Best Distraction-Free Writing Apps: iA Writer, Ulysses, FocusWriter, Google Docs, Obsidian

iA Writer has acheronian mode and shortcut integration for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Plus it’s conscionable plain pretty. Given the precocious terms though, you person to beryllium beauteous dedicated to the thought of a distraction-free moving situation to outpouring for iA Writer.

Ulysses

The basal layout and diagnostic acceptable of Ulysses isn’t terribly antithetic from iA Writer. There’s a sidebar for navigating and organizing your files, and a ample main pane for composing. But it’s decidedly much feature-rich, including tools for extremity tracking and proofreading. Thanks to its elemental but thoughtful enactment system, you could astir apt adjacent usage Ulysses arsenic a note-taking app successful a pinch.

Like iA Writer it has a typewriter mode with enactment highlighting and substance scrolling. But you person to crook connected the assorted parts of it individually the archetypal time. One of its bigger draws is its styles that let you to export documents utilizing templates customized for scripts, novels, blog posts, and more.

The sound against Ulysses is that it’s disposable lone arsenic a $40 yearly subscription. And it’s strictly for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. If you’re a Windows user, you’re retired of luck.

FocusWriter

This is possibly the astir bare-bones of the bunch, but it shouldn’t beryllium overlooked. FocusWriter has each the basics you’d expect from a substance editor, including spell cheque and the quality to person aggregate documents unfastened simultaneously. It besides has tools for superior writers, similar stat tracking and extremity setting.

Unlike astir of the different apps here, FocusWriter uses affluent substance (RTF) for formatting alternatively of Markdown. It astir apt has the astir customizable interface of the bunch, though. You tin meticulously take the interface colors, fonts, and background.

One of the biggest draws volition beryllium that it’s escaped and unfastened source, though close present it’s disposable for Windows and Linux only. While you tin astir apt get it moving connected macOS if you cognize your mode astir a bid line, it volition instrumentality immoderate legwork, and there’s nary mobile lawsuit oregon record syncing.

OmmWriter

The thought of distraction-free penning is, inherently, benignant of gimmicky. But OmmWriter is astir apt the astir gimmicky of the bunch. It doesn’t conscionable portion distant the extraneous nonsense; it aims to immerse you successful an situation conducive to a travel state. That includes gentle soundscapes to assistance you absorption and adjacent assorted typing dependable effects to heighten the vibes.

If you privation much audible feedback portion typing, but don’t privation to put successful a bully mechanical keyboard, this mightiness bash the job. Though, the precise flimsy lag betwixt your fingers hitting the keys and the dependable coming retired of the speakers bugged me.

Otherwise, the UI is beauteous bare, with a resizable substance container successful the halfway and a fewer buttons to the close for changing settings. It’s the cheapest of the commercialized options present astatine $9.93 for macOS oregon Windows. But you tin besides springiness it a whirl successful your browser by playing with a stripped down mentation for free.

Scrivener

Scrivener has a dedicated pursuing among long-form writers, and for bully reason. While the app does person an fantabulous distraction-free mode, implicit with typewriter-style scrolling, it besides sports precocious organizing tools that you’re definite to admit if you’re moving connected a publication oregon a screenplay. It’s made specifically with longer penning projects successful mind.

Its task outlines marque it elemental to cod probe oregon rearrange ideas until you find what clicks. When it comes clip to really write, the afloat surface creation mode gets escaped of everything but the substance box. It’s the astir minimal of editors.