Free alternatives to Vellum

The 12 closest to Vellum

1. 

   Reedsy Studio

   Browser-based book writing app with free EPUB and PDF typesetting

   Free plan · from $4.99/mo

   What is free: Standard: the manuscript editor, unlimited books and devices, import, PDF and EPUB export, one manuscript goal, 30-day writing history, basic stats and 1 Board limited to card view.

   • Reedsy Studio starts at $4.99 per month, or $52.99 billed annually (Craft add-on). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • Reedsy Studio has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Reedsy Studio lists a web app.
   • Only Vellum lists a macOS app.
   Reedsy Studio vs VellumReedsy Studio pricing and details
2. 

   Draft2Digital

   Ebook formatting and distribution to online retailers and libraries

   Free plan · from $0

   What is free: Account signup, book formatting tools and ebook file preview are free; publishing to stores needs the one-time activation fee.

   • Draft2Digital starts at $0 to sign up; $20 one-time activation fee to publish. Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • Draft2Digital has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Draft2Digital lists a web app.
   • Only Vellum lists a macOS app.
   Draft2Digital vs VellumDraft2Digital pricing and details
3. 

   Sigil

   Free open-source EPUB ebook editor for Windows, Mac and Linux

   Free

   What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

   • Sigil is free. Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • Sigil has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Sigil lists Windows and Linux apps.
   • Sigil is open source, according to its own site.
   Sigil vs VellumSigil pricing and details
4. 

   Campfire

   Modular novel writing and worldbuilding app with per-module pricing

   Free plan · from $0.50/mo

   What is free: Free account with limited use of all 18 modules: 25,000 manuscript words, 10 characters, 20 timeline events, 2 maps, 5 encyclopedia articles and similar caps on the rest. No credit card required.

   • Campfire starts at $0.50 per month for one module; $12 per month for all modules (Standard). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • Campfire has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Campfire lists a web app.
   • Only Campfire lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
   Campfire pricing and details
5. 

   JotterPad

   Markdown and Fountain editor for books, papers and screenplays

   Free plan · from $29.99/yr

   What is free: Free with limited access: Markdown editing, importing .md, .fountain and .fdx files, Unsplash images, and printing Markdown to PDF with a watermark. No cloud sync.

   • JotterPad starts at $29.99 per year on the App Store; $3.33 per month billed annually on the web. Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • JotterPad has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only JotterPad lists a web app.
   • Only JotterPad lists iOS and Android apps.
   JotterPad pricing and details
6. 

   LibreOffice Writer

   Free, open-source word processor for Windows, macOS and Linux

   Free

   What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

   • LibreOffice Writer is free. Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • LibreOffice Writer has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only LibreOffice Writer lists Windows and Linux apps.
   • LibreOffice Writer is open source, according to its own site.
   LibreOffice Writer pricing and details
7. 

   Overleaf

   Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses

   Free plan · from $16.75/mo

   What is free: Unlimited projects, 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout, 5 AI uses a day and document history for the previous 24 hours only.

   • Overleaf starts at $16.75 per month, billed yearly at $199 (Standard); students from $8.25. Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • Overleaf has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Overleaf lists a web app.
   • Only Vellum lists a macOS app.
   Overleaf pricing and details
8. 

   World Anvil

   Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters

   Free plan

   What is free: Free Freeman account with content caps. World Anvil's April 2024 announcement set them at 2 worlds, 42 articles, 2 maps, 2 timelines and 100 MB of images; current limits could not be confirmed.

   • World Anvil has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only World Anvil lists a web app.
   • Only Vellum lists a macOS app.
   • Vellum can be bought with a one-time purchase.
   World Anvil pricing and details
9. 

   LivingWriter

   Cloud writing app for books and screenplays with planning boards

   Free plan · from $15/mo

   What is free: One manuscript with a limited word count, outlines and templates, notes and to-dos, a basic Elements board, a small AI allowance and basic PDF export.

   • LivingWriter starts at $15 per month, billed monthly (Pro). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
   • LivingWriter has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only LivingWriter lists a web app.
   • Only LivingWriter lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
   LivingWriter pricing and details
10. 

    WriterDuet

    Screenwriting software built for real-time co-writing

    Free plan · from $7.49/mo

    What is free: Free plan with no time limit: three projects of one document each, industry-standard formatting, read-only collaborators, Google Drive and Dropbox backups, and import and export in common formats.

    • WriterDuet starts at $7.49 per month, billed annually ($89.88); $9.99 billed monthly (Plus). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
    • WriterDuet has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only WriterDuet lists a web app.
    • Only WriterDuet lists Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
    WriterDuet pricing and details
11. 

    Arc Studio

    Screenwriting app with outlining and real-time co-writing

    Free plan · from $69/yr

    What is free: 2 scripts with industry-standard formatting, cloud sync, automatic backups, comments, and Fountain and Final Draft export. PDF export is watermarked, and the desktop and iOS apps are not included.

    • Arc Studio starts at $69 per year (Essentials). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
    • Arc Studio has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Arc Studio lists a web app.
    • Only Arc Studio lists Windows and iOS apps.
    Arc Studio pricing and details
12. 

    Typst

    Markup-based typesetting system with a collaborative web app

    Free plan · from $7.99/mo

    What is free: Free web app plan: create, share and co-edit projects, community packages and templates, and file conversion, with 200 MB of storage and up to 100 files per project. The compiler itself is free.

    • Typst starts at $7.99 per month, billed monthly ($79.99 billed yearly). Vellum starts at $199.99 one-time, before tax (Vellum Ebooks).
    • Typst has a free plan. Vellum does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Typst lists a web app.
    • Only Typst lists Windows and Linux apps.
    Typst pricing and details

Common questions

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Vellum: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.