This free writing app is still in beta but it's already replacing Google Docs for me

If you’re a writer, there’s a good chance you use Google Docs. Whether it’s for a book, short stories, fan fiction, professional writing, or, in my case, tech journalism, Google Docs is often the go-to word processing app these days. I think I may have found the app that will finally get me to leave Google Docs behind, though.

Ellipsus is still in beta, but even in its current early-development state, it’s quickly become one of my favorite writing apps. I’ve used everything from Google Docs to Scrivener over the years, so that’s really saying something.

You may not have heard of Ellipsus yet, but after a couple of weeks using it, I’m convinced it could finally dethrone Google Docs as one of my must-have writing apps. Here’s a look at everything I love about Ellipsus and how it differs from Google Docs.

Why Ellipsus is my new favorite writing app

It’s free, it looks nice, and it’s great for collaboration

Ellipsus is a free, web-based writing app that’s designed to be an alternative to Google Docs, specifically made for writers. It’s still in beta at the time of writing, meaning the app is a work-in-progress and there are some features that haven’t been added yet. However, even in its early state, I’ve come to really love writing in Ellipsus.

I stumbled upon it a couple of weeks ago when I was looking for a better way to collaborate on creative writing projects, like lore for my Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Google Docs gets the job done, but I don’t enjoy writing in it unless I need to. I kept having to copy and paste my projects from a different app into Google Docs so my writing buddies and I could leave comments and notes.

Ellipsus is in many ways the perfect solution. It has built-in collaboration features that allow you to invite collaborators, customize their permissions, edit multiple drafts of the same document, and leave comments, edits, and messages for each other. On top of that, it’s a fantastic word processor that’s clean and clutter-free, but also offers over a dozen built-in themes for customization.

The themes may sound like a little thing, but they were a game-changer for me. I’ve never enjoyed staring at a completely white screen when writing in Google Docs. There are dark mode browser extensions that can help, but they can be hit or miss. Ellipsus not only offers multiple dark mode themes but also some fun, colorful options. My favorites are “Sepia,” “Leatherbound,” and “Afterglow.”

Ellipsus has a few other features you won’t find in Google Docs, like the timer. It functions a bit like a Pomodoro timer, but also tells you how many words you wrote when the timer ends, which is a nice way to see your progress. Additionally, there’s a Focus Mode tool that hides the sidebars to help you concentrate.

The most significant and writer-focused feature in Ellipsus is drafts. You can create multiple versions of one document that are all accessible from the master copy (meaning, your folders won’t get flooded with a bunch of copies of the same thing). This allows you to share your document with collaborators while keeping things organized. Changes to a draft won’t impact the master copy, so you always have complete control over the final draft, no matter how many people you’re working with.

Plus, drafts are a convenient way to track changes and improvements to your documents without losing the original copy. You can compare changes between your drafts and the master copy side-by-side and even merge drafts if you want to apply the changes from one draft to another. The built-in chat function also allows you to discuss changes with collaborators right in Ellipsus.

How does Ellipsus compare to Google Docs?

Ellipsus isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great alternative for writers

There are a lot of core similarities between Ellipsus and Google Docs, but in my experience so far, Ellipsus is better for creative writing in almost every way. On a basic level, Ellipsus and Google Docs are both web-based word processors organized with folders and documents, which can be shared with others for collaboration. They both have various formatting options, spellcheck, version history, and tools for exporting your work to other file formats.

Beyond that, things get a little more complicated. For instance, spellcheck in Ellipsus allows you to change every instance of a misspelled word at once, which is nice. However, it currently has fewer exporting options than Google Docs.

AI is one of the most significant ways the two platforms differ. Ellipsus has made it clear that it does not include any AI tools and won’t use your documents to train AI. A blog post explaining the development team’s stance on AI states, “In a rapidly changing world, transparency and consent is paramount. We will never sell your data or use your work for exploitative purposes. We stand for creative authenticity. We believe that AI-generated content should not overtake human voices and that LLMs in their current form are unethically trained and applied. Barring significant regulatory changes, we will never weave generative AI into Ellipsus.”

This is important to note since that stance differs drastically from Google’s. Over recent years, Google has increasingly baked AI into its apps, including AI tools in Google Docs. At the time of writing, Google claims it doesn’t use user content, such as private documents stored in Google Docs, to train its AI models.

However, it’s understandable why some users would be concerned about that policy changing in the future, especially considering there are numerous ongoing lawsuits between authors and AI companies revolving around copyright protection. Additionally, some people might just prefer not to have AI in their creative writing process, including myself.

If you’re also in that camp, Ellipsus could be a good alternative to Google Docs. At the very least, it’s nice for creatives to have an option beyond Google’s ecosystem with similar features, especially one that’s specifically designed for writers.

Should you try the Ellipsus beta or wait it out?

After testing it out for a couple of weeks, I’ve come to love Ellipsus and plan to keep using it for my writing. It’s not for everyone, though, and there are still some key features that haven’t launched yet, like a mobile app and support for offline editing. Ellipsus is technically still in beta, so it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not in a completed state yet. Of course, it’s free, so it’s not like you’re paying for an unfinished product.

If you’re looking for a free, user-friendly platform for creative writing with some handy collaboration features, I suggest giving Ellipsus a try. Even with some features missing, it’s still a really clean, smooth app with a nice writing interface. However, if you want more robust features similar to those in larger writing apps like Scrivener or Ulysses, you’ll probably be better off bookmarking Ellipsus and waiting until it’s more fleshed out to dive in.