Comparison
Alhora vs Atticus
Atticus and Alhora are aimed at different halves of the same job. Atticus is a writing tool that also formats: you can draft the book in it, track your word-count goals, and export when you are done. Alhora is a production tool — it assumes the book is written and concentrates on turning it into files a retailer and a printer will accept.
So the honest first question is not which is better. It is whether you want one application for drafting and production, or a dedicated one for each.
What each one is
Alhora
A desktop book-formatting studio for macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS. Import a finished manuscript, typeset the interior, and export a retail-ready EPUB and a print-ready PDF.
- Free — format and preview an entire book. Export is locked.
- Monthly — £8.99 a month.
- Annual — £89.99 a year.
- Lifetime — £139.99 once, or £99.00 while founder licences last.
Atticus
A browser-based writing and formatting tool sold as a one-off purchase. Because it runs in a browser it works on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks, and it offers an offline mode.
- Atticus — $147. One-off. Ebook and print formatting, and the writing tools.
Atticus 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].
What each one is good at
Alhora
- Runs on every desktop platform, with the same output on each.
- Print-readiness checks — spine, gutter, image DPI, cost — run offline before you upload.
- Series-wide re-export: change the back matter once, rebuild every book.
In short: A production tool for a finished manuscript, on every desktop platform — free to format and preview a whole book, with a plan unlocking export.
Atticus
- Writing and formatting in one place — you can draft the book in it, not just typeset it.
- Works on Windows and Chromebooks, which Vellum does not.
- Goal tracking and writing statistics built in.
In short: A browser tool covering drafting as well as formatting, bought outright, with the manuscript kept in the cloud.
Feature by feature
Every row below is either published by the vendor or, where it is not, marked as undocumented rather than assumed to be missing. If you spot something out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.
| Feature | Alhora | Atticus |
|---|---|---|
| Platform & access | ||
| Operating systems | macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS | Any desktop OS, in a browser |
| Installed app or browser | Installed desktop app | Browser app, with an offline mode |
| Works with no internet connection | Yes — after activation, editing and export are local | Offline mode available; syncs when reconnected |
| Where your manuscript is stored | On your own machine | In the cloud, cached locally for offline use |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Free to format and preview; a plan unlocks export. Monthly, annual, or one-off Lifetime. | One-off purchase |
| Lifetime option | Yes — Lifetime licence, one payment | Yes — the purchase is the licence |
| Subscription option | Yes — monthly or annual, if you would rather not pay up front | No |
| Try before paying | Format and preview an entire book free; export is what a plan unlocks | No free tier; 30-day refund policy published |
| What it is for | ||
| Writing or formatting | Formatting and production. There is an editor, but the book arrives written. | Both — a drafting environment and a formatter |
| Manuscript editing built in | Yes, for revision and proofing — not designed for first drafts | Yes, with goals and writing statistics |
| Import | ||
| Microsoft Word (.docx) | Yes — headings become chapters; italics, small caps, footnotes and images carried | Yes |
| Scrivener | Yes — reads the .scriv project directly, binder order and all | Compile to Word first, then import that |
| Google Docs | Yes — download as .docx; Alhora classifies Google's direct-formatted headings by size and weight | Download as .docx and import that |
| Re-import after edits elsewhere | Yes — shows every change against your styled book before you accept it | Not documented |
| Export | ||
| EPUB | EPUB 3.0, with Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and generic variants | Yes |
| Print-ready PDF | Yes — bleed, crop marks and an embedded ICC profile | Yes |
| Trim sizes | 23 presets across mass-market, novel, B-format, full-size and large print, plus fully custom | A fixed set of standard sizes |
| Hardcover | Yes — case-wrap dimensions are calculated, and flagged as estimates to check against your printer's template | Not documented |
| Publishing | ||
| Kindle Direct Publishing | Yes — files built to KDP's ebook and print requirements, checked before you upload | Yes |
| IngramSpark | Yes — IngramSpark's own spine formula (pages ÷ PPI) and cover template, not KDP's applied twice | Yes — print PDFs suitable for IngramSpark |
| Draft2Digital | Yes — EPUB built to the generic retail profile D2D distributes | Yes — a standard EPUB can be uploaded |
| Pre-flight against store requirements | Yes — runs offline before upload and names the store rule each finding breaks | Not documented |
| Spine width and cover template | Calculated live from the real page count, per printer | Not documented |
| Print cost and royalty estimate | Yes, from the page count and paper stock | Not documented |
| Accessibility | ||
| Accessibility checks on the EPUB | Yes — an audit that must pass before the accessible-EPUB metadata is written | Produces structurally sound EPUB; no published audit tool |
| Large-print and dyslexia-friendly interiors | Yes — two built-in styles, plus large-print trim sizes | Not documented |
| Series | ||
| Series-wide re-export | Yes — rebuild every book in a series in one command | Each book is exported individually |
| Back matter that updates itself | Yes — the Also By page is generated from the series and rebuilt on export | Not documented |
| AI | ||
| AI features | Optional paid add-on. Checks and an in-app operator — it never writes prose. | Not documented |
| Is your manuscript used for training | No. Text sent for a check is used for that check and discarded. | Not documented |
| Languages | ||
| Books written in languages other than English | 15 languages, typeset and proofed in the book's own language | Not documented |
Atticus 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].
Which should you choose?
Atticus covers drafting as well as formatting, in a browser, with the manuscript kept in the cloud. Its writing tools are real and the one-application appeal is genuine — that is the shape of what it offers.
Alhora is the one we would argue for. It assumes you already draft somewhere you are happy — Word, Scrivener, Google Docs — and puts the whole of its attention on the stage after that: print pre-flight, per-printer spine widths, gutter by page count, accessibility auditing, series-wide re-export, and all of it on your own machine with the book as a file on your own disk rather than in an account. Format and preview the whole thing free, and compare the actual pages before you spend anything.
The cheapest way to settle it is to try both. Alhora and Atticus will each show you a formatted book before you commit — and it is worth doing with your own manuscript rather than a sample, because it is your chapter headings and scene breaks that will find the differences.
Questions, answered
Is Atticus a writing app or a formatting app?
Both. It is a drafting environment with goals and statistics, and it exports EPUB and print PDF. That combination is its main advantage over tools that only do one half.
Does Atticus work offline?
Atticus is a browser application with an offline mode, so you can work without a connection and it syncs when you reconnect. Alhora is an installed desktop application: after activation, editing and export happen entirely on your machine with no connection at all.
Where is my manuscript stored?
Atticus keeps your book in the cloud, cached locally for offline work. Alhora keeps projects as files on your own disk — they back up with the rest of your computer, and nothing is uploaded unless you deliberately send it.
Can I import a Scrivener project into either?
Alhora reads a .scriv project directly and keeps the binder structure. For Atticus you compile from Scrivener to Word first and import that, which works but flattens the structure into whatever the compile produced.
Which is better for print books?
Both export a print-ready PDF. Alhora adds the production checks: spine width per printer, gutter minimums by page count, image resolution, print cost and royalty estimates, and a pre-flight pass against store requirements before you upload.
Can I try either before paying?
Alhora lets you format and preview a whole book free; a plan unlocks export. Atticus has no free tier but publishes a 30-day refund policy.
Format your book with Alhora
Import your manuscript, typeset the interior, and see every page exactly as it will print. Formatting and previewing a whole book is free — a plan unlocks export.
Download Alhora free See pricing
macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS. No card needed to format and preview.