Inkbound
Oct 22

Honest comparisons · 2026

Compare Inkbound. Vellum, Atticus and Scrivener, side by side.

Most authors use more than one app to make a book: one to draft, one to format and another for the cover. Inkbound is a Mac app that does all three. Here is how it compares with Vellum, Atticus and Scrivener. Each of them is good at its job, and every comparison says where the other app wins.

Opens October 22 See pricing

$1 for your first 7 days, then $14.99/month until you cancel. Or pay $129 once for Lifetime, for as long as we offer Inkbound. Available in the US.

Four apps, side by side.

FeatureInkboundVellumAtticusScrivener
Built forThe whole book. Writing, formatting, the cover wrap and export.Formatting a finished manuscript. Its Text Editor can hold a whole book.Writing and formatting in one place.Long projects and the first draft.
Runs onApple Silicon Macs, macOS 12 or later. A Windows version is on the way.Mac only, macOS 13 or newer.Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, as a progressive web app.Mac (macOS 11 or later), Windows, iPad and iPhone. A license covers one platform.
Price$1 first week, then $14.99/month, or $129 once for Lifetime. AI credits are separate, from $9.99.$199.99 once for Ebooks, or $249.99 once for Press, which adds print.$147 once, for every platform it runs on.$59.99 once for Mac or for Windows, or $95.98 for both. iPad and iPhone is $23.99.
Try before paying full price$1 for your first 7 days. Finished-file downloads unlock with your first $14.99 month.A no-cost download. Build, style and preview, then pay to generate files.Buy first, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.The full app for 30 days of actual use on Mac and Windows.
Print and eBook formattingYes 13 Looks, KDP trim sizes and custom paperback sizes.Yes Print files need Vellum Press.Yes From its list of preset trim sizes. Atticus says it does not support custom sizes.Yes Through Compile.
Full KDP cover wrapYes Back, spine and front as one print PDF, sized from your page count and paper.No The print cover is a separate file you make elsewhere.No The print cover is a separate file you make elsewhere.None documented. A cover is an image you import.
AI writing helpYes Six specialists on pay-as-you-go AI credits. They suggest. You decide.No None of its own. Apple's Writing Tools can be turned on in its settings.No No built-in AI writing features.No Literature & Latte says it contains no AI. On Mac, Apple's Writing Tools can appear in it.
Story BibleYes Characters, a cast map and a world map, read by your AI staff.NoNone documented.Partly Characters and Places folders in its fiction templates.
Full comparisonHow Inkbound worksInkbound vs VellumInkbound vs AtticusInkbound vs Scrivener

Vellum details come from vellum.pub, Atticus details from atticus.io and its help center, and Scrivener details from Literature & Latte's website, all checked October 11, 2026. Prices are in US dollars.

Which one fits your book?

Each of these apps does its job well. The question is which job you need done.

  • Vellum if your manuscript is finished, your cover is already designed and you only need the interior. Its typesetting is mature and polished.
  • Atticus if you write on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook, or want one price for every platform and a money-back guarantee.
  • Scrivener if you plan on index cards, keep research files inside your project or write on an iPad or iPhone. It is also the lowest one-time price for drafting.
  • Inkbound if you write on an Apple Silicon Mac and want to write, typeset, build the full KDP cover wrap and export in the same app.

A common Mac setup is Scrivener for the draft and Vellum for the layout. That is two apps and two purchases: $59.99 plus $249.99 for Vellum Press, or $309.98, and the print cover still comes from somewhere else. Inkbound Lifetime is $129 once, or you can start at $1 for your first week, then $14.99/month. AI credits are separate, from $9.99. Every plan is on the Inkbound pricing page.

Read the full comparison. Each one says where the other app wins.

  • Inkbound vs Vellum

    Vellum is built around formatting a finished manuscript, and its typesetting is polished. The print cover is a separate file you make elsewhere. Read the Vellum alternative for Mac comparison.

  • Inkbound vs Atticus

    Atticus writes and formats, runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, and costs $147 once. It has no cover tools and no AI. Read Inkbound vs Atticus.

  • Inkbound vs Scrivener

    Scrivener is built for long projects and the first draft, with the Binder, the Corkboard and an outliner. The finished book comes out of Compile. Read Inkbound vs Scrivener.

See full pricing How it works Book formatting The AI staff

Comparison questions, answered.

Is Inkbound an alternative to Vellum, Atticus and Scrivener?
For Mac authors, yes, in different ways. Vellum formats a finished manuscript, Atticus writes and formats, and Scrivener is built for the first draft. Inkbound writes, typesets, builds the full KDP cover wrap and exports in one Mac app. Each of the three still wins somewhere, and each comparison says where.
Which of these apps make a print cover wrap?
Only Inkbound. Its Cover lab builds the back, spine and front as one print PDF, sized from your page count and paper. In Vellum and Atticus, the print cover is a separate file you make elsewhere and upload to KDP. Scrivener documents no cover design tool. A cover is an image you import.
Which of these apps run on Windows?
Atticus and Scrivener. Atticus runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, and Scrivener runs on Mac, Windows, iPad and iPhone. Vellum is Mac only. Inkbound is Mac only too: it needs an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 12 or later, and a Windows version is on the way.
How do the prices compare?
Vellum is $199.99 once for Ebooks, or $249.99 once for Press, which adds print. Atticus is $147 once. Scrivener is $59.99 once for Mac. Inkbound is $1 for your first 7 days, then $14.99/month until you cancel, or $129 once for Lifetime, with every future version included for as long as we offer Inkbound. Inkbound's AI credits are separate, pay as you go, from $9.99. Inkbound is available in the US.
Can I try them before paying full price?
Yes, in different ways. Vellum is a no-cost download: you can build, style and preview your book, then pay to generate files. Scrivener gives you the full app for 30 days of actual use on Mac and Windows. Atticus is bought up front, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Inkbound's first 7 days are $1. The $1 week includes everything except downloading finished files (print PDFs, EPUB, eBook cover and audiobook). Those unlock with your first $14.99 month, or right away if you choose Start my month now. Inkbound payments are non-refundable, except where the law requires.
Can I bring my book into Inkbound from another app?
Yes, as a Word file (.docx). Compile your Scrivener project to Word, or export a Word file from Atticus or from Vellum's File menu. Then import it into Inkbound and keep going: set the interior, build your Story Bible, design the cover wrap and export for KDP. Atticus says its Word export keeps basic formatting only, so plan to restyle the book.

One Mac app for the whole book. From October 22.

Opens October 22

macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon · $1 first week, then $14.99/mo