Essayist: Academic Writing App
APA, MLA, Chicago & More
Free · In-App Purchases
Try Essayist for free today!
"Mac App of the Year 2025" — Apple
"App of the Day" — Apple
"Editors' Choice" — Apple
"A-Plus Apps for Students " — Apple
"Mac Essentials" — Apple
Essayist allows you to write APA, MLA, Chicago & Harvard Style essays with ease. From in-text citations and footnotes to references and page setup, Essayist takes care of everything. It greatly simplifies the academic writing process.
AUTOMATIC FORMATTING
Essayist formats everything for you. Upon starting a new essay it sets up the title section/page, margins, font, line spacing, alignment, page headers/footers, etc. It formats your references, in-text citations, footnotes/endnotes, figures, tables, table of contents and more.
UNIVERSAL REFERENCE MANAGER
Store and manage references in a universal reference manager backed by iCloud. Search for, add, and store references in one place and use references across multiple essays. Create separate collections (folders) within the reference manager to organize and manage references. Add references quickly and easily using Google Scholar, Essayist’s built-in search, by pasting a URL or manual entry forms. Once added, references are automatically formatted and added to your essay’s references/works cited list.
CITATIONS (IN-TEXT CITATIONS, FOOTNOTES, ENDNOTES)
Add in-text citations and footnotes/endnotes with ease. Simply tap the insert citation button and select the reference you wish to cite. An in-text citation/footnote/endnote is automatically created for you
GENERAL FOOTNOTES
Add general footnotes to any essay.
EQUATIONS
Essayist supports equations backed by LaTeX.
CITATION STYLES
Essayist supports: AMA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard, MLA & Vancouver.
EXPORT
Export your work to PDF or Word.
MINIMAL INTERFACE
A simple interface helps you write without distractions.
ABSTRACT, APPENDICES & TABLE OF CONTENTS
Add an abstract, appendices and a table of contents to your essay.
FIGURES & TABLES
Easily add figures and tables with all the required information (caption, title, numbering, notes, etc.).
REGULAR UPDATES
We are working hard to make Essayist the best academic writing app it can be. If you have feature requests or encounter issues, please don't hesitate to contact us at contact@essayist.app
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- iOS & macOS versions (universal purchase)
- Built-in Universal Reference Manager
- Pre-defined & customizable paragraph styles (Block Quote, Headings, etc.)
- Import BibTeX
- Various reference types (News Article, Magazine, Website, Dictionary, etc. …)
- Two paper sizes: US Letter & A4
- Two font choices: Times New Roman & Arial
- Word Count & Page Count
- Multiple background choices
- Spell Check, Auto Completion & Auto Capitalization
- Dark mode
- Designed for Accessibility
PRICING
Essayist Pro requires a subscription. Choose between a monthly and a yearly subscription.
Terms of Use: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/82031685
Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/82031685
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The simplest way to compose an A+ essay. Choose your citation style and the app will format your work to match. Then use the built-in source manager to look up – and properly cite – your references.
The simplest way to compose an A+ essay. Choose your citation style and the app will format your work to match. Then use the built-in source manager to look up – and properly cite – your references.
Another writing app with an expensive monthly/yearly subscription? No, thanks!
Another writing app with an expensive monthly/yearly subscription? No, thanks!
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a reported issue with PDF export. Thank you for emailing us!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.8 16 Feb
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a reported crash related to BibTeX import and contains other minor improvements. Thank you for emailing us!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.7 15 Jan
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a reported crash related to endnotes. Thank you for emailing us!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.6 18/12/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a reported crash. Thank you for emailing us!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.5 18/12/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a few reported issues.
From version 1.17.0:
• Refreshed Design - Experience Essayist's refined interface, perfectly aligned with Apple's latest design language
• New App Icon - Our reimagined icon reflects Essayist's modern design and professional capabilities
• Smart PDF Import - Drop any journal article PDF into the reference manager and watch Essayist automatically extract all citation
details
• Spotlight & Shortcuts - Add references instantly without opening Essayist using new Spotlight actions and Shortcuts
• Enhanced Menu Bar - iPad now features a full Menu Bar, while Mac gets a refined, modernized menu bar experience
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.4 09/12/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update fixes an issue with the blue auto complete underline some times underlining too much text as well as other minor fixes.
