Writer's Shelf

I'd like for this page to function as a place with unique ideas for helpful writing apps. 

Everyone knows about Word, Google Docs, and Notion. I can attest to more exciting offerings in terms of usefulness!

🦉

Note: I don't endorse Gen AI as a 'creative tool', but I have made sure to list if any of these sources utilize it or offer it. 

There are other ways AI can assist in accessibility for those in need, however, if you don't feel comfortable using any of the apps that include it because of ethical/privacy concerns, that's entirely valid. 

A lot of software development and app development is currently a part of an AI and LLM tech bubble, and so it's important to be aware of where it's being integrated as the trend proceeds. Then you can make as informed a decision as possible before using any software or service.

Text Editor Programs 💻

Hemingway Editor 3 is free browser program you can invest in with a one-time payment for a comprehensive, non-AI desktop text editor that helps you write for increased clarity and accessibility.

If you subscribe to Hemingway Plus, there are more AI tools to utilize. Personally, I'm still unimpressed with LLM assisted writing, but to each their own.

I Write Like can be used in your browser and the style-analysis tool used to compare your work to the works of famous authors is not saved or fed to AI.

However, the additional suite of tools with its one-time payment license is AI-powered. 

This does mean the advanced tools are a middleman between you and ChatGPT or a locally uploaded LLM of your choice.

Productivity Apps🎯

Going off of the idea of AI assistive tools, Goblin.Tools is a website where you can interface with an ad-free, to-do list maker (and more).

It does run off of AI and utilizes OpenAI's models under the hood, if this is a privacy or ethical concern for you. 

TrackBear is an app that helps you track your writing projects. You can track words, chapters, pages, and time. You can even share profiles among friends to create a community leaderboard of productivity. 

TrackBear is AI-free and privacy-first.

Organization 🗃️

100% free, powerful & feature-rich offline worldbuilding tool that runs on your computer!


A free and open-source alternative to WorldAnvil and the like.

A privacy-first, open-source knowledge base.


A free and open-source alternative to Obsidian.