Calmly Writer quietly became one of the most loved writing tools on the internet. No toolbar. Your current paragraph in full focus, everything else softly faded. A desktop app that actually behaves like a desktop app.
But it has limitations — and if you've landed here, you've probably hit one of them. Maybe you want cloud sync. Maybe you need Markdown export. Maybe you want AI writing tools without switching apps.
Here are the five best Calmly Writer alternatives available in 2025.
What Made Calmly Writer Good (And What It Lacks)
Calmly Writer got three things right: the focus paragraph (only your current paragraph at full opacity), no toolbar, and speed. What it doesn't have: cloud sync, a good mobile experience, AI writing assistance, or cross-platform access without paying for the desktop app.
1. Writing With — Best Overall Alternative
Price: Free / $6 per month or $39 lifetime
Platform: Web (writingwith.com)
Best for: writers who want Calmly Writer's simplicity with cloud sync and AI tools
Writing With is the closest thing to a modern Calmly Writer for the web. The editor is warm off-white with a centered 680px column, and nothing sits above your text except a faint word count in the corner.
The key upgrades over Calmly Writer:
Cloud sync. Pro users' documents sync to the cloud automatically. Write on your laptop, continue on your phone browser, pick up on your tablet.
AI Assist sidebar. A collapsible sidebar — completely hidden until you need it — with grammar checking, style rewriting, an SEO assistant, and a headline generator.
Guided Writing. Input your title, content type, and target word count. Get a structural outline — section headings and brief prompts — inserted directly into the editor. You fill it with your own words.
Version snapshots. Save lightweight checkpoints of your document without interrupting your flow. Pro users can save up to 10 snapshots per document and restore any of them.
No account required to start. Open the site and you're writing. Upgrade if cloud sync matters to you.
The one thing Writing With doesn't have that Calmly Writer does: focus paragraph dimming. Focus Mode hides all UI chrome but doesn't dim inactive paragraphs.
2. iA Writer — Best Premium Alternative
Price: $49.99 one-time (Mac)
Platform: Mac, iOS, Windows, Android
iA Writer is the gold standard for distraction-free writing. Focus Mode dims everything outside the current sentence — more granular than Calmly Writer's paragraph-level focus. The trade-off is cost and platform commitment.
3. Typora — Best for Markdown Writers
Price: $14.99 one-time
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Markdown renders inline as you type — no separate preview pane. For writers who live in Markdown, Typora is faster than any alternative.
4. Bear — Best for Mac/iOS Users
Price: $2.99/month
Platform: Mac and iOS only
Bear handles both writing and note-taking better than most tools that try to do one. Mac and iOS only.
5. Hemingway Editor — Best for Editing
Price: Free (web) / $19.99 (desktop)
Platform: Web, Mac, Windows
Write your draft in Writing With or Calmly Writer, paste into Hemingway to edit for clarity. The color-coded readability analysis is the best available.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Writing With | Calmly Writer | iA Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ web | ✗ |
| Web app | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cloud sync | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI tools | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✗ |
| MD export | ✓ Pro | ✓ | ✓ |
| Focus paragraph | ✗ | ✓ | Sentence |
| Guided outlines | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✗ |
| Snapshots | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✗ |
| Price | $6/mo or $39 | $29.99 | $49.99 |
The Honest Recommendation
If you liked Calmly Writer because it was simple, Writing With is the closest alternative — and goes further with cloud sync, AI tools, guided outlines, and version snapshots.
If the focus paragraph dimming is the specific feature you can't live without, iA Writer has the best version of it at sentence level.
To try a Calmly Writer alternative before committing to anything: writingwith.com requires no account and nothing to download.