Stumped about what to write today?
You’re in good company.
There’s no shame in admitting that, either.
Even the best writers have days when they could use a little help.
Whether you’re journaling or brainstorming ideas for a new story, book, or blog post, a writing prompts app could change everything.
And after looking through the list below, you’ll have a better idea of which prompt app will help you the most.
Read on to find a new favorite.
- 7 Writing Prompts Apps You Should Try
- 1. Rory’s Story Cubes by Asmodee Digital: Android and iOS
- 2. Prompted Journal—Guided Self-Care Journaling by Darling Apps (Plum Studio, Inc.): Android or iOS
- 3. The Brainstormer by Tapnik / Excite Engineering, LLC: Android and iOS
- 4. Lists for Writers by Thinkamingo: Android and iOS
- 5. Writing Prompts from Writing.com: Android and iOS
- 6. Daily Prompt Writing App by Daily Prompt, Ltd.: iOS only
- 7. Writing Prompts—An Online Community! by Bew Technologies: Android only
- Conclusion
7 Writing Prompts Apps You Should Try
We’ve picked seven of our favorite daily writing prompts apps for you to explore. Make a note of the features that appeal to you most.
1. Rory’s Story Cubes by Asmodee Digital: Android and iOS
Based on the award-winning game using nine physical dice covered in symbols, this app allows you to generate story ideas wherever you are. If you’ve got your mobile phone, you now have a way to spark new connections in your mind with a virtual roll of the dice.
One shake of your device gets the dice rolling. Once they settle, each die shows a simple drawing — like a lock, a compass, a flower, a word bubble, etc. Players can use the images in any order to create a new story idea.
The original game’s website offers helpful tips for using the dice.
Top Features:
- Image prompts using six-sided virtual dice
- Allows you to take pictures of the dice and lock dice in play
- No winners or losers—just storytellers
Price: $1.99
2. Prompted Journal—Guided Self-Care Journaling by Darling Apps (Plum Studio, Inc.): Android or iOS
Even if you love your journaling habit, some days you could probably use a little help thinking about what to write. And if you’ve been putting self-care on the back burner, this journaling app could change that.
Described as a “daily journal for self-compassion,” Prompted Journal makes it easier to prioritize your daily check-in with yourself. The longer and more regularly you use the app, the more clearly you can see your growth from the day you started.
You can even create a PDF of your journal entries, organized by prompt or by date.
Top Features:
- 100+ writing prompts, which cycle every 3-4 months
- Write letters to your past and future self.
- Scroll through entries for each prompt to see your progress
- Create PDFs of journal entries to print.
Price: Free
3. The Brainstormer by Tapnik / Excite Engineering, LLC: Android and iOS
This writing prompt generator uses a three-part wheel (with a vintage look) that you spin to get three terms or phrases. The outer wheel gives you your story’s subject. The middle wheel gives you the style or setting for the story. The inner wheel gives you the conflict.
Not every combination will get your imagination whirring, but each word has been carefully selected to maximize your chance of quickly finding a prompt that lights you up and gets the ideas flowing.
Approach each spin’s results with a “What if?” question and see where it leads you.
Top Features:
- Different wheels available for purchase: Character, World, Creature, etc.
- Spin the wheels as many times as necessary to get a result that sparks interest.
- Create new wheels or edit existing ones, and share your results.
Price: $0.99 (Android) or $1.99 (iOS)
4. Lists for Writers by Thinkamingo: Android and iOS
This app delivers a huge variety of lists writers of all skill levels will find useful—including names, character traits, obsessions, occupations, settings, action verbs, and plenty more.
Whether you’re looking for something specific or you just want to browse the lists for inspiration, if you’re a storyteller, this is one app you’ll be using often. The list of different hues for each color is reason enough to give it a try.
Selecting any topic from the master list takes you to more specific categories which then lead to more specific terms with brief definitions. This app replaces a bookshelf worth of reference materials and keeps them at your fingertips wherever you go.
Top Features:
- Shuffle and search features make it easier to find what you need.
- Color-coded master list shows a collapsed version of the lists available.
- General categories link to more specific lists and defined terms.
Price: $2.99
5. Writing Prompts from Writing.com: Android and iOS
With over 800 text prompts and hundreds of visuals, this app guarantees multiple millions of options for storytelling. You have your choice of five prompt generators: news (current events), scenes, sketches, texts, and words.
View your prompts in landscape or portrait orientation. Scroll through their database of 600 creative writing prompts and save the ones you like. Swipe through your list of favorites to find the perfect prompt for the moment.
If you’re hungry for more material, add up to four additional packs of prompts through in-app purchasing.
Top Features:
- Shake your device or swipe to change prompts.
- Add an unlimited number of prompts to your “Favorites” to save them for later.
- 400 scene elements, 450 words, 60 sketches, 10 colors, 80+ genres, and more.
Price: $1.99
6. Daily Prompt Writing App by Daily Prompt, Ltd.: iOS only
Build a daily writing habit with this app, which gives you a new writing prompt every day, along with the option of giving and receiving feedback from other writers in their community. Connect with and follow your favorites for more inspiration and support.
Upgrade your account to Daily Prompt Premium (in-app purchase) to access over 600 carefully crafted writing prompts, advanced writer insights, and unlimited access to their weekly writing competitions.
Premium membership also lets you write an unlimited number of daily entries, with unrestricted word count.
If you’re looking for something similar for Android, check out the next option.
Top Features:
- Daily writing prompts (600+ with Premium)
- Weekly writing competitions (and unlimited entries with Premium)
- Read pieces from other writers in the community and give/receive feedback.
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
7. Writing Prompts—An Online Community! by Bew Technologies: Android only
When you download this app, it invites you to sign in using your Google account. Once in, you can tap on a specific genre or just scroll through prompts posted by writers in the community. Tap on the heart to “like” it. Click on the coin to “give coins” to the writer.
You can then either read the stories already written for that prompt or write one of your own.
The toolbar at the bottom of your screen takes you to your prompts feed, your home page — where you can follow other writers and read their prompts — your story feed, or your notifications page.
If you have suggestions for improving the app, write to them at writingpromptsapp@gmail.com.
Top Features:
- Prompts posted by other writers give you an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
- Write and share your stories and give/receive feedback to/from other writers.
- Share your own prompts to inspire other writers in the community.
Price: Free
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Conclusion
Now that you’ve had a chance to look through all seven writing prompts apps, which ones stood out for you. And which will you try first?