Schedule Free Demo
If you’re a Mac owner, this might be the best book writing software for you. While you do have to pay $39.99 per year to use it, the cost to use Ulysses is completely justified. One of the best features has to be the distraction-free capabilities.
Learn everything you want to know about iSpring Suitein a 30-minute webinar.
Thank you for your request
We will contact you shortly to schedule a convenient time for an online meeting. If you have any questions, please contact the iSpring Team at
Oops! Something went wrong...
Please contact them at .
Fully-stocked eLearning authoring toolkit for PowerPoint.
Explore these amazing courses made with iSpring Suite!
You can download the full source files here to see how these courses and assessments work.
Perfect Integration with PowerPoint
Developing eLearning content has never been so fast and easy! With iSpring Suite, you can turn your PowerPoint presentations into e-courses and upload them to your LMS or iSpring Learn LMS.
Supercharged to Develop eLearning Fast and Easy
Take advantage of the most powerful eLearning toolkit for PowerPoint to develop quality courses, video lectures and assessments that will work on any desktop, laptop and mobile platform.
Convert your presentations into online mobile-ready courses.
Easily create video narrations and synchronize them with your slides.
Develop comprehensive tests
with branching and flexible scoring.
Record and fine-tune training videos with the integrated screen recorder.
Build realistic dialogue simulations to train communication skills.
Present your eLearning materials
in the form of engaging interactions.
Publish iSpring content to your learning management system.
Create a course once, enjoy perfect playback on all mobiles and desktops.
Allow your learners to study on the go. Even offline.
Turn office documents into SCORM courses
Your PPT presentations and Word documents are a sound basis for your future courses. To create an eLearning course, just open a file and click on Publish. The course will play seamlessly on any device your learners use.
PowerPoint-Based Courses
Convert your existing presentations into eLearning courses. Use your PowerPoint skills to create tons of quality eLearning content fast and easy without special training.
E-Books from Word and PDF
Turn your Word and PDF files into e-books with a realistic pageflip effect. Create interactive books in a few clicks without spending time on manual tweaking in the editor.
Create Video Lectures
Synchronize your video with your PowerPoint slides and publish it into a video presentation format to reach millions of viewers online.
Video lectures created with iSpring Suite
Build Interactive Assessments
Use state-of-the art iSpring tools to create interactive assessments with rich media, video, drag-n-drops, branching, and flexible scoring and testing rules.
Quizzes created with iSpring Suite
Record Screencasts and Teach Through Video
Now you can record screencasts right in iSpring Suite without using any 3rd-party tools. Capture all or part of your screen with the built-in iSpring Cam tool and paste the video
on your slides, or use it as standalone training material.
Screencasts created with iSpring Suite
Develop Conversation Skills
Create conversation simulations to practice your team’s communication skills. The built-in TalkMaster tool includes a library of backgrounds and characters to develop realistic dialogue simulations with branching and assessments.
Dialogue simulations created with iSpring Suite
Create eLearning Interactions
Make your learning materials more visual with iSpring eLearning interactions that you can create fast and easy with iSpring Suite. Use a set of ready-made templates for creating timelines, references, glossaries, catalogs, and FAQs.
Interactions created with iSpring Suite
Extensive LMS Compatibility
Extensive LMS Compatibility
iSpring Suite produces content that will work well in your LMS. iSpring tools perfectly support all classic and new eLearning standards:
SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, AICC, cmi5, and xAPI (Tin Can).
If don’t have an LMS yet, feel free to use iSpring Learn LMS and enjoy
the advanced reporting capabilities, excellent content playback, and instant one-click publishing.
Adaptive Player That Works Everywhere
Everything you create with iSpring Suite supports HTML5 for perfect playback
on any device, including PCs, Macs, tablets, and smartphones (with Windows, iOS,
and Android OS).
Platforms supported
- Windows PC
- Apple Mac
- iPad and iPhone
- Android
- Windows Phone
iSpring Play Mobile App
iSpring Play is a free mobile app that allows learners to access your content anytime, anywhere, even with no Internet connection.
Content Library
This extensive collection of eLearning assets includes course templates, backgrounds, characters, controls, and icons. Forget about scrolling through stock photos in search of the right visuals. Everything you need for quick development of professional-looking e-courses is right here.
iSpring Cloud
Your private cloud to safely share courses, presentations, and extensive video lectures online. iSpring Suite publishes your content directly to iSpring Cloud. Then you can put your eLearning content on a website, post it on social media, or send via messengers. iSpring Cloud helps you easily track viewers’ activity in every channel.
