A writer is only as good as his or her tools. And when it comes to writing tools, Mac often leads the way. A Macbook is the dream system if your work involves anything to do with graphics and images. It is often the goal for anyone with a creative streak, but Apple Pages isn’t a one-size fit all tool for writers.
As a result, many Mac owners end up using third-party word processors. MS Word in particular is a popular choice. It has long dominated the field of word processors and what they’re good at, which is producing documents.
The expensive licensing fees and the almost annual new versions, bugs, and fixes means a lot of MS Word writers are trapped in a love/hate relationship. Our stories, our writing, our creative results—they’re like our babies.
Better Time for Writers
Jul 22, 2019. Apr 15, 2013. Aug 17, 2018.
In recent years the pendulum is swinging. Writers have made an impact on the world, or maybe it’s just that technology and software developers have finally reached beyond a one size fit all approach to software. Distraction-free software and customizing your experience when writing, whether it’s a text editor or a free word processor for Mac, is trending. And since we all know the story of the struggling writer, it doesn’t hurt to cut out those fees either.
So, if you’ve been waiting for the day when you’d have a choice between more than just two or three tools for your writing, or the day that you could cut the purse strings between you and recurring licensing fees, this could be it.
Below are just some of the free word processors for Mac. Pick a couple of these that you like but do some additional in-depth research. Choose the best tool to help you focus on telling your story. You may simply find a better tool to help you release your creative side, or you may find the motivation needed to finally make the big switch from PC to Mac.
Microsoft Word for Mac
Word for Mac is now available. It’s not a free word processor for Mac users, of course, but it’s worth mentioning. So, if you do happen to be an MS Word lover, you can subscribe to Office 365 for a low monthly fee of $9.99 month. Reviewers are raving that MS Word for Mac looks and acts like MS Word for the PC. So, if MS Word is what you’ve been pining for, your wait is over.
For the rest of us, below are some free word processors for Mac that will get the job done for writers:
WPS Writer by Kingsoft
WPS Office by Kingsoft is a free suite of software available for multiple platforms including Windows, iOS, Linux, and Android. Part of the WPS Office 2016 suite is WPS Writer, the word processing component of the Office suite. WPS Writer supports multiple languages in addition to English, including French, Portuguese, Polish, German, and Russian and its mobile apps boast registered users of more than 400 million. It’s free, and you can import and export from a wide range of file formats. However, exported files will include a watermark, and printing is only available to paid subscribers.
LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice Writer is open source software, which means it’s available for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux operating systems. There’s also LibreViewer for Android. LibreOffice Writer supports for over 100 languages. For those who have been using MSWord, you’ll find the interface for MS Word very similar. If you prefer to get a head start, LibreOffice offers a variety of great built-in templates to choose from. One of the things you’ll like about LibreOffice is that it can handle different document types, so you’ll have no trouble at all opening those MS Word files. To learn more about how this stacks up against Word, read our LibreOffice vs MS Word article.
AbiWord
Another pick of free word processors for Mac users is AbiWord. Available for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux users, its easy to use interface is one that former WordPerfect users will love. Some users report that the scrolling is not ideal, so it’s probably better suited for keyboard warriors who are used to scrolling using the arrow keys.
You can edit and save in multiple formats including encoded and rich text, Open document, text files and more. Spellchecker is included, and there are easy to install plugins. Support is via email, so it’s not lightning fast. There is an option to hide menus for writers looking for distraction-free writing sessions.
Google Docs
Google Docs is free and cloud-based, so it works well on any system. It’s become a popular option for many small businesses and consultants who need to work collaboratively on documents. Google Docs saves your changes as you type and you can even look at revision history and see who made changes to your document.
As a writer, the biggest draw to Google Docs is the ability to work collaboratively in real-time with someone else, perhaps a co-author, contributor, or even an editor. You can install a Chrome app that lets you open, edit, and save MS Word files. Personally, I could never get past the panic of not knowing for sure that my changes were saved. But if you can be comfortable with never having to save a document again, or if you have a need to work collaboratively in real-time, then Google Docs may be a good fit.
Lyx
Another free word processor for Mac you may not have heard of is Lyx. It’s available for Windows and Unix/Linux users too, so no one is left out. It’s open source, and you can import and export to other document formats such as HTML, PDF, .doc, and rich text formats. Also, it’s actually a “document” processor rather than a “word” processor. This is mostly down to semantics but it means that Lyx writers can forget about formatting and focus on writing.
There are loads of longer document templates with automatic formatting to help with consistency. If you just want to write without having to figure out things like footnotes, references, or how to do a table of contents, Lyx may work well for your needs.
