{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "atticus",
            "name": "Atticus",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.atticus.io/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/atticus",
            "tagline": "Book writing and formatting software for print and ebook files",
            "summary": "Atticus is a book writing and formatting program for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook. It exports EPUB, MOBI, PDF and DOCX files for print and ebook publishing, and it sells for a one-time $147 with a money-back guarantee.",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "linux",
                "chromeos"
            ],
            "pricing": "one-time",
            "price_note": "One-time $147 for eBook and print; money-back guarantee",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Writes and formats print and ebook files in one app",
                "One-time payment with a money-back guarantee",
                "Works online and offline, with cloud backups"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "The site does not describe outlining or plot tools",
                "Import is limited to DOCX files"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Atticus combines a writing editor with a formatting engine in one program. You can import a DOCX file, then choose one of 17 templates or build a custom chapter theme. The preview shows the book on several e-readers and phones before you export, and the program supports volumes and parts, footnotes and full-bleed images.\n\nAtticus works online and offline, and it saves your work to the cloud for backup. The site lists one payment of $147 for eBook and print, with no monthly fees and a money-back guarantee. The site does not describe outlining or plotting tools, so it suits authors who already know their structure."
        },
        {
            "slug": "vellum",
            "name": "Vellum",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://vellum.pub/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/vellum",
            "tagline": "Mac app that formats novels into ebook and print files",
            "summary": "Vellum is a book formatting program for macOS that turns a finished manuscript into EPUB ebooks and print PDFs. It adds title pages, tables of contents and book styles, and it builds box sets when a series is complete. Drafting happens in another app, because Vellum starts from an imported manuscript.",
            "platforms": [
                "macos"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Paid Mac license; ebook-only and ebook plus print tiers",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Builds ebook and print files from one manuscript",
                "Print output with 24 trim sizes and PDF/X-1a",
                "Chapter styles apply to chapters added later"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Mac only, with no Windows or web version",
                "Starts from an imported manuscript, not a draft"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Vellum imports a manuscript and builds the title page, table of contents and chapter layout automatically. You choose a book style, and it applies to every chapter, including chapters you add later. The preview updates as you edit and shows how the print edition will look, as well as the ebook on a range of devices.\n\nOutput includes EPUB 3 and EPUB 2 files that pass validation, and print editions with 24 trim sizes, full-bleed pages and PDF/X-1a files. Vellum sells two Mac licenses, one for ebooks and one for ebooks and paperbacks, so the price depends on whether you need print. The app runs only on macOS, so Windows authors need another formatting tool."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Atticus runs on Windows.",
        "Only Atticus runs on Linux.",
        "Atticus: one-time purchase. Vellum: paid."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "novel-and-long-form-writing-apps",
            "name": "Novel and long-form writing apps",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/novel-and-long-form-writing-apps",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "atticus",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 91.5,
                    "verdict": "Writing and formatting in one program, bought once for $147. Its site describes no planning tools, unlike Scrivener's corkboard and outliner.",
                    "best_for": "Authors who want writing and formatting in one app",
                    "spec": {
                        "planning": "Chapters, parts and volumes",
                        "export": "EPUB, MOBI, PDF, DOCX",
                        "storage": "Cloud backups; works offline"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "vellum",
                    "rank": 6,
                    "score": 87.5,
                    "verdict": "Strong ebook and print output, but it runs only on Mac and it starts from a finished manuscript. Atticus covers the same formatting job on Windows and Linux as well.",
                    "best_for": "Mac authors who want polished ebook and print files",
                    "spec": {
                        "planning": "Imports a finished manuscript",
                        "export": "EPUB 2 and 3, print PDF/X-1a",
                        "storage": "Local Mac app"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "atticus",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/atticus-vs-vellum",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/atticus-vs-vellum.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}