24/7 customer support
The live support team instantly helps you on the phone at all hours. iSpring engineers will promptly assist you with any questions about our products and content integration with your website or LMS. 83% of cases are resolved within 2 hours.
Unlimited Upgrades
We add 20 brand new features based on popular suggestions from iSpring users every year. With the latest iSpring Suite, your courses work smoothly with all the newest web browsers, operating systems and mobile devices.
iSpring Suite’s quality is recognized by world-renowned industry experts
Each year, iSpring Suite wins prestigious industry awards from Brandon Hall Group, G2 Crowd, Capterra, and other world-famous organizations.
Gold Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Content Authoring Technology (2018)
In the TOP 20 Authoring Tools Companies according to Training Industry
Gold Customer Sales and Service World Awards for iSpring Tech Support Services (2019)
The Leader in Course Authoring at G2, Summer 2019
The Leader in Course Authoring based on user reviews at G2 Crowd
High Performer in Best Course Authoring Software for Mid-Market and Enterprise at G2 Crowd
Highest Quality in Best Authoring Software by Software Suggest (2019)
The Leader in Best Course Authoring Software at G2Crowd
In the TOP 20 Authoring Tools Companies according to Training Industry
Finalist for the 2017 CODiE Awards in Best Authoring / Development Tool for Educators
Gold Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Content Authoring Technology (2016)
High Performer in Course Authoring at G2 Crowd
Gold Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Content Authoring Technology (2013)
Gold Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Technology for Rapid Authoring (2010)
Gold Brandon Hall Award for Best Advance in Content Authoring Technology (2018)
In the TOP 20 Authoring Tools Companies according to Training Industry
Gold Customer Sales and Service World Awards for iSpring Tech Support Services (2019)
Incredible Value at a Reasonable Price
iSpring Suite Annual subscription to the ultimate bundle
of iSpring authoring tools and services
The key components of iSpring Suite:
Discounts and special pricing
Discounts and special pricing
Volume discount
Volume discounts for iSpring Suite are available starting with a 3-seat license.
Contact us for a quoteLifetime license
A lifetime license for iSpring Suite that never expires is available at a special price.
Learn moreWorld Famous Brands Trust iSpring
Thousands of businesses from all over the world choose iSpring eLearning software for building their leadership.
iSpring Featured Customers →Why do 54,000 e-learners choose iSpring? →
Software For Authoring A Book
“I've been using iSpring for several years now. It's easy to use and capable of much more than most users can even imagine, as it's not just a replacement for voice over PowerPoint: it provides tons of interactivity options, assessment possibilities, and more.
The customer service is excellent as well; if something can't be answered in a general support forum, the tech personnel are responsive and helpful via e-mail.“
Jennifer Perkins, Instructional Designer, Eastern Kentucky University
“I have been using this software for 3-4 years and the experience is amazing. You don't need to be a technical person, and you don't need formal training to operate this software, and this is amazing. I am saving around 70 to 80% of the time I was putting into making my content interactive and valuable. Secondly, I came to know all the additional stuff I can do, just go through the features and you will learn the different options which are amazing. Thanks a lot for such software, iSpring.“
Furqan Warsi, Director at Ernst & Young
“After downloading the free trial and working with the program for a few days, I convinced my boss that this was the program we needed for making our on-demand training content spectacular. Also, the sales/customer service people were AWESOME and most helpful. If you're looking for software that gives your PowerPoint presentations that 'zing,' then iSpring Suite is the program for you!“
Judith Chavis, Executive Vice President at American Association
of Service Coordinators
“iSpring is the most reliable, versatile and most powerful tool that truly converts all PowerPoint features, including triggers. Additionally, iSpring works and reports correctly every LMS I have tested it with. I highly recommend iSpring, as a product, as a company, and as a team. Keep up the great work!“
Dustin Bauman, iApproach.com
“The feature of iSpring I am most excited about is the ability to export to HTML5. The benefit of iSpring is that the majority of features that are created in PowerPoint can now be used to create engaging interactive programs for the mobile marketplace. For those of you who want to do the same, I invite you to join the fun!“
Greggory DeVore, Fetal Diagnostic Center
“iSpring is a great rapid development tool. It has lots of features and as it comes as a PowerPoint add-on, there is no real training required as long as you have basic PPT skills.
It offers great value for the money and for the price there is very little on the market that can rival this tool.“
Gary Milbourn, Technical Training Adviser at Transact
“It's really easy to use and if you master PowerPoint you will be able to create interesting, interactive and meaningful e-Learning courses in no time.
