Skip to content
ToolGPA

The Mellel Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Mellel in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

Download the PDF
Pass it onEmailLinkedInXWhatsApp
ToolGPAOctober 2026

Mellel

The Insider’s Guide

Mac word processor for long academic and technical documents

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among writing tools, read from Mellel’s own pages.

Made by Mellel Software · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.4GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Mellel’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Mellel’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.4

GPA, above 20 of the 69 other writing tools we grade

Mellel is a word processor for Mac aimed at scholarly, scientific and technical manuscripts. It structures long documents with automatic titles and an outline, supports several streams of footnotes and endnotes, and formats citations and bibliographies through the Bookends reference manager. It is sold as a one-time license with two years of updates, and a companion iPad app, Mellel Mobile, opens the same documents.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Mellel, taken from its own pages and our grades.

No store rating on record, and this is not a tool you open and understand.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for long academic documents on a Mac

    It's Mac and iPad only, and the iPad app lacks some of the Mac's editing options and charges extra for bibliography scanning.

  2. 2

    What it costs

    Paid plans start at $69.99 one-time for Mellel for Mac; iPad in-app purchases from $9.99.

  3. 3

    You can try it first

    30-day free trial of Mellel for Mac, without restrictions

  4. 4

    It runs on 2 platforms

    macOS and iOS.

  5. 5

    Auto-titles and outline

    Automatically formatted headings and captions define a document's structure on several levels. The outline gives an overview for jumping to any part and rearranging it.

  6. 6

    Footnotes and endnotes

    Supports an unlimited number of footnote and endnote streams, with endnotes placed at the end of the document, chapter, section or any combination of these.

  7. 7

    Bibliography with Bookends

    Integration with the Bookends reference manager updates citations and the bibliography as you write, with one bibliography for the document, one per chapter, or both.

  8. 8

    A 2.4 GPA, above 20 of 69

    That is against the other writing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  9. 9

    Keep it

    The plain part of Mellel you could make: documents and long-form writing. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.

Mellel at a glance

Pricing
Free trial, from $69.99 one-time for Mellel for Mac; iPad in-app purchases from $9.99
Free plan
No
Free trial
30-day free trial of Mellel for Mac, without restrictions
Runs on
macOS, iOS
Made by
Mellel Software, since 2002
Category
Writing Tools
Our grade
2.4 GPA, fair

The report card

Best for long academic documents on a Mac

Mellel is a Mac word processor for theses, papers and books with layers of notes, at $69.99 once with a 30-day trial. Citations lean on Bookends, a separate app, and updates are free for two years before a $44 upgrade. It's Mac and iPad only, and the iPad app lacks some of the Mac's editing options and charges extra for bibliography scanning.

ToolGPA report cardMellelGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyA$69.99 once, for a licence that never expires on up to 5 computers. A year of this category's middle price is about $100, so one payment buys you more than that and keeps going. Updates are free for two years, then an upgrade is listed at $44.
Free plan and trialCNo free plan for the Mac app, so you get 30 days unrestricted and then it's pay or stop. The iPad app is a free download, but bibliography scanning sits behind an in-app purchase.
FeaturesCAutomatic headings with a rearrangeable outline, as many streams of footnotes and endnotes as you want, reusable style sets, right-to-left Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac, Word in and ePUB out. But the listing says citations and bibliographies need Bookends, a separate app.
Ease of useCNo store rating on record, and this is not a tool you open and understand. The listing points to a quick-start guide, style sets are something you build and reuse, and notes come in streams you have to arrange. The unrestricted 30-day trial at least lets you learn on a real chapter.
Platforms and integrationsCOne family of devices: a Mac app and an iPad app that opens the same files, with iCloud and Bookends joined on. No Windows, no Android, no web, and Mellel Mobile is missing some of the Mac's editing options.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Mellel is for

  • Fits if you're writing a thesis or a book on a Mac, with notes and cross-references throughout
  • Works for mixing Hebrew, Arabic or Syriac with other languages in one document

