• Facebook
  • BlueSky
  • Instagram
  • GoFundMe
  • Threads
  • Mastodon
roostlogohead2cropped-transp-blue-owlS.pngroostlogohead2roostlogohead2
  • Home
  • All Magazine Issues
  • About
    • Vision and Mission
    • Meet the MockingOwls
      • Leadership Team
      • Editorial & Writing Team
      • Design & Web Team
      • Performing Arts & Tabletop RPG Team
    • Our Contributors
    • Keep the MockingOwls Roosting!
    • MockingOwl Roost Staff Services
    • Contact
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Blog
    • Artist Profiles
    • Best Of
      • Gaming Corner
      • Round Ups
    • Film and Theatre
      • The Acting Side
    • Inspiration for All
      • Positivity Corner
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Music
      • Music Performance
      • Music Reviews
    • Reviews
      • Book Reviews – Fiction
      • Book Reviews – Nonfiction
      • Film Reviews
      • Tea Reviews
    • Resources
      • NaNoWriMo
      • Writing Prompts
      • Books for Writers
    • Series
      • Travel
        • Literary Travel
      • Fitness for Creatives
      • My Favorite Things
      • Writing Memories
      • Things I Wish I’d Said
  • MockingOwl Roost Workshops
  • Resources for Creatives
    • Presses Taking Unsolicited Submissions – No Agent Necessary
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      Free Writing Apps for Long-Form Writers

                      Published by Zina Mona at September 16, 2025
                      Categories
                      • Resources
                      Tags
                      • free writing apps
                      • free writing apps for longform writers
                      • Reedsy Studio
                      • Wavemaker
                      • website review
                      • word processors
                      • writing apps
                      • writing resources
                      • Zina Mona
                      Lit up laptop keyboard with blue light underneath. Text: Free Writing Apps for Long-Form Writers: A Comparison - Resources for Writers - Zina Mona

                      Image created on Canva

                      Pen or pencil? Typewriter or laptop? Paper or screen? With so many choices, it’s hard to pick the right vehicle for our craft. When drafting, writers prefer a method that best connects our minds to the page. Although we can’t always type as fast as our thoughts, computer-based writing is a popular choice, yet the software options available are overwhelming.

                      Microsoft Word and Google Docs are the go-to writing softwares for writers, students, and everyone in between, but with rising privacy concerns about writing being used to train AI, many are flocking to find alternatives.

                      Scrivener is a well-known software within writing communities since it’s optimized for novelists. The ease of planning and outlining is great for the drafting process, but Scrivener does not offer free plans, creating a barrier.

                      Below I have selected two free writing apps that are either completely free or offer free plans that are designed with novelists and other long-form writers in mind.

                      Reedsy Studio

                      Reedsy Studio is a web-based writing app that’s great for drafting and formatting. I love how easy it is to separate and view chapters and parts. Reedsy is easy to use and has a clear interface. 

                      Formatting books for publishing is Reedsy’s best function. You can import complete or incomplete projections in DOCX and ODT formats, and the app will easily separate your existing chapters. Also, when I imported my files, I was able to see existing comments and track changes.

                      Reedsy allows you to invite collaborators and share manuscripts with commenting and co-author access. Although it seems that you can specify how much access collaborators have to your manuscripts, my invitations automatically allowed co-author permissions, and I wasn’t able to change that. This may be a paid feature.

                      For each project, you can easily switch from the manuscript to planning boards where you can create plot points, character arcs, and even worldbuild in flashcard-like pins. Unfortunately, the planning functions are limited in the free version, and I found it hard to use since the free boards are already prefilled with a template.

                      Although it is possible to draft a novel from scratch using Reedsy Studio, the app is geared more towards final formatting and exporting. Reedsy allows you to pick margins, fonts, and various stylings, and you can export files into PDFs and EPUBS, include ISBN numbers, and specify copyright clauses.

                      These formatting and exporting features are free, making Reedsy an excellent choice for self-published authors.

                      Wavemaker

                      Wavemaker is a completely free writing app that is web-based but can also be downloaded locally onto your browser for offline use.

