Best Essayist Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from writing apps ranked against Essayist on the same published basis.
- 1Essayist vs Hashnode
- 2Essayist vs Etherpad
- 3Essayist vs Celtx
- 4Essayist vs Write.as
- 5Essayist vs Overleaf
- 6Essayist vs LyX
- 7Essayist vs Substack
- 8Essayist vs WriterDuet
- 9Essayist vs Campfire
- 10Essayist vs HackMD
- 11Essayist vs HedgeDoc
- 12Essayist vs Final Draft
- 13Essayist vs Story Architect
- 14Essayist vs Scrivener
- 15Essayist vs TeXstudio
- 16Essayist vs SciFlow
- 17Essayist vs Pendraic
- 18Essayist vs Novlr
- 19Essayist vs Arc Studio Pro
- 20Essayist vs DramaQueen
Essayist alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hashnode | 8.5 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | API, Web |
| 2 | Etherpad | 8.2 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Celtx | 7.5 | Free plan | $11.24/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Write.as | 7.3 | Free plan | $6/mo | self-hosted |
| 5 | Overleaf | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 6 | LyX | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Substack | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Web |
| 8 | WriterDuet | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 9 | Campfire | 7.2 | Free plan | $19/mo | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 10 | HackMD | 7.2 | Free plan | $5/mo | Web |
| 11 | HedgeDoc | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 12 | Final Draft | 7.0 | No | $0.69/mo | iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 13 | Story Architect | 7.0 | Free plan | $4.17/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | Scrivener | 6.9 | No | $23.99/mo | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | TeXstudio | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | SciFlow | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 17 | Pendraic | 6.9 | Free plan | $14.99/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 18 | Novlr | 6.9 | Free plan | $8/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 19 | Arc Studio Pro | 6.9 | Free plan | $5.75/mo | iOS, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | DramaQueen | 6.9 | Free plan | $11.90/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
Make your platform an alternative to Essayist
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Essayist alternatives
What is the best alternative to Essayist?
Hashnode, number 1 in writing apps with a score of 8.5 out of 10. The others here: Etherpad, Celtx, Write.as and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Essayist?
Hashnode is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.