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if you're on Windows, Android or the web, as it's Mac and iPad only
  • Pricey if you need citations and don't own Bookends, since the bundle with it is $114.99
  • Not for you if you'd work mostly on an iPad, because Mellel Mobile lacks some of the Mac's editing options and charges for bibliography scanning
  • Watch out: a license covers two years of free updates, and later versions are a paid upgrade listed at $44
  • Watch out: the iPad in-app purchases are $29.99 and $9.99, and the App Store doesn't say how they're billed

Good to know

Good for

  • Academics and students writing theses, papers and books on a Mac
  • Long, structured documents with many notes and cross-references
  • Writers mixing Hebrew, Arabic or Syriac with other languages
  • Bookends users who want citations formatted as they write

Worth knowing

  • Mac and iPad only: there is no Windows, Android or web version.
  • A license covers two years of free updates; later versions need a paid upgrade, listed at $44 on the store page.
  • Mellel Mobile runs on iPad only, lacks some editing options of the Mac version, and needs Premium for bibliography scanning.
  • Citations and bibliographies rely on Bookends, a separate reference manager that is sold with Mellel as a $114.99 bundle.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$69.99 one-time

To start

Mellel is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $69.99 one-time for Mellel for Mac; iPad in-app purchases from $9.99.

The iPad app is a free download, but bibliography scanning sits behind an in-app purchase.
From our grade for free plan and trial

  • Mellel Mobile

    $0

    Free iPad app with in-app purchases: Standard at $29.99 and Premium at $9.99 on the US App Store, which does not show their billing basis.

  • Mellel for Mac

    $69.99

    one-time license

    Personal license for up to 5 computers that never expires, with two years of free updates. The vendor's store page rounds the price to $69.

  • Mellel + Bookends Bundle

    $114.99

    one-time purchase

    Mellel for Mac together with the Bookends reference manager, against $144.98 when the two are bought separately.

Trying it first

30-day free trial of Mellel for Mac, without restrictions

Read from sites.fastspring.com on Oct 9, 2026.

Ways to pay less

  • Other savings

    Upgrade from any older license for $44

    The store lists a $44 upgrade to the latest version for holders of any Mellel license, however old, with two more years of free updates.

    Stated on mellel.com

  • Other savings

    Mellel + Bookends bundle

    A license for both Mellel and the Bookends reference manager costs $114.99, instead of $144.98 when each is bought separately.

    Stated on mellel.com

  • Other savings

    Crossgrade price for Nisus users

    Nisus users are offered a Mellel for Mac license at a discounted $51.75, with two years of free updates.

    Stated on mellel.com

What the app costs elsewhere

Each country’s App Store price for “Standard”, against $29.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.

CountryPrice thereIn dollarsAgainst the US
Canada$39.99$28.116% less
Turkey₺1.499,99$30.50about the same
India₹ 2,999$31.00about the same
Philippines₱ 1,990.00$31.686% more
South AfricaR599.99$36.2921% more
Germany34,99 €$39.2131% more
United Kingdom£29.99$39.6532% more
BrazilR$ 199,90$39.9433% more

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

2

Places it runs: macOS and iOS

Mac word processor for long academic and technical documents. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, citations, documents, long-form writing.

But the listing says citations and bibliographies need Bookends, a separate app.
From our grade for features
Auto-titles and outline
Automatically formatted headings and captions define a document's structure on several levels. The outline gives an overview for jumping to any part and rearranging it.
Footnotes and endnotes
Supports an unlimited number of footnote and endnote streams, with endnotes placed at the end of the document, chapter, section or any combination of these.
Bibliography with Bookends
Integration with the Bookends reference manager updates citations and the bibliography as you write, with one bibliography for the document, one per chapter, or both.
Styles and style sets
Styles apply to characters, paragraphs, pages, notes, sections, tables and lists, and are grouped into style sets that can be reused in other documents.
Multilingual and right-to-left text
Mixes languages, scripts and writing directions within one document, paragraph or sentence, with right-to-left support for Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac.
Import and export
Opens Word (docx), RTF, OPML and plain-text files, and exports to PDF, Word (docx), RTF, OPML and ePUB.

