creative writing apps ipad

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Best iPad apps for writers in 2022

There are still people who think that iPads are only good for consuming content like watching films, reading books and playing games. Clearly, none of these people have tried to write on a Kindle.

For writers, the iPad does offer every bit of this content consumption, and it offers it extremely well. But every iPad, iPad mini , iPad Air , and iPad Pro is also a writing studio that is about as light and convenient as you could imagine, and at least as powerful as you could hope.

You really should buy some kind of external keyboard, or keyboard case, if you're going to be doing serious writing on any iPad. Typing thousands of words onto the glass is not ideal, and the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro and now also iPad Air isn't essential.

But you want one of those options and you don't want the other.

Beyond that, you are able to do just about every type of prose writing you need to on an iPad, straight out of the box. Without any other apps than Apple provides, you have a full word processing solution in Pages, for instance.

There are things Pages is poor at, though, such as scripts and screenplays. They can be written in Pages in theory, but in practice, it's no better at them than Word is.

So there are specific needs to use alternative apps, and there are plenty of alternative apps to satisfy requirements like that. Plus there are apps that do the same thing yet one just works better for you than others.

It's like the ancient old days when you might have a preference for which type of pencil you use. You know they all get the job done, yet just one is right for you.

That does mean that any roundup of the best writing apps for iPad is unquestionably subjective. And any unquestionably subjective roundup is bound to leave out your favorites.

Don't take that as a failing, do take it as your opportunity to enthuse in the AppleInsider forums. And also this: the reason people get very passionate about writing apps for the iPad is that they are worth it.

Apple will never say that it only makes iPads for writers, but they're so good for all writers and authors that you have to wonder.

Main word processors for iPad

We used to write everything in one word processor, whether it was a novel or a shopping list. We did so partly because they were built to handle everything, but mostly because they were so expensive that you only ever bought one.

That's changed because of the iPad and the App Store, but while there is a booming market in more specialized writing tools, there are still a couple of heavyweights that would could make a case for being your sole text editor.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft made a mistake choosing to keep Word off the iPad for years. Once users were required to find alternatives, they did, and they also found that they liked them.

Then once a user has moved to an alternative on the iPad, they very easily moved to the same alternative on the Mac. And what they routinely found was that this alternative, whichever it was, didn't crash as often as Word, it didn't drive them spare twice a day.

So Microsoft Word went from being a synonym for word processor and into just one more of your choices.

It has not come close to reclaiming the total dominance it once had. But when it did come to the iPad, it came in a completely new and rewritten form — which was better than we'd had on the Mac.

That wasn't to say it was as powerful, but starting from scratch meant adding in only features that users need. The bloated Word for Mac was regenerated into the slim Word for iPad, and there is a huge amount to like about it.

Microsoft Word is a free download from the App Store, but then requires one of many alternative subscriptions starting from $6.99 per month.

Apple Pages

Pages — free on iPads, Macs and iPhones — does not get as much love as it should. Where Microsoft likes you to see how powerful it is by displaying every tool and option it can, Apple wants you to be able to just get on with your writing.

Consequently, Pages hides away its powerful features until you need them. And unfortunately, that can have the effect of making it look as if Pages does not have these features.

Pages looks simple but it's not just a note-taking app. It is not as powerful as Word, but for the giant majority of writing tasks, Pages is Word's equal — and can subjectively feel better to you.

Only, Word and Pages both date back to the days when everything we wrote was then printed out on paper to be sent to publishers. Today you might be struggling to remember where your printer is.

Word and Pages continue to be used for writing that is going online, or certainly being sent digitally to book publisher systems like Affinity Publisher and Adobe InDesign . But they are not ideal for it.

Worse than not being ideal, if you copy text from either of them — most especially Word — and then paste it into an online content management system, you can get problems. Peculiar formatting, odd characters, even unexpected spacing issues can all arise because these two produce heavily formatted text.

Between a word processor and a text editor

You can't really have both a full word processor without issues like this, but you can have tools that do tiny, specific writing tasks. And you can have some in the middle, neither full word processors nor bare text editors, yet somehow better than both.

The iPad and Mac app iA Writer is a calming, relaxing kind of writing tool which lacks the powerful features of Word and Pages, such as longform book options, but will make you not care.

For iA Writer knows that writing has to be written, that it has to be put down on screen from out of the writer's head. Until then, there's nothing to format, nothing to create footnote citations about.

So this app concentrates on pushing aside features, interruptions, and really even any non-essential options. It's for making you concentrate on your writing.

For the iPad version, iA Writer costs $30 on the App Store.

Now Drafts 5 practically bills itself as a text editor, which is a way of saying you can basically type into it but mustn't expect anything fancy. Except Drafts 5 is replete with fancy tools and options.

Its chief aim is to get you writing immediately. Start the app, start typing. No pause, no waiting for a moment, no tapping on a New or a Plus sign.

There's also no obvious formatting, no obvious controls, it's just a blank page for you to get your words down. There is formatting, though, you can use Markdown controls to set headings and bold, italic and so on.

And what's great about Drafts, beyond just the practical feel of it all, is that once you do have your words written, there is an enormous amount you can do. Take that text and email it directly to your publisher, send it to your Kindle, send it out as a text message, or publish as a blog.

Drafts 5, which is also on the Mac and iPhone, has a library of Actions that let you create whole workflows for your work.

Drafts 5 is free to download from the App Store, and then costs $20 per year.

Specialized prose writing apps for iPad

Somewhere between the word processors of this world and the better text editors, there are apps that you might call writing studios, or writing environments. They are apps that work to help you with the business of writing as well as the job of typing text.

Scrivener, for instance, knows that when you're writing a novel, you are in it for the long haul. It knows you may need research, and it definitely knows that once you're up around 80,000 words or more, you need help keeping track of everything.

So Scrivener will let you write sixty chapters one after another if that's what you like, but it will also then slice that text up. If you have a character who only appears in chapters 4, 7, 11, and 33, then you can have Scrivener show you solely those chapters.

Look at the entire manuscript to get the whole picture, or concentrate on a specific segment. Scrivener bounces between both of these as you want, and it also offers a slew of extra writing, or rather writer, tools.

Such as how it handles research. You can drag images, URLs, whole web pages, and even entire other documents into the research section of your book.

Then whenever you open your iPad to write, everything you need is there. And when you're ready to send the manuscript to a publisher, they get everything — except the research.

Scrivener for iPad costs $20 on the App Store.

Ulysses is a curious writing environment for writers, one that is either completely compelling or just does not feel right to you at all. Rather than having documents per se, Ulysses offers you one single app with one single file — within which you can create countless pieces of writing.

Those are called Sheets in Ulysses and, like Scrivener, you can write them all in one go or you can slice them up.

It's a Markdown editor which means it feels bare, like Drafts can, and it doesn't have the same full-feature sense that Scrivener does. But wherever you go, whenever you open your iPad, you don't just have your latest writing, you have all of your writing.

All of it. Every bit since you started using Ulysses, anyway, and that grows into a very compellingly handy library of all your work.

Ulysses is free to download, then costs around $40 per year. It's also available as part of Setapp .

Specialized writing tools for scripts

As yet, there's no breakout hit app for writing haiku poetry. But there are a lot of apps for writing scripts and screen plays.

Scrivener is one of them. As well as prose, you can switch to a scriptwriting mode in Scrivener and it is a good writing tool for screenplays.

Screenplays have very specific formats and margins, developed over the last century and every bit is the way it is for a reason. It could be a reason that helps location scouts later on, rather than being any use to the writer now, but each reason is real and each formatting requirement is needed.

And they are just fiddly enough that it's only right an iPad should do as much of that work for you as possible. Let you concentrate on what's happening in the script, while your writing app looks after making it readable on the screen.

Final Draft 12

The most famous and the longest-running screenwriting app is Final Draft, now in version 12. It is very, very good on the Mac and PC.

Don't ask any Final Draft user if there's anything they dislike about it, you haven't got time, but still it's very, very good.

Whereas the iPad app is just good, approaching pretty good. It's had some bugs over the years and the company's support hasn't always been marvellous, but there are writers who solely use the iPad version and don't even have a Mac.

If they did have a Mac, they'd find out that the computer version of Final Draft is expensive. For Mac, it's officially $250 , though it tends to go on sale a great deal, and once you have one the company is good at selling you upgrades that are expensive, but seem cheap next to buying the full thing.

On the iPad, though, it costs $9.99 on the App Store. It's some writers' sole professional tool and it costs less than a book.

Alternatively, there is also Celtx, which used to be practically a clone of Final Draft and has the advantage that it's free on the App Store.

As yet, there isn't an iPad version of what might be Final Draft's best competitor on the Mac, Highland 2 . It's modern, slick, and it's built by professional, working screenwriters with long success in the industry.

They say that an iPad version is in the works, but no release date has been announced yet.

Utilities for writers

You could spend all your writing time just checking out utility apps for writers, like dictionaries and outliners and programs that make up your plot for you.

However, save yourself some trouble. Skip those ones where they say you just put in a name and choose a genre like comedy or western, and they'll outline your story for you.

But speaking of outlines... You may not be the kind of writer who plans anything out, you could be a pantser — one who writes by the seat of their pants.

Whether you like outlines or not, you can be required to write them for certain publishers or producers. When that's the last requirement before they start paying you, suddenly you can get to be very fond of outliners.

Try OmniOutliner 3 for iPad when you have any thing like a book structure to create, or an event to program. It's free to download and try, then costs from $19 .

There is an outliner in Word, but it's built for academics and is like working in treacle. There was an outliner in Pages, but Apple removed it.

Actually, you can jury-rig an outline in Pages using heading styles, but moving around it, changing text, grouping ideas together, it's as bad as Word.

Scrivener also has its own outliner and that's pretty powerful. But the separate, standalone OmniOutliner is the kind of writing tool that turns you from a user into a fan.

The best writing apps for iPad

This has been about the best writing apps for iPad, but it's really about the best writing apps for writers and those are on the iPad. We are now most definitely spoiled for choice for straight writing tools, and it is a fantastic thing.

And we have even more choice when it comes to writing being part of a larger project, a larger business. Then there are apps like Notion and Craft which are good for handling lots of information, or DEVONthink which is like a bionic research and writing too.

There may never be an end to the best writing apps for iPad, and there certainly won't be an end to the debate over just what constitutes the best.

But what doesn't change is that each of these runs on every iPad from the regular one, through the iPad mini, and on up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro . We can have superb writing apps, and we can have them anywhere we go.

After you write your novel, you may want to try to publish it. We'll be talking about that very soon.

You're doing screenwriters a disservice in not mentioning WriterDuet - platform agnostic, device agnostic.  It just works.

I’ve written six novels in Scrivener, but the iPad version, sadly, is so “fat” that you can barely see a single page in it. The great thing about the macOS version is that you can see your writing and a bunch of panes at the same time (outline, metadata, notes, references, split views horizontally or vertically, etc.), to taste. The iPad version can squeeze in a few views (at the expense of content), but it’s all aimed at finger navigation and feels shoehorned in. I bought it, but it’s claustrophobic to look at.  Unrelated: another outlining app that’s been getting a lot of attention in the last week or so is Bike: https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/

A shame the mere existence of a writing app isn’t enough motivation for some to just write, but these are good apps. Right, well… write well!

Thank you for the thoughtful write up.  I am writing a book that has a unique, smaller page size that “standard”. I also want to include drawings, pages with quotes, pages with pictures.  A combination of visual drawing and written word.   My desire is to find a software program that allows me to create a template for each page, so I know what will fit on each page. Then I am able to format the written word, and also format my drawing and images on pages.   Then I’d also like to be able to move pages around, so that I am sure which pages are facing each other. For example, if I want to do a drawing that is on 2 pages, I want to be sure that they are facing each other (not back to back/requiring a page turn).   I’d love suggestions or ideas about software for the iPad that you’d suggest for this project.  With a deep bow of gratitude. 

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14 Best Writing Apps for iPad

If you need help with your writing needs, then you should find the best writing apps for iPad.

The App Store is filled with numerous apps that can help you create and edit your documents. However, choosing the best writing apps for the iPad can prove to be a real challenge. And your time is invariably better spent writing rather than procrastinating about what app to buy or try.

At A Glance: Our Top 3 Picks For Writing Apps For iPad

• Best Grammar Checker: Grammarly
• Best for Storytellers: LivingWriter
• Best For Long-Form Writing: Scrivener

That’s why we have come up with the best writing apps available for iOS and iPad. Remember, Apple Notes is a great free choice, and it syncs nicely across all Apple devices. But, what if you want more? Try these apps to help you when working on your next book , blog post or article with an iPad.

1. LivingWriter

2. scrivener, 3. grammarly, 4. apple notes, 6. notebook, 7. ia writer, 8. simplenote, 9. notability, 10. evernote, 11. goodnotes, 12. onenote, 13. ulysses, tip: get an ipad keyboard, why you can trust us, testing criteria, is writing on an apple ipad hard, which ipad is best for writers, can you use an ipad to write a book, are ipads good for writing, writing apps resources.

