Your files, your folder
Plain text. Open format. Readable on any computer, with or without Trove.
Offline by default
The editor needs no account and no connection. Sign-in is only for sync and Circles.
End-to-end encrypted
When you sync or join a Circle, your work is encrypted on your device — only you and the people you choose to share with can read it.
Live demo
Open it in your browser before you buy.
No download. No account. The real editor shell running on a small sample library — type, drag, switch views, see whether it feels like yours.
Runs in your browser · sample library · nothing saved to a server
The editor
A page, not a dashboard.
Pick a typeface, set your line height and column width, and the chrome gets out of the way. Focus mode keeps the current paragraph lit and dims everything else.
- Typewriter scroll holds the active line centred while you draft
- Focus mode dims everything except the current paragraph
- Per-document column width, drop-cap, and cursor blink settings
- Session word counts and writing minutes — kept on this machine
Manuscript, Folio & Corkboard
Three ways to see the same book.
Nest Folders and Documents however you want. Read it as a binder, scroll it as a Folio, or pin it to a Corkboard. The files on disk are the same; only the view changes.
- Each scene is its own plain-text file — back it up, search it, sync it anywhere
- Folio renders a folder of Documents as one continuous read
- Corkboard switches between cards, outline, and POV-lane timeline
- Compile any folder, file, or selection to DOCX, EPUB, or Markdown
Atlas, Codexes & the Relationship Map
A codex that holds together.
Entities are typed records — characters, locations, factions, whatever your story needs. Link them together, group them into a Codex, and reuse that Codex across as many Manuscripts as you like.
- Custom Entity types with their own fields, icons, and colours
- Typed Relationships, visualised on a graph
- Mention any Entity in the editor; an Appears-in panel tracks every reference
- Codexes live outside any single Manuscript — link as many manuscripts as you like
On the desk, on the sofa, on the train
On your laptop. On your phone.
Draft on the laptop. Capture a scene on your phone walking the dog. Read the chapter back on the iPad in bed. Same files, same library, same Trove.
- Native apps on macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone, and iPad
- Phone capture for the line that arrives between stops
- iPad reading layout for revising in long form away from the desk
- Pair devices once; your Manuscripts, Codexes, and Tome notes follow
Sync across your devices
Start on the laptop, finish at the desk.
Pair a second machine once and your Manuscripts, Codexes, drafts, and Tome notes stay in step. Sync is opt-in and end-to-end encrypted — leave it off and Trove behaves exactly as it always has.
- Pair a device with a one-time code — no file shuffling, no shared cloud folder
- Manuscripts, drafts, Entities, and notes all travel together
- Encrypted on your device before it leaves — we never see your writing
- Opt-in. Switch it off and Trove still works exactly the same
Circles
A writing group that respects the work.
Circles are small, private groups of writers. Share a passage for honest critique, run a sprint together, compare notes on the craft. Your manuscript stays on your machine — only the excerpt you choose to post ever leaves it.
- Share an Excerpt for feedback; threaded comments stay inside the Circle
- Group sprints and challenges with a shared word-count goal
- Join by invite link, or find a listed Circle in Discover
- Only the people in the Circle can read what is posted — not even Trove can
Security, ownership, and the writing
What Trove keeps that the others can't.
Nine honest rows against Scrivener, Ulysses, Obsidian and Atticus — plus Word and Google Docs, the status quo most writers start from. Plain Markdown on disk, end-to-end encrypted sync, and a pay-once licence are the things you stop renegotiating once you switch.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- soon Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- partial Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- partial Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- partial Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- partial Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- partial Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- partial Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- partial Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- partial Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- partial Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- partial No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- partial Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- partial Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- partial Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Security & ownership
- Plain Markdown library you own — readable in any editor, no proprietary database
Obsidian and Trove both store plain Markdown on disk. Ulysses uses Markdown inside its own library; Scrivener wraps RTF inside .scriv; Atticus is a browser app; Word saves OOXML; Google Docs is cloud-native.
