iA Author has darkish mode and shortcut integration for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Plus it’s simply plain fairly. Given the excessive worth although, you must be fairly devoted to the thought of a distraction-free working setting to spring for iA Author.
Ulysses
The essential structure and have set of Ulysses isn’t terribly completely different from iA Author. There’s a sidebar for navigating and organizing your information, and a big major pane for composing. But it surely’s undoubtedly extra feature-rich, together with instruments for objective monitoring and proofreading. Because of its easy however considerate group system, you may most likely even use Ulysses as a note-taking app in a pinch.
Like iA Author it has a typewriter mode with line highlighting and textual content scrolling. However you must activate the assorted components of it individually the primary time. One in all its greater attracts is its kinds that can help you export paperwork utilizing templates personalized for scripts, novels, weblog posts, and extra.
The knock towards Ulysses is that it’s obtainable solely as a $40 annual subscription. And it’s strictly for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. If you happen to’re a Home windows consumer, you’re out of luck.
FocusWriter
That is maybe probably the most bare-bones of the bunch, but it surely shouldn’t be ignored. FocusWriter has all of the fundamentals you’d anticipate from a textual content editor, together with spell test and the flexibility to have a number of paperwork open concurrently. It additionally has instruments for critical writers, like stat monitoring and objective setting.
Not like a lot of the different apps right here, FocusWriter makes use of wealthy textual content (RTF) for formatting as an alternative of Markdown. It most likely has probably the most customizable interface of the bunch, although. You possibly can meticulously select the interface colours, fonts, and background.
One of many largest attracts can be that it’s free and open supply, although proper now it’s obtainable for Home windows and Linux solely. When you can most likely get it working on macOS if you realize your means round a command line, it can take some legwork, and there’s no cellular shopper or file syncing.
OmmWriter
The thought of distraction-free writing is, inherently, form of gimmicky. However OmmWriter might be probably the most gimmicky of the bunch. It doesn’t simply strip away the extraneous nonsense; it goals to immerse you in an setting conducive to a circulation state. That features light soundscapes that can assist you focus and even varied typing sound results to boost the vibes.
If you need extra audible suggestions whereas typing, however don’t need to put money into a pleasant mechanical keyboard, this would possibly do the job. Although, the very slight lag between your fingers hitting the keys and the sound popping out of the audio system bugged me.
In any other case, the UI is fairly naked, with a resizable textual content field within the heart and some buttons to the fitting for altering settings. It’s the most cost effective of the industrial choices right here at $9.93 for macOS or Home windows. However you may as well give it a whirl in your browser by enjoying with a stripped down model at no cost.
Scrivener
Scrivener has a devoted following amongst long-form writers, and for good purpose. Whereas the app does have a superb distraction-free mode, full with typewriter-style scrolling, it additionally sports activities superior organizing instruments that you just’re positive to understand in case you’re engaged on a e book or a screenplay. It’s made particularly with longer writing initiatives in thoughts.
Its mission outlines make it easy to gather analysis or rearrange concepts till you discover what clicks. When it comes time to truly write, the total display composition mode removes every part however the textual content field. It’s probably the most minimal of editors.