BEAN
For the more daring among you, Bean walks the tightrope line between a full-featured word processor for Mac and a bare-bones text editor. It’s free, but there have been some bugs to work out as far as compatibility goes. So, make sure you choose the right download for your OS X system. If you don’t need the formatting capabilities of a word processor but miss the live word counts and other features some text editors don’t have, Bean may be a good fit.
Best Free Word Processors for Mac: Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to be transparent about the fact that I’m not yet a Mac user. I still dream of the day when I’ll have the Moxie to make such a transition. The information above has been provided through researching company websites and Mac user reviews. I did my best to be thorough and provide accurate information. But when it comes to choosing one of these free word processors for Mac, please do your research.
Best Alternatives to WordPad for Mac:
WordPad is a simple application to create and edit documents in Windows PC. You cannot use the WordPad App on Mac computer, but you can find the best alternative to WordPad for Mac. WordPad is available for Windows OS only. If you are looking for the best alternative to WordPad for Mac then your search will end here.
You can create, save and share variety of documents in WordPad such as Posters, Notes and Letters. We have worked hard to find out some best alternatives to WordPad for Mac which you can easily install and use on your Mac computer. Some WordPad alternatives are free to use and some are paid software with more features.
Contents
- 1 Best Alternatives to WordPad for Mac
Best Alternatives to WordPad for Mac
Here we provide the list of best alternatives to WordPad for Mac as follows:
- LibreOffice Writer
- Wordpad Online
- Vim Text Editor
- FocusWriter
- Blinky – Retro Text Editor
- iText Express
- Apache OpenOffice Writer
- Microsoft Office Word
- Scrivener
- Notepas
Let us discuss all the above given alternatives to WordPad for Mac in detail with their special features.
01. LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice is a free office suite developed by The Document Foundation. LibreOffice Writer is a component of the LibreOffice application package. So you have to download & install LibreOffice to use Writer App on your Mac computer. The LibreOffice Writer is the best alternative to WordPad as it contains all the modern feature you expect from a text editor app.
LibreOffice Writer is a very simple app like WordPad that allows you to create, edit and save various documents. It is very powerful app to create a complete book with contents, indexes, diagrams, symbols and other details.
You can create Quick Memo, Note, Letter, Poster and many other documents in LibreOffice Writer. It also has AutoCorrect and AutoComplete features to improve your writing efficiency.
02. Wordpad Online
Wordpad Online is a live application that you can use for free. It is the best alternative to WordPad for Mac because it’s free and it does not require login. In addition, you can create all your documents online from a web browser on Mac. You don’t need to download or install any application package to use Wordpad Online on your Mac computer.
In Wordpad Online, you can process all types of media including text, pictures, videos, tables, special characters and much more. It has a large number of variety in fonts and it also supports Japanese formats. It allows copy, paste and edit of PDF documents.
Wordpad Online provides Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough and other options same as available in WordPad on Windows PC. In order to Save Document in Wordpad Online, first click on Print option and then select “Save as PDF” to store the file on your Mac hard drive.
03. Vim Text Editor
Vim is a text editor sponsored and created by Vim Development. The Vim Text Editor is a highly efficient app for creating any kind of text. It is an improved version of the Vi Editor with more features. The combination of a programmer’s tool and a simple notepad makes Vim the best alternative to WordPad. It is dependent on the user how s/he wants to use Vim Text Editor on their Mac computer.
Vim is often called a programmer’s editor, because it is so useful for programming that many people consider it as entire IDE. It is a perfect tool for all kinds of text editing from creating documents to composing emails and editing configuration files.
Vim is persistent with powerful search & replace, multi-level undo tree and extensive plugin system. It provides the feature to vertically split windows and shows the differences while you are editing two or more files in Vim.
04. FocusWriter
FocusWriter is a simple text writing software just like WordPad. You should use the FocusWriter App on Mac computer to create a distraction free environment. It is available to download free for Mac OS X 10.12 or later. It utilizes a hide-away interface that you access by moving your mouse to the edges of your Mac screen.
When you open FocusWriter, it will automatically load your current work in progress exactly where you left off the last time. It is simple enough to give you familiar look and feel like WordPad, it supports TXT, Basic RTF and Basic ODT files.
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The FocusWriter allows you to customize your environment by creating themes that control the font, colors and background image. It has some more features like Timers and Alarms, Daily Goals, Spell-checking, Live Statistics, Portable Mode and Typewriter Sound Effects.
