macOS
Book formatting software for Mac
If you own a Mac you have more options than anyone else, including the one tool the whole indie community recommends. Every one of them is described here accurately, whoever makes it.
What follows is the survey of what runs on macOS, then what actually separates them, and then the case for ours.
What is available on macOS
- Vellum
- macOS-only, and the reason Mac authors have the easiest time of it. Excellent output, quick to learn, bought outright.
- Alhora
- Ours. A universal macOS build, and the same application on Windows and Linux. Focused on production — print pre-flight, per-printer spine widths, series re-export.
- Atticus
- Browser-based, so it runs on macOS as it does anywhere. Writing tools plus formatting.
- Reedsy Book Editor
- Free, browser-based, collaborative.
- Adobe InDesign
- The trade standard. Highest ceiling, steepest curve, a subscription, and no knowledge of retailer requirements.
- Pages
- Already on your Mac. Exports EPUB and PDF. Genuinely fine for a simple book, and it has no concept of a gutter margin that scales with page count.
What actually separates them
Four questions decide it on a Mac, and the answers are facts rather than opinions about which tool is nicest.
- Will you only ever work on a Mac?
- Vellum runs on macOS and nothing else, so the day a Windows or Linux machine enters your life it stops coming with you. Alhora runs natively on all of them and produces identical files on each; Atticus and Reedsy Book Editor run in a browser, which gets you there by a different route.
- How much of the print production do you want to do by hand?
- Vellum, Atticus and Reedsy Book Editor all export a print-ready PDF, and none of them publishes a spine calculator, a print-cost estimate or a pre-flight step — that arithmetic stays with you and the printer's website. Alhora does all three before you upload, using each printer's own formula.
- Where should the book live?
- Alhora and Vellum keep it as a file on your own disk, backed up with the rest of your computer. Atticus and Reedsy Book Editor keep it in an account in the cloud, cached locally for offline work. Neither arrangement is wrong; it is the difference least often discussed.
- What do you pay, and when?
- Vellum and Atticus are bought outright before you have seen your own book in them. Reedsy Book Editor is free. Alhora is free to format and preview the entire book, and charges only to export — so the judgement happens on your pages, not on a demo.
The case for Alhora
- It runs on every desktop platform, so the book follows you rather than the machine.
- Print through KDP and IngramSpark with each printer's own spine formula worked out for you and the gutter checked against your page count.
- A series re-exports in one pass — change the back matter once, rebuild every book.
- Apparatus that template-based tools handle thinly: extensive tables, verse, footnotes.
- Format and preview the whole book before paying anything, which is the only honest way to judge any of the above.
Things that are specific to macOS
- Apple silicon
- Alhora ships a universal binary, so it runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel with no translation layer.
- Fonts
- macOS ships with faces that are excellent for books — Palatino, Baskerville, Hoefler Text — but system fonts are frequently not licensed for embedding in a distributed file. Check before you export.
- Apple Books
- Publishing to Apple Books needs an EPUB, and Apple's validator is the strictest of the major stores. A file that passes there passes everywhere.
- Gatekeeper
- An unsigned application needs an explicit right-click → Open the first time. This is normal for smaller developers and is not a sign of anything wrong.
The options, side by side
| Feature | Alhora | Vellum | Atticus | Reedsy Book Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform & access | ||||
| Operating systems | macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS | macOS only — a Mac is required | Any desktop OS, in a browser | Any desktop OS, in a browser |
| Installed app or browser | Installed desktop app | Installed Mac app | Browser app, with an offline mode | Browser app |
| Works with no internet connection | Yes — after activation, editing and export are local | Yes — a local Mac app | Offline mode available; syncs when reconnected | No — it is a web editor |
| Where your manuscript is stored | On your own machine | On your own Mac | In the cloud, cached locally for offline use | In the cloud |
| Pricing | ||||
| Pricing model | Free to format and preview; a plan unlocks export. Monthly, annual, or one-off Lifetime. | One-off purchase, per edition of the app | One-off purchase | Free |
| Lifetime option | Yes — Lifetime licence, one payment | Yes — the purchase is the licence | Yes — the purchase is the licence | Not applicable — free |
| Subscription option | Yes — monthly or annual, if you would rather not pay up front | No | No | No |
| Try before paying | Format and preview an entire book free; export is what a plan unlocks | Yes — build the book and preview it; you pay to generate the files | No free tier; 30-day refund policy published | Free throughout |
| What it is for | ||||
| Writing or formatting | Formatting and production. There is an editor, but the book arrives written. | Formatting and production | Both — a drafting environment and a formatter | Both — a drafting environment and a formatter |
| Manuscript editing built in | Yes, for revision and proofing — not designed for first drafts | Light editing of imported text | Yes, with goals and writing statistics | Yes, with collaborative comments and track changes |
Vellum, Atticus, Reedsy Book Editor capabilities and prices as publicly documented by each vendor, checked 2026-08-08. Products change — check the vendor's own site before you buy. Corrections: [email protected].
Questions, answered
Is Vellum worth it?
The part people query is rarely the part that decides it. The output is genuinely good and that is why it is recommended as universally as it is. What gets skipped is the shape of the deal around it: the price is paid before you have seen your own book in it, the macOS requirement is permanent, and print production stops at the PDF. Those are the three things worth checking against how you actually work.
Can I use Pages to format a book?
Pages is already on your Mac and exports a usable EPUB, so for a simple ebook it produces a file. For print it is weaker: no gutter margin that scales with page count, no real widow and orphan control, and no awareness of what a printer requires — which is the point at which most authors go looking for something built for books.
Does Alhora run on Apple silicon?
Yes, natively. The macOS build is a universal binary covering both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
What macOS version do I need?
Alhora needs macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Vellum's own requirement is published on its site and has historically tracked recent macOS releases fairly closely.
Can I move a book between a Mac and a PC?
With Alhora, yes — the project format is the same on every platform and the exported files are identical. With Vellum you cannot, because there is nothing on the other side to open it.
Try Alhora alongside whatever else you are considering
A universal build for Apple silicon and Intel. Format and preview a whole book free — enough to compare it properly against anything else on your shortlist.
Download Alhora free See pricing
macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS. No card needed to format and preview.