                      Perfect for writers with intricate world building and long casts of characters, Wavemaker features planning boards, mindmaps, and note-keeping cards (similar to Google Keep) that you can easily access from your project manuscript. A grid planner function and timelines are also available.

                      Similar to Reedsy, you can also separate your manuscript into chapters and subsections to tidy up your drafting process. However, you can only have one project at a time (although you can have multiple books in one project), and closing a project without exporting it first leads to deletion of the data.

                      When you are ready to export, version 4 of Wavemaker seems to only allow .DOCdoc exports. For self-published authors, this means that there might be a couple extra formatting steps before a final product.

                      Version 3 is also available for use, and its interface appears simpler yet includes more functions, including a challenge mode and more export options, including .HTML and .EPUB. There was also an option to auto-sync your work with Google Drive, but both versions allow connections to Google Drive.

                      Should I Choose Reedsy or Wavemaker?

                      Both writing apps provide free word processing with various features beneficial for writers working on longer, complex works. While the free version of Reedsy might be the right choice for formatting and drafting, Wavemaker might be better for frequently offline workers with detailed planning needs.

                      If you’re not sure, though, I’d recommend trialing both to find the one that meets your specific writing needs.


                      Need more writing resources or inspiration? Check out these posts!

                      • Writing Inspiration Games and Tips – Writing Prompts and Exercises
                      • Chasing Down the Muse – Fitness for Creatives
                      • Fight Write – Writing Craft Book Review
                      • Best Fantasy Books – Book Roundup
                      Zina Mona
                      + postsBio

                      Zina Mona is a writer and student from Texas. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the Trinity Review and 34 Orchard. She studies literature and economics, but in her free time, she loves watching Audrey Hepburn movies.

                      Visit her website to read more!

                      • Zina Mona
                        #molongui-disabled-link
                        Hum, a Sci-Fi Novel Review
                      • Zina Mona
                        #molongui-disabled-link
                        The Life Impossible, an Environmentalist Fantasy Review
                      • Zina Mona
                        #molongui-disabled-link
                        The Imagined Life, a Literary Novel Review

                      Related posts

                      Background image: paints and brushes on a table - foreground: illustration of a woman painting at an easel, and a painter's palette - TEXT: Best Acrylic Painting Classes on YouTube - Rita Mock-Pike - Roundup

                      Image created on Canva

                      September 21, 2025

                      Best Acrylic Painting Classes on YouTube


                      Read more
                      Man looking through magnifying glass - TEXT: Cozy mystery writing prompts, Rita Mock-Pike

                      Image by Tumisu on Pixabay

                      June 12, 2025

                      Writing Prompts: Cozy Mysteries


                      Read more
                      Rows of books on shelves in brown-tones. - TEXT: Got Resources? - Tandy Malinak - Writer's Book Roundup - writer's guide

                      Image created on Canva

                      May 31, 2025

                      Got Resources?


                      Read more

                      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

                      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

                      "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

                      Toni Morrison

                      Archives

                      • October 2025
                      • September 2025
                      • August 2025
                      • July 2025
                      • June 2025
                      • May 2025
                      • April 2025
                      • March 2025
                      • February 2025
                      • January 2025
                      • December 2024
                      • November 2024
                      • October 2024
                      • September 2024
                      • August 2024
                      • July 2024
                      • June 2024
                      • May 2024
                      • April 2024
                      • March 2024
                      • February 2024
                      • January 2024
                      • December 2023
                      • November 2023
                      • October 2023
                      • September 2023
                      • August 2023
                      • July 2023
                      • June 2023
                      • May 2023
                      • April 2023
                      • March 2023
                      • February 2023
                      • January 2023
                      • December 2022
                      • November 2022
                      • October 2022
                      • September 2022
                      • August 2022
                      • July 2022
                      • June 2022
                      • May 2022
                      • April 2022
                      • March 2022
                      • February 2022
                      • January 2022
                      • December 2021
                      • November 2021
                      • October 2021
                      • September 2021
                      • August 2021
                      • July 2021
                      • June 2021
                      • May 2021
                      • April 2021
                      • March 2021
                      • February 2021
                      • January 2021

                      Newsletter Signup Form

                      Newsletter Signup Form
                      © 2021 The MockingOwl Roost.

                      All Rights Reserved