Write your book on the pages it will be printed on.
Every other tool formats a manuscript after you write it. In Manutius the pages you type on are the pages that print. Here is how that stacks up.
| Feature | Manutius | Vellum | Atticus | Scrivener | Reedsy Studio | Kindle Create | Word / Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The idea | |||||||
| What it is | Write the book on its printed pages, then export everything | Format a finished manuscript | Write and format, with a preview | Draft and organise, then compile | Write and format in the browser | Convert a manuscript for KDP | A word processor |
| The editor is the printed page | Yes | Preview beside the text | Preview pane | Page view; layout set at compile | No | No | Print layout, not book typesetting |
| Write the book in it | Yes | Editing, built around import | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Platform | Mac | Mac | Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook | Mac, Windows, iOS | Web browser | Windows, Mac | Everywhere |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Your book is a file you own | Yes | Yes | In-app, synced to your account | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| The print edition | |||||||
| Print PDF, exact trim, fonts embedded | Yes | Yes | Yes | Via compile | Yes | KDP only, with restrictions | With the right settings |
| Trim sizes | 7, from 5×8 to 7×10 | 24 | Standard plus custom | Set by hand | 4 | Any KDP size | Set by hand |
| Hardcover | Yes | Yes | Not stated | No | No | Not stated | By hand |
| Large print, one click | Yes | Yes | Yes | By hand | No | No | By hand |
| KDP gutter check as the page count changes | Yes | Automatic margins | Not stated | No | Not stated | Automatic margins | No |
| Running heads that skip openers and blanks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compile settings | Yes | Yes | Section breaks, by hand |
| Footnotes at the foot of the page | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | No | Yes |
| Six chapter-opener styles, drop caps, ornaments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Compile presets | Yes | Themes | By hand |
| Front matter with one checkbox each | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| The cover | |||||||
| Print cover with the spine computed | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Hardcover wrap with boards and hinge | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ebook cover JPG from the same design | Yes | You supply an image | Templates | No | Not stated | No | By hand |
| The ebook and the manuscript | |||||||
| EPUB for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | KPF, Amazon only | Pages yes, Word no |
| Preview the ebook on a reader screen | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Not stated | Yes | No |
| Word import, split into chapters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Native |
| Word export in manuscript format | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Not stated | No | Native |
| Writing and revising | |||||||
| Chapter versions with word-by-word comparison | Yes | No | Coming soon | Snapshots | History, 30 days free | No | Cloud history |
| Comments to yourself, never printed | Yes | No | No | Yes | Not stated | No | Yes |
| Scenes in the sidebar, drag to reorder | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Plan: outline, goals, pace, cast, notes | Yes | No | Goals | Yes | Boards, one free | No | No |
| Spelling, grammar and repeated words, offline | Yes | No | No | System spelling | No | No | Yes |
| Read-aloud with natural voices, offline | Yes | No | No | System voice | No | No | System voice |
| Focus mode | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Optional Claude assistant, off by default | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Copilot / Apple Intelligence |
| Price | |||||||
| Price | $199 once, or $15 / month, $99 / year. Three Macs | $199.99 ebooks, $249.99 with print, once | $147 once | $59.99 once per platform | Free; add-ons $4.99 and $7.99 / month | Free | Pages free. Word $9.99 / month or $179.99 once |
| Try it | 14 days, everything | No export until bought | 30-day refund | 30 days of use | 30-day add-on trial | Free | Free / trial |
One to one: vs Vellum · vs Atticus · vs Scrivener · vs Reedsy Studio · vs Kindle Create · vs Word / Pages
Facts about the other apps come from their own websites and help pages, checked 27 September 2026. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages do not say. Tell us at hello@manutius.app if something has changed.
Coming from somewhere else? Bring the manuscript.
Manutius imports a Word file and splits it into chapters, so the switch takes a minute. What you gain, by where you are coming from:
- From Vellum
- The same print PDF and EPUB, plus the cover with the spine done, and you write in it. Manutius vs Vellum →
- From Atticus
- The same outputs on a Mac, with page-bottom footnotes, chapter versions and the print cover. Manutius vs Atticus →
- From Scrivener
- Compile to Word, import, and revise on the pages. Keep Scrivener for the research if you like. Manutius vs Scrivener →
- From Reedsy Studio
- Seven trim sizes, hardcover, offline, and a book file you own. Manutius vs Reedsy Studio →
- From Kindle Create
- Files for every store and every printer, not only Amazon, with footnotes and margins of your own. Manutius vs Kindle Create →
- From Word / Pages
- Running heads, gutters, front matter and the EPUB become settings instead of a weekend. Manutius vs Word / Pages →
Whatever you wrote it in, it ends up on the pages it will be printed on.
Questions
Which of these apps makes a print cover with the spine worked out?
Only Manutius. Vellum, Atticus, Scrivener, Reedsy Studio and Kindle Create all leave the print cover to the printer or a designer, and their help pages say so. Manutius reads the page count and the paper and draws the full wrap, paperback or KDP hardcover, with the spine, safe areas and barcode box.
Which apps let me write on the actual printed page?
Manutius is the only one where the editor is the typeset page. Vellum and Atticus show a preview next to the text, Scrivener has a page view but sets the layout at compile time, and Reedsy Studio and Word apply the layout on export.
Is there a Vellum alternative for Mac that also writes?
Yes, Manutius. Vellum formats a finished manuscript; Manutius is where you write it, and it exports the same print PDF and EPUB plus the Word manuscript and the cover. Its lifetime license is $199 against Vellum Press at $249.99.
Is there an Atticus alternative for Mac?
Manutius is a Mac app with the same outputs as Atticus, EPUB, PDF and Word, plus the print cover with spine, page-bottom footnotes, chapter versions and offline proofing. Atticus remains the choice on Windows, Linux and Chromebooks.
Can I use Manutius with Scrivener?
Yes. Compile the Scrivener project to Word with a heading per chapter, import it into Manutius, and revise on the pages. Export → Word document sends a manuscript back out when an editor wants one.
Where do the facts about the other apps come from?
From each vendor’s own website and help pages, checked on the date shown at the foot of the table. Where a vendor does not state something, the table says "not stated" rather than guessing. Write to hello@manutius.app if something has changed and we will fix it.
See your own book on its pages.
Import the Word manuscript and page through it. The trial is the full app for 14 days, no card needed.