05. Blinky – Retro Text Editor
Blinky is a lightweight application developed by Secret Geometry, Inc.. It is a retro text editor created and designed exclusively for Mac OS X 10.6 or later, iMacs, Pro Macs and other Mac devices. It is the best alternative to WordPad for Mac with 12 vintage fonts and a stylish look inspired from the earlier time of 1970s and 1980s. It has simple interface with various colored fornts and black background to keep you focused while working.
Blinky has so many sliders for special effects including Curvature, Static, Burn-in, Jitter and H-sync. It has Glowing Halos to show up Intense Brightness. It provides Full Screen Mode to help you work with more focus. It also contains Auto-save, Gestures and Retina Support.
The Blinky Text Editor allows you to open any image or photo to generate text art and use an image or webcam photo as glass reflection. It has Dynamic perspective, Lighting and Shadows. It also contains Pixels burn-in that slowly fade away when you turn them off.
06. iText Express
iText Express is a small, simple and fast text editor with necessary features. The iText Express includes important features such as page numbers, columns, header-footer and footnotes. It contains everything you need while creating a document and that’s why it’s best alternative to WordPad for Mac. You need to visit your Mac App Store to download the iText Express App for free on your Mac computer.
iText Express includes the TextEdit basics and has compatibility with Microsoft(R) Word. It runs under architecture of Mac OS X NSTextView. It has some amazing features like vertical writing, hyperlinks, bookmarks, page layout and many more.
You can read and write documents in various formats including RTF, RTFD, TEXT, DOC, HTML, Unicode, Plain Text and Lightway Text. The iText Express allows the user to set paragraph indent, margins, alignment, line spacings, lists, bullets, tables, background color and picture embedding.
07. Apache OpenOffice Writer
Apache OpenOffice Writer is a fully equipped application and a part of OpenOffice package. The Apache OpenOffice is developed for Mac OS X and other operating systems. It contains all important features you have seen in WordPad. In Writer App, you can create quick memo, documents, letters, agendas, newsletters, diagrams, indexes and much more.
It has a huge collection of templates which you can download and use for free. In addition, you can create your own templates in Apache OpenOffice Writer on your Mac computer or MacBook. You can increase the usefulness of your long, complex document by creating a table of contents or bibliographical references and illustrations.
Apache OpenOffice Writer can display multiple pages when you are editing the document, it is very useful while you are editing a complex document. It also includes some common features like AutoCorrect dictionary, Styles & Formatting, AutoComplete and Text Frames & Linking.
08. Microsoft Office Word
Microsoft Office Word is one of the best alternatives to WordPad for Mac. Because it contains all the features you have in WordPad and many other features which the WordPad doesn’t have. You can create, edit and save your document in various languages. Moreover, you can insert picture, ClipArt, shapes, SmartArt, Chart and Tables into your document in MS Office Word.
Office Word App comes with intelligent technology that will help you spellings, grammar and stylistic writing suggestions. It allows you to share your document online with just one click. You can invite your teammates to edit the document in real time and give comments on it.
The Resume Assistant in Office Word App helps you in crafting a more compelling resume and apply by contacting recruiters directly on LinkedIn. It has a large collection of templates in 40 different categories. You should choose your desired template and add to your document and save your time.
09. Scrivener
Scrivener is a typewriter, ring binder and scrapbook. The Scrivener App combines all the tools you need in to craft your first document from beginning to the end. The latest version called Scrivener 3 is available to download for Mac OS X 10.12 or later. You can download the trial version of Scrivener which will provide full features for next 30 days, thereafter you need to buy it from Literature and Latte Website.
Scrivener unites everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. For work purposes, you can break your text into manageable sections of any size and the Scrivener will stitch them together.
The Scrivener has integrated outlining tools that allow you to plan everything first or restructure later. As your work project grows, you will see that the Scrivener also grows with it. It is very convenient app for novelists as they can write each scene of their novel in a separate document or whole chapters as one.
10. Notepas
Notepas is a portable and multi-platform text editor. It is made with an aim to provide all required features to developers which are not available with other text editors. Therefore it is the best alternative to WordPad for Mac. You can compile Notepas with multiple platforms and widget sets by using the advanced native Free Pascal Compiler.
Notepas contains Code Filter Tool that filters the lines that match a given search string or regular expression. It has Alpha Blending Coloring that supports multiple layers of transparency for both the text and background.
Word For Mac
The Smart Select option in Notepas allows you to make customizable selections that depend on the active highlighter and context. It has many other features like Syntax Highlighting, Selection Folding, Region Folding, Line Numbers Display and Line Modification Indicators.
Best Word For Mac
Final Opinion:
Word For Mac Free
All the information given above about 10 Best Alternatives to WordPad for Mac is true and fair. You should analyze your needs first and then choose the text editor app from our collection of the best alternatives to WordPad for Mac computer.