Pricing: From free trial for 14 days to $96 billed once a year / $9.99 per month

LivingWriter  is a newer writing app for writing stories or a book via your iPad and online. Rather than using a word processor, It helps writers arrange plots and stories using boards and templates. This tool includes a series of outline templates for popular story structures like the Hero’s Journey.

It’s ideal for writing short stories and novels. Story writers can take out a 14-day free trial without a credit card.

Check out my  interview with LivingWriter’s founders .

Living Writer contains time-saving templates for authors and novelists. iOS and Android apps available

Pricing: From $49 per month | Requires macOS 10.12+

Scrivener is my preferred writing app of choice for longer articles like a book thanks to its many export options and advanced self-editing tools. Think of it as a powerful word-processor rather than as simply another minimalist writing app.

You can even use Scrivener for blogging .

It works quite well with an iPad Pro and is great for organising complicated writing projects. However, it’s more expensive than some of the other writing apps for iPad listed in this article.

You can sync a manuscript to Dropbox and work on it when back at your Apple Mac. It offers a comparable writing experience to Ulysses. Unfortunately, Scrivener doesn’t support Markdown which may put off some bloggers.

Read our Scrivener review

Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. 

Pricing: From free trial available, then $29.99 per month

Writing on the go with your iPad? Grammarly can help you find and fix common writing mistakes with a clever AI-powered assistant. It also includes a handy plagiarism checker.

Grammarly offers apps for iOS. You can also use its virtual keyboard with your iPad or log directly into the web app It includes a free trial before taking out a $29.99 monthly subscription.

Monthly and annual discounts are available.

We tested dozens of grammar checkers, and Grammarly is the best tool on the market today. It'll help you write and edit your work much faster. Grammarly provides a powerful AI writing assistant and plagiarism checker.

Pricing: Free

When in doubt or on a tight budget, use Apple Notes. It’s free and built into your iOS devices. It also syncs instantly across an iPad, iPhone and Mac. You can organize your early story drafts using folders or simply write them up and copy to a dedicated story writing app later on.

Pricing: From $5.99 | Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip

Byword is one of the newer apps available for the iPad. The app can open all of your text documents across all Apple products, including the Mac, iPhone and iPad.

With this writing tool, you can also edit your documents even when you are offline. The app can convert files into PDF and HTML formats for easy editing.

Finally, people also love the app because you can multitask with it. Byword allows you to split your screen, helping you quickly move between documents if necessary. Its dark mode makes it more comfortable on your eyes.

Pricing: Free | Requires iOS 11.0 or later

Notebook was designed by a company called Zoho. This is one of the strongest all-around writing apps for the iPad. It even won “Best App of the Year” back in 2016.

Like a typical word processor, you can use Zoho to add and edit spreadsheets, documents and PDFs. The app even allows you to scan documents, so you have a soft copy of them.

You can store your work on your iCloud and access them on other Apple devices. Notebook is one of the best free writing apps for iPad.

Pricing: From $29.99 per month | Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

Also available on iOS, iA Writer is a simple, intuitive writing app that has a short learning curve. This app has even won “Best App” on the App Store four separate times.

People love iA Writer because it has something called Focus Mode. A distraction-free writing environment, it will dim everything on the screen except the current line that you are editing.

The app can even mark your mistakes, repetitive words and weak verbiage, helping you become a stronger writer . You can even customize writing templates and publish them on WordPress. It will also sync your writing to iCloud or Dropbox.

I use iA Writer for writing short articles in full-screen on my iPad Pro. I’ve also occasionally used it on various iOS devices like my iPhone over the years. It supports Markdown.

Pricing: Free | Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

Simplenote is the ideal writing app to knock out your writing assignments quickly. This app allows you to type, record your voice, record videos, and more. It works well if you like plain text .

You can also set reminders, change the color of your text, change its size, and change the font entirely.

Furthermore, you can link Simplenote to your social media accounts and share your notes with your friends. You can also access Simplenote via a web browser.

While this app is not compatible with Bluetooth, it can sync to iCloud, allowing you to share your documents across multiple devices. Unfortunately, it no longer syncs to Dropbox.

This was one of my preferred note-taking apps for several years. Lately, I use notes on iOS instead. That said, both are good.

Pricing: From $8.99 | Requires macOS 10.15 or later

Notability is a strong writing app for the iPad. This app was even selected as the “Editor’s Choice” app when it first came out.

This is a great app for students, teachers and professionals. It has a user interface that’s easy to follow. You can use Notability to secure important notes with password protection as well.

You can even sign documents on this app.

People love Notability for the multi-note feature. This allows you to list two documents side by side and work on them simultaneously.

There is even a word counter tool along with numerous other customization options.

Evernote is one of the most popular writing apps for the iPad.

This app has been designed to help you focus on your most important tasks and leave distractions behind. Evernote is meant to help you organize your documents, dictate your notes, and convert them into text.

You can even use Evernote to discuss issues and chat with your friends.

Finally, you can also annotate PDF documents, sync Evernote across all of your devices, and access valuable storage space.

Read our Evernote guide .

Pricing: From $7.99 | Available on the iPad, Mac, and iPhone

Goodnotes is one of the top writing apps for the iPad. Its vector engine helps you precisely and fluently write on the screen. Everything in Goodnotes is searchable, allowing you to pick up easily where you left off.

Goodnotes lets you sync your documents to the iCloud. Then, you can access them on different devices. There is even a shape tool that allows you to draw on the app itself.

OneNote is a classic Microsoft app that has made its way to the iPad. This app allows you to create texts, sketches and more. This app even allows you to quickly jot down thoughts you want to remember for later.

People love OneNote because it allows you to edit your texts, record voice notes, save images and take videos. While OneNote does have some complex features that are meant for professionals, this app can be used by anyone.

Pricing: From $5.99 per month

Ulysses is a writing app designed for Apple products, including the iPad, and has been designed to help creative writers customize their writing experience to meet their needs.

Ulysses features a clean, distraction-free user interface that helps you focus on the words in front of you. Ulysses also comes with a text editor, helping you mark headlines, key passages and comments. It will sync your writing to iCloud or Dropbox. It’s more feature-rich than its competitor iA Writer.

This app is good for bloggers who have many writing projects in production, as you can organize them using tags and folders. You can also set target word counts.

It also comes with a typewriter mode that vertically fixes the current line on which you are working. It also supports Markdown. Finally, you can also set benchmarks in terms of words or characters, helping you stick to your deadlines.

Pricing: From $9.99 | Windows 10 version 16299.0 or higher, Xbox One

Nebo is an app that comes with advanced tools and customizable features. The app is only available on the iPad and lets you create and edit documents using the Apple Pencil.

A highlighting feature helps you track important sentences and phrases in your documents. Nebo even lets you edit your PowerPoint files.

If you need to add charts and formulas to your documents, Nebo can handle this as well.

To get the most use out of writing on an iPad, I recommend upgrading to a keyboard with trackpad. It’ll enable you to type faster. The dedicated Apple iPad keyboard is a good if expensive choice. Another cheaper option is available from Logitech.

• LAPTOP-LIKE TYPING - Turn your iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd and 4th gen) into a laptop with Slim Folio Pro. Forget about cramped on-screen typing — now you can type quickly and accurately in comfort with a familiar laptop-like premium keyboard. With a full row of iOS shortcut keys and media controls you can optimize your productivity without leaving the keyboard.
• BACKLIT KEYS - Type away, day or night. Backlit laptop-like keys with 3 adjustable levels of brightness lets you achieve maximum productivity anywhere.
• FRONT AND BACK PROTECTION - Light and durable case with secure magnetic latch keeps iPad Pro closed and safe from bumps, scratches and spills. Viewing Angles: Fixed Type Mode: 58 degrees and View Mode: 10 degrees
• CHARGE AND STOW APPLE PENCIL (2ND GEN) - Charge Apple Pencil (2nd gen) with the case on. When you're done writing, store Apple Pencil inside keyboard case and use the magnetic latch to keep it closed and secured in transit.
• 3 MONTH BATTERY AND RELIABLE BLUETOOTH - Take keyboard anywhere without worrying about short battery life. Lasts 3 months on a single charge based on 2 hours daily use. Enjoy easy one-time Bluetooth setup to connect iPad Pro and keyboard case.

I’ve written and published dozens of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications including, Forbes and Lifehacker. I’m also a best-selling non-fiction author, a trained journalist, and a copywriter.

I regularly update this roundup as iOS and its app ecosystem evolves. I test new iPad apps and tools by writing drafts of articles, book chapters, and blog posts on an iPad Pro, iPhone 11, and iMac. Along with other writers, I also compare each app in terms of price, functionality, and ease of use.

The Final Word on the Best Writing Apps for iPad

In the end, you can find many different iPad writing apps. If you’re looking for the best writing apps for iPad, then these apps might be able to help you expedite your writing process. Find one on the App Store and start writing!

I use an Apple iPad Pro to occasionally write short articles on the go. It’s comparable to writing on a laptop, and it’s gotten easier now that the latest iPad keyboard includes a trackpad. That said, I still prefer editing larger projects on iMac as I can tab between windows faster. Writing on an iPad using only the screen is harder however.

if you can afford it, I’d recommend buying the 12.9 inch iPad Pro. The screen looks fantastic and it’s a joy to use. If budget is an issue or you expect to travel, opt for the 11 inch. That said, you can easily write using an iPad Air.

You can easily use an iPad to write the first draft of a book using one of the apps in this article paired with a keyboard. However, for self-editing a book, I’d recommend using a computer or laptop and a Mac app, as it’s more efficient when working with multiple manuscripts and feedback from an editor.

Yes, they are, assuming you buy a keyboard. An iPad is portable. It’s also ideal for a minimalist distraction-free writing environment meaning you can take it with you and write wherever, whenever. Just remember to buy a keyboard by Logitech or Apple.

Best Grammar Checker Tools

Best Note-Taking Apps

Best Book Writing Software

Best Essay Checkers

Best Writing Apps for Android

The Best Writing Tools

Best Writing Apps for Apple Pencil

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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The best writing apps for the iPad

If you’re looking for a portable device that can also be used as a writing station, well, the humble iPad is a great choice. While it’s still lacking in some respects, Apple has bridged the large gulf that previously existed between iPads and laptops, adding a variety of features in iPadOS that help to turn your tablet into a laptop substitute. So whether you’re using the entry-level iPad  or the top-of-the-line iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard , you can get a good writing experience out of your device.

Google Docs (free)

Microsoft word (subscription), ulysses (subscription), scrivener ($20), jotterpad (free/subscription), werdsmith (free/subscription), compo (free), shortly: a.i. writing assistant (free).

But you’ll also need a good writing app to really take advantage of iPadOS’s additional writing oomph. The perfect writing app for you depends on what you need and what you’re using it for. So whether you’re jotting down an assignment, your idea for a bestselling novel, an award-winning screenplay, or anything else, here are some of the best writing apps for the iPad.

Although iPadOS’s keyboard isn’t bad, you’ll want a keyboard to really take your writing to a new level. Check out our list of the best iPad keyboards to see the best keyboards for you.

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This wouldn’t be much of a list without the Google Suite’s writing app. Google Docs may lack the crazy features of some of the other options on this list, but Docs has everything you need for most basic writing tasks, including full formatting, support for images, and spell checkers. But the real strength lies in its online nature. It’s completely free, but despite that, you’ll get instant syncing so you can work on your document at the same time as other people and see edits and additions in real time, and it can import from and export to pretty much every format you’ll possibly need. While it’s a bit bare if you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, this is the ultimate note-taking tool, and one of the best completely free options available.

It’s the classic app we all know and love, and probably the program we all immediately think of when anyone says “word processor.” Word comes with a number of templates for different styles of document, handles images, and has a full formatting toolbar to boot. Word is effectively Microsoft’s answer for Google Docs — except you have to pay for it. Regardless of that, if you already have an Office subscription, Word is a strong option with support for importing from and exporting to many formats, cloud-based storage, and real-time editing with collaborators, plus the advantage of being the word-processing program of choice for many professional editors.

The first app in this list to really push itself to “writers,” rather than people who just need to write, Ulysses is a strong contender for the app for serious writers. You can keep almost anything in Ulysses, including your screenplay, novel notes, a to-do or shopping list, or even your blog’s latest post. There is a strong spelling and grammar checker, it syncs up with the MacOS version of Ulysses, and it can even export as an e-book. Unfortunately, you won’t get this for free, and Ulysses requires a subscription to work. It’ll set you back $6 a month, with discounts for year-long plans — but if you’re serious about writing, Ulysses is a good investment.

