Alternatives to Manuskript
Plan and draft long writing projects on your desktop. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Manuskript
Plan and draft long writing projects on your desktop.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Manuskript.
novelWriter
Write novels as a collection of manageable text documents.
novelWriter is also free GPL-3.0 on Windows, macOS and Linux, storing chapters, notes and cross-references in readable project files using lightweight markup.
Scrivener
A writing app for drafting and organising long documents such as novels, screenplays and theses.
Scrivener is paid, closed-source software for macOS, Windows and iOS that keeps research, notes and drafts together for long manuscripts, with no Linux version.
Ulysses
A focused writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone with project management, sync and export.
Ulysses is a paid, Apple-only writing app with a distraction-free editor, a library for large projects, grammar checking in over 20 languages and flexible export.
Reedsy Studio
A browser-based writing app for authors that formats a manuscript into a finished book as you write.
Reedsy Studio is a browser-based app that needs an account and formats the book as you write, adding real-time collaboration, with some features as paid add-ons.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
LibreOffice
The full free office suite: word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, drawing, database and formula editor.
LanguageTool
Grammar, spelling and style checker for more than thirty languages.
Pandoc
Converts documents between almost any two markup formats: Markdown, Word, LaTeX, EPUB, HTML, PDF and dozens more.
Lex
A minimalist online word processor with built-in AI feedback, rewriting and live collaboration.
Vale
Check prose against configurable writing rules.
Atticus
A book writing and formatting tool for producing print books and ebooks on any desktop platform.
