At some point in business and life, we all have to write…but we’re not all professional writers, of course. Online writing tools exist everywhere these days, but which are worth trying out and, ultimately, spending money on? This blog examines the best free and low-cost writing assistant tools, including Grammarly, Chat GPT, and others.
Best writing tool for proofreading
Even professional writers make the occasional typo, grammar, or punctuation error. A proofreader can ensure that potentially embarrassing errors are spotted and corrected before the important email is sent. Grammarly’s “free writing assistant” proofreads any type of text and highlights those bugaboos. It will also let you know if you’ve omitted a word or are using an incorrect article.
Grammarly offers a browser extension and an online grammar checker (available through their website) and a basic free plan. Premium plans for more advanced checks on punctuation, context, grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure are also available. Learn more about Grammarly here.
Best writing and AI tools for brainstorming
Chat GPT is an AI tool that’s taken the world by storm lately. All you need to do is tell it what type of content you want, and it will respond with copy language that sounds almost like a human wrote it. Tell it you want a cover letter for a new job, and it will provide you with the basic copy and format of that letter. You can choose paid options for more advanced language processing, or stick with the free version for good basic copy ideas.
The key to remember about Chat GPT and all these language processing AI tools is that the copy still needs a human eye to catch the details, the grammar, and the nuances in language that AI still can’t see (yet). Here at Watch Media Group, we use Chat GPT to brainstorm content ideas, but it still takes a person to make that content amazing, add appropriate images and links, and get it posted in a timely manner. But if you need a place to start, Chat GPT might be just what you’re looking for.
Mind mapping writing tools
If your challenge is capturing, culling, and connecting your initial ideas in a mindmap, look no further than Scrapple. It can help visual thinkers and creative types organize and plan those large writing projects. It offers 30 free “active” days (those on which you actually sign in), and a standard license is available for a one-time, relatively low fee.
Best tools for grabbing your genius
If you’re on the go a lot and need to capture your brilliant ideas before they sail right out of your brain again, the Evernote note-taking app can help. It lives on your mobile phone and lets you put pictures, voice notes, and web pages in a virtual “scrapbook,” which you can sync across devices. Your notes are accessible from anywhere. The basic plan is free, and the paid plan has a small monthly charge after a free, 30-day trial.
Writing tools for composing clickable headlines
Without a great headline to draw in your reader, all your hard writing work can go for naught. How do you know if your headline is good? CoSchedule Headline Analyzer can help! Type in your headline idea and some basic info about your article, then click “Analyze Now.” You’ll get a score of 0 to 100, depending on the number of common, uncommon, emotional, and powerful words you’ve used.
The higher your score, the more of an emotional connection readers will feel. CoSchedule results are free after you complete a couple of forms with personal and company details.
Writing tools for overall improvement
Even Hemingway needed a talented editor. An online editor app bearing his name helps slammed content writers on deadline elevate their writing beyond what basic proofreading can do. Copy and paste your text into Hemingway, and voila! Common errors, complex sentences, and more concise words appear. Passive voice will also be highlighted, as well as text that’s not the easiest to read. It’s easy and free to use, unless you want to download a desktop app for Windows or Mac OS for a low, one-time charge.
Reader comprehension writing tools
If you write for an international audience, it’s essential to avoid colloquialisms if you want to be understood. Cliché Finder helps you avoid overused or confusing language in your writing. Using it is easy and efficient: Enter your text into the box and click, “Find Clichés.” Your results arrive in seconds with any clichés pointed out. Cliché Finder is free to use.
Best writing tool for collaboration
It might not be the most widely used yet, but when it comes to collaborating with others on a project, Google Docs is the best writing tool out there. It lets you access the same document from different devices, see when other users are typing in it in real-time, and allows you to comment. Its integration with Google Drive lets users easily share documents with their teams. Plus, it’s free unless you need unlimited storage.
Writing tool for focus
StayFocusd aims to cut the amount of time spent on those intriguing, but ultimately time-wasting, websites that call your name when you’re writing something important. You can customize StayFocusd to limit access to specific websites, subdomains, online games, and videos that are your personal downfalls. After a certain amount of time, you will be blocked from access for the rest of the day. Best of all, it’s free to use, and can catapult your productivity levels to new heights!
Effective writing tool for maximizing productivity
If eliminating distractions isn’t enough to keep you on-task, consider Noisli, a writing tool that generates ambient background noise. You can combine whatever sounds appeal to you to help block out distracting noises. Noisli is great for reducing stress and calming your mind so you can be more creative and get into writing mode more quickly. It is free to use.
Better productivity = more money
You might find the free writing tools listed here useful, or you might want to avoid all this hoopla and delegate the writing and content marketing work to an expert. Watch Media Group is here to take over those blogs, social posts, emails, books, and ebooks so you have more time in your day to do what matters most.
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