Alpha

Click + Drag

Alpha Raven Black

Alpha White Speckled

$349.00

Ultra-Portable

Less than 2 lbs. and ready to go on the train, across the country, to the park, or wherever.

Instant On

Alpha is ready in an instant. No booting up or loading software; you're instantly met with a writing canvas.

Continuous Saving

Alpha is constantly saving your writing to the device and can store up to one million words.

Optimized For Writing

Alpha keeps your writing flow going by intentionally limiting editing capabilities. No spell-check, copy/paste, or grammar suggestions to break concentration.

About

Instant creativity

Alpha is a dedicated drafting device for anyone who wants to write without the distraction – or temptation – of browsers, email, or notifications.

Get in writing flow and develop more prolific writing sessions by separating the drafting and editing processes. When it is time to edit, your drafts wirelessly sync to the cloud for export into your software of choice.

Push your productivity forward and tap into writing joy.

Display

full-size mechanical keyboard

Comfortable Control

Display

write There, Now

Alpha has an instant refresh LCD display, perfect for focused drafting.

Instant refresh and anti-glare

2-4 lines of text to stay focused

Ambient lighting allows use under direct lighting

Won't wash out

full-size mechanical keyboard

Typing Nirvana

Experience the perfect writing companion keyboard powered by Kailh Choc V2 low-profile key switches for quiet yet satisfying typing and reduced finger fatigue.

Glide from one word to the next on the perfect blend of performance and comfort.

Choc V2 low-profile key switches for satisfying typing

Reduced finger fatigue

Comfortable Control

Compose with Poise

Use the kickstand to tilt Alpha as you sit at a table, or fold it to type comfortably on your lap in a chair. An integrated palm rest provides support for your wrists in any position.

Use kickstand for comfortable angle

Integrated palm rest for your wrists

100-Hour Battery Life

Stay plugged out

With its compact design and battery life of 100 hours, Alpha takes you further on your creative journey. Always be ready when inspiration strikes.

Automatic Cloud Syncing

Safe And Secure

Alpha is constantly saving your writing locally to the device AND to the cloud.

All documents are automatically backed up once connected to Wi-Fi and are accessible in Freewrite’s web application, Postbox. Documents can also be synced to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Evernote.

If you’re ever off the grid, transfer documents offline by connecting Alpha to your computer with the included USB cable.

No Pressure, Just Prose

Your New Drafting Platform

Minimizing distractions is key to unlocking your creative potential. Unleash your creativity and achieve your literary goals with Freewrite.

See data about your writing session on the console screen

Draft manager and 'WASD' arrow keys to move within your documents

Capable of over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.

Enhanced capabilities with Freewrite Plus

Reviews

Good for drafting

I bought this to replace my Alphasmart. It’s good. It definitely discourages editing; I used to use the arrow keys on my Alphasmart quite regularly to rewrite the sentence I’m currently working on. With this machine, it is MUCH harder to revise anything. Maybe designed that way?
My only other complaint is that the buttons on the keyboard turn on when it is in my bag. The result looks like Frankenstein’s monster learning to type zzzzzzzXXXXXXXX sdhdfkfhlgjhljh;ll;lllll rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr <— like a hundred lines of that.
I would love to request a hard plastic keyboard protector to keep it safe. Gonna look at maybe having one 3D printed.
Overall, pretty satisfied!

4.5, might as well be a 5

I've loved the alpha so far. The screen's a tad tough to see which is a minor annoyance compared to all the good that has come from it!

Where has this been all my life??

The idea of a distraction-free writing tool was hugely appealing to me. When I was writing a novel for my master's thesis, writer's block and anxiety about that block hit me in a big way. Everything was a distraction--people, pets, loud noises, any available wi-fi. Since I bought my Freewrite Alpha, I wrote a 4000-word scene of my novel in just a few days instead of weeks or maybe even months. I'm excited to pull it out of the case, hit that button, and start writing immediately. My biggest problem is the temptation of opening an internet browser, and my Freewrite Alpha removes that obstacle completely (as long as I keep my phone out of arm's reach). Honestly, I have no complaints at this stage. I may actually reach my goal of finishing my current writing project this year!

Love the Aloha!

I've been using it daily and it's a wonderful machine. Holds a battery charge like magic. The screen is a bit small but as I'm a touch typist that doesn't really matter.

One smallnote: Make sure to connect to your wifi and do a firmware update before first using it. I didn't and experienced lag and then lost all of my work for the day. The update cures the lag though I'm not so fond of the font.

