Published December 11, 2025 • Last updated December 11, 2025
Looking for a word tracker to keep your writing momentum alive? Whether you're writing a novel, academic papers, or blog posts, the right word tracker can make the difference between finishing and abandoning your project halfway through.
A word tracker is a tool that helps writers monitor their writing progress by logging daily word counts, tracking streaks, and visualizing trends over time. Unlike word processors that just show your current document's total, word trackers focus on progress over time and building consistent writing habits.
The best word trackers show you patterns you wouldn't notice otherwise: which days you write most, how your pace fluctuates, and how close you are to finishing based on your actual output (not just optimistic goals).
Tracking word counts serves three psychological functions that genuinely help writers finish projects:
Visible progress. Writing a book is a long walk. Without visible milestones, it's hard to see how far you've come. Charts and totals make invisible effort feel real.
Accountability through streaks. Seeing "12 days in a row" creates pressure not to break the chain. It's why NaNoWriMo worked so well for so many writers.
Realistic pacing. Good trackers show you how long it'll actually take to finish based on your real pace, not your wishful thinking. This keeps goals achievable.
Here's an honest comparison of the most popular word tracking tools. Full disclosure: I built Authorlytica, so I'm not neutral. But I'll do my best to explain when each tool is the right choice.
Best for: Writers who want year-round tracking with streaks, trends, and visual progress.
What it does:
What it doesn't do:
Pricing: Free during beta. Permanent free tier planned when premium features launch.
Why I built it: After NaNoWriMo shut down in 2024, I wanted that same tracking and accountability but year-round. Authorlytica focuses on low friction (fast logging) and high motivation (visible streaks and trends).
Best for: Writers who want deadline-driven planning with flexible pacing.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: Pacemaker excels at deadline-driven projects (like NaNoWriMo or finishing a draft by a specific date). If you need to hit a hard deadline, Pacemaker's scheduling features are excellent. If you want year-round habit building with streaks, Authorlytica or 4thewords might fit better.
Best for: Writers who love RPG-style gamification and battles.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you love games and community, 4thewords is engaging and fun. If you just want simple tracking without the RPG layer, it's overkill.
Best for: Writers who love building custom systems and want total control.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you enjoy building spreadsheets, this is powerful and free. If you find Excel tedious, you'll abandon it within a month. Many writers start with spreadsheets and eventually switch to dedicated tools like Authorlytica because the maintenance overhead gets annoying.
Best for: Writers who already use Scrivener and want basic tracking built in.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you already use Scrivener, try the built-in tracking first. If it's not motivating enough, add a dedicated tracker on top. Many writers use Scrivener for writing and Authorlytica for progress tracking.
Best for: Writers tracking multiple habits who like RPG gamification.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you're tracking multiple habits (exercise, meditation, writing) and love game mechanics, Habitica is fun. But if you only care about word tracking, it's not optimized for that use case.
Best for: Writers who already use Notion and want everything in one workspace.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you already live in Notion, building a word tracker there keeps everything in one place. If you want a dedicated tool that just works without setup, try Authorlytica or Pacemaker instead.
Best for: Writers who want iOS/Mac-native apps.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you're all-in on Apple devices and want a simple native app, Write Track is solid. If you use multiple platforms, you need a web-based tool like Authorlytica or Pacemaker.
Best for: Writers who want community features and write-ins.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: If you miss the NaNoWriMo community and want write-ins year-round, MyWriteClub fills that gap. If you just want personal tracking, Authorlytica is cleaner and more focused.
Best for: Writers who want beautiful minimalist design.
What it does well:
What it doesn't do:
Verdict: Beautiful design, but limited functionality. If aesthetics are your top priority, it's worth trying. If you want robust features, try Authorlytica or 4thewords.
| Tool | Best For | Streaks | Charts | Community | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorlytica | Year-round progress tracking | ✓ | ✓ | — | Free (beta) |
| Pacemaker | Deadline-driven projects | — | ✓ | — | Free / Premium |
| 4thewords | RPG gamification fans | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $4-6/month |
| Excel/Sheets | Custom system builders | Manual | Manual | — | Free |
| Scrivener | Scrivener users | — | — | — | $49-59 |
| Habitica | Multiple habits | ✓ | — | ✓ | Free / Premium |
| Notion | Notion power users | Manual | Manual | — | Free / Paid |
| Write Track | Apple users | ✓ | ✓ | — | $4.99 |
| MyWriteClub | Community write-ins | ✓ | — | ✓ | Free |
| Wordcradle | Minimalist design | — | ✓ | — | Free / Premium |
Here's my honest recommendation based on what you need:
Try Authorlytica. It's designed to give you that same daily accountability and visible progress, but 365 days a year. Free during beta.
Try Pacemaker. Its scheduling features are built for deadline-driven projects.
Try 4thewords. The RPG mechanics are engaging if you're into that style. MyWriteClub is another option if you want free community features.
Use Excel or Notion. The setup time is worth it if you love building systems.
Try the built-in tracking first. If it's not motivating enough, add Authorlytica on top for streaks and trends.
The best word tracker is the one you'll actually use consistently. Here's the test:
If the answer to all three is yes, you've found the right tool. If not, try something else.
I built Authorlytica because I wanted three things:
If you want the same things, give it a try. It's free during beta, and there's no credit card required.
A word processor (like Google Docs or Microsoft Word) is where you write. A word tracker is where you track your progress over time. Word processors show your current document's total. Word trackers show daily output, streaks, trends, and pace projections across multiple sessions.
Maybe not. If you're finishing projects without external accountability, a tracker might just be extra friction. But many consistent writers still track because seeing progress is motivating, even when the habit is already established.
Yes. Many writers use Scrivener for writing + Authorlytica for tracking, or Excel for detailed custom analysis + 4thewords for gamification. Use what works for you.
NaNoWriMo, the organization behind National Novel Writing Month, shut down in 2024 due to financial and reputational issues. Writers are continuing the challenge informally, but there's no longer a centralized official tracker. Tools like Authorlytica, Pacemaker, and MyWriteClub fill that gap.
No. Word trackers work for any long-form writing: novels, academic papers, blog posts, screenplays, memoirs, or technical documentation. If you're writing consistently toward a word count goal, tracking helps.