I've worked with several LMSs (Moodle, SumTotal, Saba, Chamilo, etc.) and iSpring integrates seamlessly with them. This is something I really appreciate, since I also work with other e-Learning authoring tools and you need to know some tricks to make them work in the LMS. There's no need with iSpring Suite.“
Alejandra Avila, Learning Experience Designer, The Rapid e-Learning Factory
“We rely on iSpring for developing our on-demand course library and we are very happy with it. iSpring produces great looking e-Learning products and it's very flexible and reliable. Our customers love the highly interactive courses that we produce with iSpring.“
Ilker Eke, Director of Products and Engineering at CPE Link
Test Drive iSpring Suite
Enjoy the full functionality with a free 14-day trial!
Start creating powerful courses today!
Ready to create courses faster?
See how iSpring Suite makes course creation a snap!
November is known for turkey, Black Friday sales, not shaving, and—since the year 2000—the month when writers try to (finally) craft the Great American Novel. We're talking about the sixteenth annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
What began as a little event in San Francisco in July 1999 (it moved to November the next year) has ballooned into something far more than national. It's a worldwide phenomenon, backed by a non-profit company created by the founder, Chris Baty, that doubles as a major cheerleader for writers.
It's free to participate, but your tax-deductable donations are encouraged to keep it afloat. That's because you don't really need the NaNoWriMo site to get a book written. But consider how you 'win' at NaNoWriMo: You have to write a 50,000-word novel in just 30 days. That's 1,667 words a day. Stephen King might snap that much off before lunchtime, but the rest of us need encouragement.
Take the first step by announcing your novel at NaNoWriMo.org, and on November 1, start recording your daily word count. You'll earn badges along the way and get advice via newsletters (some by famous authors) and the forums. You can build a community of fellow WriMos online and through local events.
In the end, you'll have a novel. It will probably be crappy. No, it will definitely be crap-tastic. But that's okay! The only rule of NaNoWriMo is to finish—because that's the hardest part. Some famous modern novels, such as Wool, The Night Circus, and Water for Elephants all started life as NaNoWriMo novels. Over 250 traditionally published have come from NaNoWriMo. That's not counting countless more great self-published books. 325,142 people tried to write a NaNoWriMo book in 2014 alone—and 58,917 met the 50,000 word goal!
To truly succeed at NaNoWriMo you need things we can't help you with, like an idea, and a plot, and characters, not to mention the gumption to spend hours each day clacking at the keyboard. But we can point out some of the absolute best software and apps you can get to make it all a little easier to write, plan, and count all those precious words. After you finish that 50,000-word draft—that's the same size at The Great Gatsby!—you'll have all the tools you need on hand to keep writing. Always keep writing.
Desktop Writing Software
There is one primary tool any writer needs first and foremost: a word processor. Of course, the primo processor in the world is Microsoft Word. Plus, Word is available for Windows, Mac, and a simplified version for iPad, the latter being 'the first app that gets tablet-based word processing right,' according to our review). All are available as part of the Microsoft Office 365 Personal subscription for $69 a year (you can't even edit a document on iPad without a Microsoft Office account). There is no better tool for word-smithing overall.
Mac users may prefer to stay with the home team, which means Pages ($19.99), Apple's own design-friendly word processor. It happens to work with Microsoft Word documents. Pages can be accessed on the Web via iCloud.com (free, but you have to upgrade to iCloud Drive) or go through an iOS app ($9.99).
Having both Word and Pages are totally overkill for NaNoWriMo, of course, but chances are you have one of them on hand if you use a computer.
Oh, you like overkill? Then don't get a word processor that's for everything—get one that's ultra-powerful and designed with novelists (like you) in mind. Scrivener is that tool. Now available for Mac OS ($45) and Windows ($40), it contains extras so specific to fiction writing that you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. That includes corkboard outlining, story and script templates, and character files. For WriMos, there's the all-important ability to set up writing goals for the whole book, but also goals per writing session. It also can output books directly to self-publishing services like Amazon Kindle Direct. Whole books have been written on how to master Scrivener.
The free Scrivener trial lasts for 30 days, but there's a special version for WriMos—download it now and you can try it free til Dec. 7, 2015. If you reach your 50,000 word count, you can buy Scrivener for 50 percent off. If you don't reach the word count, you can still get 20 percent off using the coupon code NANOWRIMO when buying Scrivener from its website.
Storyist (Mac, $59; iOS, $14.99) is nipping at the heels of Scrivener, focusing on fiction writers with specialized tools to track the plot, settings, and characters of your novel. On the desktop, it comes with a component to make scripts that meet the Hollywood standard. That iOS version allows writing on the go, even on iPhone—and mobility is a key item for the serious WriMo in this day and age. It also has tools to make outputting your final novel a breeze if you plan to self-publish.
