Best Apps For Writing Books Mac

  

BestMac for WritersiMore2020

If you're looking for a new computer to help you write your next term paper or best-selling novel, you'll notice there are a lot of different models on the market. Our favorite for most writers is the 13-inch MacBook Air, a portable, powerful solution. There are other noteworthy Macs we've gathered to help you choose the one that fits your needs best.

Best Overall: MacBook Air

Ulysses is a more feature-rich alternative writing app to IA Writer. For instance, it has features such as Markup-Based Text Editor, keyboard shortcuts so that writers can be faster, a library to organise all notes and documents, set writing goals, publish directly to WordPress and Medium, and so on.

At 2.75 pounds, the latest 13-inch MacBook Air is the lightest MacBook currently on the market despite having the same screen size as the smaller of the two MacBook Pro models. Along with being less weighty, the MacBook Air provides two more hours of use between charges, although actual performance depends on what you're doing.

The entry-level price for the MacBook Air is appealing. However, it comes with drawbacks, starting with having an older and slower processor and less robust graphics card. It also contains fewer Thunderbolt 3 ports than most of the MacBook Pro models. None of these disadvantages should affect you if you're mainly using the computer for writing and similar purposes.

Pros:

  • Same screen size as 13-inch MBP
  • Up to 12 hours of wireless web between charges
  • Price

Cons:

  • Only two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
  • Not as powerful as MBP models

Best Overall

MacBook Air

Save money and still get a Mac

Whether for work or school, this is a great MacBook for writers and almost everyone else too.

When it comes to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, $500 separates the base and most complete package. Add more memory, storage, and a better processor, and the price can jump even more. Despite this, the smaller of the two MacBook Pro models has a lot going for it.

At just over three pounds, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is only slightly heavier than the MacBook Air. For this, you receive a better processor and graphics card, more storage availability, and a Touch Bar. On the downsize, adding an even better graphics card or more storage suddenly pushes this model past the $2,000 mark, which might make you reconsider buying a 13-inch versus 15-inch model.

If you're comfortable with the 13-inch screen size and less concerned with price, you should buy this model over the MacBook Air. Otherwise, stick with our first choice.

Pros:

  • Better internals than MacBook Air
  • Great mobility
  • Much cheaper than the 15-inch MBP model

Cons:

  • You can't upgrade the graphics card
  • Price can rise quickly as you add components

Best Alternative

13-inch MacBook Pro

A step up

There's much to love about this model, which offers better internals than the MacBook Air.

If you're looking for a MacBook with the largest possible display, this is the one to get. The 15-inch MacBook Pro features a Retina display with True Tone and comes with at least 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory. Upgrades cost more, of course, and these could set you back thousands of dollars extra if you're not careful.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro is a terrific choice for writers looking for the flexibility of a laptop with a larger display. However, if screen-size is much less important, you can save a lot by going with a 13-inch model.

Pros:

  • Apple's best MacBook Pro to date
  • Graphics boost, upgrades
  • Up to 32GB of memory available

Cons:

  • Most expensive MacBook Pro on the market
  • Still only a 15-inch display

Best Premium

15-inch MacBook Pro

When screen size matters

If you're okay with the price, no doubt this is the MacBook to get. Happy writing!

For

Source: TechRadar

Our favorite iMac of 2020 also makes our list of the best Macs for writers. Featuring a Retina 5K display and 1TB Fusion drive, this workhorse computer will provide you with years of service.

The entry-level model is one recommended we recommend for writers. It features 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, configurable up to 32GB, and more.

If a desktop computer is in your future as a writer, this is the one you should get, case closed.

Pros:

  • Great price
  • Plenty of add-ons
  • Retina 5K display

Cons:

Best Apps For Writing Books Machines

  • Obviously, not portable
  • Is the screen too big for what you want to do?

Best Desktop

iMac with 5K

Massive size

The entire family will love this Apple desktop computer. Even after all these years, the iMac design remains breath-taking and lights up any room.

Our 2020 Choice

Whether for school, business, or home use, a Mac is a great choice. For writers especially, you can't go wrong, no matter the model you select. Our favorite, the MacBook Air, offers a terrific Retina display in a portable frame that won't break the bank.

Available in space gray, gold, and silver, the MacBook Air is the lightest Apple laptop on the market and also the one that offers the most battery life between charges. It's also the thinnest so you can bring it with you at any time.

Writing Apps For Free

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Bryan M. Wolfe is a dad who loves technology, especially anything new from Apple. Penn State (go Nittany Lions) graduate here, also a huge fan of the New England Patriots. Thanks for reading. @bryanmwolfe

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The Mac is a great tool for writers, with a plethora of software available for any kind of writing. It doesn't matter if you're a student spending long nights on your big paper, a journalist writing up your latest scoop, or a novelist furiously typing away on your next opus — there's an app for you on the Mac.

