Best Essayist Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from writing apps ranked against Essayist on the same published basis.
- 1Essayist vs Celtx
- 2Essayist vs WriterDuet
- 3Essayist vs Campfire
- 4Essayist vs Substack
- 5Essayist vs Story Architect
- 6Essayist vs Final Draft
- 7Essayist vs Novlr
- 8Essayist vs Arc Studio Pro
- 9Essayist vs Scrivener
- 10Essayist vs Etherpad
- 11Essayist vs Wattpad
- 12Essayist vs Medium
- 13Essayist vs Tolstoy Compose
- 14Essayist vs LivingWriter
- 15Essayist vs Fade In
- 16Essayist vs Novelium
- 17Essayist vs MyStory.today
- 18Essayist vs Novelcrafter
- 19Essayist vs Ulysses
- 20Essayist vs iA Writer
Essayist alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtx | 9.7 | Free plan | $11.24/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | WriterDuet | 9.4 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 3 | Campfire | 9.4 | Free plan | $19/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Substack | 9.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Web |
| 5 | Story Architect | 9.1 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Final Draft | 9.0 | No | $0.69/mo | iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Novlr | 9.0 | Free plan | $8/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 8 | Arc Studio Pro | 9.0 | Free plan | $5.75/mo | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Scrivener | 8.9 | No | $23.99/mo | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Etherpad | 8.8 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 11 | Wattpad | 8.7 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 12 | Medium | 8.6 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
| 13 | Tolstoy Compose | 8.6 | Free plan | £5/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 14 | LivingWriter | 8.6 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 15 | Fade In | 8.5 | No | $8.33/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Novelium | 8.5 | Free plan | $19/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, Android |
| 17 | MyStory.today | 8.5 | Free plan | €2/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 18 | Novelcrafter | 8.4 | No | $4/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 19 | Ulysses | 8.3 | No | $3.33/mo | Mac, iOS |
| 20 | iA Writer | 8.3 | No | — | Mac, Windows, iOS |
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Questions about Essayist alternatives
What is the best alternative to Essayist?
Celtx, number 1 in writing apps with a score of 9.7 out of 10. The others here: WriterDuet, Campfire, Substack and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Essayist?
Celtx is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.