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2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
One of the first tasks that mankind put on the "shoulders of machines" after the massive proliferation of personal computers was typing. Writers, journalists and other people who often had to fiddle with texts for a long time just breathed a sigh of relief. It was so great to be able to edit the text however you want without having to retype the entire page.
Now, we have at our disposal the widest selection of tools for such work. The usability of modern text editors has improved and the functionality has increased significantly since the first applications to replace the typewriter. A large number of decent editors have been written for OS X, focused on professional writing, which can be quite difficult to choose the right one for you. Therefore, we have selected the most popular of them and prepared a comparative review.
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Byword
Byword is one of the simplest and not overloaded with unnecessary functionality applications for working with texts. It supports Markdown as well as iCloud sync. What's more important, Byword has an iOS version, having installed it on your iPad or iPhone - you will be able to work at any free moment, having your work tool always at hand. Byword's settings, like most similar applications, have a minimal set of options. You can choose a day or night theme, customize the size and style of the font and the width of the text block. Additionally, Byword can be upgraded for $ 5 to a premium version that allows you to publish your article straight away. WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, Scriptogram are supported.
If you're looking for a simple, writing-focused app, Byword is a great choice.
iA Writer
The developers of iA Writer did not pursue great functionality, but instead relied on focusing on the writing process itself. There is a special mode here Focus, the essence of which is to accentuate the current sentence, while the rest of the text is blurred, allowing you not to be distracted by it. Another great feature of iA Writer is Reading Time, which roughly calculates the time it takes to read the text you have written. It will be useful to you if you are writing a report to calculate the time allotted for the presentation. In addition, the app supports almost essential features: Markdown, iCloud sync and has an iOS version of the app. Optionally, you can export the text to Microsoft Word format.
iA Writer is well suited for students, learners and people who need concentration while working.
WriteRoom
WriteRoom is another simple writing app that has Markdown support like the previous ones. The settings allow you to change the theme (you can set your own picture), sounds and customize the display of fonts. Like iA Writer, WriteRoom counts words and displays the time it takes to read the text typed in the document. In addition, WriteRoom has a function to track the time spent on writing a particular document. This data, if desired, can be exported to a table. A version for iPhone and iPad is also available, by the way it is free.
If you need Markdown support and extensive customization options, WriteRoom is your go-to.
Clean Writer Pro
The next contender is Clean Writer Pro. This is a lightweight application that, when writing text, focuses on the current paragraph (as opposed to focus on a sentence in iA Writer), making the rest of the text blurry. As usual, we are offered several themes to choose from and the ability to customize fonts (typeface, size) - this will be enough for ordinary users. Also, Clean Writer Pro has Markdown support and an iOS version.
For unpretentious writers and lovers of minimalism, this application can be recommended. Plus, it's very affordable, like its iOS version. Perhaps the most inexpensive application of all the ones mentioned today.
Ulysses III
Now the release of "heavyweights", this is how you can call Ulysses III, compared to other editors. Ulysses III is a fully functional application for writing, storing, organizing and sorting your texts. You have complete control over how you write it down, where it is stored, and how you can interact with it. This app's list of features includes Markdown support, live previews, groups, filters and more. For those who write long and complex articles, Ulysses III has a footnote and quote function. There is no iOS version of Ulysses III, but if inspiration came to you while you are away from your Mac, Ulysses III can sync with the Daedalus Touch iOS app.
A very serious application for those who write a lot and need constant interaction with what is written. The high price is absolutely justified by the widest functionality and pays off in full.
Scrivener
Another heavyweight is Scrivener. This app is very similar to Ulysses III, it also has an all-in-one format and provides a set of functions for those who churn out really serious texts, such as dissertations, scripts or novels. In addition to Markdown, it has support for MLA and APA styles, which will be useful for pupils, students and other people who have to write large volumes of diverse texts. Interface settings allow you to choose a theme, font style, etc. There is an interesting function Corkboardthat displays all of your notes documents pinned to a corkboard. You can track the progress of writing a text, and not only words and signs, but their number until a certain goal is achieved. This is perfect for writing a dissertation, book, or other lengthy text. By the way, you can insert formulas and other complex special characters into the text.
If the broadest functionality is not the thing for which you are willing to compromise, Scrivener is definitely for you.
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Perhaps you are wondering which editor do I use to write my articles? This is not a secret and you probably saw in the screenshots of my other notes of my favorite - Byword. For me, his capabilities are enough, there are exactly as many of them as I need. But everyone has different requests and different needs, so everyone has to choose for themselves. Hope I've made it a little easier to choose your ideal writing app.
Unsubscribe in the comments which applications you use and why they are interesting. We are always glad to hear your opinion!
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