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 Overleaf
- 5Essayist vs LyX
- 6Essayist vs Substack
- 7Essayist vs Story Architect
- 8Essayist vs Write.as
- 9Essayist vs HackMD
- 10Essayist vs Hashnode
- 11Essayist vs HedgeDoc
- 12Essayist vs Trelby
- 13Essayist vs Zettlr
- 14Essayist vs TeXstudio
- 15Essayist vs Pendraic
- 16Essayist vs Curvenote
- 17Essayist vs Novlr
- 18Essayist vs Squibler
- 19Essayist vs Arc Studio Pro
- 20Essayist vs DramaQueen
Essayist alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtx | 8.3 | Free plan | $11.24/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | WriterDuet | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 3 | Campfire | 8.0 | Free plan | $19/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Overleaf | 7.9 | Free plan | Browser, self-hosted, Web | |
| 5 | LyX | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Substack | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Web |
| 7 | Story Architect | 7.8 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Write.as | 7.7 | Free plan | $6/mo | self-hosted |
| 9 | HackMD | 7.7 | Free plan | $5/mo | Web |
| 10 | Hashnode | 7.7 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | API, Web |
| 11 | HedgeDoc | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | Trelby | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | Zettlr | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | TeXstudio | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Pendraic | 7.6 | Free plan | $14.99/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Curvenote | 7.6 | Free plan | $9/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 17 | Novlr | 7.6 | Free plan | $8/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 18 | Squibler | 7.5 | Free plan | $29.99/mo | Web |
| 19 | Arc Studio Pro | 7.5 | Free plan | $5.75/mo | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | DramaQueen | 7.5 | Free plan | $11.90/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
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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 8.3 out of 10. The others here: WriterDuet, Campfire, Overleaf and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Essayist?
Celtx is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 20 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.