Today there are 118 different writing apps for iPad. We spent 57 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to write on the world’s best tablet.
What is the Best Writing App for iPad?
- Scrivener — best of the best
- Ulysses — best minimalist app
- iA Writer — best distraction-free interface
- Pages — best from Apple
- Google Docs — best for cloud storage
- Microsoft Word — best feature-rich app
- Bear — best markdown editor
1. Scrivener
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: $23.99
Scrivener offers a real premium writing experience. We think it’s the best because of how easy and smooth it makes to manage your writing projects.
The Best Part:
- Powerful outlining functionality. Scrivener's Outliner feature helps you effortlessly plan, organize, and rearrange your projects.
The Worst Part:
- Steep learning curve. It might take some time for newcomers to get acquainted with all of Scrivener’s features.
Get it if you want a feature-rich app that allows you to write, edit, and manage your book projects from the comfort of your iPad.
I recommend you buy Scrivener from the App Store for $23.99.
(download now)
Best For
Scrivener is best for aspiring authors who want an all-in-one app to help them write, edit, and manage their book writing projects.
Top Features
- Visualize your plan. Organize your ideas with digital notecards on a customizable corkboard — perfect for visual thinkers.
- Write now, organize later. Piece together bits of text you've penned spontaneously and easily rearrange them with Scrivener's scrivenings mode.
- Make it feel like home. Tweak settings, toolbars, and layouts to create the perfect writing environment on your iPad.
- Write without distractions. Focus all of your attention on your words with Scrivener's full-screen composition mode, to block out all distractions.
- Keep up with your writing goals. Set word count goals for your project or individual sections to stay on track.
Pricing
Scrivener offers a single pricing plan:
- Scrivener for iOS: $23.99 one-time payment, for aspiring authors and dedicated writers who want a powerful, all-in-one writing tool on their iPads.
Try Scrivener today.
2. Ulysses
Our Verdict — Best Minimalist App
Price: Starts at $5.99/month
Ulysses is a sleek, straightforward writing app made for iPad users. We think it’s the best minimalist app because of its clutter-free interface, which lets you keep your content tidy and clean.
The Best Part:
- Organization made easy. Ulysses lets you keep your content structured and tidy with its intuitive sheet grouping and library sorting options.
The Worst Part:
- Limited formatting options. Ulysses doesn’t have many of the fancy formatting options other writing apps offer, which could be a letdown for some users.
Get it if you want an intuitive writing app that covers the basics and keeps things simple for the minimalist in you.
I recommend you get started with the free trial, then go for the Yearly Plan for $39.99/year.
(free plan)
Best For
Ulysses is best for writers who want a minimalist writing environment that keeps them focused on their work.
Top Features
- Sync it up. Use iCloud integration to keep your work up to date at all times across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.
- It helps you keep your pace. Set word count or time-based goals and track your progress effortlessly.
- Your own space. Customize Ulysses with a variety of themes that suit your style, while keeping that minimalistic feel.
- Export in a snap. Ulysses makes it easy for you to convert and export your books to various formats, including PDF, HTML, and ePub.
- Search and find. Use the advanced search function to locate specific content within your library.
Pricing
Ulysses offers three pricing plans:
- Monthly Plan: $5.99/month for writers who prefer a flexible, short-term subscription for writing a book or two.
- Yearly Plan: $39.99/year for dedicated writers who are in it for the long haul and want the best bang for their buck.
- Student Offer: $10.99/six months for students.
The annual plan provides a 44% discount.
Try Ulysses today with the free plan.
3. iA Writer
Our Verdict — Best Distraction-Free Interface
Price: $49.99
iA Writer is the perfect iPad app for writers who want the digital version of a "pen and paper" experience. We think it’s the best distraction-free interface because it offers an immersive, distraction-free writing experience.
The Best Part:
- It’s all about focus. iA Writer’s full-screen mode allows you to completely immerse yourself in your writing without a single distraction.
The Worst Part:
- No free trial. iA Writer doesn’t offer an option for testing out its features — you’ll have to pay the $49.99 fee in full.
Get it if you want a completely distraction-free writing environment that allows you to put all of your focus on your words and ideas.
I recommend you get iA Writer from the App Store for $49.99.
(download now)
Best For
iA Writer is best for writers who want a clean, distraction-free writing environment.
Top Features
- Swift cloud storage access. Access all of your docs within iA Writer’s intuitive Library, whether they’re stored in iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
- Favorites FTW. Mark your most-used files and folders as favorites to always keep ‘em handy.
- Stay organized. Set up custom rules for Smart Folders and watch your documents automatically get organized.
- Categorization made easy. Group your work using hashtags to categorize key chapters, themes, and ideas to easily locate while writing your book.
- Sort files your way. Personalize how you view your File List by sorting documents according to Name, Date, or Extension.
Pricing
iA Writer offers a single pricing plan:
iOS & iPadOS: $49.99 one-time payment, for writers who want lifetime access to a full-screen, distraction-free writing app.
Try iA Writer today via the App Store.
Our Top Three Picks
Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:
Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
Scrivener | None | $23.99 |
Ulysses | Free plan | Starts at $5.99/mo |
iA Writer | None | $49.99 |
Pages | None | Free forever |
Google Docs | None | Free forever |
Microsoft Word | None | Free forever |
Bear | Free plan | Starts at $1.49/mo |
Here are the top 50 best writing apps for iPad we considered in this review:
- Scrivener
- Ulysses
- iA Writer
- Pages
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Word
- Bear
- Byword
- JotterPad
- Obsidian
- Storyist
- Fade In Mobile
- ProWritingAid
- Grammarly Keyboard
- Notion
- Evernote
- Simplenote
- Zoho Writer
- Celtx Script
- Quip: Docs, Chat, Spreadsheets
- FocusWriter
- iaWriter
- Writemator
- Markdown & Rich Text Editor
- Textilus Pro
- Manuscript Writer
- WriteMapper
- Aeon Timeline
- Writer's Studio
- Day One Journal
- Drafts
- Penultimate
- GoodNotes
- Notability
- Nebo
- MindNode
- XMind: Mind Map
- iThoughts
- Scapple
- Mindly
- Editorial
- Story Planner for Writers
- yWriter
- Novlr
- Plottr
- Scrivo Pro
- Flowstate
- Hemingway Editor
- Readable
- Joplin
What to look for when buying writing apps for iPad?
- A comprehensive user manual and video tutorials for in-depth help
- Compatibility with Apple Pencil for a better writing experience
- Handwritten notes conversion and app for handwriting recognition
- A simple interface with tons of built-in AI tools
- Collaboration features with fellow writers
- Integration with calendar tasks, for the ultimate task management
- Tools for a better notetaking experience and daily to-do lists
- A clean approach to organization
- Version history capabilities
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best writing apps for iPad to try this year:
