As a writer or content creator in today’s fast-paced digital world, having the right tools can make all the difference.

A great writing app should do several key things: provide a distraction-free environment for focused creativity, support easy formatting like Markdown, help you organize your work, and offer seamless publishing or exporting capabilities.

With that criteria in mind, here are four standout apps that I believe every modern writer should consider in 2024.

#1 Notion

I’ll start with Notion, my current go-to writing app of choice—with one important caveat.

While Notion may not be the purest, most streamlined writing tool out there, it utterly dominates when it comes to organizing and managing your content.

It’s the most powerful all-in-one tool. Maybe only rivaled by popular note-talking app Obsidian, which I didn’t include in this list as I see it more like a note-connecting tool. But it’s great if you need such a thing.

Back to Notion:

The Upsides:

• Effortlessly catalog and sort every piece of writing with robust tagging
• Powerful filtering and sorting reveals patterns in your work
• Analyze your best-performing pieces to spark new content ideas
• Full Markdown support makes formatting a breeze
• The core software is free, with optional premium upgrades

Notion is an all-around brilliant utility for writers of all kinds. I’ve even created free Notion templates specifically designed to help organize and manage content across Medium, blogs, and more. You can find those templates on my Gumroad storefront.

The Downsides:

• With so many features, Notion’s interface can feel overwhelming
• The design is functional but not particularly inspiring
• Exporting options are serviceable but limited
• No direct publishing integration with platforms like Medium
• Lacks an integrated grammar/spellchecking system

#2 Ulysses

For Mac and iOS users, Ulysses stands out as a beautifully designed, full-featured writing environment with standout integration for platforms like Medium.

It’s a wonderful tool for writers. With integrated grammar and spell checking.

The Upsides:

• Gorgeous distraction-free “focus mode” lets you immerse in pure writing
• Insightful statistics like word count, progress tracking, and more
• Built-in grammar and spell checking powered by LanguageTool
• Markdown support makes formatting easy
• Best-in-class! Direct publishing integration with Medium and more

The Downsides:

• Content organization falls short compared to Notion’s powers
• Limited to Apple’s ecosystem (no Windows, Android, or web)
• Paid subscription ($5.99/month) after initial free trial

#3 iA Writer

This minimalist gem represents the quintessential distraction-free writing suite. In its clean, focused mode, you see nothing but your words—ideal for immersive drafting sessions.

The Upsides:

• Delightfully simple interface with zero frills
• Markdown formatting support
• Highlights syntax and part of speech as you type
• Built-in grammar/spellcheck
• Like Ulysses, iA Writer publishes directly to Medium
• Cross-platform for all devices (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS)

The Downsides:

• Lacks advanced organization or content management capabilities
• One-time $49 fee (no subscription, but no free version either)

#4 Google Docs

You can’t discuss modern writing apps without mentioning Google’s popular, free web-based word processor. While not optimized for distraction-free writing like the other options, Google Docs has emerged as a powerful, collaborative online writing solution.

The Upsides:

• 100% free with no limits on document count or length
• Robust revision history and real-time collaborative editing
• Access from any device with an internet connection
• Broad range of sharing, exporting, and publishing options
• Growing add-on ecosystem including grammar checkers

The Downsides:

• Not really built for focused, distraction-free writing sessions
• Formatting for blogs/websites requires manual cleanup
• No direct publishing to platforms like Medium
• Limited built-in organization tools beyond folders

Honorable mentions

Those 4 are my top choices 2024. But there are plenty of other great writing and note-taking tools that might fit your workflow.

I’ve already mentioned Obsidian.

There’s also simple tools like:

• Apple Notes
• Google Keep

Complex alternatives like:

• Rem Note
• Evernote

And writing-focused tools like:

• Scrivener

The Bottom Line

Those are the best all-around writing apps creators should consider in 2024.

For pure focus and distraction-free drafting, iA Writer and Ulysses are hard to beat.

If premium organization is crucial, Notion takes the crown.

And Google Docs remains incredibly powerful, especially for collaboration.

Personally, after years with Ulysses, I’ve shifted to using Notion as my content management, thanks to its unbeatable organization powers.

No matter which app you choose, the key is finding tools that accommodate your unique creative process instead of hindering it.

Try out a few different options—one may inevitably click as the ideal writing environment for you.