Atticus vs Reedsy Studio

Reedsy Studio is a free browser app for writing and typesetting a book, with optional add-ons from $4.99 a month. It does not work offline. Atticus costs $147 once and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook and the browser. It says it works with or without an internet connection, though its help centre says you need to be online to import and export files. Both export EPUB and a print-ready PDF. Atticus states far more themes and fonts.

Prices are as of October 2026, in US dollars before tax. Every fact below comes from Atticus's and Reedsy's own sites, read on 20 October 2026. Neither vendor ranks the other, and this page does not invent a ranking.

Atticus vs Reedsy Studio at a glance

How much do Atticus and Reedsy Studio cost?

Reedsy Studio's core is free. Reedsy says "Every function that you need to write and format a book in Reedsy Studio is free, and always will be." Two add-ons are paid, as of October 2026:

• Craft, $4.99 a month: unlimited history, advanced stats, custom goals, daily check-ins, dark mode.
• Outline, $7.99 a month: unlimited Boards, notes with attributes, writing templates, pinned notes.

Annual billing "saves 10%", but Reedsy shows no annual prices. Reedsy's Studio page names the add-ons "Studio Essential" and "Outlining" instead, at the same prices.

Atticus is one payment of $147. Atticus says you "receive ongoing updates, including new features and improvements", and it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Atticus lists no free plan and no trial.

Three-year cost from official prices

The free Reedsy core already writes, typesets and exports a book. Atticus costs less than either Reedsy add-on over three years, and more than Reedsy's free core.

Does Reedsy Studio or Atticus work offline?

Atticus works offline for writing and Reedsy Studio does not. Asked "Can I access Studio offline?", Reedsy's FAQ answers "Currently, no. This is a feature that is on our roadmap, though." Another Reedsy page says offline use is planned as a paid feature.

Atticus says "Work online, offline, in a plane or on a train". Its help centre, last updated 14 February 2024, says "You do need to be online to import and export files". It runs as an app on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, installs from a browser as a progressive web app, and backs books up to the cloud.

Reedsy Studio has no dedicated mobile app either. Reedsy says it runs in mobile browsers and can be added to a phone's home screen.

What file formats do Atticus and Reedsy export?

Both make the two files a self-published book needs: an EPUB for ebook stores and a PDF for print.

Reedsy Studio exports "EPUB 3 (which works great on all major ebook stores)" and "PDF (PDF/X-1a:2001 for print-on-demand)". The exporter gives two PDFs: a print-ready one "that removes links and uses CMYK images", and a standard PDF for reading on screen. Reedsy builds reflowable ebooks only. For illustrated books it suggests "a book interior designer or typesetter".

Atticus exports EPUB, print-ready PDF and DOCX. Atticus does not name a PDF standard on its homepage. KDP's manuscript guidance says "PDF/X-1a is preferred", which makes Reedsy's stated PDF/X-1a:2001 a concrete point in its favour. What the print file has to meet is covered in KDP print file requirements.

For Word, Atticus exports DOCX directly. Reedsy produces a Word file through Manage ▸ Exports ▸ Back Up, and emails a download link.

Which has more themes and design control?

Atticus states more. Its homepage lists "17 templates", "1200+ Unique combinations", a custom theme builder and 1,500+ fonts, with full-bleed images, large print and footnotes.

Reedsy Studio has "three templates": Reedsy (Lato and Merriweather), Classic (Crimson) and Romance (Crimson with a decorative chapter title and ornament). Reedsy's help says you can choose "small, medium, or large" for the font size, and "we do not offer any other size or style customization at this time." Images "cannot be adjusted". Chapter titles cannot be removed.

Reedsy's export also carries a fixed copyright page. Reedsy's help says "the copyright page can not be disabled. It includes a small acknowledgment of our Studio app and is the only requirement we have for authors to use this free formatting tool."

Reedsy lists four trim sizes. One of them, Pocket at 4.25 x 6.87 inches, is not among the paperback trim sizes on KDP's Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins page. IngramSpark's File Creation Guide does not list it either: its nearest sizes are 4.25 x 7 and 4.37 x 7 inches. Atticus does not publish a trim-size count on its homepage.

Can you write and collaborate in Atticus and Reedsy Studio?

Both are writing apps as well as formatters.

