ZenWriterManuscript and materials
Keep chapters, scenes, characters and notes together. Switch between the text and supporting material.
ZenWriter
An editor for books and long-form writing
Keep your text, chapters, characters and research in one app. Write in a browser or on Windows and set up your workspace to suit you.
The first 15 days are free. In the browser and on Windows.
Tools for your book
Work with your draft, notes and manuscript structure.
Plot and relationships
Use the relationship map and event timeline to keep track of characters and the order of events.
Your workspace
Choose a font and background, hide panels or add sounds. You can leave just the text on screen.
For different
kinds of writing
ZenWriter is designed for longer work where you need an outline and supporting material alongside the manuscript.
Novelists
Organise chapters and scenes, and keep track of characters and their relationships.
- Chapters, parts, scenes and research materials live in one workspace
- Character cards, relationship maps and event timelines
- Focus mode hides panels and highlights the current paragraph
Screenwriters
Work on episodes and keep character notes beside your draft.
- Switch between scenes and supporting materials
- @mentions open character cards right beside the text
- Export to DOCX or HTML to share a draft with an editor or co-author
Non-fiction, research, essays
Keep sources, notes and terminology with the text they relate to.
- Notes, references and terminology stay close to the manuscript
- Chapters for the manuscript, cards for working notes
- Works online and in the Windows app, with familiar export options
Inside the editor
Your book, supporting material and workspace.
Create a book
Set the title, type, genre and description of your book. A genre profile suggests relevant tools. The outline, text and properties open side by side.
- Genre profiles
- Chapters, parts and scenes
Gather the materials for your book
Create cards for characters, places, events and sources. Mention a character with @name to open their card from the text.
- Character and research cards
- Mentions in the manuscript
See your story at a chosen moment
Move the slider along the event timeline to see cards at that point in the story. Who was the hero before the war? Who owned the castle in chapter three?
- Cards at a chosen point in time
- Links between events and characters
Explore character relationships
The relationship map shows connections between characters. Other materials have their own views: a timeline, location tree, clue board and a table of who knows what.
- Relationship map
- Views for different materials
Set up your writing space
Hide panels or highlight the current paragraph. Choose a font and background, add music or typing sounds. Set a daily word goal while working on a draft.
- Fonts, backgrounds and sounds
- Word goals and statistics
Work with text and cards side by side
A formatting toolbar appears when you select text. Open character cards beside your manuscript through @mentions. Text replacement helps with quotes and dashes.
- Text formatting
- Manuscript export
Continue on another device
The web app is available on computers, tablets and phones. Switch between the manuscript and supporting materials. Subscription and Lifetime include sync across devices.
- Browser on desktop and phone
- Sync with Subscription or Lifetime
2009
Year of the first release
16
Material types
13
Genre profiles
4
Manuscript export formats
Choose Your Plan
Try it free for 15 days, without a card. Then choose the access you need.
Cloud access
Subscription
Web version + Windows app. Sync across devices. All updates included.
- Web + Windows app
- Sync across devices
- All themes, sounds & backgrounds
- Export to DOCX, HTML, TXT, ZIP
- Local Windows documents work offline
- Updates included
Windows
App Purchase
0one-time
A perpetual Windows license for one user, without cloud sync. Signing in and checking access require internet access.
- Windows app
- Perpetual license
- Local Windows documents work offline
- All themes, sounds & backgrounds
- Export to DOCX, HTML, TXT, ZIP
- Sync across devices
Lifetime
0one-time
Lifetime access to ZenWriter: the web app, Windows, cloud sync and updates.
- Everything in Subscription
- Lifetime access
- Web app and Windows
- All updates included
- No auto-renewal
- Support the project’s development
Subscription and Lifetime include the web app and sync. App Purchase is for Windows, without cloud sync. Signing in and access checks require an internet connection.
Plan Comparison
Full functionality for 15 days. No card required.
| Feature | Subscription | App Purchase | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web app | |||
| Windows app | |||
| Cloud sync | |||
| Full-screen mode | |||
| Themes, backgrounds, typography | |||
| Books with chapters and characters | |||
| Relationship graph and timeline | |||
| Sounds, music, typing | |||
| Export DOCX, HTML, TXT, ZIP | |||
| Import DOCX, TXT | |||
| Local Windows documents work offline | |||
| Edit without subscription | |||
| All updates included | |||
| Price | — /mo | — | — |
Platforms
Work wherever you are
Browser
Available
Windows
Available
macOS
In development
Linux
In development
iOS / iPad
Planned
Android
Planned
FAQ
Try it with your writing
Open ZenWriter to start a book or continue a draft. Free for 15 days.