Possibly the most powerful single tool for writing, Scrivener is one of our favorite writing apps. It costs an upfront $20, which is a lot of money for an iOS app, but for that price you get a solid writing platform, a place to keep all your research (including images), notes on characters or locations, and a useful “corkboard”-style view for your chapters, which allows you to view everything at a glance, or even move individual chapters around easily like you would on a real corkboard. It exports to e-book and other popular formats, and syncs up with the MacOS version — though you’ll need to buy that too . Still, even with those added costs, Scrivener is the real deal.

Jotterpad’s aim is to provide a writing app without the distractions of a traditional word processor, and it does this extremely well. The interface is simple and extremely streamlined, but even with that, it’s not lacking in features. You’ll find all the usual additions, including Markdown, Fountain, a spell checker, and more. There’s even a rhyming dictionary. You can start up your document as a novel, screenplay, blog, or editorial piece, and you can jump between Jotterpad on different devices, thanks to its syncing. However, you’ll need a subscription to access most of the features on offer, including cloud syncing. A year’s subscription will cost you $30 a year.

Writing should be addictive. At least, that’s what Werdsmith believes, and it has the tools to hopefully inspire you to make writing a part of your daily routine. It uses writing tracking and daily goals to push you into keeping up a streak and jotting words down every day. Heck, it even has an Apple Watch word-counting app. If you struggle to keep writing, this may be the iPad writing app for you. Other than that, it has a decent number of features, including novel or screenplay writing tools and cloud syncing to keep your work current. There is a subscription, but it’s purely to allow you to work on more than a set number of documents at once, for $5 a month.

Compo is a brutally simple writing experience that aims to deliver a quick, easy way of writing down whatever’s on your mind. While some other apps may want you to set up a project and a template before you start, Compo just opens a blank page and lets you at it. Although it’s something more of a note-taking app, it’s certainly good enough for more heavy-duty writing tasks. You can share your writings on a number of different services and social media sites, and it syncs up with iCloud as well.

We’ve left the, well, weirdest until last. Shortly is a writing app with a difference — it has another tiny writer caged inside it, who learns from your writing and pens their own additions to your story when asked. All right, so it’s really an A.I., but Shortly’s writing assistant is actually pretty good, and it’s the perfect tool for getting over a small writer’s block. Using your past pennings as a template, it’ll take the reins and type away, adding new ideas and story turns you might not have thought of. While it’s unlikely to finish your story for you, it’s a great way to get the creative impulses firing up again. Worth a download and a try, even if you’re using another app.

Editors' Recommendations

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The Apple iPhone is likely the most popular smartphone of all time, and even older models are still seeing impressive sales. This popularity can make it difficult to find iPhone deals, but there are quite a few hanging around out there right now and some of them could be considered among the best phone deals currently taking place. And while you can always shop refurbished iPhone deals to ensure some savings, we think we’ve found some iPhone deals worth taking a look at right now. They include the newest model iPhone 15, so whether you’re looking for the latest and greatest or an iPhone that simply gets the job done, read onward and start shopping the best iPhone deals going on right now. iPhone 15 128GB (AT&T) — $730, was $830 (plus up to $700 off w/ trade-in)

The Apple iPhone 15 finally brings with it Dynamic Island which we’ve only previously seen on the Pro range. It’s a real game changer at times and is very convenient. Alongside that, the Apple iPhone 15 has the Ceramic Shield front to keep it more protected while its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display promises to be up to two times brighter than the iPhone 14 in the sun. There’s also a 48MP main camera with 2x telephoto lens to help you take great shots. The A16 Bionic chip has plenty of processing power to aid with software adjustments.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

We're a few months removed from the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, so you know what that means: iPhone 16 rumors are in full force. Talk is heating up about everything from design leaks and rumored specs to camera changes and more.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means  that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 this year, but it’s not so cut-and-dried with this particular model.

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The 10 Best Writing Apps of 2024

Useful tools for novelists, playwrights, editors, and other wordy types

• The University of Phoenix
• Payment Services

If you're serious about writing, consider getting serious about your writing tools. These writing apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS , and Android put your words into the right format, adding polish and professionalism to your creations.

Best Word Processor for All Genres: Microsoft Word

Hundreds of templates make creating any document simple and fast.

Easily add charts, graphs, and images.

Built-in translation tools.

Overwhelming interface.

Full app is expensive.

Only one person can edit shared documents at a time.

No writing tool list is complete without Microsoft Word. This word processor is the best option for all genres, complete with hundreds of templates to choose from, endless formatting tools, and a robust online support system. From a poem to an e-book to a novel, Word can help you do it all. You can even create your own Word templates .

Word is available for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. You can start with a free trial of Microsoft 365, which includes other Microsoft applications as well. If you choose to purchase, packages range from $69.99 a year to a one-time payment of $149.99. If those prices are too high for you, you can also use Word for free .

Download For:

Best Tool for Long-Form Content: Scrivener

Keyboard shortcuts make writing a breeze.

Templates are ready-made to jumpstart your creativity.

Easy to manage and rearrange pages and chapters.

Has a learning curve.

Spelling and grammar check are not enabled by default.

Intended for users who have an intermediate understanding of word processing.

Do you write long-form works like novels or non-fiction books? If so, you need a tool that performs some of the low-level tasks for you. Scrivener offers ready-made templates that eliminate the need to spend time on tedious formatting tasks.

This application also includes features for storing details about your characters and other critical background information, writing sections and placing them in your manuscript later, and viewing a detailed outline built from synopses that you write for each chapter. If you don't like the flow, you can move chapters around. When you're ready to publish, Scrivener makes it simple to compile and export a completed manuscript.

Scrivener is available for macOS, Windows, and iOS. You can try it free for 30 days. After the trial, a standard license costs $59.99 or $50.99 for students.

Best Screenwriting Application: Final Draft

It has everything professional screenwriters need to meet industry standards.

Powerful story mapping tools.

Integrates with Storyboard Pro.

May not be great for beginners due to the hefty price and steep learning curve.

You must sign in to the platform each time you use it.

No support for real-time collaboration.

Final Draft is used by 95 percent of film and television productions. Why? There are hundreds of templates to choose from and Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to the industry standard, allowing you to focus on writing.

With advanced tools, the program allows you to easily brainstorm and collaborate as well as plan set pieces or store character research with customized visualizations.

Final Draft offers a free 30-day trial. After that, the cost is $199.99. The program works with both macOS and Windows and also offers a mobile app for iOS devices.

Best Organizational Companion: Evernote

Add photos, audio snippets, and more.

Robust collaboration tools.

Search for text in PDFs, images, scanned documents, and handwritten notes.

Only 60 MB of monthly upload space is available for free.

May include more features than you need for simple note taking.

Free version limits you to two devices.

To electronically capture ideas on the fly, use a text-based note app on your device. For an enhanced organizational experience, we recommend Evernote. It enables you to collect many types of input, including whiteboard photos, website screenshots, different document formats, audio recordings, and your handwriting. You can separate items into different notebooks for multiple projects.

Evernote is free to download for both Android and iOS devices, or you can use it online. Users can upgrade to Evernote Premium for $7.99 per month or Evernote Business for $14.99 per user per month.

Best Application for Distracted Writers: FocusWriter

The tool is easy start using as soon as it downloads.

Free with no catches.

Simple, intuitive interface.

There are no editing functions outside of cut and paste.

Need another word processor for editing purposes.

No mobile version.

Given all the distractions in the world and especially online, it's easy to get off track during your writing time. FocusWriter allows you to focus and get your work done. The interface is basic, with all the tools hidden beyond a screen until you need them, so it's just you and the document in front of you. Hidden timers and alarms alert you when it's time to stop.

Best Writing Software for Bloggers: Google Docs

Changes to your documents save automatically, so no more lost work.

View the history of edits and track changes.

Collaborate in real time.

The Google Docs app for mobile devices is slower than the desktop version.

Limited options for adding charts and other visuals.

Fewer formatting features than premium word processors.

One of the best things about Google Docs is how easy the program makes it to collaborate with others. No more "version shuffle" as you send drafts and revisions back and forth in email.

When you share a document with your blog editor, they can insert suggestions, comments, and changes right there. Then, when it's time to implement the changes, accept the revisions and close comments about issues you resolved. You can even use Google to work on Microsoft Word documents.

Google Docs is a free online tool that's also available as an app for Android and iOS devices.

Best Writing App for Novelists: Werdsmith

Keeps track of your writing goals and tells you how close you are to reaching them.

Lots of helpful templates and formatting options.

Publish your writing to the web from the app.

Must purchase a membership to use the novel and screenplay features.

Text formatting tools could be more intuitive.

Not worth the price if you don't regularly use all the features.

Werdsmith is a portable writing studio, complete with instant formatting for novels and screenplays. You can even use it to publish your online writing portfolio. Werdsmith features a clean design, it's easy to use, and it's the perfect place for keeping your notes and finished work. The goals and stats function helps keep you motivated.

Werdsmith is free to download and use for iOS devices. In-app purchases are offered through a membership for $4.99 per month. Members receive four new themes, novel and screenplay writing tools, hundreds of writing prompts, and more.

Best App for Journalists: Dictation

It's designed for one thing: dictation. This simplicity makes it an easy tool to use on the go.

Accurate transcriptions.

Helps prevents strain on your joints and back.

Without the pro version, you'll see an ad after each dictation you create.

Doesn't integrate with word processing apps, so it can be tedious to use.

No word counter.

For journalists who interview individuals for news stories and features, a good dictation tool is a must-have. Dictation is a speech-to-text app that translates voice to text for mobile devices. It can also be used to dictate any voice while on the go. It's perfect for capturing your brilliant ideas as well.

Dictation is free to download for iOS devices. Dictation Pro, which costs $44.99 per year, removes ads and allows you unlimited app usage.

Best Application for Editors: TextEdit

When the full-scale capabilities of a word processing program are unnecessary, TextEdit fills in the gap.

HTML and JavaScript support.

Save files in various formats (.DOCX, ODF, and others).

Only available for macOS devices.

No third-party plugins.

Formatting issues when you copy-and-paste.

This simple tool is perfect for editing documents, including Word files, on the fly and converting them into other formats seamlessly. Need to change a Rich Text Format (RTF) document to another format quickly? TextEdit is the perfect app for that. You can also easily create and edit HTML documents for the web.

TextEdit comes standard with macOS.

Best App for Song Writers: Lyric Notepad

Record yourself performing and attach the file to your song.

Counts syllables and tracks rhyme schemes to help you maintain your flow.

Inexpensive pro version.

The interface is a bit clunky.

No way to back up your lyrics to the cloud.

No search tool.

For poets, rappers, songwriters, and lyricists, inspiration can strike at any moment. That's why it's important to have a tool available at your fingertips. Lyric Notepad goes beyond typical word processing tasks to track rhyme and syllable schemes, help you find new words, and record your lyrics, all in one app. The built-in notepad allows you to add notes about your songs as you write and the metronome helps you easily keep time.

Lyric Notepad is free to download for both iOS and Android devices.

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6 iPad Apps for Creative Writing

Creative writing can be a daunting task for students who struggle to think of story ideas or who don't love the writing process. For kids who have trouble putting pen to paper, there are a handful of fantastic iPad apps that just might inspire them to tell a story. Your students will be able to gather ideas, brainstorm and publish writing straight from their tablet.

For students at all levels, creative writing is an important part of English language arts curriculum. Not only do the Common Core State Standards specifically outline the expectation that students should be able to express themselves through the written word, but this is also an essential real-world skill. Students should have the ability to write narratives that tell a story from their own life or a story that they've imagined. The following apps will inspire young writers and give them a vehicle for sharing their work.

Writing Prompts for Kids ($1.99)

If your students are having trouble thinking up an idea for a story, you'll definitely want to check out Writing Prompts for Kids. There are four buttons on the screen that kids can press to set the stage for a new story. With a tap on the screen, they can combine a random situation, character, setting and object to inspire their creative writing.

Adobe Slate (Free)

This publishing tool is perfect for creative writers. Students can add text and images to a variety of templates to customize the look of their final piece. It provides options for different looks that are great for connecting to the theme of a piece of writing. The final product is high quality and professional, yet accessible to students young and old.

Book Creator ($4.99)

This popular app is used in schools across the country and is a great tool for creating a published piece of writing. Students can add photos, videos, text, and illustrations to each page of the book they create. There is an option for adding a voice recording to individual pages so that students can use narration to set the tone of their scary or whimsical story.

Write About This ($3.99)

Write About This will help students find story ideas and give them a space to record their thinking. Great for elementary school students and English language learners, this app generates images and writing prompts that should inspire students to write a story. They can choose from a range of ideas that fall into different categories. Kids are also given the space to free write within this app.

Book Writer ($4.99)

An easy-to-use app, Book Writer will let students of all ages create high-quality eBooks that show off their creative writing. If your students are familiar with Keynote and Pages, they'll have no trouble navigating the layout of Book Writer. In addition to letting them work with pictures and text, this app also lets kids add audio, video, and songs to each page. Your students' eBooks can be read as PDFs or in iBooks.

