= 12+ Best Technical Writing Tools and Software in 2022 =
Searching for the best technical writing tools and software to help you more effectively create great technical content?
There are lots of useful free and premium tools out there to help you create better technical content and save time while doing so
In this post, weâve collected 12+ of our favorite options covering a range of different use cases. To make it easier for you to browse the tools, weâve divided them into three different categories:
- Writing and Editing
- Creating/Managing Media (Images and Videos)
- Publishing and Multi-Platform Authoring
Letâs get right into the tools!
== Technical Writing Tools for Publishing and Multi-Platform Authoring ==
This last group of tools helps you actually take your technical content and publish it, either on the web or in multiple formats
HeroThemes â Create an Online Knowledge Base
HeroThemes can help you create your own online knowledge base using the free WordPress software, which is the most popular way to make a website
Itâs a great way for publishing your technical writing online and making it accessible to your customers. You can organize your technical articles into categories, add user-friendly features like live search suggestions, and track what your users are searching for and how helpful they find each article
To create your own self-hosted knowledge base, you can use either the KnowAll WordPress knowledge base theme or the Heroic KB plugin to add a knowledge base to any WordPress theme
To get started, you can follow our guide on how to create a WordPress knowledge base
Document360 â Technical Documentation Software
Document360 is a technical documentation software delivers everything you need to support your technical writing
It comes with all the documentation features you need out of the box such as AI-Powered search, Markdown editors, WYSIWYG, Version control, Localization, and more to create User guides, User Manuals, FAQs, and manage multiple projects. The platform offers comprehensive security features, including SSL and database encryption, 100% cloud-based architecture, enterprise SSO, auditing, backups, versioning, etc. It integrates with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Zapier, and more
This authoring tool is easy to use and provides a world-class authoring experience that can be customized to meet the expectations of small and large enterprises alike. You may use the tool to create the content, manage users, collect comments, and keep your content safe. It enables your internal teams to respond quickly to customer queries and relay the information they need. Also helps your customers to solve their queries instantly
You can get full access to Document360 with a 14 days free trial. Paid plans start at $99/month
Adobe RoboHelp â Multi-Platform Authoring
Adobe RoboHelp is a popular help authoring tool for technical content
It lets you create content in a variety of formats including Markdown, HTML5, Word, and more. You can manage your content in one spot and then publish it across different platforms including HTML5, PDF, Microsoft Help (CHM), a mobile app, and more
All in all, it can be a good option if youâre part of an organization that needs multi-platform publishing for technical content
Adobe RoboHelp starts at $29.99 per month
MadCap Flare â Multi-Platform Authoring
Like Adobe RoboHelp, MadCap Flare is another popular multi-platform solution for technical writers and content teams
You can import content via Word, Excel, HTML, PDF, images, etc. Once you have your content, youâll get tools to review it and even translate it into new languages if needed
Then, you can publish your content across multiple platforms including web, print, desktop applications, and mobile applications
Overall, itâs another solid option for heavy-duty technical writing and multi-platform publishing
Prices for MadCap Flare start at $149/user/month
== Technical Writing Tools for Writing and Editing ==
These tools help you write, edit, and manage your technical writing content
Google Docs
It should almost go without saying, but Google Docs is the de facto writing tool for a lot of technical writers. It not only gives you full word processing right in your browser, but it also allows for easy comments and collaboration with other team members
And oh yeah, itâs also free!
