Writing Software for Windows 2025
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
Windows’ Operating System is one of the most versatile and customizable options for a computer, allowing users to swap parts and adjust specs as best fits their needs. Writers who mostly use their computers for writing don’t need all the bells and whistles… but playing fantasy RPGs for hundreds of hours for inspiration is part of the writing process—right?
If you’ve got a Windows PC it’s important to routinely check on what’s new, both in system upgrades and applications, so what writing software are available in 2025, and which are worth being on your radar?
Microsoft Word
Wordpad used to come standard on Windows PCs, and $ Microsoft Word$ was the all-around successor to that word processing lineage; a clean, easy place to write that also offered basic formatting. Although Word is recognized as the "OG," over the last couple decades, it adopted a subscription plan attached to the Microsoft Office ecosystem that turned a lot of writers away (myself included). Lifetime licensing keys for Microsoft Word 2010 can not be purchased outright anymore, and the version can no longer be downloaded from the Microsoft webstore.
Microsoft has since back-stepped on their subscription overhaul, offering Word to use for free online with a Microsoft account, and the whole Office bundle as a $115.00 (CAN) annual subscription for individuals. Since the word processor is now free to use, it is worth mentioning.
Word has all the basics you’d need from a word processing software, from spell check to basic templates and formatting options. Word offers diction and voice commands, but it is only available to use online, and it is not something you can own. If you are wary of ownership/rights changing and offline accessibility, other options will be more appealing.
Google Docs
Google Docs has all the functionality of Microsoft Word, with a little more accessibility. Although Google Docs is primarily accessed online, all files can be saved locally and worked on offline (though this function can interfere with its ability to spell/grammar check). Docs is attached to any (and every) Gmail account, and is 100% free to use up until the point you hit your storage space limit.
Docs is a star in the writing software game due to its lack of financial investment and its collaborative features. You can share documents (or any of the Drive apps) with peers, and allow varying editing privileges: others can leave comments, suggest changes, or do live edits.
The drawback to such an easy and accessible word processor as Google Docs is its rising concerns of privacy. With so many companies adjusting their policies to include AI clauses, it’s important that you check whether Google Drive aligns with your personal ethics and feelings of safety for your writing.
Reedsy Studio
$ Reedsy Studio$ is the first writing software on this list that’s uses extend beyond a basic word processor, and whose layout reflects the formatting of the book you’re (presumably) writing. Though you can segment a Word document by adding headings, and navigate them through the sidebar, Reedsy Studio (and all further software on this list) have the ability to keep chapters separate, and easily shuffle contents of a novel around—including metacontent (copyrights pages, disclaimers, etc).
Reedsy Studio is free to use, but not as freely collaborative as Google Docs. Its main goal is to host a space for you to hire a professional (editors or cover designer) through them, so those are the only people who can work in-document with you—however, you can send out limited links for the purposes of beta reading. Reedsy Studio does not have offline access, and though it can export a novel in ebook and print-ready formats, there is no way to customize their 3 presets.
Scrivener
$ Scrivener$ is like a word processor and a file explorer tab all-in-one. Its main appeal is how you can customize, organize, and navigate your writing project with drop-down folders in the side-bar. It’s up to you how you break things down (acts, chapters, scenes) and how many extra tabs you have of additional content (research notes, character sheets, etc).
Scrivener has a 30-day free trial, so you can try it out before purchasing. The flexibility of Scrivener which is appealing to some writers can simultaneously be a nightmare for others who are less adept at organizing themselves (no judgement there!). Scrivener is available on Windows (and MacOS), offering a Standard License as a one-time payment of $60 (USD).
Novelpad
$ Novelpad$ is a software designed to offer structure in outlining and the process of writing. It’s got all the functions of other basic word processors from spell checking to grammar—which you can also turn off if you’re in a flow-state writing and find the squiggles distracting. In the manuscript view, every chapter is collapsible, and you can toggle to show in-script comments, highlights, or the formatting dropdown.
Noveplad is available online in-browser, or through its downloadable app, with offline use. It’s constantly auto-saving and even keeps draft version back-ups in case you accidentally over-write a scene and want to go back without hitting crtl+z a hundred times.
Everything in your project can be organized and tagged across multiple tabs, which are not mutually exclusive. Chapters (including $ Scene Cards$ ), Plots, Characters, and Locations each have their own section where you can outline and expand on ideas before (or while) writing it out. If you’re really into monitoring pacing or the occurrence of different elements in your manuscript, the $ Insight board$ lets you compare scenes in your novel across categories. The Notes section works equivalently to Scrivener’s drop-down system, where you can make as many folders as you like, organized however you like, filled with any additional, relevant information for the project.
Lastly, to help with process and motivation, Novelpad’s $ Goals feature$ makes it easy to track your writing project’s progress with an adjustable wordcount tracker. Like any real calendar (but better), you can add varying workflows for different days of the week, schedule in sprints or take off vacations, and Goals will always keep track of how far you’ve come and what’s left to go.
Novelpad is available on Windows (and MacOS) for $15 with a monthly subscription, or you can save 33% by doing an annual subscription for $120 (USD). You can get a two week free trial of NovelPad when you sign up for an account and test out all the software’s features for yourself!
If you’ve read through, and aren’t entirely sure which writing software would suit your process the best, this article on the $ Best Writing Software for New Writers$ breaks down which writing programs lend to different styles of organization.
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