Haiku Poem (Free)

This iPad app from the International Reading Association will support students looking to express their creativity through writing poetry. It helps kids follow the structure of a haiku poem and brainstorm ideas for their writing. It's just one of the creative writing poetry apps that this organization created. You can see the rest on ReadWriteThink.org’s website .

Writing Challenge ($1.99)

Writing Challenge lets teachers turn creative writing into a game for students. Whether this app is used as for whole-class, small-group, or individual activity, you'll immediately see the potential of this powerful writing tool. Children will be given a writing prompt and a countdown clock. The goal of this challenge is to have students incorporate the prompt into their story before the time is up. As soon as the timer finishes, they'll be given something new to add to their story.

Foldify ($3.99)

A fun idea for inspiring student writers can involve the super cool iPad app Foldify. With this tool, you can create a cube with images on each side. After printing out your three dimensional creation and assembling the cube, have children roll it across their desk and write a story inspired by the image that it lands on. If you like this app you’ll also want to try out Folidfy Zoo .

Have you used iPads to promote creative writing in your classroom? Share your favorite activities and apps!

7 minimalist writing apps for iPad

Super-clean writing space with a lot of configurability that stays out of sight when you don’t need it.

• Gorgeous writing space
• Silky-smooth typing
• Deep personalization (Pro)
• Markdown or Plain Text
• Syncs with iCloud
• Writes and edits texts with ChatGPT AI
• Publishes drafts to Medium, WordPress, or Ghost
• Exports to PDF, HTML, RTF, DOCX, image, or clipboard
• Works seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Get focused. iA Writer offers a unique writing experience that lets you concentrate and clarify your message. Used by half a million people worldwide, its powerful interface is crafted to cut out noise, let you focus on what you want to say, and help you structure and trim your text. Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android.

Simple and Powerful

No rulers, no formatting bars. iA Writer provides the crisp, uncluttered environment you need to write well, supported by discrete, powerful features, from Content Blocks, to Syntax Highlighting.

Focus and Flow

Focus is the key to good writing, and the guiding principle behind iA Writer. With shortcuts and simplified settings, you can keep your hands on the keyboard and your mind in the text.

Ownership and Control

We think every craftsperson should own their own tools, so when you download iA Writer, you own it. No forced subscriptions, microtransactions, or compatibility concerns. Your work, your files, your app.

Hack Your Syntax

Highlight parts of speech to improve your writing. Spot superfluous adjectives, weak verbs, and unwanted repetitions. Developers have long used syntax highlighting to improve their code. Now you can hack your text.

Power of Style Check

Style Check is like having a personal editor-in-chief on your device, carefully reviewing your text for redundancies, clichés and filler words as you type. It’s simple, different, and powerful.

The Original Focus Mode

Focus only on the sentence or paragraph that you’re working on. Introduced in 2010 with the original iA Writer, Focus Mode has since been copied by many writing apps. This is the original, and still (we think) the best.

Flexible Content Blocks

Swap sections around, add media, and construct your content with flexible building blocks of text, .csv tables and image files. Stitch separate chapters together into one master file. Express yourself through experimentation.

Optimized Typeface

We have created an innovative typeface for iA Writer, specifically designed to enhance the writing experience. The family comes in three flavors: classic Mono, Duo for larger screens, and Quattro for small devices.

Parallel PDF Preview

iA Writer now offers a live, paginated PDF preview, parallel to the text you are editing. Instantly see how your document translates into PDF pages, as you edit.

Advanced Markdown to Word Export

iA Writer features one of the most advanced Markdown-to-Word export functions available anywhere. Quickly export your Markdown documents to MS Word (and back too!). Includes support for tables, images and footnotes.

The Ultimate Writing App for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Powerful features and a pleasant, focused writing experience combined in one tool, made for people who love to write and write a lot — this is Ulysses.

Like 12 Fingers, 25 Hours a Day

Some things simply work better when you’ve got the right tool. Ulysses’ well thought-out features boost your productivity through the entire writing process; its distraction-free interface keeps you in the flow so you can get things done.

Projects Cannot Get Too Big

Be it college essays, blog posts, or the next Great American Novel: No matter what you’re working on, Ulysses is equipped for managing writing projects of all sizes and ambitions.

Built-In Proofreader and Editing Assistant

Write with confidence: Ulysses’ built-in grammar and style check helps you avoid mistakes and meet the right tone. Available for over 20 languages, it offers suggestions for capitalization, punctuation, semantics, redundancy, style and more.

Let Your Words Shine

After you’re done writing, Ulysses can turn your texts into beautiful PDFs, Word documents, ebooks and even blog posts. Everything is just a click away, with on-the-fly switching of styles and a live preview built right in.

iWriter Pro

iWriter Pro is elegant and minimalist text editor with built-in MultiMarkdown support.

Clean and Simple

iWriter Pro is designed to be easy yet powerful text editing app. It provides distraction-free writing experience with a bunch of handy features.

Markdown Highlighting

Markdown is a good way to format your text, apply styles, insert lists and block quotes. iWriter Pro automatically highlights text as you type.

iCloud Support

Use iCloud to store your documents. You can easily create, view and edit your files on Mac, iPad and iPhone devices.

Markdown Notes for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Bear is a beautiful, flexible writing app for crafting notes and prose.

Ready when you need it

Bear works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so you can write wherever inspiration strikes. Use todos to stay on task across every device.

Organize easily

Link notes to each other to build a body of work. Add hashtags to organize the way you think. Use Face/Touch ID to protect sensitive notes.

Write your way

Bear is perfect for everything from quick notes to in-depth essays. A focus mode helps you concentrate, and advanced markup options are an online writer's best friend. Full in-line image support brings your writing to life.

Gorgeous settings

Packed with beautiful themes and typography and Dark Mode, Bear makes your writing look great before and after publishing.

Keep notes safe

With Bear Pro, you can encrypt individual notes to keep them safe and lock Bear to keep away nosy friends, family, and coworkers. Set a unique password that only you know, use Face/Touch ID to open your notes, and know that your Bear is safe from everyone.

Edit and export

Bear's simple tools take the effort out of writing, whether you need to hit specific word counts and reading times, or you need to convert your writing into PDF and Word docs. With Bear's custom markup shortcuts, you can add style and links with just a tap or keystroke.

The joy of writing, elevated. A distraction free writing app built with an intelligent editor, smart organization & a design brought to perfection after years of iterations.

Practically magic

The pure joy of bringing words & thoughts to life is what makes writing magical. Unable to write freely, that flow is disturbed. It takes the magic away.

While most apps have a toolbar that makes you choose different options & rest of them support markdown with a syntax that is visible all the time...

Spaces blissfully integrates Markdown & hides all your syntax, as soon as you move your cursor away. It's practically magic!

People loveeeee Spaces

Thousands of people already in love, and we couldn't be happier! Just getting started.

Everything you need

Pin, archive, add to favorites or simply mark your notes as unread to visit them one more time. Sort your content into spaces using hashtags and/or add them into custom filters.

At your fingertips

All your options, spaces & filters available at a swipe with the gesture perfected to milliseconds after 100+ tests so that you get a flawless experience. Every. Single. Time.

An app you can trust

Spaces is built by a truly independant team of passionate people. All your data is synced using Apple Cloudkit.

We don't have access to your data, it is synced directly using Cloudkit, which also powers native Apple apps like iMessage, Reminders etc.

Markdown app for writing in plain text efficiently. Available for Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Draft a blog post, write that story or complete a school report wherever you are. Use Markdown to format text with easy keyboard shortcuts, subtle syntax highlighting, word counters with live update, and much more.

All your documents, on all your devices. With iCloud and Dropbox, you can create documents in Byword on your Mac and access them on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. And vice versa. You can edit them from anywhere, on any device you use.

Export & Publish

Byword includes complete Markdown support. Preview your documents in app, export to HTML, PDF, rich text, or publish directly to Medium, WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr and Evernote.

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Copyblogger

8 iPad Apps for Brilliant Writing

While I was up late one night reading the Copyblogger archives (yes, I know I need to get a life) , I stumbled across a great post discussing some brilliant writing tips.

The post inspired me to write — but since I was on my iPad at the time, how was I going to capture my brilliant insights on my mobile device?

More and more people are using mobile devices to create content — and thankfully, there are a slew of new apps that make it incredibly easy to write on the go.

Not long ago, I talked about a few ways to use the iPad to get your writing mojo back . I wouldn’t want to leave anyone hanging once they were ready to bust out that next great article, so here we are again with the tools to get the job done.

Here are 8 tools you can use for your own brilliant writing:

Not mentioning this tool would be a sin. It was the very first iPad app to hit the app store (there are now over 32,000). If you use the desktop version of this great Word processor then you will be instantly familiar with the mobile version.

Apple does not leave much out. You get a nice clean writing surface with the ability to go into full-screen mode for distraction-free writing. You also get tables, basic editing tools, image placement, and some really nice templates.

Pages has also made some recent updates which added more functionality, such as the ability to store your documents online and the importing of Office docs. You can check out Pages here .

2. Clean Writer

Clean writer is a writing tool for the minimalist. It focuses on simplicity with a zen-like interface. This is a word processor for those who just want to show up and write .

Clean Writer doesn’t bog down your creative genius with lots of features you don’t need; every tool has a simple, useful purpose.

Hats off to the developers for creating something writers can use for under $1. Check out Clean Writer here .

3. My Writing Nook

If you are writing an ebook or a book meant for print, then this is a tool you don’t want to miss. It’s a little different than a simple word processor, because it helps you organize your writing into chapters and has a unique screen layout meant for book writing.

One really nice thing about this app is the work you do on it will be automatically synced with the online version. This means you can work on your book from your desktop, laptop, and/or iPad.

In contrast to Clean Writer, this one has a lot more features. It is definitely meant for the focused writer who is working on a book. You can check out My Writing Nook here .

4. Chapters — Notebooks for Writing

Maybe you haven’t gotten to the writing-an-ebook part. Maybe you’re still brainstorming, taking notes, making sure you don’t lose any valuable ideas. You need a note-taking program

The problem with a lot of the other note programs is that they are unorganized. This app is anything but. It keeps your notes organized in virtual notebooks, which can then be password protected if you choose. It is also full of other useful features, from adding photos to creating PDFs.

At its core, this is a tool that helps you organize your thoughts in a brilliant way. You can check out Chapters here .

5. Chronicle for iPad

Along the same lines as Chapters, this is a tool that actually encourages you to write more. It offers up some pretty compelling ways to immerse yourself in your writing.

The look and feel is that of a regular paper journal, but it’s much more than that. It is a distraction-free way of writing and organizing.

This is a good option for creative types who like to jot down ideas, put all your thoughts together however seems best, or throw out new sentences just to remember them later. If you’re on a flight or waiting for an appointment and you want to jot down some thoughts for your next book or blog post, this is a great way to do it. Check out Chronicle here .

6. Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus

As writers and bloggers, we are well aware of the power of words — but often, the perfect word eludes us. Enter those old standbys: the dictionary and thesaurus.

Here is an app that is both.

The great thing about this tool is that you can use it even while offline. Keep it handy and while you are writing, use it to expand your vocabulary, or get “unstuck” when trying to find just the right word. It definitely helps with brilliant writing.

You can check out the Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus here .

7. Grammar App HD

There are some great grammar tips here on Copyblogger but what if you don’t have access to Copyblogger? What if you are actually offline?

Scary thought, I know. But it happens.

If you have poor grammar , it’s impossible to produce brilliant writing. Grammar is essential to both clarity and purposeful communication, and you have to know the rules in order to conversationally break them . This app helps you be a more grammatical, less chimp-like writer .

It offers tips, rules, and examples of grammar you can check out while you are writing. It’s a handy app to have in your writer’s toolkit right along with your dictionary and favorite word processor. Check out Grammar App HD here .

8. iA Writer

Have you ever heard that the key to good writing is focus? It’s true.

iA Writer lets you focus without any distractions. In fact, it was designed to eliminate distractions entirely, so nothing stands between you and getting those brilliant sentences onto the page.

iA Writer creates a writing environment that is noise-free with zero distractions. No spelling checkers. No auto-correction. No toolbars. All these features are hidden away and revealed only when you need them.

iA Writer also offers pleasing typography that is easy on the eyes, and has a nice feature called “reading time” which lets you know how long it will take to read your text. This handy little tool also syncs up with your DropBox account if you have one. You can check out iA Writer here .

Making Mobile Writing Happen

All of these apps are great for brilliant writing. But there is one more thing …

If you are going to be building your writer’s toolkit using apps and a mobile device (let’s assume an iPad), then you need to have a good way to actually, you know, write .

While you can train yourself to use touch screens, they’re just not recommended for long periods of composing.

I would recommend that you invest in a keyboard and a stand. There are literally hundreds of products out there but I use the Apple Keyboard Dock and it serves my purpose well. You can also get a Bluetooth keyboard and a separate stand.

What do you have in your mobile writing toolkit? Let us know about your favorites in the comments.

