Sunset Mesa Software
Writing Tools vs Rewire Text
Writing Tools is a free, open-source app that got deserved attention as "Apple Intelligence writing tools for Windows": select text, press a hotkey, pick an AI action like proofread, rewrite, or summarize, with your own API key or a local model. Rewire Text shares that exact interaction and the same BYOK values, and costs $29.
So the fair question is the obvious one: why pay? The short answer is that the two overlap on AI rewrites and diverge on everything around them: deterministic transforms, one product versus two ports, release cadence, distribution, and support. If the overlap is all you need, the free tool wins. The rest of this page is about what sits outside the overlap.
At a glance
| Rewire Text | Writing Tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS and Windows | Windows, a separate macOS 14+ port, and source-only Linux |
| Price | $29 one-time | Free, open source (GPL-3.0) |
| License and trial | One license, any 2 devices, managed by you. 7-day fully functional trial, then a core set of transforms stays free. 14-day refund. | No license, account, or paid support. Portable download. Last release May 2025 (as of July 2026). |
| How you trigger it | Global hotkey and command palette in any app, plus a full window for longer text | Global hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default) with an action popup |
| Non-AI transforms | 43 transforms (case, encoding, formatting and cleanup, Markdown, developer tools). Instant, on-device, no key, no network. | None |
| AI transforms | 18 fixed transforms (tone, proofread, summarize, and more), one-click translation into 29+ languages, free-form custom instructions, and custom transforms you save and reuse | Proofread, rewrite, tone, summarize, key points, table creation, and custom buttons |
| Bring your own key | Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, xAI Grok, and OpenRouter built in, plus any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Through OpenRouter and compatible endpoints, that reaches hundreds of models from effectively every major provider. | Gemini (default), OpenAI, Mistral, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint |
| Local models | Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp | Ollama, llama.cpp, KoboldCPP, TabbyAPI, vLLM, MLX |
Writing Tools facts verified July 13, 2026 against github.com. Out of date? Tell us.
Where Writing Tools is the better pick
- It is free. No trial clock, no license. For a student or anyone price-sensitive, that settles it.
- It is open source. GPL-3.0, auditable, forkable. If you only run software you can read, this is your pick.
- Broad local-runner support. Beyond Ollama and llama.cpp it also speaks KoboldCPP, TabbyAPI, vLLM, and MLX. Tinkerers with unusual local setups get more options than Rewire Text offers.
Where Rewire Text is the better pick
- The deterministic half. Writing Tools has no non-AI transforms. Rewire Text ships 43: case conversion, Base64 and URL encoding, whitespace and line-break cleanup, Markdown utilities, JSON tools. They run instantly, offline, with no model involved, and they are the transforms you reach for most often.
- One product, both platforms. Writing Tools on Windows and on macOS are two separate codebases at different versions with different features. Rewire Text is the same app, same transforms, same settings on both, and one license covers a machine of each.
- Maintenance and support. Writing Tools' last release was May 2025 (as of July 2026); it is a volunteer project and owes you nothing. Rewire Text is a commercial product with a release cadence, a changelog, and someone answering email.
- Distribution and polish. Signed installers and a Microsoft Store listing instead of a portable download, a searchable command palette with pinned transforms, streaming previews before anything is replaced, and per-transform cost tracking.
Which should you choose?
- Budget is zero, or open source is a requirement: Writing Tools. It does the AI-rewrite job and does it for free.
- You also want the mechanical transforms, or you work across a Mac and a PC: Rewire Text. The $29 mostly buys the half the free tool does not attempt, plus one maintained app across both platforms.
- You are unsure: run both for a week. Rewire Text's trial is fully functional, and the comparison costs you nothing either way.
Questions
Is Writing Tools really free?
Yes. It is open source under GPL-3.0, costs nothing, and works with your own API key or a local model. If its AI actions cover everything you need, it is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Why pay $29 for Rewire Text when Writing Tools is free?
For the half Writing Tools does not have, plus the ongoing maintenance. Rewire Text adds 43 deterministic transforms (case, encoding, formatting, Markdown, developer tools), ships as one maintained product on macOS and Windows with signed installers and a Microsoft Store listing, streams results into a preview with per-transform cost tracking, and comes with support and a license you can move between your two devices.
Do both support local models?
Yes, both are strong here. Writing Tools supports Ollama, llama.cpp, KoboldCPP, TabbyAPI, vLLM, and MLX. Rewire Text supports Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp, plus any local server with an OpenAI-compatible API.
Is the macOS version of Writing Tools the same app?
No. The macOS version is a separate native port with its own codebase and version number, and the two have drifted (different versions, different features). Rewire Text is one product with the same transforms and settings on both platforms.
Is Rewire Text open source?
No, it is a commercial app. What it shares with the open-source ethos: no account, no telemetry of your text, keys stored in the OS keychain, and AI traffic that goes only to the provider you chose or stays on your machine.
Try the paid one next to the free one
Rewire Text's trial is 7 days with everything on. Run it beside Writing Tools on your own text; if the deterministic transforms and the polish do not earn the $29, keep the free tool with our blessing.