Free picks · Web
Best free online writing tools (2026)
Every pick is listed under Writing in our directory, runs in a web browser and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for writing and apps built for the browser.
Short answer
The best free online writing tools are Beehiiv, Google Docs and Microsoft 365 web apps, the top three of 28 matches in our directory. 1 of the 10 picks is completely free and the other 9 have a free plan; 2 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 28
- Completely free
- 1
- Open source
- 2
- Browser-only
- 4
- Also have apps
- 6
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beehiiv | Free plan | Web | — | Newsletter platform with built-in growth, monetisation and analytics. |
| 2 | Google Docs | Free plan | Web, Android, iOS | — | Free online documents you can write and edit together in real time. |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 web apps | Free plan | Web | — | Free web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint with a Microsoft account. |
| 4 | ResumeMaker.Online | Free | Web | — | Free, AI-powered resume builder with ATS-friendly templates, job tailoring and no sign-up required. |
| 5 | Hemingway Editor | Free plan | Web, macOS, Windows | — | A free web editor that highlights long, hard-to-read sentences so your writing gets clearer. |
| 6 | Typst | Free plan | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | A modern markup-based typesetting system for papers, reports and books. |
| 7 | QuillBot | Free plan | Web, Chrome | — | A free paraphraser, grammar checker and summariser for students and writers. |
| 8 | LanguageTool | Free plan | Chrome, Firefox, Web, macOS, Windows, iOS | — | A grammar, spelling and style checker for more than 30 languages, with a free plan. |
| 9 | ProWritingAid | Free plan | Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome | — | A grammar checker and style editor built for long-form writers, with a free plan. |
| 10 | CryptPad | Free plan | Web | Open source | An end-to-end encrypted, open-source office suite in your browser. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top web pick, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. It runs in the browser only, so there is nothing to install. Its listing says it is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Design customisation is more limited than a full site builder
Number 2 of 10 for web, rated 4.7/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on Android and iOS. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Files live in Google's cloud and are not end-to-end encrypted
Number 3 of 10 for web, rated 4.3/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. It runs in the browser only, so there is nothing to install. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Web-only: no free desktop editing
Number 4 of 10 for web, rated 4.6/5. Listed mainly under Personal Productivity, it also covers writing. It runs in the browser only, so there is nothing to install. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud, has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Some advanced career tools may require an account
Number 5 of 10 for web, rated 4.4/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on macOS and Windows. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. On our Mac list it is number 7.
Watch out for: The free web editor cannot save or export your work
Number 6 of 10 for web, rated 4.6/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on Windows, macOS and Linux. On our Mac list it is number 8.
Watch out for: You write markup rather than drag boxes on a page
Number 7 of 10 for web, rated 4.3/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on Chrome. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Free paraphrasing is capped at 125 words at a time
Number 8 of 10 for web, rated 4.6/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on Chrome, Firefox, macOS, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. On our Mac list it is number 3.
Watch out for: Free plan limits how much text it checks at once
Number 9 of 10 for web, rated 4.4/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Use it in the browser, or on macOS, Windows and Chrome. Its listing says it has AI features. It is not in the Mac top 10 (11th for Mac).
Watch out for: Free reports are limited to short passages
Number 10 of 10 for web, rated 4.3/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. It runs in the browser only, so there is nothing to install. Its listing says it is privacy-focused and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Mac top 10 (not listed for Mac).
Watch out for: Slower than Google Docs on large files
Running these on Web
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 web picks are 8 web apps (Beehiiv, Google Docs, Microsoft 365 web apps, ResumeMaker.Online and 4 others), 1 AI tool (QuillBot) and 1 browser extension (LanguageTool).
- Browser only, nothing to install: Beehiiv, Microsoft 365 web apps, ResumeMaker.Online and CryptPad.
- 6 picks also have an app listed for another platform, and 2 of 10 have a phone app (iPhone or Android).
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms. Only the differences are named.
- Free writing apps for Mac
3 of these 10 web picks also make the Mac top 10. 7 are on this list only: Beehiiv (not listed for Mac), Google Docs (not listed for Mac), Microsoft 365 web apps (not listed for Mac), ResumeMaker.Online (not listed for Mac), QuillBot (not listed for Mac), ProWritingAid (11th for Mac) and 1 more. In their place the Mac list has LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Grammarly, WPS Office, ChatGPT, Scribus and 1 other; LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Scribus and 1 other are not listed for the web.
- Free writing apps for iPhone
2 of these 10 web picks also make the iPhone top 10.
- Free writing apps for Android
1 of these 10 web picks also makes the Android top 10.
- Free writing apps for Linux
1 of these 10 web picks also makes the Linux top 8.
More matches
18 more free online writing tools in our directory, in ranked order.
- Gamma · Free plan
- Lexica · Free plan
- Zoho Writer · Free plan
- HeyGen · Free plan
- Grammarly · Free plan
- ChatGPT · Free plan
- Buttondown · Free plan
- Kit · Free plan
- Wordtune · Free plan
- Posts.design · Free
- Claude · Free plan
- WPS Office · Free plan
- Google Gemini · Free plan
- Microsoft Copilot · Free plan
- Craft · Free plan
- PDFgear · Free
- Eden · Free plan
- Mistral Vibe · Free plan
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free online writing tool?
- Beehiiv is our first pick. Newsletter platform with built-in growth, monetisation and analytics. Beehiiv has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features or usage.
- Are these writing tools really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. ResumeMaker.Online is completely free. Beehiiv, Google Docs, Microsoft 365 web apps, Hemingway Editor and 5 others have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these writing tools are open source?
- Typst and CryptPad are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- Beehiiv, Google Docs and Microsoft 365 web apps are rated beginner-friendly, along with 5 other picks. 2 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free online writing tools are in the directory?
- 28 match: listed under Writing, available in a web browser and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Writing category page has every listing, paid ones included.
Keep exploring
Wider lists
Related free lists
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