Shane Ketterman

Shane Ketterman is editor of TCGeeks, a tablet computer blog offering iPad information, iPad app reviews, tips, and useful content each day to help you get the most out of your device.  You might also want to follow him on twitter here because cool stuff happens over there.

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Reader Interactions

Reader comments (84).

December 10, 2010 at 9:37 am

I’m always happy to see a Copyblogger article on technology. Perhaps it’s because I’m a former technologist myself?

I’ll have to check out the different writing iPad applications.

Not much to say today, as I haven’t tested any of these apps myself. Thanks for the technology post.

December 10, 2010 at 10:41 am

As always Randy,

It’s great to see your reply and wisdom! Well, I think the most important part of this is the amazing technology we have at our disposal these days for so little investment.

December 10, 2010 at 9:56 am

These writing Pads are crazy awesome, my wife asked me to get her on the other day..guess its time for me to spend some money.

“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”

December 10, 2010 at 10:14 am

I prefer the notebook and the good responsive keyboard. Nothing’s better 😉

December 10, 2010 at 10:43 am

True – although I have to say once you add on an external keyboard, it’s pretty impressive to say the least…but yeah for writing anything longer than an email you will want a “real” keyboard.

January 17, 2011 at 10:02 pm

Funny you should say that (same thought here by the way) because really, it’s come full circle in that case.

If you are going to put the thing in a stand and use a keyboard, then you basically have a touch screen laptop. Though with the KB tethered on, you aren’t going to touch the screen much, so you basically have a laptop.

For me, there’s nothing sweeter than the MacBook Pro Air 13, though I have the MacBook Pro 13 Unibody. My birthday is coming.

December 10, 2010 at 10:42 am

Ha! Yeah and they are oddly addicting – you can write, surf the web, and check email….even more reason to be connected 24/7 😉

Thank you for this article! A friend of mine was asking me about writing and book apps for the iPad. So this post is very timely! I will forward him your post and see which app he decides to use!

December 10, 2010 at 10:48 am

You are more than welcome! For starting out, he might want to try out one of the $.99 writing apps to get in the groove, and then move up to Pages – but in either case, look into that external keyboard accessory to make it a far better writing experience 🙂

December 10, 2010 at 10:24 am

After doing a lot of comparison shopping, I elected to go the Docs to Go-Dropbox route rather than Pages, and I highly, highly recommend this for people who need to do a lot of writing on the go. I think it’s better to integrate the tools that you already use rather than trying to reinvent the wheel with a completely new program that may or may not be compatible with other programs. Now my notes and compositions both live in the cloud (via Dropbox-Docs to Go and Evernote) and I am never without whether I am on computer or iPad.

December 10, 2010 at 10:47 am

I really struggled with the decision whether to buy Pages or Docs to Go. Before the iPad, I did all of my writing in Google Docs so that it was accessible anywhere. I may have to go ahead and try Docs to Go also.

December 10, 2010 at 10:51 am

Hi Amanda, You bring up a really good point. And while it was “rumored” that Pages was to support Dropbox, Apple instead chose to use “WebDav” which really doesn’t mean much to most people. Additionally, until the MobileMe service finally decides to be free, Dropbox is one of the best choices for storing your work.

December 10, 2010 at 11:38 am

I needed Docs To Go and love DropBox. That combo works very well for writing. Since getting the Apple Bluetooth keyboard, I prefer typing a rough draft on my iPad. I then use my computer for final formatting and editing.

I tried apps like Note Taker HD and AudioNote which accept handwriting. That works reasonably well with a stylus but then you’re forced to retype the content.

December 10, 2010 at 10:35 am

Thanhks so much for this! I have had my iPad for just a few days, and was wondering what to use for writing blog posts whilst on the move (I use Windows Live Writer at home). I’m looking forward to exploring these 8 apps this evening — I need to get a life too!

December 10, 2010 at 10:54 am

Ha! It’s OK Terry, we have lives, we are just more informed. Well, I will say this you can always stop by tcgeeks to take in as much as you can to learn about your new iPad and never hesitate to ask a question. As for blogging, I have found that the WordPress app (assuming you use WordPress) is about a 5 on a scale from 1-10. It’s just “ok”. What I have been doing is using the pure web version of WordPress for posts and then using the WordPress app for comments!

January 1, 2011 at 7:22 am

I have just got my ipad purely for keeping intune with my blogs whilst on the go, but I seem to struggle with the ipad app for WordPress, as you say its a 5/10. Great for comments but not much else. After reading this article I got the “pages” app, plus a few others, (it’s addictive isn’t it…) for my ipad which is great to write with, but transposing my finished article to wordpress (on the ipad App.) is very long-winded as far as I can figure out. Cutting and pasting and then inserting the images etc and code. Obviously I use the web version when I can but I love my ipad and want to use it more, has anyone figured a simple way to do this? My blog is a new one and I need to get content online so any help would be gratefully recieved. Thanks in advance. p.s. A great way to proof read your work is let your daughter read it before posting, she’s 13 years old and reads the blogs exactly as they are, highlighting all the mistakes….it works!!!

December 10, 2010 at 10:36 am

Writing on the iPad??? Who writes on the iPad?

Can you do an article on writing applications for the Mac or PC?

Thanks, Len.

December 10, 2010 at 10:45 am

Lots of people are writing on the iPad, that’s why we did the post. 🙂

A quick Google search should have you covered on writing apps for the Mac or PC.

December 10, 2010 at 10:56 am

Brian is absolutely correct – additionally in about 30 days or so you will have the Mac App Store available and be able to get all the apps you want (writing ones included) right on your Mac 😉

December 10, 2010 at 10:37 am

Nice roundup. Many people consider the iPad a device strictly for content consumption, not content creation, but I think that will change with better tools. And yes, you definitely need an input device, trying to type on the iPad’s built in keyboard can drive you batty.

I’ve switched to the iPad for all my first-draft writing and blogging. Combined with the Apple Bluetooth keyboard ($69) and a stand (I use the Compass stand and suggest you get something other than the dock because every time you want to stand it up you have to plug into the port and these ports are probably the weakest part of the device). This setup is extraordinarily flexible and portable.

And beyond a doubt, iA Writer is the best “content creation” tool there is for the iPad. For pure brain-dumping, hair-on-fire, nonstop writing, it’s simply awesome and in a class by itself.

December 10, 2010 at 11:00 am

Joel, Always nice to hear from you…much appreciated. Funny you should mention the Compass — I own one and also the external keyboard dock. Ironically they both have a place especially since I also use my iPad for an alarm clock and the Compass is perfect for letting it sit there while I sleep.

iA is definitely an amazingly simple writer (and cheap too) that is perfect for drafts – in fact I used it for the bulk of this post and it’s the best “minimal” writing app I’ve seen yet.

December 10, 2010 at 10:50 am

Sometimes, Copyblogger, you read my mind. I’ve been looking for just this kind of resource for my dad who writes textbooks and is thinking about purchasing his very first iPad. You may have just sealed the deal (you can ask Apple to make that commission check payable to Copyblogger)…Thank you!

December 10, 2010 at 11:04 am

I assure you I have a crystal ball and it’s attached to Steve Job’s desk….LOL. Honestly, thank you for the feedback and I’m glad this helped. Just don’t put the Angry Birds game on the iPad for your dad or you might not hear from him for awhile 😉

December 10, 2010 at 11:07 am

Good stuff! Any recommendations for an app that allows you to access the hard drive on your desktop (remotely) — so, let’s say you’re stuck at the airport and you decide to edit or continue writing an article/promo/book you’ve been working on in Word — and have all changes instantly synced on the desktop? Does such an app even exist — so you’re actually using Word on the iPad via your desktop. Or do you just have to have everything in the cloud and have all devices synced that way? Thanks. — Barry

December 10, 2010 at 11:31 am

Barry – Absolutely. AirSharing HD does the trick. You can find it in the iTunes app store. It mounts as a disk right on the iPad so you can copy back and forth. For your scenario however, I think you might want to consider Documents To Go and use Google Docs. The reason I say this is because Google Docs are “in the cloud” and you can access them from either your home connection on a mac or pc and then you can also get something like Documents To Go for the iPad and access your Google docs right on the iPad and keep working.

So think of Google Docs as the hub of creation. To access that hub (your documents) you can use the web at home, or the iPad (with an app).

December 10, 2010 at 11:12 am

Slightly off topic question, but I’m thinking about an IPad purchase. I’m wondering, how much has the ipad increased/decreased your overall productivity?

December 10, 2010 at 11:21 am

Koby, one of the greatest things about the iPad is the fact that it doesn’t multitask. This single fact makes it incredibly productive for writers who need to actually, you know, write. After writing on the iPad for a few months I’ve been able to turn out 1,000-word blog posts in about 40 minutes, something I could never do on my desktop PC because I just can’t ignore all the other stuff–email, Twitter, FB updates etc–that ping in the background constantly. When there’s nothing else to do, you just focus on writing.

December 10, 2010 at 11:45 am

Thanks that’s helpful.

December 10, 2010 at 11:33 am

Joel is absolutely correct –

While it does offer “multitasking” it is much different in that it can really only “do” one thing at a time. And with most writing apps offering a full-screen mode, you really are focused immediately one single task.

This,however, does not discount for all of the people that walk up and say “is that an iPad?” 😉

December 10, 2010 at 11:44 am

Thanks. That’s helpful info.

December 10, 2010 at 12:05 pm

Seriously, people can’t help but come talk to me about my iPad. At first I thought it was kinda cool, and now I’m thinking “Why are these people bothering me?” 🙂

Typing on the iPad with a physical keyboard is very satisfying. The screen size is reasonable and you’re not distracted by other windows or task bars. When something’s easy to use, you’re drawn to using it more.

The multitasking is really task switching and isn’t as easy as Alt-Tab in Windows. So it’s easier to stay within one app than to jump around. When you focus, more gets done 🙂

December 10, 2010 at 11:15 am

I enjoyed the subtle capitalization of Word processor in the Pages section. Kind of a magnet, isn’t it.

Thanks for the post.

December 10, 2010 at 11:24 am

Thanks for the great article. I’ve been on the fence about buying and iPad because of the difficulty/frustration in writing. You just made up my mind.

December 10, 2010 at 11:34 am

You are welcome Stephanie –

I aim to please (most of the time) 😉

Excellent roundup of some apps I hadn’t seen before – thank you! (I suppose this means I need to go buy a keyboard now…)

December 10, 2010 at 11:57 am

Of course….it’s all a ploy to get Apple some much needed cash. LOL…..

Seriously, if you do get a Keyboard, consider two options:

1. You can get the Bluetooth Wireless keyboard with an iPad Stand

2. You can get the Apple Keyboard Dock with a built-in Stand

For maximum flexibility, you might want to choose #1 since the separation of stand and keyboard allow for more use of the iPad in various situations. As I stated above, I have had great luck with the Compass Stand from Twelve South (it’s on Amazon).

December 10, 2010 at 11:46 am

I’m waiting for someone to point out that the link given for Chronicle is the same one as Chapters. 😉

Even searching the app store for Chronicle doesn’t bring it up – strange – maybe it’s me…

December 10, 2010 at 12:07 pm

Ah, sorry Chris. Let me see if I can grab the correct link (unless Shane beats me to it).

December 10, 2010 at 12:08 pm

Chris, sorry about that….give me a second and i’ll find the right link…

December 10, 2010 at 12:09 pm

Here is the correct link for Chronicle .

Search in the iTunes App store is terrible. I have to use Google to find anything by name — strange.

December 10, 2010 at 12:12 pm

Brian –

You can also use appshopper.com (much faster and provides great links) 😉

December 10, 2010 at 12:16 pm

I love my iPad, but I can’t use it for writing. For me, it’s a really portable device that I take everywhere, and hauling around a stand and keyboard really defeats the purpose. I’d rather have a netbook or Macbook Air in that case. I just don’t think the iPad is suited to writing.

December 10, 2010 at 12:26 pm

Honestly Ryan, I felt the same way. But the keyboard dock + iPad takes up way less room in my bag than my heavy 17 inch MacBook Pro, so it’s actually less of a burden as long as I have writing to do that doesn’t involve multitasking. Plus, I still have the convenience of a tablet for other tasks. Try opening a Macbook Air online at Starbucks to reply to an email and see how that works. 😉

December 10, 2010 at 12:33 pm

Hey there Ryan –

Thanks for the comment. I can see that point of view certainly, and I have both an Air and the iPad. Here is what I have found: they both have a place in my writing world. With the right bag, I can easily carry around the iPad with a keyboard and it’s still pretty light – compared to a few years ago.

I find that for the plane or for a coffee shop, the iPad is great for writing an article or a short business plan. For more industrious and hardcore work, I use both that and my Air.

Ironically, I’ve been able to somehow fit both of these in as “needs” 😉

December 10, 2010 at 6:58 pm

I agree with Ryan– I LOVE iA Writer (reviewed it on my blog), but I’m not using it as much as I thought due to the keyboard limitations of the iPad.