- Local-first storage — files live on your disk, no account required
Ulysses defaults to an iCloud library; Atticus is browser-only and needs an account. Word runs offline but the Microsoft 365 default pushes an account; Google Docs requires a Google account.
- partial Pay-once pricing — no subscription required
Ulysses is subscription-only. Obsidian is free for personal use; sync and Publish are paid add-ons. Scrivener and Atticus are one-off purchases. Word is sold mainly as a Microsoft 365 subscription with a perpetual Office license as the minority option. Google Docs is free for personal use; Workspace is subscription.
- End-to-end encrypted sync — only you can read it
Ulysses syncs via iCloud (plaintext on Apple servers). Obsidian Sync stores plaintext on Obsidian servers. Scrivener and Atticus have no first-party sync. Word/OneDrive and Google Docs are encrypted in transit and at rest but the provider holds the keys.
- Novelist structure built in — binder, corkboard, folio, snapshots
Obsidian has community plugins (Longform, Novel Plugin) but nothing first-party. Ulysses is a Markdown writing app without project/novel structure. Word and Google Docs are general-purpose word processors with no novelist scaffolding.
- Worldbuilding — typed entities, codex, atlas, relationship graph
Scrivener has character/place sheets. Obsidian can model anything via plugins but is not novelist-aware. Atticus has light character/setting fields. Word and Google Docs have no worldbuilding features.
- partial Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad
Scrivener: Mac/Win/iOS, no Linux. Ulysses: Mac/iOS only. Obsidian: Mac/Win/Linux/iOS/Android. Atticus: browser, so works anywhere but no offline desktop app. Word: Mac/Win/iOS plus web, no Linux desktop. Google Docs: web + iOS/Android, no offline desktop binary.
- Live encrypted co-writing — real-time co-edit with end-to-end encryption
Live co-writing ships post-1.0 via Vault. Word and Google Docs both have mature live co-editing, but Microsoft and Google see plaintext on the server — not end-to-end encrypted. No novelist app offers encrypted live co-edit today.
- No telemetry on your work
Trove sends no telemetry. Scrivener, Ulysses and Obsidian collect minimal usage data at most. Atticus, Word and Google Docs all collect or process content under their respective terms — read the current TOS for your tier.
Sources: vendor docs and current shipping behaviour as of 2026-05-11. Hover any cell for the qualifying note.
A note from the maker
Why this exists.
I built Trove because the tools I had were all wrong in different directions. Scrivener got the binder right but kept my words in a folder that only it could open. Notion treated a novel like a database. Word treated it like a memo. Anything web-shaped wanted me to sign in to write.
So Trove is the writing app I wanted on my own laptop. Your manuscript lives as plain text in a folder you own, with a tree you can drag around, a Folio for the long read, a Corkboard for the cards, and an Atlas for the people and places you are inventing. The editor doesn't phone home, doesn't ask you to sign up, and doesn't tap at your elbow while you draft. When you do want your other machines in step, or a few trusted writers to read a chapter, that is there too, encrypted so it stays between you and the people you picked. If Trove disappears tomorrow your manuscript still opens in TextEdit on Tuesday.
I built it so I cannot read your work even if someone asked me to. The keys live on your machines, not on mine. When sync or a Circle is on, your writing is encrypted on your device before it goes — I can show you a bill, I cannot show you a sentence. Not for support, not for analytics, not for a friendly investor. I cannot make a copy I do not have.
It is a one-person shop. The lifetime price exists because I would rather sell Trove cheaply to people who get it than chase scale. Buy it, write a book, tell me what is broken. That is the deal.
FAQ
Questions, answered plainly.
On your hard drive. Trove writes plain text files into a folder you choose — usually Documents → Trove. Nothing locked in a proprietary format, no database to escape if you ever move on. Sync and Circles are opt-in extras; switch them off and your writing never leaves the folder.