From version 1.17.0:
• Refreshed Design - Experience Essayist's refined interface, perfectly aligned with Apple's latest design language
• New App Icon - Our reimagined icon reflects Essayist's modern design and professional capabilities
• Smart PDF Import - Drop any journal article PDF into the reference manager and watch Essayist automatically extract all citation
details
• Spotlight & Shortcuts - Add references instantly without opening Essayist using new Spotlight actions and Shortcuts
• Enhanced Menu Bar - iPad now features a full Menu Bar, while Mac gets a refined, modernized menu bar experience
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.3 15/10/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update adds some interface enhancements.
From version 1.17.0:
• Refreshed Design - Experience Essayist's refined interface, perfectly aligned with Apple's latest design language
• New App Icon - Our reimagined icon reflects Essayist's modern design and professional capabilities
• Smart PDF Import - Drop any journal article PDF into the reference manager and watch Essayist automatically extract all citation
details
• Spotlight & Shortcuts - Add references instantly without opening Essayist using new Spotlight actions and Shortcuts
• Enhanced Menu Bar - iPad now features a full Menu Bar, while Mac gets a refined, modernized menu bar experience
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.2 03/10/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a few reported issues. Thank you!
From version 1.17.0:
• Refreshed Design - Experience Essayist's refined interface, perfectly aligned with Apple's latest design language
• New App Icon - Our reimagined icon reflects Essayist's modern design and professional capabilities
• Smart PDF Import - Drop any journal article PDF into the reference manager and watch Essayist automatically extract all citation
details
• Spotlight & Shortcuts - Add references instantly without opening Essayist using new Spotlight actions and Shortcuts
• Enhanced Menu Bar - iPad now features a full Menu Bar, while Mac gets a refined, modernized menu bar experience
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.1 24/09/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
• Refreshed Design - Experience Essayist's refined interface, perfectly aligned with Apple's latest design language
• New App Icon - Our reimagined icon reflects Essayist's modern design and professional capabilities
• Smart PDF Import - Drop any journal article PDF into the reference manager and watch Essayist automatically extract all citation
details
• Spotlight & Shortcuts - Add references instantly without opening Essayist using new Spotlight actions and Shortcuts
• Enhanced Menu Bar - iPad now features a full Menu Bar, while Mac gets a refined, modernized menu bar experience
• Desktop-Class iPad Windows - Enjoy true multi-window productivity on iPad
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.17.0 11/09/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier: Back to School with Essayist!
AMA & VANCOUVER
Essayist now supports AMA and Vancouver styles, streamlining numeric referencing for medical and scientific writing.
STAY TUNED
Another big udpate is just around the corner.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.16.0 20/08/2025
Essay Writing Just Got Easier: Our latest update significantly improves image rendering and addresses a crash related to copy/pasting.
Stay tuned for our upcoming Back to School update!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.11 29/07/2025
This update provides some small fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.10 27/05/2025
This update addresses some minor issues.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.9 26/05/2025
This update addresses some minor issues.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.8 21/05/2025
This update addresses an issue that caused Essayist's menu to be stuck behind the keyboard when using Stage Manager.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.7 15/05/2025
This update addresses a minor issue with Writing Tools and includes some other minor bug fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.6 14/05/2025
This update includes some minor bug fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.5 07/05/2025
This update includes some minor bug fixes and addresses a crash related to copy/paste.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.4 06/05/2025
This update includes some minor bug fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.3 02/05/2025
This update includes some minor bug fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.2 02/05/2025
This update includes some minor bug fixes.
From version 1.15.0:
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.1 30/04/2025
HEADERS & FOOTERS
Customize headers and footers with running heads, last names, or custom text as well as various page numbering formats.
TITLE PAGE EDITOR
Customize your title page to fit your needs—add, rearrange, and modify fields effortlessly to suit any layout.
MANAGE SECTIONS
Add and organize sections directly from Essayist's menu—insert a Table of Contents, Abstract, or Appendix. Easily drag and drop sections to arrange them as needed.
APA PROFESSIONAL + CHICAGO
Essayist now supports the latest editions of APA Professional and Chicago citation styles.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.15.0 30/04/2025
This update addresses an issue when trying to create Harvard or MLA style essay on the latest version of iOS.
COMING SOON
Essayist is about to get more flexible. A major update is on the way.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.14.3 23/04/2025
This is a minor update addressing a few bugs.
COMING SOON
Our next major update is in the final stages of testing. Stay tuned!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.14.2 18/03/2025
WRITING TOOLS
This update ensures compatibility with latest version of iOS, which brings new features to Writing Tools.
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
1.14.1 09/12/2024
Essay Writing Just Got Easier:
This update addresses a reported issue with PDF export. Thank you for emailing us!
If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.
more
Version 1.17.8 16 Feb
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Purchases Usage Data Diagnostics 