Reedsy Studio has section, chapter and scene structure, front and back matter, Boards for outlines, characters and research, goals, stats and version history with compare and restore. The free plan keeps one manuscript goal, 30 days of history and card view for Boards.

Atticus has drag-and-drop chapters, volumes and parts, book goals, a writing-habit tracker and a word counter. Version history is "Coming Soon".

Reedsy's collaboration is the more detailed. Co-authors, editors and proofreaders work in real time, with comments and tracked changes. Reedsy notes that "any person you invite will have full edit rights on the manuscript". Atticus added "Collaboration for authors, editors, and readers" on 3 December 2024.

Pick Reedsy Studio if

• You want to pay nothing to write and typeset a book.
• You always have a connection, or write on several devices including a phone.
• You want an editor working live in the manuscript with tracked changes.
• One of three templates and four trim sizes suits your book.
• You want a print PDF the vendor names as PDF/X-1a.

Pick Atticus if

• You need to write offline.
• You want more themes, a custom theme builder and a wide font choice.
• You want a direct DOCX export.
• You prefer one payment to any subscription.
• You want the app installed on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook.

What if you want a desktop app with deeper organising?

Deckle is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. Deckle is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux that works offline after activation. A project is a folder on your own disk, holding one .deckle database plus research/ and .deckle-assets/ folders. It is a one-time purchase.

It adds organising tools that neither Atticus nor Reedsy lists: the Outliner's Grid View of index cards, a Codex story bible and a Timeline. It exports EPUB, print PDF and DOCX, with 26 built-in style presets and eight trim sizes. It imports .docx and EPUB, so a Reedsy Word backup or EPUB export comes straight in.

The Codex, Deckle's story bible

Where Deckle is behind: it has no collaboration, no browser or phone version, and its print PDF is a standard PDF, not PDF/X-1a. Atticus and Reedsy both collaborate and both run in a browser.

Deckle has a free demo. Click Take Deckle for a Spin on the screen Deckle opens to. There is no card, no account and no time limit. It opens a sample novel with every screen open to explore, and you can restyle it and export real EPUB, PDF and DOCX files. New writing is capped at about 500 words, and new documents and imports are blocked. A fuller comparison is on Deckle vs Atticus.

How to move a book between Reedsy Studio and Atticus

Word is the bridge in both directions.

Reedsy to Atticus. In Reedsy Studio, open your Bookshelf, hover over the book, click Manage, open Exports and click Back Up at the bottom. Reedsy emails a link to the Word file. Import that .docx into Atticus. Atticus treats Heading 1 text, or text at 20 point or larger, as a chapter title, and a page break or three empty lines as a new chapter. Remove any table of contents first.

Atticus to Reedsy. Export DOCX from Atticus, then import it into Reedsy Studio, which takes .docx or .odt files up to 50 MB.

Neither move carries the book design. You pick a template or theme again in the other app. The general method, and why two test chapters come first, is in how to move a manuscript between writing apps.

Sources

All retrieved 20 October 2026. Prices change, so check the vendor page before buying.

• Atticus: price, platforms, offline, templates, fonts, exports, version history, guarantee
• Atticus updates: collaboration added 3 December 2024
• Importing Existing Work, Atticus: .docx import and chapter detection
• How to Access Atticus, Atticus (last updated 14 February 2024): online to import and export
• Reedsy Studio, Reedsy: platforms, collaboration, add-on names
• Reedsy Studio FAQ, Reedsy: offline, prices, exports, trim sizes, templates, edit rights
• Reedsy Studio pricing, Reedsy: free plan limits, add-ons, trial, annual saving
• Format a book, Reedsy: free formatting statement
• Formatting options, Reedsy Help: font sizes, images, chapter titles, copyright page
• Back up my book, Reedsy Help: Word export
• Where can I find Reedsy Studio?, Reedsy Help: .docx or .odt import up to 50 MB
• Write a book, Reedsy: offline as a planned paid feature, AI statement
• Save Your Manuscript File, Amazon KDP Help: "PDF/X-1a is preferred"
• Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins, Amazon KDP Help: paperback trim sizes
• IngramSpark, File Creation Guide: trim sizes include 4.25 x 7" and 4.37 x 7", not 4.25 x 6.87", retrieved 21 October 2026

Reedsy Studio is a trademark of Reedsy. Atticus is a trademark of its owner. Deckle is not affiliated with or endorsed by any product named here.