Where it runs

  • macOS
  • iOS

What it works with

  • Bookends
  • iCloud

Mellel is made by Mellel Software, and has been around since 2002.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

20/69

Other writing tools it is graded above

Mellel's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 69 other writing tools we grade, and level with 11.

It stands best on value for money (A, above 44 of 69) and worst on features (C, above 0).

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 70 writing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mellel’s own letter is outlined.

  • AValue for moneyAbove 44 of 69
  • CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 69
  • CFeaturesAbove 0 of 69
  • CEase of useAbove 1 of 69
  • CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 3 of 69

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

The plain part of Mellel you could make: documents and long-form writing. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.

That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 38 of the 69 other writing tools grade higher. It costs $69.99, paid once.

What you could make

  • Documents and long-form writing: an app builder makes these well.

What you could not

  • Citation records for millions of papers.
  • Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.

What this rests on. Mellel’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Scrivener, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Ulysses and Overleaf

The 5 tools Mellel is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

  • 2.8GPA

    Scrivener

    Free trial · from $23.99 one-time

    Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner.

    • Only Scrivener lists a Windows app.
    • Mellel also covers citations and documents.
    • Scrivener also covers templates.
    Mellel and Scrivener compared in full
  • 3.4GPA

    Microsoft Word

    Free plan · from $9.99/mo

    Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser.

    • Microsoft Word has a free plan. Mellel does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Microsoft Word lists a web app.
    • Only Microsoft Word lists Windows and Android apps.
    Mellel and Microsoft Word compared in full
  • 3.2GPA

    LibreOffice Writer

    Free

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

    • LibreOffice Writer has a free plan. Mellel does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Mellel lists an iOS app.
    • Only LibreOffice Writer lists Windows and Linux apps.
    Mellel and LibreOffice Writer compared in full
  • 2.6GPA

    Ulysses

    Free trial · from $39.99/yr

    Markup-based writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone.

    • Mellel can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    • Mellel also covers citations and documents.
    • Ulysses also covers Markdown and grammar & style.
    Mellel and Ulysses compared in full
  • 2.4GPA

    Overleaf

    Free plan · from $16.75/mo

    Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses.

    • Overleaf has a free plan. Mellel does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Mellel lists macOS and iOS apps.
    • Only Overleaf lists a web app.
    Mellel and Overleaf compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

12

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Mellel free?

No, Mellel is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial of Mellel for Mac, without restrictions.

How much does Mellel cost?

Mellel lists 3 plans. Mellel Mobile: $0.

What platforms does Mellel work on?

Mellel is available on macOS and iOS.

Does Mellel offer any discounts?

Mellel publicly lists the following: Upgrade from any older license for $44; Mellel + Bookends bundle; Crossgrade price for Nisus users.

Does Mellel have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Mellel is listed for macOS and iOS.

Does Mellel have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Mellel is listed for macOS and iOS.

Is Mellel open source?

Mellel is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.

What does Mellel integrate with?

Mellel's listing names Bookends and iCloud. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes Mellel?

Mellel is made by Mellel Software. It dates from 2002.

What are the alternatives to Mellel?

The closest alternatives to Mellel in our directory are Scrivener, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Ulysses and Overleaf.

How does Mellel compare with other writing tools?

Mellel's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 69 other writing tools we grade, and level with 11.

Could I make my own version of Mellel?

The plain part of Mellel you could make: documents and long-form writing.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Mellel’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mellel's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-21.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mellel Software. Prices change, so check mellel.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Mellel: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mellel

Know someone choosing between writing tools?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/mellel/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded writing tools after Mellel, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Mellel’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Mellel is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mellel Software. Prices and plans change: check mellel.com before you buy.