My job as a freelance writer means that I spend most of my time staring at word-processing applications. Although there are many writing apps available, most people stick with the ones they know or prefer. For years, I have been a long-time Microsoft Word user. I have tried many other writing apps over the years and recently switched almost all of my work to Word as a new favorite. This review will cover the top apps for writing blog posts, books, articles, and other types of writing.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is one the best writing apps use by Millions of office workers. You probably work for a large company and have a Windows computer that has the complete Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft Word is included in this office suite. Word has been around as long as my computer uses it. With so many years of experience, many computer users are familiar with Word and use writing apps to write their documents.
This was me for many years. Until last month. Since I switched to a Mac several years ago, Word for Mac has been a joy to use every day. However, I found that the Mac version has more bugs, problems, and instabilities than the Windows version. These bugs have caused app crashes, lost work, frustration, and many other problems in the Mac version. Now, I do most of my work in the next app on the list. Word can be used online or on a computer.
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Google Docs
Google Docs is an online word processor that is free and available online. It is part of the Google Apps suite of online tools. Docs is a lot more versatile than Word. There are a few things I don’t like about Docs, such as the lack of a default word count. Docs have a limited number of features that Docs does not have, but Docs makes up for it with a large library of add-ons. You don’t need to remember to click the save button. The file is saved continuously, In the event that you spill coffee on your computer while you are writing the final words of your novela, your file will be safe in your Google Drive.
A few add-ons have been used to help me with word counts, references, thesauruses, as well as other basic needs. You can quickly access a variety of useful tools that will enhance your Docs experience. There are also a few fun add-ons that you might use even though you don’t need them.
Pages
Daily Mac user, It would be remiss of me not to mention the word processor that was installed on my computer. If you own a Mac you already have a copy of pages available for free. Windows users have less luck and must pay for Word if the default, reduced-quality version that came pre-installed is not what they want. Pages is a good writing app that can be used for blogging, book writing, and other word-processing needs.
However, it’s been closed only a handful of times since I bought my Macbook Pro in February 2015. It’s fine. But it has never impressed enough to keep me from Word.
I actually paid more to get Word for Mac, even though I had both Pages and Google Docs available to me for free. It is new to the Mac ecosystem, and you have been using Macs for a while, This is a great way to start, as you already have the intuition to navigate the menus. If you are a Windows user or prefer Google Docs, you won’t find enough to draw you away.
Scriviner
Scrivener is a newer and more exciting word-processing option. Scrivener is a small software company called Literature and Latte. It’s ideal for anyone who wants to write a book. Although it works well for blogging, the real power lies in its many features for longer-form writing projects. Although the program is not easy to use, there are tutorials and online courses that will help you quickly get to grips with it.
Scrivener is a powerful editor that can be used to edit books once you have them up and running. Drag and drop makes it easy to rearrange sections (think chapters). This makes it quick and simple to plan, cut, dice, and lay out your project. Scrivener is much faster than traditional word processors that require a lot of manual cutting and pasting in order to reorganize.
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Open Office Writer
The original free office suite also has its own writing program, Open Office Writer. Open Office is an open-source suite of writing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs that you can use to create presentations, documents, and other software just like Microsoft Office, Google Apps, or Apple’s built-in office apps. Open Office is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Its open-source nature means that it can be updated, extended, fixed bugs, and more.
Open-source software is something I love. Every website I have is built on WordPress, which, incidentally, is open-source. However, I find that Writer and the rest Open Office suite are not up to my standards. This is a case of paying for what you get. While it is fine for basic reading, writing, and for business purposes, Writer doesn’t compare to other word processors. It’s a bit more complicated and clunkier to use. However, if you have a tight budget, it is not as expensive as free.
Use what works for you
Google Docs may be the best choice for me right now, but everyone has different needs. Computer users may be limited by the services offered by their employers. Some freelancers are limited by the preferences of their clients. Some people prefer to stay with what they know best. There is no right or wrong. Just what works for you. As I receive files in different formats and need to send them in certain formats, I switch between Google Docs and Word frequently. You can’t go wrong as long as you choose what works best for your business.