I didn’t opt for the bluetooth keyboard but rather pre-ordered a Zaggmate ( http://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggmate.php ). Hasn’t arrived yet.

I mostly use the iPad for RSS and other reading/listening/watching. Doing so turns my laptop into more of a device of production than a device of consumption. It works!

Fabulous timing. Thirteen family members clubbed together and got me an iPad for Christmas (hurrah for big families eh?!) which they very generously allowed me to have early. I love it and whilst I understand your recommendation about getting an external stand and keyboard, after just a week I’m already loving the touch screen keyboard. I’ve not yet tried any of these apps so I’m looking forward to trying them out. Up until now I’ve been using the built in notes app together with the WordPress app for blog posts. They’re a satisfying combination but I could always use an excuse to browse the store. 😉

December 10, 2010 at 12:37 pm

That’s a great gift huh? And don’t you love opening that box and there it sits, just begging to be used!

That’s great that you have been able to use the on-screen keyboard so efficiently. I am pretty fast on it, but having used traditional keyboards for so long, I just feel more “comfortable” on them.

Oh, and rumor has it that if you get any games on the iPad and the kids find it, you will no longer have access to it 😉

December 10, 2010 at 12:43 pm

I really need to get an iPad.

December 10, 2010 at 11:31 pm

As a blogger and a recent iPad user, I’m glad you’d compile a list of writer’s apps. I can’t wait to try all these apps and see which works the best for me and my writing mojo 😉

December 10, 2010 at 11:39 pm

Ha! Oh yeah, the Mojo…..well as it turns out, once you get going with one of the writing apps (especially iA writer) your Mojo will be flowing and you might just get so excited you write a novel!

December 11, 2010 at 11:21 pm

I’m looking to get an ipad next year. I’m glad to see that there are a good number of apps for writers. I’m really looking forward to being more portable with my blogging.

December 12, 2010 at 6:23 am

Wow, so many people have an iPad. They are very popular and useful. I don’t have an iPad because it is used by AT&T and I’m on Verizon Wireless. Great informative article.

December 12, 2010 at 2:42 pm

Frankie, just so you know, iPads have been available on Verizon since October 28. Verizon even has a separate iPad ad on TV that I’ve caught a number of times. So check with your Verizon provider if you’re considering buying one — I’ve had a WiFi iPad for the past 6 months and use it every day.

Shane, thanks for the excellent article. I need a writing app desperately and your piece has convinced me to get iA Writer. My only question: do all of these apps save your work on the iPad when you’re finished writing, or do you have to save it on Dropbox? What happens if you’re writing while not connected to a WiFi network (like in a subway). Does your work just disappear?

December 12, 2010 at 2:55 pm

A number of these apps do save them “locally” as it were. They offer the ability to share them via Dropbox or box.net as a convenience but not as a necessity. This is because of times, like on a subway, where you might not have direct access to the Internet either via Wi-Fi or 3G.

So your work won’t disappear. In the case of the iA writer, it has a manual sync mode which allows you to open the app and keep working but you can choose to sync it with Dropbox if you want to save your changes.

December 12, 2010 at 11:32 pm

Shane, thanks so much! After reading your reply, I went ahead and bought iA Writer. I’ve only played around with it so far, but already like it a lot (especially the font). I’ll probably have to buy Pages as well (to import my existing Word for Mac docs) but I can already see that I’ll end up using iA Writer when writing stories, etc.

BTW, have you seen the newest Brookstone catalogue? They’re featuring a new slim iPad case that has a built-in Bluetooth wireless keyboard and stand. It looks wicked cool…

December 12, 2010 at 11:49 pm

You are more than welcome Roy! I hope you like iA as much as I do every single day! Oh and yeah, I saw the Brookstone (it comes in the mail along with 50 other catalogs) and that is pretty darn cool but wait until you see this:

http://www.clamcase.com

December 12, 2010 at 9:58 am

I can’t believe nobody has mentioned PlainText yet, and that it wasn’t included in the master list. It came out around the same time as iA Writer, and philosophically is very similar to that stripped-down app–but its huge strength (to me) is automatic Dropbox sync, unlike iA Writer where you have to manually add or remove files before editing them. With PlainText, your Dropbox directory is displayed as soon as you launch the app, and edits are saved automatically. It lacks iA Writer’s cool hyper-focus mode, but it does let you clear everything but the text off the screen, even the keyboard if you’re using an external one.

Other qualities that make me love it (and I’m just a customer, not a shill): it works on the iPhone/iPod Touch as well as the iPad, and there’s a fully functional free version (ad supported) so you can take it for a test run before handing over any money.

http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/plaintext

More bonus points: if you use a writing app like Scrivener on the OS X platform, you can set up PlainText to sync with it. For me, this Scrivener+PlainText+Dropbox approach has been perfect for a seamless mobile writing experience. (Scrivener costs money; a Dropbox account is free.)

Also, I second what another reader wrote above: get an account on AppShopper and use its free alert system to pick up iOS apps when they’re free or heavily discounted. You’ll save yourself tons of money in general. (Although in this specific category you might have less luck; I constantly track writing apps and they’re rarely free.)

December 13, 2010 at 12:46 pm

I LOVE IAWriter. I don’t love fixed-width fonts and inflexibility as a rule, but for actually GettingThe Words Down, this is an awesome app.

I loved it when I was using it with my bluetooth keyboard, but I loved it even more when I was using it with the on-screen keyboard. Those extra keys it puts in above the native keyboard are just perfect (arrow keys, punctuation you use all the time in real writing, a ‘skip to the next/previous word button’. Love it.

December 13, 2010 at 3:28 pm

I agree this is a great roundup. Glad one or two of these has wireless printing.

However, I still can’t find an app that mirrors the Track Changes and Grammar Check from Microsoft Word, (TextMate looks close but no cigar.)

Until those are a reality in iPhone/iPad, I’m stuck with my laptop, and loving Windows 7.

December 14, 2010 at 6:15 am

You hit a couple of my favorite writing tools, but let me also throw into the mix SurfWrite, an application that splits the screen into two panes. On one side, you can surf and research, while on the other side you can take notes. Copy and paste is enabled. Rather than flipping back and forth between a couple applications, I can do the bulk of my research in one place.

I’m a fan of Chapters, I just wish that I could place pictures where I want them on the page rather than have them at the end of each chapter.

December 14, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Thanks for the recommendations. Our company just bought our salespeople iPads to use while they travel, and while they aren’t always using them for writing/blogging, some of these apps look especially useful for taking down notes during meetings, and go way beyond the standard “notepad” app that comes pre-installed on the iPad.

December 14, 2010 at 11:01 pm

You’re welcome Jason. Sounds like A very cool and interesting thing your company is doing!!

December 16, 2010 at 3:46 am

Great list of apps and I concur with all of them esp iAWriter

Before I write anything now I do two things

1. Do a drawing using Brushes on what I am about to write about

2. Mind Map it using iThoughts

– this prep gets my neurology set up and takes me to areas I wouldn’t have thought of

June 15, 2011 at 2:49 am

… how about creative inspiration?

Writing Prompts — the App!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/writing-prompts/id417683378?mt=8

July 5, 2011 at 4:23 am

You can also try iBookWriter http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibookwriter/id445174705?mt=8

It has a free version too.

July 22, 2011 at 7:36 pm

Shane, is this where you are now? I miss your reviews on TCgeeks.com

September 19, 2011 at 10:09 pm

My favorite is and will always be Pages. It’s simple and user-friendly and thanks to the iWork.com Beta makes me feel like am storing efficiently on the cloud! Lol.

October 4, 2011 at 1:00 am

English Dictionary and Thesaurus apps are must . It will improve our writing. Nice post.

January 19, 2012 at 10:33 am

I stumbled on this blog while looking for a way to put my words into an editorial for my local newspaper. I’m home sick today Honest! And I’m compelled to start writing it. Now am distracted with all these suggestions! AHHH! Great blog, actually the first ever really found that is so useful and on topic. Still not sure what to get but that is just the imp getting in the way. I call her Miss Dopportunity, do you know her?

Thank you everyone!

April 22, 2012 at 7:41 pm

i was excited to find this post and comments, because i thought i would finally see something about being able to write on an ipad. but no, everyone is talking about “writing” when they really mean “typing”. when is the most natural thing in the world, writing on a piece of paper with a pencil (stylus) going to be implemented in a practical way on the ipad?

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Best Creative Writing Apps

Some students are natural born storytellers with creativity and imagination spilling from their fingers. There are plenty of reasons to encourage students to love creative writing. The skills gained from creative writing ultimately contribute to language mastery. Let us help you to find some other great apps to support your children's creative writing, in a digital capacity.  Whether you’re journaling or brainstorming ideas for a new story, book, or blog post, a writing prompts app could change everything.

Here at the Educational App Store we are relentless in our pursuit of apps which are suitable for test preparation and which can help support teachers, parents and ultimately students sitting for their tests and, in their general studies and wiser learning too.

If you want your children to master the basics of creative writing, try these apps to encourage your children to want to write.

1. Vocabulary Builder: Daily Word

Vocabulary Builder is an app to help people who are already proficient in English to expand their vocabulary. It provides a word of the day, browsing, and quiz-type features to let learners develop the variety of words at their disposal. You will save time if you use the words learned to also think about what sort of vocabulary might be useful for this piece of creative writing.

These word lists feature loads of good vocabulary to use in creative writing. They provide a fantastic way to boost vocabulary in your class.

Available on:  Android

Cost:  Free with in-app purchases

2. Night Zookeeper

(Android, iPhone, iPadWebsite)

Night Zookeeper is a fun-to-use creative writing application that encourages encourages children’s creative writing and wider creativity skills whilst being great fun to play both during class and at home. From drawing and writing about magical animals, to playing word games and competing in writing competitions, Night Zookeeper offers children the chance to explore their potential and get better at creative writing.

This is a beautiful app that asks children and adults to enter a magical world of animals in a night time zoo where children are sent on drawing missions. The app is of high-quality and it captures imaginations and pushes children to get in the habit of drawing and writing little stories about their drawings. Night Zookeeper is a popular writing website for kids which inspires children to express themselves and to be creative writers.

Available on:  Website

Cost:  Free with subscription

3. Writing Challenge for Kids

(Android, iPhone, iPad)

Writing Challenge for Kids is a fun and simple-to-use app that can help spark the imagination of children, and support them with planning and writing stories. Children are presented with a range of prompts that they can choose from. Each prompt gives children ideas for how to start and develop their story, including references to settings and character, which keeps their imagination flowing throughout the process. Writing Challenge is one of the best apps to help kids develop creative writing and digital publishing tools.

Available on:  Android, iPhone and iPad

Get unlimited access to the 4 or 5-star teacher certified apps. Start your free trial now!

Hand-picked educational apps by teachers that will improve your child's learning.

4. Book Creator

Bookcreator is a very simple, self-explanatory tool, where both teachers and students can create their own books using a diversity of templates, fonts, styles, as well as media, such as videos, images and sounds. Book Creator has a wide variety of applications in the classroom ranging from creative story writing to presentation style projects.

Bookcreator app works so well in encouraging student engagement with easy-to-use interface, fun templates, colorful designs and tons of tools to spark creativity. It is a perfect tool for creative writing, digital scrapbooking, journaling, digital diaries and so much more!

Available on:  iPhone and iPad

Cost:  Paid

5. Shake-a-Phrase: Fun With Words and Sentences

Shake-a-Phrase is a fun language app for creative writing prompts, vocabulary, and parts of speech practice. The app assists in enabling student to create stories by giving students prompts for characters, scenarios or simple sentences. The ability to change the theme and then shake the device to change the phrase is great fun.   

6. Writing Prompts

(iPhone, iPad)

This is a cool writing-prompt app that does basically everything you need it to: offer writing prompts to encourage/inspire you to write more. With Daily Prompt Premium you can access our Novel Writing Package. This includes 31 specially selected prompts to help outline your novel in a structured way. Daily Prompt is the easy way to make writing progress on a daily basis.

7. Word Creativity Kit - The creative writing tool for kids

A fun app to spark creative imaginations to create poems and stories. The goal of the Word Creativity Kit is to encourage children to play around with words and language as they learn to become the writers of tomorrow!  We like how students can get a jumpstart on the creativity process by using a selection of randomly generated words.

8. Storybird

Storybird lets kids create personalized stories, is committed to inspiring user creativity by providing a variety of colorful and vibrant Illustrations. This impressive creative writing-centered site offers an easy-to-use tool to help kids make picture books, longer books, or poems. You can learn about writing, storytelling, reading skills. They'll practice being creative and flex their imagination, and sharing stories may help them gain self-confidence to write more.

Available on:  iPhone, iPad and Android

Cost:  Free

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The 15 best iPad apps for designers

Improve your productivity on the go with the best iPad apps for designers.