Ulysses (Mac, $44.99; iPad, $19.99) has a NaNoWriMo trial edition (expires Dec. 7, 2015 that comes with a special version of Writing a Novel with Ulysses by novelist David Hewson. (He's also written a similar edition for Scrivener.)
There's also yWriter (Win/Mac/Linux, free), which does a lot of the above—tracking characters, chapters, etc.—but even in version 5.2 it's looking pretty old in the tooth these days. Consider it if you like your apps old-school.
New to the game is Bibisco, an open-source tool for Windows and Linux, complete with novel and scene organization, character development tools, even charts to show distribution across the book of where characters and locations and more appear. For a free tool, its and up-and-comer.
Distraction-Free Writing
The above are all examples of power tools for getting words down. To rid yourself of on-screen distractions, there is a breed of full-screen word processors that provide minimal disturbance—nothing appears on the screen except your story. There are a lot of them, for installation on the desktop or to use on the Web. To be fair, Ulysses, Microsoft Word, Scrivener, and most word processors have a full-screen mode that'll do this, but the bells and whistles could still be a diversion. Ain't nobody got time for that—you've got words to write!
On the Mac, there's iA Writer (Mac, $19.99)—it's so minimalist you can't even pick a font. Pair it with the $9.99 iOS version and $4.99 Android versions for a fully mobile distraction-free ecosystem.
The competition at WriteRoom (Mac, $9.99) has been called a 'Spartan writing utopia' by the New York Times. If you like the look of green-glowing-type on black, the kind of thing we had 25 years ago on the Apple II, you'll agree. (You can change the look with special themes).
Windows users should check out CreaWriter (donationware), which lets you customize the background image and add musical accompaniment via MP3 files. WriteMonkey (free) has multiple languages and even sound packages so you can feel like you're at an old-school typewriter. ZenWriter is $19.95 after a free trial, which is a little steep, but it does support changes in background, music, typing sounds, and more.
For those with multiple operating system options, OmmWriter Dana is available for Mac, Windows (minimum price of $5.11, but you can give more), or iPad ($4.99), and features noises and specially designed backgrounds to keep you free from interruption. Finally, FocusWriter is tip-ware—you pick the price from $1 to $20—and it comes for Windows, Mac, and even Linux, in multiple languages. You can throw a cool background behind it to make it a little less austere (like this).
Online Writing Tools
Downloadable programs aren't required to get your novel written. It's the Internet! All the tools you need are right online.
Let's start with the uber-powerful tool of choice: Google Docs, the word-processor part of Google Drive/Google Apps, is just about as powerful as they come. It's free to anyone in the world with a Google account, and all the files are stored online. That might be a downside—needing online access—but you can get around that by using either Google Chrome as your browser (set it up on each computer by clicking More>Offline when in Google Drive) or by installing the Google Drive program to sync your online files with your computer. Google Docs is also available to edit your files via Android or iOS devices.
Microsoft Word is also available online, as part of Office Online. It looks a lot like the full-blown version of Word, but it's in the browser and OneDrive is used for online storage. Word users who want a mobile option should save docs to OneDrive and try Word for iPad or Android tablets. Don't forget that Apple's Pages program has an online version you can access at iCloud.com.
Web-based writing tools aren't limited to the big three of Google, Microsoft, and Apple. There's cool little startups trying to make a big splash. The latest is Novelize , which works like an online-only version of Scrivener. The cost is $5 per month or $45 for the year after a free 17-day trial. Unlike Scrivener, since it's Web-based and prepped for any screen, Novelize works for desktops, mobile device, and Web-only devices like a Chromebook. Plus, it has a distraction free writing option.
Novlr is also a relatively new entry with a clean interface and Scrivener-esque sensibility. It's online only, free during NaNoWriMo, then $10 a month after if you want to keep using it.
Prefer working with other writers? Quipis a free, communal online office suite with word processing and spreadsheets. It shines as a collaborative tool—great for anyone doing some kind of group NaNoWriMo novel. Quip offers free apps for iOS and Android, so you get full online, mobile writing options. Quip stores all your files on its own servers.
Dropbox, the much beloved file backup-and-synch service, just announced a new tool called Dropbox Paper that takes on Google Docs and Quip in some ways, providing an online tool for collaboration. Users can add images and videos and links based on what else is stored in their drop box, but for WriMos the tool of choice is using it as a whiteboard for writing. As of this writing Paper hasn't launched yet; sign up for the waiting list.
Online Research Tools
Tools for WriMos aren't limited to just getting down the words. There are other aspects of crafting a novel that have to be taken into account, such as planning and research.
