love how easy it is to write, publish, and grow an audience.
- Best for: Newsletters, serialized articles, audience building
- Platform: Web
- Key features: Email subscription, analytics, built-in payments, comments
Substack is a powerful example of how writing and entrepreneurship increasingly go hand in hand for solo creators.
Choosing the Right App for Your Style
Every creator’s process is different—some need rigid structure and formatting; others thrive in freeform, organic environments. You might combine Scrivener for outlining, IA Writer for drafts, and Notion for planning your next content strategy. Many writers also switch tools depending on the nature of the project.
What sets a great writing app apart isn’t simply its features but how well it fits into your workflow. The best apps quietly support you—so you can spend less energy on logistics and more on the words themselves.
Final Thoughts
Solo writing can be both liberating and overwhelming—but with the right tools, you can keep organized, motivated, and connected to your creative voice. Whether you blog weekly, publish a novel every year, or run a growing newsletter audience, these 9 apps are trusted by thousands of independent creators like you.
So test, mix, and match—your perfect toolset is out there, just waiting to help you bring your next big idea to life.