Ulysses

Ulysses offers a full array of tools for writers of any kind. This app is easy to pick up and start using but offers a wide array of customization options for everything from writing to exporting. Choose to work in Markdown or create your own markup style. With Ulysses, you can also create your own writing environment with everything from background colors to fonts. When it comes time to publish, you can export your work in a variety of formats, including plain text, DOCX, and ePub. You can also publish your work to WordPress sites and Medium.

Your projects all sync with iCloud between Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with Dropbox support also available. The app also recently added support for Touch ID to keep your documents safe.

  • $44.99 - Download Now

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, $24.99 - Download Now

Byword

'Simple but effective' is the best way to describe Byword. With this Markdown-focused writing app, you start with a blank document and just write. It's a minimalist app with only a few settings to fuss with, and Byword really only cares about getting you writing. Your documents sync between Mac, iPhone, and iPad using iCloud Drive, though you can also store them in Dropbox.

When it comes to publishing, you've got options for PDF and HTML. You can also post what you've written to blogging services such as Medium, WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger, or you could send your document to Evernote.

  • $11.99 - Download Now

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, $5.99 - Download Now

iA Writer

iA Writer's gone through quite a few changes over the years. Where the previous Pro app tried to break down your writing into a flow between notes and writing and editing, the modern iA Writer focuses on having your write in plain text, with full Markdown support. That's not to say that there aren't advanced features, however, as there are quite a few. Syntax Control breaks down your writing to show you the structure, highlighting adjectives, nouns, conjunctions, and more. Link to other documents in iA Writer to combine them into a single project, or link to images or spreadsheet files to see them in iA Writer's Preview screen in a number of different templates.

Like other apps on this list, iA Writer lets you publish to blogs, in this case, WordPress and Medium. You can also export your work in Markdown, PDF, HTML, and Microsoft Word.

  • $9.99 - Download Now

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, $3.99 - Download Now

Scrivener

Scrivener is nothing short of a full-featured suite of tools for writers. Novels, scripts, essays, research papers, it doesn't matter, because Scrivener supports all of them. Organize your ideas on digital notecards and lay them out on the corkboard to see how your work fits together. Import images, PDF and other media you've used as research to refer to it later. Keep your work segmented for easier organization and edition, while maintaining its structure with the Binder. And each part of the app can be customized to create the exact writing environment that you need. It's actually hard to encapsulate just how many options Scrivener gives you.

When you're done, compile your project into a single document, and export in formats like DOC, rich text, PDF, ePub, Kindle, and even export for other apps like Final Draft. Away from your Mac? You can also check out Scrivener for iPhone and iPad, which lets you work on your Scrivener projects no matter where you are.

  • $44.99 - Download Now

Creative Writing Apps For Mac

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, $19.99 - Download Now

Blogo

Blogo is a standout amongst our selections here because while many of these apps allow you to publish to the web, that's Blogo's explicit purpose. Open up Blogo and sign in to your WordPress, Blogger, or Medium account and start writing those hot takes. Manage everything from your post's title to its tags, preview your posts, and images. Write in Markdown or rich text, insert inline HTML and code blocks, and keep track of your writing goals. You can also perform some basic photo editing, cropping and resizing photos, and even adding effects and filters.

While Blogo is free up front, you can subscribe to Blogo Pro for $2.99 per month (or $24.99 for a year) to get access to more advanced features. You'll be able to add as many accounts as you want, get access to the Media Search feature to easily find videos, images, GIFs, and more, and on certain accounts, you can even moderate and reply to comments.

  • Free - Download Now

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, Free - Download Now

Bear

A relatively new app compared to the rest of the list, Bear might seem simple, but it offers a great deal of flexibility for handling text. It's true that Bear is good for both notes and todo checklists, but it's support for Markdown, a variety of themes, and simple organization makes it a great tool for many different kinds of writing. Add images, files, code blocks, and more to spice up your work and give it more context.

In terms of options, you've got few. Choose how to sort your documents, pick a theme, pick your font, and even control fine-grain details such as font size, line height and width, and paragraph spacing. Subscribe to Bear Pro for $1.49 per month in order to sync your documents between Bear for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

  • Free - Download Now

Best Apps For Writing Books Mac And Cheese

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, Free - Download Now

Pages

Apple's own writing app, Pages lets you create all sorts of documents. There are more than 60 templates in Pages, covering just about every kind of writing, from short essays to research papers. There are even templates for items like business cards and flyers. You can add images and shapes, layout your documents in different styles, and more. You can also secure documents with Touch ID if you have one of Apple's 2016 MacBook Pros with Touch Bar.

Pages also makes it easy to collaborate with other people. Multiple people, whether they're on macOS, iOS, or even Windows thanks to iCloud.com, can collaborate on a document at the same time. You can share collaborative documents publicly or with specific users, see who is in the document at any given time, and follow their cursors as they edit the project.

  • Free ($19.99 for pre-October 2014 Macs) - Download Now

See also:

  • iPhone and iPad, Free ($9.99 for pre-September 2014 iOS devices) - Download Now

Your favorites?

What is your writing app of choice on your Mac? Do you use one of these or something else? Let us know in the comments.

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