The free DripWriter alternative for Google Docs · Chrome extension
Paste a draft. Pick a time. It types into your Google Doc.
TrickleType is a Chrome extension that types text you already have into Google Docs, one key at a time, with natural pauses. It finishes when you said. Switch tabs while it works.
Demo: TrickleType typing a short newsletter about a Saturday market into this Doc, with comments explaining each pause.
On your phone? TrickleType runs in Chrome on a computer.
Send the link to my computerHow it works
Click, paste, pick a time.
Using TrickleType
Click where the text should go
Open a Google Doc you can edit, new or already started, and click in the body.
Paste your draft or upload a file
Paste text, or upload a .txt, .md or .docx file.
Pick a time and press Start
Free runs last up to an hour, Pro runs up to 7 days. The panel shows when it will finish.
The time
Twenty minutes or a week. You pick.
Set how long the draft should take and TrickleType works out the pace. The panel shows “Done by” before you press Start.
Type my -word draft over
- Pace
- 17 words a minute
- Start
- 9:00 pm
- Done by
- 10:00 pm
Free covers this run: up to 1,000 words a day, in runs of up to an hour.
The pace
It pauses where you would.
Every key gets its own timing. Short words go quickly, commas get a beat, full stops a longer one, and now and then it stops to think. Here is one sentence, one bar per key, taller for a longer wait.
Most people come for the coffee. They stay for the conversation, and the bread.
- Quick through small words “for”, “the” and “and” land in a rush.
- A beat after commas About a quarter of a second.
- A longer stop at full stops Half a second, sometimes more.
- The odd slip Pro A typo, noticed and fixed a moment later.
While you’re away
Switch tabs. It keeps its pace.
Chrome slows down tabs you aren’t looking at, so many typing extensions stall the moment you leave. TrickleType keeps the same pace in a background tab, a minimised window or behind other apps.
In another tab
Switch to email, a lecture or a video. The Doc keeps typing at the same pace in its background tab.
Minimised, or behind other apps
Hide Chrome behind other apps. Keep Chrome open and the computer awake: TrickleType stops the computer from sleeping while it types.
Close your laptop. Your Doc keeps typing.Pro · beta
With cloud typing, our server types into your Doc through Google’s Docs API, so the run carries on with Chrome closed or the lid shut. Paste the Doc’s link and pick it in Google’s file picker; TrickleType can open only the files you pick. Up to 3 cloud runs at once.
If the Doc tab is closed or reloaded mid-run, TrickleType offers to carry on from where it stopped.
Uses
What people use it for
Present it live
Type into a shared Doc while people watch. It reads like someone typing, not a block of text appearing.
Record a demo or tutorial
Even, natural typing on screen recordings, without retakes for typos.
Move a draft into Docs
Wrote it in Word or a notes app? Upload the .docx and let it type in while you do something else.
Done before the meeting
Set it to finish at 3:00 and it does. You see the finish time before you press Start.
Side by side
TrickleType vs DripWriter
Less than half DripWriter’s monthly price, and 4× its free words. DripWriter Pro keeps typing with the laptop closed; TrickleType does that on Pro, with cloud typing.
Free words a day (more is better)
DripWriter: pricing
Pro, per month (less is better)
DripWriter: FAQ
Pro, per year (less is better)
DripWriter: pricing
The rest
- Google sign-in
- TrickleType: Not needed. Cloud typing on Pro connects Google, only for the Docs you pick.
- DripWriter: Required: Sign in with Google. FAQ
- Longest run
- TrickleType: 1 hour on Free, 7 days on Pro.
- DripWriter: 1 hour on Free, 1 week on Pro. pricing
- Tab closed or lid shut
- TrickleType: Pro, with cloud typing (beta). Free keeps going in a background tab while Chrome stays open.
- DripWriter: Pro: yes. Free: its pricing page says yes, its FAQ says it pauses. features, pricing, FAQ
- Typos, then fixes
- TrickleType: Pro.
- DripWriter: All plans. An end-of-run revision sweep is Pro. FAQ, pricing
- A Doc you already have
- TrickleType: Any Doc you have open, any day.
- DripWriter: Free: first 3 days only. pricing
- Formatting
- TrickleType: Plain text, typed key by key.