Outlining tools take (some of) the pain out of plotting and writing a novel. It all depends on what kind of outline you want, and what kind of outliner you are. An ultra basic outline with indented lines is a breeze with WorkFlowy (iOS/Android/Web, free) or SimpleNote (iOS/Android/Mac/Web, free)—and both have mobile apps, so you can work on the outline via phone or tablet. Trello (iOS/Android/Web, free) organizes lists into cards that looks like a Pinterest board—pretty great for storyboarding a book as if you're making a movie (and it works with multiple users, so great for the collaborative novel). If you're willing to learn Markdown language—a way of creating rich text without a rich-text editor—build an entire wiki with a free tool like scribble (Web, free). If you want to try a mind-map approach to planning, check out a free, personal account at SpiderScribe (Web, free limited to 3 private maps).
What about all that great research material you run across online, all of it fodder for creating more and more words each day of NaNoWriMo? It goes without saying that you should have an Evernote account. It's the ultimate storage space for everything you find online, type on your phone (via the free apps), or photograph. If you don't believe it, check out PCMag's roundup of the 30 Tips Every Evernote User Must Know.
Microsoft's Onenote (Windows/Mac/iOS/Android/Windows Phone/Web, free) is a different kind of note-taking beast, but still useful and accessible online, with the content syncing no matter what version you use. One great feature for WriMos is OneNote's Ink to Text—when using the software in tablet mode with a stylus, you can 'handwrite' notes that get converted to text, which you can then use as part of your novel's word-count.
One thing we haven't talked about yet is keeping track of your word counts, an all-important aspect of 'winning' at NaNoWriMo. Mostly, it'll be on you to keep track of that in your word processor of choice (in Word, just type Cntrl+Shift+G). To track the numbers, and your progress, consider Word Keeper Alpha, created by a former WriMo, or WriterStat Nuwa. Each tracks your progress and goals for projects with some splendid looking graphs.
Mobile-Only Apps
I've mentioned a bunch of mobile apps already that will get you going and keep you going on a NaNoWriMo novel; most are offshoots of existing desktop programs. Word for iPad, Google Docs for iOS and Android, Storyist for iOS, Pages for iOS, and Quip for iOS are all great for writing; for research you should load OneNote and Evernote on every mobile platform, ASAP. But there are a few mobile-only tools with no desktop equivalent that might work well for those eschewing the full-size keyboard.
One app written just for this very novel-writing occasion: Novel in 30. It's for the iPad only and costs $4.99. It's probably not the most robust word processor for a tablet, but that's not what you want—this is program to help you meet goals, get support, and make backups so you don't lose all that work. Shame it's not also useful on the iPhone. To make up for that, the developer of Novel in 30, also offers My Writing Spot (Android $2.99) which syncs with a free Web-based version; the site lists iPad and iPhone version that don't appear to currently be available.
Foremost among app-only writing tools is arguably Drafts (iOS, $9.99). It's ostensibly for making quick notes, a lot like SimpleNote, but with more options for where to save the data (services like Dropbox or Evernote, or post to Facebook and Twitter). In fact, you can use it as the front-end writing interface for a lot of different services.
On the Android side, check out Write ($1.99): it's listed as a tablet notepad/journal, but enjoys a lot of the same great features as Drafts—with an emphasis on keeping track of word count, great for WriMos.
Byword (iOS, $5.99) supports a lot of the same features as Drafts. Editorial (iOS, $9.99), is similar in that it saves to Dropbox, but otherwise it uses Markdown to provide some rich text editing as you go. It's also full of automation functions to turn Editorial into your personal workflow nirvana, if you're into that (or you've got the skills and patience to write the scripts—not the Hollywood kind).
Want to use your phone to keep track of your NaNoWriMo word count? It's a little easier than making a spreadsheet. WriteChain (iOS, free) is an extra-basic way to do it. Just slap your word count in each day, and each 'link in the writing chain' will eventually add up to show when you will likely hit your word count, based on the end goal. Writing Journal (iOS, free; right) is a little more involved, more like a writing stop-watch that tracks not only word count, but the amount of time it takes per session to get all those precious words.
Quick tip for those with iOS—you don't even need to type. iPhones and iPads take almost full voice dictation. Just click the microphone icon next to the spacebar on the on-screen keyboard and start talking. You say things like 'period' or 'open quote' or 'new line' or 'all caps'... here's a full list of everything you can tell iOS (or Siri) as you give dictation. This instant transcription is a great way to get a little more writing done on the sly (don't do it in the car.)
Training Authoring Tools
You've got a few days before Nov. 1. Start planning that novel, and when the big day comes, hit the ground running... and write!