Free picks · Mac
Best free writing apps for Mac (2026)
Every pick is listed under Writing in our directory, runs on a Mac 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 Mac.
Short answer
The best free writing apps for Mac are LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors and LanguageTool, the top three of 19 matches in our directory. 4 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 6 have a free plan; 5 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
- 19
- Completely free
- 4
- Open source
- 5
- Work offline
- 7
- Native apps
- 5
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 | LibreOffice | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | A free, open-source office suite for your desktop: Writer, Calc, Impress and more. |
| 2 | ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | Free desktop editors for documents, sheets, slides and PDFs with native Office formats. |
| 3 | LanguageTool | Free plan | Chrome, Firefox, Web, macOS, Windows, iOS | — | A grammar, spelling and style checker for more than 30 languages, with a free plan. |
| 4 | Grammarly | Free plan | Web, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | — | Writing help that follows you into every app and inbox. |
| 5 | WPS Office | Free plan | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web | — | A free office suite for every platform, with documents, sheets, slides and PDFs. |
| 6 | ChatGPT | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | — | A general-purpose AI assistant for thinking and drafting. |
| 7 | Hemingway Editor | Free plan | Web, macOS, Windows | — | A free web editor that highlights long, hard-to-read sentences so your writing gets clearer. |
| 8 | Typst | Free plan | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | A modern markup-based typesetting system for papers, reports and books. |
| 9 | Scribus | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | Free, open-source desktop publishing for brochures, magazines and print-ready PDFs. |
| 10 | Jan | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | An open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs 100% offline on your computer. |
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 Mac pick, rated 4.5/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline, is privacy-focused and is easy to pick up. On our Linux list it is number 1.
Watch out for: Complex Word and PowerPoint files may not look identical
Number 2 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline and is easy to pick up. On our Linux list it is number 2.
Watch out for: Fewer extras than Microsoft Office
Number 3 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on a Mac, and also on Chrome, Firefox, Web, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Linux top 8 (not listed for Linux).
Watch out for: Free plan limits how much text it checks at once
Number 4 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.3/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and 3 more platforms. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Linux top 8 (not listed for Linux).
Watch out for: Suggestions can flatten your voice
Number 5 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.1/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline, syncs through the cloud and has AI features. On our Linux list it is number 3.
Watch out for: Ad-free use needs Pro+
Number 6 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Listed mainly under AI Productivity, it also covers writing. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android and Windows. Its listing says it has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Linux top 8 (not listed for Linux).
Watch out for: Needs verification for facts
Number 7 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web and Windows. Its listing says it works offline, has AI features and is easy to pick up. It is not in the Linux top 8 (not listed for Linux).
Watch out for: The free web editor cannot save or export your work
Number 8 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline. On our Linux list it is number 4.
Watch out for: You write markup rather than drag boxes on a page
Number 9 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.2/5. Writing is its main purpose in our directory. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline. On our Linux list it is number 5.
Watch out for: Takes time to learn if you are new to page layout
Number 10 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Listed mainly under AI Productivity, it also covers writing. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline, is privacy-focused and has AI features. On our Linux list it is number 6.
Watch out for: Local models need a reasonably powerful computer
Running these on Mac
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Mac picks are 5 desktop apps (LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, WPS Office, Scribus and 1 other), 2 browser extensions (LanguageTool and Grammarly), 2 web apps (Hemingway Editor and Typst) and 1 AI tool (ChatGPT).
- 5 of 10 are apps you install on a Mac; the other 5 are web or cloud tools listed for Mac.
- Every Mac pick here also runs somewhere else. Grammarly reaches furthest, on 7 other platforms besides Mac.
- 4 of 10 also run on iPhone and iPad, so the same tool can follow you between Mac and iPhone; LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Hemingway Editor, Typst and 2 others do not.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms, and the other price filter. Only the differences are named.
- Free writing apps for Linux
6 of these 10 Mac picks also make the Linux top 8. 4 are on this list only: LanguageTool (not listed for Linux), Grammarly (not listed for Linux), ChatGPT (not listed for Linux) and Hemingway Editor (not listed for Linux). In their place the Linux list has Claude and Zoho Writer.
- Free writing apps for iPhone
4 of these 10 Mac picks also make the iPhone top 10.
- Free writing apps for Android
3 of these 10 Mac picks also make the Android top 10.
- Free online writing tools
3 of these 10 Mac picks also make the Web top 10.
- Free open-source writing apps for Mac
Want code you can inspect? 5 picks of 10 here are tagged open source; the open-source Mac list ranks 7 such tools, led by LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors and Typst.
More matches
9 more free writing apps for Mac in our directory, in ranked order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free writing app for Mac?
- LibreOffice is our first pick. A free, open-source office suite for your desktop: Writer, Calc, Impress and more. Yes. LibreOffice is free to use.
- Are these writing apps really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Scribus and Jan are completely free. LanguageTool, Grammarly, WPS Office, ChatGPT and 2 others have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these writing apps are open source?
- LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Typst, Scribus and Jan 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 ones work offline on a Mac?
- LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, WPS Office, Hemingway Editor, Typst and 2 others are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors and LanguageTool are rated beginner-friendly, along with 4 other picks. 3 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free writing apps for Mac are in the directory?
- 19 match: listed under Writing, available on a Mac 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
- Free open-source writing apps for Mac
- Free writing apps for iPhone
- Free note-taking apps for Mac
- Free writing apps for Android
- Free to-do list apps for Mac
- Free writing apps for Linux
- Free project management apps for Mac
- Free online writing tools
- Free time management apps for Mac
- Free open-source writing apps for Windows
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