Just about every AI now, from ChatGPT to Gemini, promises to help you improve your writing in some way. AI tools promise to transform your rough drafts into polished prose. Software companies are racing to put generative AI into every writing app imaginable. There’s just one problem: for many writers, AI makes writing worse, not better.
Generative AI creates real problems for writers beyond the ethical concerns. Training data includes books used without permission, and many publications now reject AI-assisted work. But there’s a more immediate issue: AI strips personality and leaves bland, generic language that sounds like it came from a corporate marketing department.
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1. LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it gets out of your way and lets you focus on writing. The Writer component includes Master Documents for breaking large projects into chunks and a Navigator that tracks headings for easy navigation between chapters.
Because LibreOffice runs locally rather than in the cloud, it works without Wi-Fi. It saves files in standard formats like .docx, making sharing straightforward. That simplicity means no AI suggestions, no cloud interruptions, and no features predicting what you’ll write next.
For writers who need a capable word processor without subscriptions or AI interference, LibreOffice delivers everything essential.
2. Grammarly
The most well-known tool here, Grammarly is a mainstay for good reason. It checks grammar, spelling, punctuation and style without generating content. It underlines errors and suggests corrections, but you decide whether to accept them.
It fixes specific errors and improves existing sentences while leaving the writing yours. The browser extension works across email and web-based tools, catching basic mistakes in the free version or offering advanced suggestions for clarity and conciseness with Premium.
Grammarly, now known as Superhuman, has added some AI features recently, but its core grammar checking doesn’t use generative AI, and you can ignore AI suggestions entirely if you prefer.
3. Scrivener
Scrivener combines writing tools with research organization for long-form projects like novels or screenplays. You can keep character notes, location photos, and research snippets inside the app alongside your manuscript. The corkboard view arranges scenes visually, while the outliner structures complex projects.
Scrivener compiles finished manuscripts into ebooks or print-ready files. It’s overkill for short pieces but handles everything from first draft to final manuscript for book-length work. The learning curve is steeper than simpler apps, but writers working on books may find it indispensable for organization.
4. Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and words with simpler alternatives without rewriting anything. It color-codes sentences by readability: yellow for hard to read, red for very hard to read, purple for simpler alternatives, blue for adverbs to cut. You see the problems and make your own changes.
The free web version works for quick edits. The paid desktop app works offline and saves files. Both provide readability analysis based on research, not AI. It’s particularly useful for tightening prose and catching convoluted sentences during editing.
5. Ulysses
Ulysses is a Markdown-based writing app that runs fast with minimal features. Markdown is plain text formatting that keeps files small and compatible with any software. The clean interface focuses on writing, and Ulysses handles formatting on export to content management systems, blogs, ebooks, and document formats.
It organizes projects with folders and tags, making multiple writing projects manageable. Syncing across Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud lets you write on any device. For writers who value speed, simplicity, and flexible export options, Ulysses delivers without AI interference.
(Image credit: Future)
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