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Day 65: new resources are added every day. See what's new
Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Web App

Calmly Writer

A minimalist writing app that hides everything except your words.

Visit Calmly Writer4.5

  • Rating

    4.5 / 5

  • Pricing

    Freemium

  • Difficulty

    Beginner

  • Works on

    Web, Windows, macOS

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is Calmly Writer?

Calmly Writer offers a free online notepad with focus mode, Markdown support, dark mode, word count and typewriter sounds, and your text stays in your browser with no signup or ads. The desktop and Android apps are a one-time purchase, with a 14-day free trial on desktop.

Pros: what Calmly Writer does well

  • Truly distraction-free page
  • Free online version with no signup
  • One-time price for the apps

Cons: where it falls short

  • Desktop app is paid after the trial
  • Few features for long projects

Who Calmly Writer is for

Writers who want a calm, empty page for drafts and journaling.

Who can skip it

People who need research tools, comments or long-form project management.

Calmly Writer alternatives

Not sold on Calmly Writer? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Writing resources

StackEdit

Focus: editor and open source. Shares markdown and writing with Calmly Writer. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.4 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit

MarkText

Focus: editor and open source. Shares markdown and writing with Calmly Writer. A desktop app, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Adds Offline. Same 4.5 rating.

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit

Tiny Little Office

Focus: office suite, documents and spreadsheets. Also in Writing and Digital Minimalism, like Calmly Writer. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.3 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.3Visit

Story Skills

Focus: storytelling, ai agents and claude code. Shares writing and markdown with Calmly Writer. An AI tool, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.2 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

AI ToolFreeCross-Platform
4.2Visit

Buttondown

Focus: newsletter, privacy and writers. Shares markdown with Calmly Writer. Rated 4.6 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

Web AppFree planWeb
4.6Visit

Cal Newport's Study Hacks BlogEditor's pick, verified

Focus: essays, focus and attention. Also in Focus and Digital Minimalism, like Calmly Writer. A blog, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

BlogFreeWeb
4.6Visit

Free alternatives to Calmly Writer

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Ice

Focus: menu bar, bartender alternative and macos. Also in Digital Minimalism and Focus, like Calmly Writer. A Mac app, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

Mac AppFreemacOS
4.6Visit

readme.so

Focus: readme, documentation and developer tools. Shares markdown with Calmly Writer. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Calmly Writer: 4.5).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit

Convert Case

Focus: text tools, case converter and utility. Shares writing with Calmly Writer. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Same 4.5 rating.

Web AppFreeWeb
4.5Visit

Deep Questions Podcast

Focus: podcast, focus and career. Also in Focus and Digital Minimalism, like Calmly Writer. A podcast, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Adds iOS. Same 4.5 rating.

PodcastFreeWeb, iOS
4.5Visit

FocusWriter

Focus: distraction-free writing, word processor and writing goals. Also in Writing and Focus, like Calmly Writer. A desktop app, not a web app. Free (Calmly Writer: Freemium). Same 4.5 rating.

Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.5Visit
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