What is Lex?
Lex is a modern, AI-native word processor designed to help writers move faster without losing their creative flow. Originally incubated within the media collective Every and led by co-founder Nathan Baschez, Lex was born out of a simple observation: while general-purpose AI chatbots like ChatGPT are powerful, the constant "copy-pasting" between a chat window and a document is a major friction point for serious writers. Lex eliminates this hurdle by baking artificial intelligence directly into the fabric of a clean, minimalist writing environment.
At first glance, Lex looks remarkably like a stripped-down version of Google Docs. It features a distraction-free interface, standard formatting tools, and real-time collaboration. However, beneath its simple exterior lies a deep integration with the world’s most advanced large language models (LLMs). Rather than acting as a separate "assistant" that lives in a sidebar, the AI in Lex acts as a collaborative partner that understands the full context of your document, helping you brainstorm, outline, and edit in real-time.
Since its viral launch in late 2022, Lex has evolved from a waitlist-only experiment into a robust platform used by over 300,000 writers, including journalists, professional bloggers, and novelists. It positions itself not as a tool to replace the writer, but as a "power tool" for the mind—a way to bypass the dreaded blank page and polish prose with the speed of an experienced editor at your side.
Key Features
AI Autocomplete (The "+++" Feature)
The hallmark of the Lex experience is its seamless autocomplete. If you find yourself stuck mid-sentence or unsure how to transition to the next paragraph, simply typing "+++" (or using a keyboard shortcut) prompts the AI to analyze everything you’ve written so far and generate a continuation. Unlike basic predictive text, Lex provides several sentences of contextually relevant prose that matches your tone and style.
"Ask Lex" Sidebar
This is a dedicated research and brainstorming assistant that lives alongside your draft. Because "Ask Lex" has access to the entire document, you can ask it specific questions like "What are the three weakest arguments in this essay?" or "Can you suggest a more punchy opening paragraph?" This saves writers from having to explain their context to a separate chatbot like ChatGPT.
Lex Checks
Think of "Checks" as a high-powered, AI-driven version of Grammarly. Instead of just flagging typos, Lex Checks analyzes your writing for brevity, clarity, and style. It can identify passive voice, clichéd phrases, and convoluted sentences, offering one-click rewrites to make your writing more impactful.
Choice of AI Models
For power users, Lex offers the unique ability to toggle between different underlying AI models. Depending on your subscription, you can choose between OpenAI’s GPT-4o or Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet. This flexibility allows writers to use the model that best suits their specific project—whether it’s the creative flair of Claude or the logical precision of GPT.
Title and Outline Generators
Struggling with a headline? Lex can analyze your finished piece and suggest dozens of title ideas ranging from "clicky" to "academic." It can also generate comprehensive outlines based on a simple prompt, helping you structure long-form articles before you even write the first word.
Version Control and "Rewind"
Lex includes a sophisticated versioning system. The "Rewind" feature allows you to scrub through the history of your document to see how it evolved. You can also create manual "named" versions to save specific milestones in your writing process, ensuring you never lose a great idea during a heavy edit.
Collaboration and Sharing
Much like Google Docs, Lex supports live multiplayer editing and commenting. You can share a "read-only" link for feedback or invite collaborators to edit directly. It also features a "Show AI-written text" toggle, which highlights parts of the document generated by the AI in blue—an essential feature for transparency and academic integrity.
Pricing
Lex follows a "freemium" model, offering a generous entry point for casual users while reserving advanced features for professionals.
- Lex Free: This tier is perfect for hobbyists. It includes unlimited document creation and access to basic AI models (typically GPT-3.5 or equivalent). Free users get a limited number of "Ask Lex" messages and "Checks" per month (usually around 30).
- Lex Plus (Pro): Priced at $15 per month (billed annually at $144) or $18 per month (billed monthly). This tier unlocks unlimited AI usage, access to premium models like GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, priority support, and early access to new features like the mobile app.
- Lex for Teams: Lex offers custom pricing for organizations that need centralized billing, shared folders, and advanced administrative controls for collaborative environments.
Lex also offers significant discounts for students, educators, and non-profit organizations upon request.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Context-Awareness: Unlike external chatbots, Lex "reads" your entire document, leading to much more relevant suggestions and feedback.
- Minimalist UI: The interface is exceptionally clean, which helps writers maintain focus and enter a "flow state."
- Workflow Integration: Features like the "+++" shortcut and the sidebar chat make using AI feel like a natural extension of writing rather than a separate task.
- Quality of Models: Accessing top-tier models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet within a word processor is a massive value-add for professional writers.
Cons
- Subscription Fatigue: At $15-$18 per month, it is priced similarly to ChatGPT Plus. Some users may find it hard to justify another subscription if they already pay for a general AI tool.
- Formatting Limitations: While great for prose, Lex lacks the advanced layout, table, and citation management features found in Microsoft Word or specialized academic tools.
- Internet Dependency: Because the AI features are cloud-based, you need a stable internet connection to use the core "smart" features of the tool.
Who Should Use Lex?
Lex is specifically tailored for people whose primary output is written prose. It is an ideal fit for:
- Content Marketers and Bloggers: The ability to quickly generate outlines, titles, and SEO-friendly meta descriptions makes it a massive time-saver for high-volume creators.
- Journalists and Essayists: The "Ask Lex" feature is invaluable for identifying logical gaps in an argument or finding a more compelling way to phrase a complex idea.
- Fiction Writers: Novelists use the AI autocomplete to push through "writer's block" and the "Rewind" feature to manage the evolution of their drafts.
- Business Professionals: For those who spend their days writing reports, memos, and internal strategy docs, Lex’s "Checks" feature ensures professional, clear communication.
Verdict
Lex is arguably the most thoughtful integration of AI into the writing process currently on the market. While other tools try to do everything—from image generation to coding—Lex remains obsessively focused on the needs of the writer. It doesn't try to write for you; it tries to write with you.
If you are a casual writer who only needs occasional help, the free version is more than sufficient. However, for anyone who writes professionally, the time saved by the "context-aware" AI and the "Checks" feature easily justifies the monthly cost. Lex is a rare AI tool that actually feels like it makes you a better writer, rather than just a faster one. For those looking to upgrade their Google Docs experience for the AI age, Lex is the gold standard.