Ever stared at a blank screen, your mind mirroring its emptiness? Free content writing tools are here to fuel your creativity and streamline your workflow. Like an artist with their palette of colors, these tools let you splash words across the canvas of imagination 👨🎨.
This post shines that light on powerhouse tools like MindMeister for brainstorming, Workflowy for outlining, ChatGPT for AI-powered idea generation, Google Docs & Forms for collaboration and research collection. These free content writing tools can be used by anyone, even humans 😉.
The best part? These tools don't cost a dime! (Your bank account thanks you)
If you're a content creator, blog post author, or just someone who likes to write in their free time, having the right tools can be game-changing. These free content writing tools not only enhance your creativity but also improve productivity by unifying the entire writing process.
Free Content Writing Tools
1. Miro
For all you mind-mappers out there, there's Miro. Miro is a mind mapping tool for teams. They have different boards (templates) to choose from as well as an option to make your own.
Beyond individual ideation and planning processes lies another crucial aspect of modern-day content creation: collaboration. When multiple minds meet on a shared platform like Miro—it sparks original discussions leading to unique creative outputs.
In addition to helping with brainstorming sessions among teams or individuals alike, Miro also facilitates effective project management—making sure no good idea slips through the cracks.
2. Google Docs
Sometimes simplicity is key—and there's nothing more straightforward than using Google's own suite of tools. Google Docs, beloved by writers across different industries, is the perfect word processor that aids in collaborative writing.
Magical has an AI writing feature that lets you write content in places like Google Docs as well as emails.
3. MindMeister
MindMeister is a tool that writers across the globe have been turning to. As a free content writing tool, it offers an intuitive interface for creating mind maps. But what makes this tool so "I want it, I gotta have it?" (and more importantly, what the heck even is a mindmap?)
To start, you have more templates to work with. Whether you're jotting down quick thoughts or fleshing out complex ideas in detail, MindMeister allows you to create and edit brainstorming and outlining boards (AKA mind maps).
In fact, millions of people worldwide rely on this ingenious app not only for generating fresh ideas but also planning their projects effectively. That's no small feat. It proves that regardless of where they are in their writing journey –- whether just starting out or being seasoned professionals –- writers find immense value in using MindMeister.
3. Workflowy
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by a huge writing job (seriously, who hasn't?), then Workflowy is about to become your newest ally. This content outlining tool simplifies the process of organizing complex ideas into an easy-to-follow format.
The beauty of Workflowy lies in its simplicity: at its core, it’s essentially an infinite bullet point list. But don’t be fooled by this basic premise – these aren't ordinary bullet points. They're expandable and collapsible nodes which allow you to drill down from general concepts into granular details without losing sight of the bigger picture.
This structure helps maintain balance between creativity and organization while crafting compelling headlines or blog posts as part of your content creation strategy. A headline analyzer might help with generating catchy titles, but only Workflowy will keep those brilliant ideas systematically aligned.
4. ChatGPT
For idea generation, writers often seek out different methods and techniques. But there's one tool that is truly magical in its abilities - ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence model designed by OpenAI.
Beyond idea generation, another significant part of content creation involves exploring potential topics related to your primary theme or subject matter.
ChatGPT generates human-like text based on the prompts you feed it. Feed it some starter phrases or sentences pertaining to your desired topic area,and voila. You get numerous original thoughts spun out from thin air.
Note: This screenshot is from ChatGPT Plus, but they still have the free version....for now.
5. Hemingway Editor
Now let me tell you about another great tool, the Hemingway Editor. If Ernest Hemingway were alive today and worked as a writing coach, this is exactly what he'd recommend.
Imagine having a personal editor, right? They'd highlight any complex sentences or uses of passive voice in your writing. Your job would be to make them clearer and more readable.
For those of you who write for clients, it's super important to get the tone of voice right. Hemingway Editor is perfect for this task because it tell you everything from grade level to vocabulary choices. It even gives you ways to be more clear and concise in your writing.
6. Grammarly
Many content writers are familiar with the struggle of finding a way to make their writing both captivating and grammatically correct. Because we know that feeling of being stuck in the editing process, trying to find the perfect balance between engaging content and impeccable grammar. That's where Grammarly comes into play.
This free AI-powered tool doesn’t just fix typos. It offers comprehensive feedback on everything from passive voice usage to complex sentence structure – making it a great tool for anyone aiming for compelling headlines or social media posts.
The real charm of Grammarly lies in its flexibility as both a browser extension and desktop app. So whether you are using Google Chrome or prefer working offline, this proofreading titan ensures no mistake slips past unnoticed.
7. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is trusted by thousands of professional writers across the globe for their editing needs.
Dubbed as more than just a grammar checker, think about ProWritingAid as your personal style guide that helps maintain word balance throughout any written piece while keeping an eye on cliche phrases we all sometimes sneak into our work unintentionally.
To use ProWritingAid, just upload your document and let this editing wizard highlight potential improvements in real-time. With its comprehensive free plan, ProWritingAid not only checks grammar but also provides readability scores to help improve your writing style.
A Final Word
Everyone is writing content. And (almost) everyone is using some kind of writing tools to make their writing come to life. The coolest thing about writing content (at least today) is all the tools we have at our disposal to use.
Tools like Magical, that uses the power of AI to write content in places like Google Docs and many of the writers you are already using, make things super easy to write content.
When it comes to writing, it should be more about the big idea than about the free content writing tools we use. The tools we use should be seamless with our work, not a hindrance. So choose the tool that will be a partner with your creative work.
Make sure you choose what you need for right now based on your budget. There's lots of options out there to choose from so be wise.
