Atticus vs Vellum

Atticus

• Self-publishing authors who format their own ebooks and print books
• Writers on Windows, Linux or Chromebook who need book formatting software
• Buyers who prefer a one-time payment with future updates included

Vellum

• Self-publishing authors on a Mac who format their own books
• Authors with many titles, since one license covers unlimited books and pen names
• Producing ebook and print editions of a book from a single file

Atticus

• There is no free trial or free version; the vendor offers a 30-day money-back guarantee instead, and says it has no discounts.
• The installable app is a Progressive Web App set up through Chrome, and the help center advises against using the Edge browser.
• Editors, co-writers and beta readers each need their own purchased Atticus account to collaborate inside the app.
• Export covers EPUB, PDF and DOCX, and the vendor's own comparison table lists version control as coming soon.

Vellum

• Mac only, on macOS 13 or newer. It does not run on iPad, and the vendor says it has no plans for a native Windows version.
• The free download cannot generate files for publishing; that step requires buying Vellum Ebooks or Vellum Press.
• Print editions need Vellum Press. Upgrading from Vellum Ebooks after 30 days costs $69.99, more than the $50 gap between the two prices.
• A license is tied to one individual and cannot be shared with a co-worker or assistant. Listed prices do not include tax.

Atticus

Writing editor

A manuscript editor organized by chapter, with writing goals, outlining, footnotes and endnotes, so a book can be drafted in the same app that formats it.

Themes and custom theme builder

17 formatting templates that the vendor says combine into more than 1,200 looks, a builder for custom chapter themes, and a library of over 1,500 fonts.

Device previewer

Shows how the book will look on devices such as an iPhone, iPad, Galaxy phone, Fire tablet and Kindle Paperwhite before it is exported.

Import and export

Imports an existing manuscript as a DOCX file and exports EPUB for ebooks, PDF for print and DOCX for sharing with an editor.

Offline writing with cloud backup

Saves automatically and backs books up to the cloud. Writing continues offline and syncs once the device is back online; importing and exporting need a connection.

Collaboration roles

Books can be shared with collaborators assigned as Author, Editor, Co-writer or Beta Reader, with comments in the editor.

Vellum

Manuscript import

Imports any .docx file, including ones made in Word, Scrivener or Pages, and builds the book's structure with a title page and table of contents.

Book Styles

A chosen style, with drop caps, embedded fonts and flourishes, is applied to every chapter, including ones added later. Custom ornaments and backgrounds can be added.

Live preview

Shows how the ebook will appear on a range of devices and how the print edition will look, updating with every edit.

Ebook generation

Generates files for Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books and other stores in EPUB 3 or EPUB 2, with image optimization and output the vendor describes as ACE-approved for accessibility.

Print editions

With Vellum Press, sets margins, page numbers, headers and footers for 24 trim sizes plus large print, handles widows and spread balancing, and outputs PDF/X-1a.

Box sets and advance copies

Combines a finished series into a box set in a few steps and produces advance reader copies for beta readers in EPUB and MOBI.

Atticus

• Atticus$147

  one-time payment

  Access to the full app for ebook and print formatting with ongoing updates at no extra cost, covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Vellum

• Vellum Ebooks$199.99

  one-time purchase, before tax

  Create unlimited ebooks for stores such as Kindle, Kobo and Apple Books. Does not include print editions.

• Vellum Press$249.99

  one-time purchase, before tax

  Create unlimited ebooks plus print editions that can be printed as paperbacks or hardcovers.