The best iPad apps for creatives can help you get more done on your Apple tablet, and possibly avoid having to power up a laptop. There are a huge range of iPad apps available in the App Store, and they can help you plan, organise and create while you're on the go, no matter which of the current iPad generations you have.

In our guide below, we've picked out options covering all aspects of the industry, from creation to admin, to help with every aspect of your workflow. We've evaluated them for user experience, usefulness and value through hands-on testing and a comparison of customer reviews.

If you're specifically looking for apps for drawing, see our guide to the best drawing apps for iPad . We also have a guide to the best iPad Pro apps compatible with Apple Pencil . You might also want to choose one of the best iPad stands to hold your device. 

01. Affinity Designer

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

• Requirements: iOS 12 or later
• Price: from $18.49  

When we tested Affinity Designer, we found it to be one of the most ambitious creative apps for the iPad. Taking all of the power and precision that the desktop version is known for and migrating it to the iPad, this iteration of Affinity Designer has been specially upgraded to fit the device. We found that Affinity Designer is perfect for any part of the workflow, we loved the UI, the smooth pen tool and the typography options (to name but three features – see our Affinity Designer for iPad review for more). Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher are also worth checking out.

02. Obscura 4

• Requirements: iOS 16.0 or later
• Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Want to take decent photos with your iPad? Obscura 2 should be your go-to app. It's intuitively designed to make it easy to shoot photos in a hurry, and the haptic feedback means it feels quite natural given you're only pressing on a screen. With multi-format capture and all the features of a 'real' camera, you can also add a wide range of filters to add pzazz to your images. You can also edit and share within the app. 

03. Photoshop for iPad

Photoshop for iPad is included with all Creative Cloud subscriptions and can be downloaded from the app store. In our review, we weren't convinced by its limited feature-set, but it is fast catching up with the full version – with new capabilities being added all the time. You can create full PSDs, work with layers and, of course, retouch your images with tools like spot healing and clone stamp. See our full Photoshop for iPad review for more.

• Requirements:  iOS 16.0 or later
• Price: From free

04. Pixelmator

• Requirements: iOS 15.0 or later
• Price: $9.99 / £9.99

Packed with image editing and enhancement tools, Pixelmator contains everything you need for adjusting assets on the go. And we mean everything. When we tested it, we absolutely loved it and had barely any cons at all (see our Pixelmator review here). Thanks to Drag and Drop support, users can move images and graphics between iPad and other apps easily. Alternatively you can store images in the iCloud Drive and access them anywhere. By taking advantage of the iOS 14 technologies, Pixelmator offers best-in-class Photoshop file support, precision drawing and painting with the Apple Pencil, plus much more.

• Price: Free (with IAPs)

Whether you're coordinating a big design project or just trying to organise a cleaning rota, Trello is a great tool for getting stuff done and staying organised. It makes it easy to invite people to collaborate on projects, and you can create custom boards for whatever you're working on. The iPad app is optimised for iPad Pro with plenty of tweaks to take advantage of its larger screen, and if you absolutely need project updates wherever you are, there are also apps for Apple Watch and even iMessage.

06. Procreate

• Requirements: iOS 13.2 or later
• $9.99 / £9.99

Our testing confirms that Procreate is a truly wonderful natural media app, and it's very fast – especially on more recent iPads, where it can take advantage of their huge power (see our Procreate review ). The brush, colour and interface menus are versatile, offering a lot of control, and it now has a range of 3D painting features, expanding the range of mediums supported further. We found it to be particularly well optimised for the iPad Pro, with massive, ultra-hi-definition canvases, and it works super smoothly with Apple Pencil. 

Other drawing apps to consider include Tayasui Sketches , Photoshop Sketch and ArtRage  and Drawww . See our guide to the best iPad for drawing if you're still trying to decide which tablet will be the best canvas for you.

07. Apple Freeform

• Requirements: iOS 16.2 or later
• Price: Free

Apple's own Freeform app is basically a infinite digital whiteboard that supports all types of of inputs It works across Apple devices and syncs through iCloud. You can use it to brainstorm on a shared document with a team, write reminders and notes and basically use it as a surface for whenever you want to jot something down. We love the versatility of it: it's available across iPhone, iPad and Mac and allows us to write, sketch and import files, and even features built-in FaceTime support.

08. Noteshelf

If what you want is the digital equivalent of a sketchbook, rather than a canvas – somewhere to write stuff down, doodle out a few ideas, take notes in a meeting – get Noteshelf. Its ability to mix typed, audio and handwritten notes – with beautiful ink effects – annotate documents and images, and even define custom paper designs to make it easy to create, say, iPhone wireframes for sketching app designs makes it an extremely handy iPad app for designers. 

It pairs with a range of third-party styluses too, for pressure sensitivity and wrist rejection. You can even take notes on your Apple Watch and they'll sync to the main app. 

09. Adobe Express

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

Adobe makes loads of apps for iOS now, but the 2024 update to Adobe Express packs in a lot. It intends to be a one-stop shop for content creation on the go, allowing creatives to design, edit and curate projects via Photoshop and Illustrator. It can provide access to brand kits, also now provides access to Adobe Firefly for  text-to-image generation it's a handy tool for social media content as well as flyers and posters.

10. Things 3 for iPad

• Requirements: iOS 12.1 or later
• Price: $19.99 / £19.99

Apple's Reminders app is actually more useful than most people give it credit for – especially if you set up reminders lists that can be shared among a team – but there's no doubt a more accomplished to-do manager will help you keep on top of complex projects more easily. 

Some swear by OmniFocus, but for us it's just a little too daunting in its power. Things, though, lets you define some sensible groupings, makes it simple to add and sort new tasks, and lets you easily see what deadlines are imminent. 

11. OmniPlan 4

• Requirements: iOS 13.0 or later
• Price: $199.99 (Free trial available)

While we've rejected The Omni Group's to-do app for being a little too complex for the kind of to-dos we creatives want to track, it's precisely that complexity that makes its project planning app a must-have – though only for big projects, and only for senior folk (if you're self-employed, mind you, or work in a very small team, guess what? You're the senior folk).

With OmniPlan, you can create Gantt charts to allocate time and resources to specific parts of a project, and because each part is interrelated, you can keep focused on what the material effects will be of the wireframing process, say, taking longer than you had anticipated. Everything is live and shared, and it will help you resolve scheduling impossibilities. Basically: if you wanna hit deadlines for big projects, get this app.

• Requirements: iOS 12.2 or later

Hate how much time you spend on email? Us too. Make your team try Slack – it starts free, with some limitations – and marvel at all the time you get back. While it's ostensibly just a simple instant message tool, its become hugely popular in recent years (especially with remote working teams) thanks to the fact it integrates beautifully with a huge range of other services such as Dropbox and Google Docs, and so makes everything so much smoother.

13. Duet Display

• Requirements: iOS 12.0 or later
• Price: From $4.99 per month

One of the easiest ways to be more productive as a designer is to add more screens to your computer, so you can have source material on one while working on the main display, keep an eye on email (or Slack!) while you work without switching between tasks, or just as somewhere to put your palettes so you're not covering up your work.

It's not always convenient, though – maybe you're rushing to hit a deadline in an airport departure lounge, or you're hotdesking in a co-working space. However, you can turn an iPhone or iPad into a second display for your Mac or PC with this app, which earns it a spot in our list of the best iPad apps for designers.

While earlier apps that did this worked wirelessly (convenient, but laggy and compressed), Duet Display works over the cable, whether Lightning or 30-pin, with full support for Retina and touch. You might also want to investigate Astropad , which turns your iPad into a Cintiq-like graphics tablet for your Mac.

14. Invoice2go

• Price: From $7.99 (free trial available)

When the work is done, it's too easy to forget to invoice for it, but with your iPad (or iPhone or even Apple Watch), you can easily create, send and track invoices wherever you are. There are plenty of systems available, and if you already use, say, FreeAgent then get its app, but Invoice2go is a good option if you haven't got started with one yet.

15. Digital magazines

• Requirements: iOS Version 6.0 (or later)
• Price: Subscribe from $7.75/£7.75

You'd expect us to recommend reading more magazines, sure, but that doesn't mean to say it's not true. Your iPad doesn't have to be just a relentlessly practical workhorse; use it in your downtime too, to get inspiration and note new techniques you can use by subscribing to some digital magazines for your sector.

Of course we're going to suggest our own ImagineFX and 3D World titles, but there are plenty more to explore on the App store.

To get more from your iPad, also see our guide to the best iPad stylus . 

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Christopher has written and edited a range of publications, including Apple-specialist titles MacFormat, Mac|Life and iPad User. His work has also featured in the BBC, Computer Arts, Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoRadar, Practical Photoshop, Macworld and TechRadar. He is currently head of podcasts at DC Thomson and has spoken at various design and tech events.

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The Best Writing Apps for at Home and in the Classroom

Writer’s block, you’ve met your match!

Some kids love to pour out their thoughts, feelings, and souls on paper. For others, it’s a challenge from the first time they pick up a pencil. Fortunately, these writing apps for kids can help—from the first shaky crayon-written “A” to polished college entrance essays and creative writing.

Some writing apps help kids form their letters or work to perfect their handwriting. Then there are writing apps for kids and teens who need help organizing their thoughts. Other apps give a little push to get creative juices flowing. No matter what your kids are working on, these are the writing apps students will want in their digital toolbox.

• Best Apps for Practicing Writing Skills
• Best Apps for Writing Inspiration

Writing Skills Apps

These are the writing apps for kids that help them practice handwriting, grammar, punctuation, and composition.

Why We Love It: iTrace gives young learners the practice they need writing letters and numbers. Customization options include letter style and the ability to specify right or left-handed, while fun animations and prizes keep kids motivated.

Cost: $3.99

Available On: Apple App Store: iTrace

LetterSchool

Why We Love It: LetterSchool teaches printing and cursive with beautiful graphics and animations. Kids will be so captivated, they might forget they’re learning.

Cost: School licenses are $4.99 per student per year. For individual use, prices vary and start at $4.99 per month.

Available On: Apple App Store: Letter School , Google Play Store: Letter School

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iWrite Words

Why We Love It: This writing app helps kids practice counting as they learn. Little ones drag a crab across the screen, following the numbered path to write letters. Once the word is complete, they’re rewarded with a cute drawing.

Cost: $2.99

Available On: Apple App Store: iWrite Words

Grammaropolis

Why We Love It: Grammaropolis teaches the parts of speech in a fun and engaging way. Animated shorts and music videos capture kids’ attention, and quizzes help track their progress. Some call this Schoolhouse Rock for the 21st century.

Cost: $5.99

Available On: Apple App Store: Grammaropolis

Grammar Pop

Cost: $1.99. Volume pricing is available for schools.

Available On: Apple App Store: Grammar Pop

Grammar Smash

Why We Love It:  This no-frills app is excellent for older learners, especially ESL students. Review grammar guides and lessons, then play games to practice your skills

Cost: FREE. Unlock more features and remove ads for $2.99.

Available On: Google Play Store: Grammar Smash

Why We Love It: Everything you love about Mad Libs, in an app! Prompts ask you to fill in parts of speech to create a funny new story each time. If you’re stuck, you can ask for a definition or examples. This is a classic way to work on parts of speech and vocabulary.

Cost: The FREE edition comes with 21 stories. Additional story packs are available for $1.99 each.

Available On: Apple App Store: Mad Libs , Google Play Store: Mad Libs

Dictionary.com

Why We Love It: This app is everything you love about Dictionary.com, but it’s also available offline. That’s great for keeping students focused while they’re working; they can look words up without the temptation of checking social media or other distractions. You can switch between dictionary and thesaurus mode, too, making this app a real must-have.

Cost: FREE (with ads), upgrade to no ads for $1.99

Available On: Apple App Store: Dictionary.com , Google Play Store: Dictionary.com

The Grammarly Keyboard

Why We Love It: Grammarly is a beloved program that helps people of any age produce stronger, cleaner writing. The mobile apps work for anything you type on your phone, including social media and messaging. Premium features include analysis of tone and word choice, and a plagiarism detector.

Cost: Basic grammar and spelling checks are free. Premium features start at $29/month.

Available On: Apple App Store: Grammarly , Google Play Store: Grammarly

Essay Launcher

Why We Love It: No flashy colors or animations, just a simple and efficient way to help writers organize their thoughts. The app asks questions like “What is your first reason that supports that statement?”, helping you build an essay from the ground up. This app is ideal for older kids who need organizational help to stay on track when they write.

Available On: Apple App Store: Essay Launcher

Why We Love It: Mind mapping is an excellent method for brainstorming and organizing your thoughts before you begin writing. This app helps you through the process, creating maps that ultimately make your writing clearer and stronger.

Cost: SimpleMind Lite is FREE. SimpleMind Pro offers expanded features for $7.99.

Available On: Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Get links for all versions here.