- DripWriter: Keeps bold, headings and tables. FAQ
Checked on 31 Oct 2026 against dripwriter.com (pricing, features and FAQ pages, linked above). We make TrickleType and aren’t affiliated with DripWriter. DripWriter vs TrickleType: full comparison
Plans
Free for most drafts. Pro for big ones.
| Plan | Free $0 no account, no card | Pro $6.99 a month |
|---|---|---|
| Words | 1,000 a day | 100,000 a month |
| Longest run | 1 hour | 7 days |
| Keeps typing | In a background tab, with Chrome open | Also with the laptop closed, using cloud typing |
| Cloud typing (beta) | Your first run, up to 1,000 words | Up to 3 runs at once |
| Typos, then fixes | Your first run | A few, or more |
| Upload a file | .txt, .md or .docx | .txt, .md or .docx |
| Add to Chrome | See Pro plans 7-day refund · Cancel any time |
Privacy
Where your text goes
Typing in your tab (Free and Pro)
- Your text stays on your computer. It’s never uploaded.
- No Google sign-in, no account.
- Pro checks your licence about once a day: the key and a random install id, nothing else.
Only if you choose cloud typing (Pro)
- Your draft goes to our server for that run and is deleted when it ends.
- You sign in with Google and pick the Doc. TrickleType can open only files you pick.
- Google’s sign-in tokens are encrypted and kept up to 30 days.
Who makes it
Before you install
Questions people ask, answered in the margin.
TrickleType keeps typing when you switch tabs or minimise Chrome, and on Pro even with the laptop closed. If it didn’t start, or typed in the wrong place, there is a quick fix. It works in a Doc you’ve already started, and cloud typing can take a link to the Doc. Free is 1,000 words a day, not characters, with no account or Google sign-in. It keeps line breaks, but not bold or headings. You pick a finish time, not a speed. It runs only in Google Docs, in Chrome. Your writing isn’t stored unless you choose cloud typing, and if Pro doesn’t work for you, you get your money back.
Does it keep typing if I switch tabs or minimise Chrome?
Yes. It keeps the same pace in a background tab, a minimised window or behind other apps. Keep Chrome open and the computer awake.
Can I close my laptop while it types?
On Pro, with cloud typing (beta): our server types into the Doc, so Chrome and the laptop can be closed. In your tab, closing the lid sleeps the computer and pauses the run.
It didn’t start, or it typed in the wrong place. What do I do?
Click inside the body of the Doc, where the text should go, then press Start. If it still won’t start, reload the Doc tab and try again. If that fails, email support@tailsgate.com.
Can I use it on a Doc I’ve already started?
Yes. Click where the new text should go and it types from there.
Can I give it a link to the Doc instead?
With cloud typing (Pro), yes: paste the Doc’s link and pick the Doc in Google’s file picker. For typing in your tab, open the Doc and click where the text should go.
Is the free plan 1,000 words or 1,000 characters?
Words. 1,000 a day, resetting at midnight your time, in runs of up to an hour. Your first run includes every Pro feature.
Do I need an account or a Google sign-in?
No. Install it and type. Only cloud typing asks you to sign in with Google, so it can reach the Doc you pick.
Does it keep bold, headings and line breaks?
Line breaks, paragraph breaks and tabs, yes. Bold, italics, headings, bullets and tables, no: it types one key at a time, and there is no key for “make this bold”. Add formatting in Docs afterwards.
Can I set the speed in words per minute?
You set how long the whole draft should take; TrickleType works out the pace and shows when it will finish. A 1,000-word draft over an hour comes out at about 17 words a minute, with natural pauses and speed changes.
Does it work in Word, Google Slides or other sites?
No, only Google Docs, in Chrome on Windows, Mac or a Chromebook. School-managed Chromebooks can block extensions.
Is my writing stored anywhere?
Not when it types in your tab: the text stays on your computer. Cloud typing sends the draft to our server for that run and deletes it when the run ends.
What if I pay and it doesn’t work for me?
Email support@tailsgate.com within 7 days of paying and we’ll refund you. Monthly and Yearly cancel any time.
Got a draft and a deadline?
Paste it, pick a time, and get on with your day.