August 24, 2023
8 Powerful & Free Online Writing Tools
Carly
These days, writers have quite a few tools to choose from. Whether you need help to improve your grammar, refine your writing, or rewrite it - there’s a tool out there for you.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best free writing tools. So, if you need a helping hand in your writing journey, keep reading to learn more.
Grammarly
Mastering basic writing is one thing, but tackling advanced grammar and style is another challenge. That’s where Grammarly steps in. It suggests spelling, grammar, and style improvements on the spot, tailoring suggestions to suit your style.
Grammarly’s clear breakdowns make it easy to learn from mistakes. You can also use it on different platforms and as a browser extension. With instant feedback and customization options, Grammarly helps you stay on top of your writing.
Grammarly's Premium and Business pricing is steep, though, and the free version is limited. It also doesn’t work offline and doesn’t work smoothly with WordPress. Plus, prompts to upgrade to paid versions of the tool can be distracting.
Despite these limits, Grammarly is a helpful tool for improving writing quality. While not flawless, it's a solid choice to enhance your writing.
Hemingway Editor
Like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor is designed to help writers improve their writing. While Grammarly’s main function is to check spelling and grammar, Hemingway Editor is focused on making your writing more readable.
It has its strengths and weaknesses. First, it's easy to use and available online and on desktop. The color-coded suggestions make it clear where your writing needs work, and it handles lengthy documents well. Plus, the online version doesn't require any sign-in hassles.
However, there are cons. You’re not able to save your edits in the online version. Plus, the tool can be strict about adverbs and advanced words, which may not suit all styles. Unlike Grammarly, it lacks in-depth grammar and spelling checks and is missing a browser extension.
The Hemingway Editor is handy for some tasks, but its limits might not suit everyone's needs.
Gunning Fog Index
This tool calculates the Gunning Fog Index, a mix of sentence length and word complexity. It helps show how easy your writing is to understand. If the index is higher, your text might need a higher level of education to grasp. It's a helpful tool to gauge how clear your writing is.
But keep in mind the Gunning Fog Index isn't perfect. It only focuses on sentences and words, ignoring other things like how paragraphs are organized. Also, it might not always capture the full context of your writing, which could affect its accuracy.
Overall, the Gunning Fog Index helps ensure your writing is accessible to most people. This is important in a number of scenarios. Let's say you're trying to increase community engagement on social media. You want your writing to be easy to read and understand to achieve this.
Just remember to use the Gunning Fog index with other tools to get a full picture of how readable your writing is.
Character Calculator
The Character Calculator counts characters and words in your text. It's handy for platforms with character limits like Reddit, Twitter and Threads. It's free, easy to use, and shows counts with or without spaces. Just input your text, and you'll see results right away.
If you're managing content limits, the Character Calculator simplifies character counting. Plus, it offers helpful features like keyword density and estimated reading time.
Since Character Calculator mostly focuses on counting characters and words, it lacks advanced features like grammar checking. It also doesn't consider the context of your text, which means it won't help with flow or clarity. While it counts characters accurately, it doesn't provide tips to improve your writing.
Word Counter
WordCounter is an online editor that goes beyond character and word counts. It improves word choice and style and catches grammar errors. With live character and word counts as you type, plus Auto-Save, it's great for writers with word limits.
WordCounter stands out by highlighting top keywords and their density to prevent overuse. It also offers insights into reading and speaking times and reading levels.
However, while it aims for accuracy, it may not catch all errors. Also, its suggestions for word choice and style may not always match your intent. Reading time and level indicators should be seen as general guides.
WordCounter is a helpful tool for enhancing your writing. However, make sure to use your judgment and check your work for the best quality.
Readable
Readable is a writing tool that helps you write in a clearer, more readable way. You simply write or paste your content, and Readable tells you where it needs work. Readable handles formats like PDF, Doc, and spreadsheets and can even scan websites and emails.
Let's say you want to add text to your video in Final Cut Pro but need to make sure it's clear and engaging - simply paste it into Readable to figure it out. The tool has a range of helpful uses, whether you're writing social media captions, content for blogs, etc.
It works smoothly across Android, iPhone, Mac, and Windows devices. Exporting options include common formats like Word, PDF, OpenDocument, and HTML. Also, though Readable isn’t free, it is fairly priced.
However, Readable lacks a storyboard, templates, and collaboration features. It’s good for simple writing tasks. However, complex projects might need an extra lift.
ChatGPT
Did you know you can use ChatGPT to rewrite text? It's a helpful tool for making complicated writing simpler and clearer. It can adapt to different styles and help with grammar and sentence structure.
However, ChatGPT is still fairly new and has some downsides. It can ignore some context from time to time and create inaccuracies in your writing. Also, your sense of creativity can take a hit if you rely on it too much. Remember, ChatGPT is no replacement for human wit and style.
It can miss out on subtle details and take away from the depth and clarity of your writing. Also, ChatGPT can stumble and have trouble maintaining a specific tone.
To wrap it up, ChatGPT's rewriting function makes it easy to improve your content. However, you need to understand its nuances and limits to use it effectively.
AI Content Detector
Copyleaks AI Content Detector tool can be used to find out if writing is AI or human-generated. It supports multiple languages like Portuguese, English, German, French, and Spanish.
AI Content Detector helps keep technology content safe from copying and also makes it easy to work with text in images. Plus, the tool can work well with different languages and formats.
It also offers seamless API integration for efficient workflows and a Chrome extension for streamlined browser use.
AI Content Detector has room for improvement. Most importantly, it’s been criticized for its inaccuracy. It tends to identify human-written content as AI-generated and vice versa.
Overall, AI Content Detector supports multiple languages and offers seamless tech integration and compatibility. While its accuracy has a ways to go, the tool has potential.
People also ask
Since writing tools are becoming more and more popular, people have questions about them. Let's get into it.
What is the most used writing tool?
Google Docs is the go-to writing tool for most writers. However, according to Forbes, ChatGPT might come out on top.
What tools are good for writing?
There are several great writing tools to choose from, including Grammarly, Hemingway Editor and ChatGPT.
What is an essential tool for clear writing?
Grammarly is a must. Having it in your back pocket can boost your writing’s grammar and spelling and make it more readable.
What are AI writing tools?
AI writing tools, also called AI content generators, are software that uses artificial intelligence to create text using input from users.