Writing Inspiration Apps

These writing apps for kids solve the problem of “But I don’t know what to write about!” They provide story starters, writing prompts, and more to break writer’s block wide open.

Story Wheel

Why We Love It: This app sparks creativity in pre-writers and helps build their storytelling skills. Spin the wheel and record your voice telling a story about the picture. Spin the wheel again for more prompts. Several kids can play at once, building a story to playback together.

Cost:  $2.99

Available On: Apple App Store: Story Wheel

Why We Love It: Every roll of the virtual dice yields pictures that tell a whole new story. Choose one or all of the images to use in your writing. Story Dice 3-D (Apple App Store only) adds the ability to move the dice around, and re-roll some or all of them.

Cost: $1.99

Available On: Multiple devices. Get the links you need for Story Dice here.

Writing Challenge for Kids

Why We Love It: This app generates a series of characters, scenarios, and situations to create unique creative writing prompts over and over again. You can choose from several choices to customize each prompt as you go along.

Cost: Varies by device, $1.49-$3.99

Available On: Multiple Devices. Click here for the links you need.

The Brainstormer

Why We Love It: This app is terrific for teens and older writers who need to generate new creative ideas. A selection of tools helps you find inspiration for characters, plots, settings, and more. You can even add in your own words to create custom sets.

Cost: $1.99, with additional features for $.99 each.

Available On: Apple App Store: The Brainstormer

Writing Prompts

Why We Love It: Get new writing prompts from hundreds of scenarios and ideas. Teachers, this is a nice way to come up with a daily bell-ringer or journal prompt. (This same company also offers Character Prompts , a similar app but for character inspiration.)

Cost: $1.99, with additional prompt packs available for $.99

Available On: Apple App Store: Writing Prompts , Google Play Store: Writing Prompts , Amazon App Store

Lists for Writers

Why We Love It: Add variety to your writing and break through writer’s blocks with these lists of, well, pretty much anything! Creating a new character and feeling stuck? Browse lists of names, character traits, physical characteristics, and more. Get the same for settings, plots, and all the other details that even the best writers sometimes draw a blank on.

Available On: Multiple devices. Get all the links you need here.

Toontastic 3D

Why We Love It: Kids build their story-telling skills while creating one-minute movies with this surprisingly robust free app. Encourage students to plan and script out their story in advance to work on writing skills, then enjoy the fun movies they create! (Teacher Tip: Try this app for incredibly creative book reports .)

Available On: Apple App Store: Toontastic , Google Play Store: Toontastic

Why We Love It: Storybird’s tools give kids the opportunity to write comics, short stories, chapter books, and more. Choose from existing illustrations and add your own text to create unique masterpieces. The professional artwork is wide-ranging, and writing challenges help kids expand their skills and push their creativity to new heights.

Cost:  $8.99/month or $59.99/year. Schools can receive bulk discounts up to 50% off.

Available On: Apple App Store: Storybird , Google Play Store: Storybird

How do you use writing apps for kids and teens in your classroom? Come share your ideas and find inspiration in the WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook .

Looking for more writing prompts? Get 100 Creative Writing Prompts for Grades 4-8 , and 10 Fresh Writing Prompts for High School .

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Best Websites for Teaching & Learning Writing

Our favorite free and paid writing resources across the web! Continue Reading

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Best Free Writing Apps in 2024

Showing 83 writing apps that match your search.

Grammar Lookup

Grammarlookup.com uses artificial intelligence to check grammar and punctuation mistakes in your writing, eliminate spelling errors and highlight 1000s of style issues to make your writing exceptional among other writers.

Platforms: Online

Best for: Editing, Proofreading, Essay, and Free

Website: https://www.grammarlookup.com/

Base price:

Premium price:

★★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.7 ★ on Capterra

Rhymer's Block

A real-time rhyme suggestion engine offering color-coded rhyme highlighting, the ability to save your work to the cloud, the power to embed SoundCloud jams into your notes, customizable visual layouts, and more.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android

Best for: Drafting, Poetry, and Free

Website: https://www.rhymersblock.com/welcome

Also rated 4.8 ★ on the App Store

Zoho Writer

Zoho Writer is a fully-featured word processor on the cloud, designed for collaborative work that gives you everything you need to create powerful documents. With a clean UI, intuitive interface and document modes, it introduces you to a new way of writing.

Platforms: Android, Windows, PC, iPad, iPhone

Best for: Drafting, Book, Essay, Journal, Poetry, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://www.zoho.com/writer/

★★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 3.4 ★ on Google Play

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So, You’re looking to write a book. Well, wavemaker is here to help. It’s much much more than a text editor.

Platforms: Mac, Windows, Chrome, Android, Online, PC

Best for: Outlining, Drafting, Book, Story, and Free

Website: https://wavemaker.cards/

★★★ Performance

★★★ Features

★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 3.7 ★ on Google Play

Remember everything and tackle any project with your notes, tasks, and schedule all in one place.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android, Mac, Online, Chrome, PC

Best for: Note-taking, Outlining, Book, Essay, Journal, Poetry, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://evernote.com/

★★★★ Performance

★★★★★ Features

Also rated 4.4 ★ on the App Store

Bear is a beautiful, flexible writing app for crafting notes and prose.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Best for: Note-taking, Drafting, Book, Story, Essay, Blog, and Free

Website: https://bear.app/

Also rated 4.3 ★ on the App Store

yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. yWriter was designed by an author, not a salesman!

Platforms: Windows, Android, iPhone, iPad, PC

Best for: Drafting, Book, Story, and Free

Website: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter7.html

★★★★★ Value

Also rated 3.5 ★ on PC Magazine

Create documents, make impact. When your work needs to wow, Craft gives you the tools to make it magnificent.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Online, PC

Best for: Note-taking, Drafting, Journal, Essay, Blog, and Free

Website: https://www.craft.do/

Also rated 4.9 ★ on the App Store

ProWritingAid

Whatever kind of writer you are, ProWritingAid will help you improve your writing and get your ideas across more clearly. Our grammar and style checker contains over 3,000 explanations and videos written by our experts, so you don't need to remember all those crazy rules.

Platforms: Mac, Windows, Online, PC, Chrome

Best for: Drafting, Editing, Proofreading, Book, Essay, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://prowritingaid.com/

Also rated 4.5 ★ on Reedsy

Campfire Write

Campfire is a versatile writing tool organized into modules, each one offering a different type of story element you can create. Keep track of each character's motives, history, eye color, and more. The Characters Module gives you an easy way to make quick notes or detailed character sheets about anyone in your story. Upload your map to the Maps Module, add pins to integrate it with the rest of your story, and nest other maps to keep things organized.

Platforms: Mac, Windows, Online, PC

Website: https://www.campfirewriting.com/

Also rated 4.0 ★ on Reedsy

Apple Notes

Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you.

Best for: Note-taking, Journal, Book, Story, Essay, Poetry, Blog, and Free

Website: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109

Also rated 3.3 ★ on the App Store

An online writing app for novelists and storytellers

Platforms: Online, Chrome

Website: https://thequill.app/

★★ Accessibility

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10 iPad Apps That Every Photographer Should Use

I f you've decided that you want to become more strategic with your photography, an iPad (or any tablet, for that matter) can be an excellent companion. However, many people use their devices for the wrong reasons—and over time, it becomes an extension of their personal phone.

To get the most out of your iPad, it's worth using it purely for photography-related purposes. This means downloading apps that will help with your workflow and utilizing a couple of existing ones.

Which iPad apps should you use as a photographer, though? Let's find out.

Behance is a social media platform designed for creators . It's an excellent companion not just for photographers but also filmmakers and graphic designers—plus other creative fields.

With Behance, you can showcase your work to prospective clients. But that's not all; you can also use the app to search for inspiration, along with learning new tips and tricks from photographers with a wealth of experience.

Behance is free to download, and you don't need to pay to set up an account either.

Download: Behance for iPad (Free)

2. Unscripted

Unscripted is an up-and-coming app designed purely for photographers. It was specifically created to help you realize your dreams and run a photography business—while simultaneously improving your craft.

Unscripted has several helpful resources, including educational content to help you pose your models better and operate more efficiently. You can also find other helpful information, such as when the blue or golden hour is in your area.

Unscripted has plenty of other valuable features if you've got a photography business, such as tools to help you create invoices and contracts.

You can use Unscripted for free, but the features are somewhat limited unless you buy the full version which costs $19.99 per month. Unscripted costs less if you pay for three months at a time ($45.99) or annually ($159.99). So, if you plan to use the app frequently, this might save you money in the long run.

Download: Unscripted for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Adobe Photoshop Express

Photoshop is one of the most comprehensive photo editing programs, and it has been used in various creative industries for several decades. In addition to using the computer version, Adobe has launched a portable version for iPhone and iPad devices.

With Photoshop Express, you can perform a whole host of actions. In addition to retouching and editing photos, you can create collages—which you might find particularly useful if you're looking to improve your Instagram Story reach.

Photoshop Express also allows you to resize visual content for different social media platforms quickly. You can use a large chunk of tools for free, though there are a few paid extensions.

Download: Adobe Photoshop Express for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Adobe Lightroom for iPad

Adobe Lightroom is another valuable tool for photographers, and many prefer to use it over Photoshop. This is understandable, as it has a lower barrier to entry.

In Adobe Lightroom for iPad, you can edit your photos using many tools that you'll find on the desktop version. You can tweak saturation and vibrance, along with altering textures and clarity. The software also enables you to color grade, plus much more.

Once you've edited your photos on Lightroom for iPad, you can use the app on your smartphone to save the pictures. You can edit JPEG files in Adobe Lightroom , along with RAW files.

Download: Adobe Lightroom for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Evernote

If you're starting to work with photography clients, you'll probably come up with several cool ideas on the road. Moreover, you'll likely have a lot of meetings—and stuff that you need to keep recorded somewhere.

Evernote is one of the best note-taking apps you can use for your iPad. You can transcribe meeting recordings automatically, allowing you to refer to them later with ease. On top of that, Evernote lets you add images and attachments—plus write ordinary notes.

With the free version of Evernote, you'll have access to basic features. However, if you want to get the complete toolset, paid plans start from $7.99 per month.

Download: Evernote for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Pinterest

Social media can be your best friend if you want to build an online presence as a photographer. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn't have an iPad-optimized app at the time of writing; you can download and use it, but it'll be the version that's designed for iPhone instead.

One alternative to Instagram—or perhaps even a complement to your broader strategy—is Pinterest. With this tool, you can create pins to share content you've published elsewhere—which can drive extra traffic to those areas.

Another benefit of Pinterest is that you can find inspiration from countless other creators and save them without issues.

Download: Pinterest for iPad (Free)

If you don't want to use Photoshop Express to create visuals, Canva is a worthy alternative. You can create boards and graphics for various scenarios on the iPad app, including Instagram posts and Pinterest pins.

In addition to stills, you can also use Canva to resize and design videos. If you're struggling to keep all your content in one place, you can also create various folders in the app to ensure that everything remains in order.

Canva's free version has plenty of useful features and will help you get started at the very least. If you need more tools in the long run, you can upgrade to Canva Pro for $12.99 per month or $119.99 annually.

We've got a complete beginner's guide to Canva if you want to learn how to use the app more effectively

Download: Canva for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Apple Calendar

So far, the apps we've mentioned all require you to download them from the App Store. However, Apple has a couple of useful stock iPad apps that will help you improve your photography workflow; one of the best is Calendar.

In the Calendar app, you can add every important event you need to remember—such as upcoming photoshoots. You can also include deadlines for projects you're working on and set up recurring events for things you need to deal with frequently.

And if you need to travel somewhere for a particular event, you can toggle the Travel Time option to ensure that you get enough prior notice.

Download: Calendar for iPad (Free)

There are several useful things that you can do in Notion , and it's an excellent app for managing your photography workflow from an iPad. Notion has a responsive interface, and you can create several notes and pages. In these, you can jot down notes for client projects, outline your short-term and long-term goals, and create content calendars for your online channels.

When using Notion on your iPad, you can sync your work across your laptop and smartphone by simply signing in to your account. And if you need some initial assistance, you'll find plenty of Notion templates for photographers .

Download: Notion for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

VSCO is one of the best beginner photo editing apps for bloggers and online creators in general. The platform has paid tiers, but you can access a handful of presets and other tools with the free version.

When using VSCO, you can share your images with the community on that particular network. On top of that, it's easy to save your photos in your Photos app after editing them.

If you don't yet know what your photography style is, you can use the presets in VSCO to experiment with different looks that you like.

Download: VSCO for iPad (Free, in-app purchases available)

Optimize Your iPad and Become a Better Photographer

As you become more advanced as a photographer, optimizing your workflow is a smart idea if you plan to take things beyond the hobby phase. Using an iPad lets you put everything in one place, saving you hours of stress and decision fatigue.

The apps we've mentioned in this article are a starting point, but they only scrape the surface. Give each of them a try to see what you do and don't like, and check out different apps if you feel like something else will work better for you.

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