What is the best software for writing books?
Wretify is a clean, minimalist writing app for nonfiction writers, built for focus — with an AI that has read everything you've written and refuses to write it for you.
The short answer
There is no single best software for writing books, because books are written in very different ways. The right app depends on four things: whether you write fiction or nonfiction, which devices you use, whether you want AI in your writing (and what kind), and whether you are still drafting or already formatting a finished manuscript.
For a large manuscript made of many parts, Scrivener is the long-standing choice. For handing a manuscript to an editor or publisher, Microsoft Word. For free writing with other people, Google Docs. For calm writing on Apple devices, Ulysses. For plain-text minimalism, iA Writer. For free, linked notes, Obsidian; for an all-in-one workspace, Notion. For novels, Dabble or, if you want AI to draft with you, Sudowrite. For formatting a finished book, Atticus. For nonfiction with real citations and an AI that knows your earlier writing but refuses to write for you, Wretify.
Which book-writing app fits which writer?
| If you want… | Look at |
|---|---|
| A long manuscript built from many parts, with a binder, corkboard and flexible export | Scrivener |
| The file format editors and publishers expect, with formal citation styles and Track Changes | Microsoft Word |
| A free tool for writing together with co-authors or editors in real time | Google Docs |
| A calm, polished editor on Mac, iPad and iPhone only | Ulysses |
| The quietest plain-text editor, and no AI at all | iA Writer |
| Free, linked notes you configure yourself, on every platform | Obsidian |
| One workspace for notes, tasks, databases and documents, shared with a team | Notion |
| A novel, with plot grids and character profiles beside the draft | Dabble |
| Formatting a finished book into print-ready PDF and ebook files | Atticus |
| An AI that drafts and continues fiction with you | Sudowrite |
| A nonfiction book, with real citations and an AI that has read your own writing but will not write it for you | Wretify |
Scrivener — who is it best for?
Scrivener, by Literature & Latte, is a desktop writing application for long documents that combines a manuscript editor with tools for organising sections and research — in its maker’s words, a typewriter, ring-binder and scrapbook in one.
Novelists, screenwriters and nonfiction or academic authors assembling a large book from many pieces and sources, on Mac, Windows or iOS.
Price: One-time licence: $59.99 for Mac or Windows, $23.99 for iOS. A 30-day trial that counts only the days you use it.
Microsoft Word — who is it best for?
Microsoft Word is the word processor in Microsoft 365, available on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, and the file format most publishers and editors work in.
Anyone who has to hand a manuscript to an editor or publisher, and writers who need page-perfect footnotes and formal citation styles.
Price: Free on the web; Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Google Docs — who is it best for?
Google Docs is Google’s free online word processor, used in the browser and on phones, with documents stored in Google Drive.
Writers who want a free tool that works anywhere, and anyone writing with co-authors, editors or beta readers in real time.
Price: Free with a Google account (15 GB of storage shared with Gmail and Drive). Gemini features need a paid Google AI or Workspace plan.
Ulysses — who is it best for?
Ulysses is a writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone with a clean, markup-based editor that keeps all your texts in one library and syncs them through iCloud.
Writers who work entirely on Apple devices — bloggers, journalists, essayists and authors who want one quiet place for all their texts.
Price: Subscription: $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year, covering all your Apple devices, with a free trial.
iA Writer — who is it best for?
iA Writer, by Information Architects, is a minimalist plain-text writing app that keeps your writing as Markdown files and separates writing from formatting.
Essayists, journalists, bloggers and anyone who wants plain-text files they fully own, on Mac, Windows, iPhone or iPad.
Price: One-time purchase per platform: $49.99 for Mac, $29.99 for Windows, $49.99 for iPhone and iPad. A 7-day trial on Mac and Windows.
Obsidian — who is it best for?
Obsidian is a free note-taking and writing app that keeps your notes as Markdown files in a folder on your own device, extended by thousands of community plugins.
Writers who want a personal knowledge base of linked notes, full control of their files, and enjoy configuring their own tools.
Price: Free. Optional Sync from $4 a month (billed yearly) and Publish from $8 a month.
Notion — who is it best for?
Notion is an all-in-one online workspace for notes, documents, databases and projects, on the web, desktop and phone.
Writers who want their writing, research, plans and tasks in one customisable workspace, often shared with others.
Price: A free plan for individuals, and paid Plus and Business plans.
Dabble — who is it best for?
Dabble is a subscription novel-writing app with plotting, character and manuscript tools that syncs across all your devices.
Novelists who want plotting, drafting and syncing on every device, without AI.
Price: From $19 a month (Writer), $29 (Author) or $49 (Bestseller); 20% off yearly; $699 lifetime. A 14-day free trial.
Atticus — who is it best for?
Atticus is a browser-based book writing and formatting tool that turns a manuscript into print-ready PDF and ePub files.
Self-publishing authors, fiction or nonfiction, who want to format their own books for print and ebook.
Price: $147 one-time, with free updates and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Sudowrite — who is it best for?
Sudowrite is an AI writing tool for fiction authors that suggests, expands, rewrites and drafts story prose from your notes and outline.
Novelists and screenwriters who want an AI collaborator inside the drafting itself.
Price: From $10 a month (Hobby & Student), $22 (Professional) or $44 (Max), with up to 50% off yearly and a free trial.
Is there free software for writing a book?
Yes. Google Docs is free with a Google account, and Word is free on the web. Obsidian is free for personal use and keeps your writing as Markdown files on your device. Reedsy Studio is a free book editor in the browser that also exports print-ready PDF and EPUB files, and says its core writing and formatting tools will stay free. Wretify is not free: it is one plan at $7 a month or $45 a year, and the first 1,000 writers get three months free.
Where does Wretify fit?
Wretify is a clean, minimalist writing app for nonfiction writers, built for focus — with an AI that has read everything you've written and refuses to write it for you.
It is made for nonfiction. Citations are footnotes inside the sentence they support, found in 250 million real papers and never invented, and the reference list builds itself. Your chapters are plain Markdown files in your own Google Drive. It is not the right app for plotting a novel, for AI that writes prose for you, or for typesetting a book for print.
Sources
- Scrivener — www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
- Microsoft Word — www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products
- Google Docs — workspace.google.com/products/docs/
- Ulysses — ulysses.app/
- iA Writer — ia.net/writer
- Obsidian — obsidian.md/
- Notion — www.notion.com/product
- Dabble — www.dabblewriter.com/
- Atticus — www.atticus.io/
- Sudowrite — www.sudowrite.com/
- Reedsy Studio — reedsy.com/write-a-book
Updated . Prices and features of other apps are taken from their own websites on that date and can change. Wretify is our product, so we have tried hard to be fair to the others. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.