WriteMonkey review
A focused offline writing tool for authors who prefer plain text over rich documents.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
WriteMonkey is a lightweight desktop writing application for authors and other writers who want a focused workspace rather than a traditional rich-text editor. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, works offline, and stores documents as plain-text files with UTF-8 support. Full-screen editing, keyboard shortcuts, customizable interface options, word counts, document statistics, bookmarks, project jumps, and repository mode support longer writing projects without requiring a rich document format.
Its strongest feature is the focused plain-text workflow. WriteMonkey supports Markdown, Textile, and WikiCreole markup, while printing and markup export templates provide ways to prepare documents for output. Automatic backups, history, and auto-save add protection during writing, and downloadable dictionaries support spell checking. The software is free to download and use, with optional plugins available to donors. A Firefox extension called It's All Text provides a connection with that browser-based writing workflow.
WriteMonkey is a good fit for writers who value offline access, portable desktop software, plain-text files, and control through keyboard shortcuts. Its project navigation and repository features make the focused approach more useful for managing multiple documents. It is less suitable for teams or editors who need real-time collaboration, rich word-processing features, or track changes. Buyers seeking shared editing or revision workflows should choose a product built around those capabilities instead, while solo authors and other text-focused writers may prefer WriteMonkey's narrower scope.
WriteMonkey pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Full-screen editing with keyboard shortcuts and a customizable interface
- Plain-text storage with Markdown, Textile, and WikiCreole support
- Backups, history, auto-save, spell checking, and document statistics
- Where it doesn't
- No real-time collaboration
- No track changes
- Limited to plain-text-focused document workflows
WriteMonkey fact sheet, pricing and score →
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