The short answer. Scrivener is the one built for a manuscript: a binder of scenes, research alongside the draft, and compile settings that produce a formatted document. Ulysses takes the same job and hides the structure behind a sheet and a library. iA Writer is the opposite argument — one file, one typeface, no chrome — and it is the better tool for an essay. novelWriter is the open-source option aimed specifically at novels, with a plain-text project format. WriteMapper turns an outline into a draft, which is a planning tool with a writing surface attached. Thorn, Gooba and Retrotype are the smaller, more opinionated writing apps, and Textream is the teleprompter, which is a different job that happens to involve a script. The dividing question is whether the project is bigger than the document, because a manuscript needs structure and an essay needs silence.
This guide covers 9 long-form writing apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gooba | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| iA Writer | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| novelWriter | productivity app | Free | GPL-3.0 | 26.2.1 |
| Retrotype | productivity app | Free | not published | — |
| Scrivener | productivity app | not published | not published | 3.5.2 |
| Textream | Mac utility | Open source | MIT | 1.7.1 |
| THORN | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| Ulysses | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| WriteMapper | design tool | not published | not published | 4.6.0 |
What actually decides this
- One document or a project. An essay is a file. A book is a set of scenes with research, notes and a compile step. A tool built for the second will feel heavy for the first, and a tool built for the first will run out of structure at about chapter three.
- What the file format is. Plain text and Markdown survive everything. A proprietary project bundle survives as long as the app does. For work measured in years, this is the only decision that cannot be revisited cheaply.
- Whether research lives beside the draft. A binder that holds images, PDFs and notes next to the scene is the reason people stay with a manuscript tool. A folder of files plus a separate reference manager is a valid alternative and a different daily experience.
- What the export can produce. A draft that has to become a submission with a title page, a specific font and a word count is a compile problem. Whether the tool can produce that output without a second application decides the last week of the project.
- How much interface there is. A typewriter mode, a single column and no sidebar is a deliberate constraint. Some writers need it and some need the binder. Buying the constrained tool for a structured project is the most common mismatch in this category.
- Whether it syncs and how. A project that lives in one app on one Mac is a single point of failure. Sync through a folder of plain files is robust; sync through a proprietary service is convenient and has its own failure modes.
Our picks
- Scrivener — Its record describes the quintessential word processor for writers, which is the manuscript case. Choose it when the project is a book with scenes, research and a compile step.
- Ulysses — Its record describes a writing app across Mac, iPad and iPhone, which is the synced-library case. Choose it when you want a library of long documents with a clean sheet.
- iA Writer — Its record describes a writing app with an emphasis on simplicity and design, which is the minimal case. Choose it when the work is an essay and the interface is the problem.
- novelWriter — Its record describes an open-source plain text editor for novels, which is the open-format case. Choose it when you want an open-source novel project in plain text.
- WriteMapper — Its record describes getting from idea to final draft, which is the planning case. Choose it when the draft has to come out of an outline.
- Textream — Its record describes a teleprompter with real-time word tracking and voice-activated scrolling, which is the delivery case. Choose it when the script is going to be read aloud on camera.
The apps
Gooba
Gooba is a productivity app for macOS. Writing app and task manager with a simple and interactive design. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. With Gooba you no longer need separate apps to write your notes and manage your tasks. You have everything here, with a simple and interactive design.
Full profile and verified facts for Gooba →
iA Writer
iA Writer is a productivity app for macOS. Writing app with an emphasis on simplicity and design. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Plain text. Total focus. The Industry standard Markdown text editor. Available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows. Download it now, try it for free.
Full profile and verified facts for iA Writer →
novelWriter
novelWriter is a productivity app for macOS. Open-source plain text editor for writing novels with minimal markdown-like syntax. It is released under GPL-3.0. It is free.
What it does. novelWriter is an open source plain text editor designed for writing novels - saga-soft/novelWriter.
novelWriter is listed with current version 26.2.1.
Full profile and verified facts for novelWriter →
Retrotype
Retrotype is a productivity app for macOS. A fun and minimalist writing app that feels like a real typewriter. It is free.
What it does. Retrotype transforms your device into a beautiful, tactile typewriter — complete with the sounds, rhythm, and charm of the classics.
Full profile and verified facts for Retrotype →
Scrivener
Scrivener is a productivity app for macOS. The quintessential word processor for writers. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Discover the #1 novel & book writing software for writers! Streamline your writing process with powerful tools designed to help organize, edit, & bring your story to life.
Scrivener is listed with current version 3.5.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Scrivener →
Textream
Textream is a Mac utility for macOS. Free teleprompter with real-time word tracking and voice-activated scrolling. It is released under MIT.
Textream is listed with current version 1.7.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Textream →
THORN
THORN is a productivity app for macOS. All you need to power personal writing and website building. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for THORN →
Ulysses
Ulysses is a productivity app for macOS. The Ultimate Writing App for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for Ulysses →
WriteMapper
WriteMapper is a design tool for macOS. Get from idea to final draft in no time. Its pricing is not published.
WriteMapper is listed with current version 4.6.0.
Full profile and verified facts for WriteMapper →
How to choose
- Free of charge. novelWriter and Retrotype — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Textream — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Gooba, iA Writer, Scrivener, THORN, Ulysses and WriteMapper — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Textream (1 of 9).
Common mistakes
- Writing a book in a notes app and discovering at chapter ten that there is no compile step.
- Choosing a minimal editor for a project that needs a binder, then building the binder by hand in folders.
- Storing years of work in a format only one app can open.
- Leaving export until the end. It is the step that reveals every structural decision you made casually.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these long-form writing apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 9 long-form writing apps: Gooba, iA Writer, novelWriter, Retrotype, Scrivener, Textream, THORN, Ulysses and WriteMapper. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these long-form writing apps free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Gooba, iA Writer, Scrivener, THORN, Ulysses and WriteMapper), free (novelWriter and Retrotype) and open source (Textream). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these long-form writing apps are open source?
Textream (MIT) is open source.
Do these long-form writing apps support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