All in all it does what I want it to, recommended for distractos like me

I really love this machine

No seriously, despite a little learning curve and some weak wi fi issues at work, this is a machine that made me write! And not just write but consistently. I love this thing. I love sending drafts to my email and accessing them via post box. The reason this isn't 5 stars is the lag. It gets bad around 1000 words but Freewrite has promised an update to fix this issue. Other than that this is a great device and I am very happy with it (so happy in fact I am eyeing the lemon)

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Tech specs

Tech specs in detail

Compare with other devices

Parameters

Body

Polycarbonate

Display

Anti-glare FSTN LCD Display,
2–4 lines of text,
Writing canvas - 164mm x 25mm

Keyboard

Full-size mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh Choc V2 low profile tactile switches

Ports

USB Type-C for charging, offline data transfer

Size

12.6” x 8.5” x 0.8”
(320mm x 215mm x 22mm)

Weight

1.6 lbs (0.7kg)

Configure

Onboard storage

Embedded flash memory

Wi-Fi

2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi with capability for cloud syncing and over-the-air firmware updates

Power

Internal lithium-ion polymer battery 100 hours of running time projected

Supported 3rd party apps

Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Evernote

Supported keyboard languages

English

Traveler

Alpha

Smart Typewriter

Price

$499.00

$349.00

$649.00

Display

Display: E Ink™ screen
Writing canvas – 121mm x 70mm
Status window – 121mm x 15mm

Display: Anti-glare FSTN LCD Display,
2–4 lines of text,
Writing canvas - 164mm x 25mm

Display: E Ink™ screen with frontlight,
Writing canvas – 121mm x 68mm,
Status window – 113mm x 18mm

Keyboard

Keyboard: Full-size scissor switch keyboard

Keyboard: Full-size mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh Choc V2 low profile tactile switches

Keyboard: Full-size mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh Box Brown keyswitches

Size

Size: 11.3” x 5.0” x 0.97”
(288mm x 128mm x 24.7mm)

Size: 12.6” x 8.5” x 0.8”
(320mm x 215mm x 22mm)

Size: 11.7” x 9.3” x 2.8”
(298mm x 237mm x 70mm)

Weight

Weight: 1.6 lbs (0.7 kg)

Weight: 1.6 lbs (0.7kg)

Weight: 4.0 lbs (1.8 kg)

Battery

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery
4 weeks of running time with regular usage defined as 30 minutes per day

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery
100 hours of running time projected

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery,
4 weeks of running time with regular usage defined as 30 minutes per day

Purposes

Purposes: Perfectly portable. Light, compact, and best for traveling.

Purposes: An instant creative canvas for budding writers.

Purposes: Classic and original.
Tiered mechanical keyboard and frontlight E Ink screen

Alpha

Traveler

Smart Typewriter

$349.00

$499.00

$649.00

Display: Anti-glare FSTN LCD Display,
2–4 lines of text,
Writing canvas - 164mm x 25mm

Display: E Ink™ screen
Writing canvas – 121mm x 70mm
Status window – 121mm x 15mm

Display: E Ink™ screen with frontlight,
Writing canvas – 121mm x 68mm,
Status window – 113mm x 18mm

Keyboard: Full-size mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh Choc V2 low profile tactile switches

Keyboard: Full-size scissor switch keyboard

Keyboard: Full-size mechanical keyboard featuring Kailh Box Brown keyswitches

Size: 12.6” x 8.5” x 0.8”
(320mm x 215mm x 22mm)

Size: 11.3” x 5.0” x 0.97”
(288mm x 128mm x 24.7mm)

Size: 11.7” x 9.3” x 2.8”
(298mm x 237mm x 70mm)

Weight: 1.6 lbs (0.7kg)

Weight: 1.6 lbs (0.7 kg)

Weight: 4.0 lbs (1.8 kg)

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery
100 hours of running time projected

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery
4 weeks of running time with regular usage defined as 30 minutes per day

Battery: Internal lithium-ion polymer battery,
4 weeks of running time with regular usage defined as 30 minutes per day

Purposes: An instant creative canvas for budding writers.

Purposes: Perfectly portable. Light, compact, and best for traveling.

Purposes: Classic and original.
Tiered mechanical keyboard and frontlight E Ink screen

FAQ

What is Alpha?

Alpha is a portable, distraction-free writing tool for serious and aspiring writers. It introduces a fast-refreshing LCD screen to the Freewrite lineup in a portable device that syncs to the cloud and provides an instant-on writing canvas.

If I already have a Freewrite device, should I get Alpha?

All Freewrite devices offer a distraction-free writing experience but cater to different needs. While Traveler is ideal for on-the-go writing with its compact design, and Smart Typewriter provides a tactile, traditional typing experience, both devices feature an E Ink screen. Alpha introduces an instant refresh LCD display paired with a quiet yet satisfying mechanical keyboard experience. Alpha is a great addition to your writing toolbox!

What type of screen does Alpha have?

Alpha has an instant refresh LCD display that shows 2-6 lines of text so you can stay focused. The screen is anti-glare, as well, and utilizes ambient light so that it can be used indoors or in direct light without getting washed out.

What type of keyboard does Alpha have?

Alpha’s keyboard features Kailh Choc V2 low-profile key switches for a quiet yet satisfying typing experience and reduced finger fatigue.

Does Alpha have arrow keys?

Yes. Alpha has WASD arrow keys to move within your drafts.

Can I move documents to my computer without the cloud?

Yes, absolutely and you can use Alpha entirely offline, if you'd like. Connect Alpha to your computer via the included USB-C. cable. When you do this, Alpha will appear as a USB Mass Storage Device, and you'll be able to move your drafts to your computer as you would with any other flash drive.