Grammarly
Google Docs (or Word) includes its own spelling/grammar checker. But for a more heavy-duty look, you can use Grammarly, which offers a comprehensive check for both grammar and style
One of the nice things about using Grammarly for editing technical writing is that you can set âgoalsâ for your writing which lets Grammarly adopt its style suggestions to your writing goals:
Trello
Trello is a really useful tool for managing technical writing projects. It doesnât help with the writing itself, but it does help with managing your writing and tracking its status
If youâre not familiar with Trello, it lets you use Kanban boards to manage any type of project
For technical writing, you can create cards for each piece of content that youâre working on. Then, you can organize those cards into different boards such as:
- Assigned
- In progress
- In editing
- Submitted
- Published
- Etc
Overall, itâs just generally a great tool for staying on top of where you are in the content creation process for each piece of writing
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is a useful tool for viewing or creating PDF files. Itâs a must-have if you need to create technical content in PDF format, as it allows for both basic text editing and rich formatting
You can get started with a free trial of Acrobat, but youâll need a paid plan to create your own documents. The full-featured Acrobat Pro paid plans cost $14.99 and work on Windows and Mac
== Technical Writing Tools for Creating/Managing Media (Images and Videos) ==
These tools help you work with media content for your writingâ¦
SnagIt
SnagIt is a great tool for capturing short screen recordings or screenshots and marking them up with basic annotations as needed
By using a keyboard shortcut or mouse click, you can quickly start a recording or take a screenshot of your entire screen or just a specific portion
For screenshots, you can also easily add annotations like text, arrows, boxes, etc. to make the screenshot clearer and draw readersâ attention to certain areas
Other useful features include:
- Step tool to automatically document multi-step processes
- GIF/Video creator to easily create a video or GIF from a series of images
- Grab text feature to extract the text from a screen capture or video and paste it into your content editor
All in all, itâs just a really versatile tool for screenshots or short screen captures
SnagIt has a free trial but costs $50 per user after the trial ends
Snipaste
Snipaste is a really useful free alternative to SnagIt for taking annotated screenshots on a budget. Itâs cross-platform, with versions for Windows and Mac, as well as a Linux version on the way
Using a keyboard shortcut or mouse click, it lets you take a screenshot of your entire screen or just a portion. You can then add basic edits like text, arrows, boxes, blurring, and more
It also includes some useful features for working with images, such as:
- Snipping suggestions to capture the right dimensions
- Pinning a screenshot to your screen (
great for writing instructions)
- Copying an image instead of saving it
Loom
Loom is a user-friendly and free alternative to SnagIt for creating short videos, with or without your webcam
You can create a video of some or all of your screen and choose whether or not to overlay your webcam feed on top of the video
To use it, you can either use cross-platform desktop software or you can just use a browser extension for most popular web browsers
Loom is free for basic features and up to 100 videos. Unlimited plans start at $8/user/month
Pixlr
Pixlr is a great tool if you need more heavy-duty image editing than Snipaste or SnagIt allow for
Itâs 100% browser-based, so thereâs nothing to download. But at the same time, it gives you really flexible image editing on par with Photoshop
There are two versions of Pixlr:
- Pixlr X â quick photo editing for lightweight edits
- Pixlr E â heavy-duty photo editing (
think Photoshop)
Both versions have free versions as well as paid versions that add more features
Overall, if you need flexible image editing but donât want to install software, Pixlr is a really useful tool for technical writers
Camtasia
While Loom and SnagIt are great for short-form, quick-hit explainer videos, sometimes youâll need something more powerful that allows for editing and other tweaking. Thatâs where Camtasia comes in â itâs a multi-platform video editing tool that helps you create and edit short or long-form video content
You can record some/all of your screen, along with the option to include audio and/or your webcam feed. If needed, you can also import other video clips in addition to your recordings
From there, you get a full video editor to cut and enhance your video as needed
Overall, for cross-platform video editing, Camtasia is one of your best options
== Try These Technical Writing Tools Today ==
All of the tools on this list can help you improve your technical writing, whether thatâs finding the right tool for creating content, getting help with images and videos, or publishing your content to your own self-hosted WordPress knowledge base or to multi-platform destinations
Try out the tools that you find most interesting and enjoy a more streamlined technical writing workflow
**Have any questions about these tools? Or want to share a technical writing tool that you love? Let us know in the comments
Colin Newcomer
