Atticus vs Vellum
The first question is the computer on your desk. Atticus runs as a Progressive Web App in a browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, while Vellum is Mac-only and needs macOS 13 or newer. Cost is the second split: Atticus asks $147 once for ebook and print, whereas Vellum sells Ebooks at $199.99 and Press, which adds paperbacks, at $249.99, tax excluded. Vellum lets you download and style a book before paying, and Atticus states a refund window of 30 days instead of a trial. Neither vendor names a country.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Atticus ifyou write on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook, or switch between machines and want the same tool on all of them. You also want a single $147 payment covering ebook and print, with a theme builder for your own look.
Choose Vellum ifyou work on a Mac and want to build and preview your whole book before spending anything. You also want print output with 24 trim sizes, full-bleed pages and PDF/X-1a files.
Atticus and Vellum side by side
| Atticus | Vellum | |
|---|---|---|
| Our ebook creation software rank | #1 of 11 | #2 of 11 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | Not stated by the vendor |
| List price, 7 November 2026 | $147 once for ebook and print, no monthly fees, refund window of 30 days | Vellum Ebooks $199.99 or Vellum Press $249.99 (USD, tax excluded); free download, pay to generate files |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Self-publishing authors wanting one payment and a tool that runs anywhere | Authors on a Mac who want print and ebook editions from one manuscript |
| Not for | Studios producing brochures, magazines, catalogues or other non-book layouts | Windows teams or anyone laying out non-book documents |
Both are reviewed in full in our ebook creation software ranking: Atticus and Vellum.
Where they differ
Atticus 3 · Vellum 3 · open 0- 01
Mac only versus anything with a browser
Vellum states it is available only for Mac and requires macOS 13 or newer, so a Windows or Linux author cannot install it at all. Atticus is a Progressive Web App that runs in a browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, works online and offline, and saves your work to the cloud automatically. A household or small team with mixed computers is covered by Atticus alone. Vellum's limit is a plain hard stop for anyone outside the Apple ecosystem.
Edge: Atticus
- 02
One payment against two price tags
Atticus shows $147 as a one-time payment for ebook and print, with no monthly fees plus a refund window of 30 days. Vellum shows two editions in US dollars, tax excluded: Ebooks at $199.99 for unlimited ebooks and Press at $249.99 for unlimited ebooks and paperbacks. That puts Vellum $52.99 above Atticus for ebooks only, and $102.99 above it once paperbacks are included. Vellum's help page adds that updates are free and a refund is possible within 30 days.
Edge: Atticus
- 03
Download first, pay when you publish
Vellum can be downloaded free with no time limit, so you can build, style and preview a book on your own manuscript. Files cannot be generated until you buy, and the licence is tied to one person and cannot be shared with a colleague. Atticus mentions no trial on the page we read, only the refund window of 30 days, which means you pay before you test. For an author who wants to see the finished look first, Vellum's order of events is friendlier.
Edge: Vellum
- 04
Templates and theme builder against built-in styles
Atticus lists 17 templates giving 1200+ unique combinations, plus a custom theme builder. Its comparison table adds 1,500+ fonts and 17+ chapter themes, and named features include full bleed images, large print, footnotes, callout boxes, volumes and parts. Vellum's fit notes say layouts follow built-in book styles rather than free placement of objects, though no template count appears there. If you want to tune the look yourself, Atticus shows more of what you can adjust.
Edge: Atticus
- 05
Files you get out of it
Atticus exports EPUB, PDF and DOCX and imports DOCX, so a word processor stays an exit route. The page does not state trim sizes, and version control is marked Coming Soon. Vellum outputs validated EPUB 3 and EPUB 2, ACE-approved accessible output, and print files in PDF/X-1a across 24 trim sizes plus large print, with full-bleed pages and backgrounds. Vellum documents its print specification in far more detail, while Atticus offers the extra DOCX route. For print-focused authors, the detail counts.
Edge: Vellum
- 06
Who is behind it
Neither vendor gives a country anywhere we looked. Atticus shows only the name Atticus with a 2026 copyright in the footer, with no company entity, so contract and data terms need checking before you rely on it. Vellum's footer says Vellum is a registered trademark of 180g, and the site links to a purchasing FAQ and a privacy page, though no terms page link turned up. Vellum names a trademark owner and Atticus names no entity, a small edge for Vellum.
Edge: Vellum
When neither fits
If you need brochures, magazines or other non-book layouts, both are book formatters and neither fits. Scrivener is worth a look if drafting matters more than formatting, and Reedsy Studio is a further option to compare for the finished file.
Atticus or Vellum: questions
3 answersIs there any way to try Atticus before paying?
The page we read mentions no free trial. It offers a refund window of 30 days on the $147 one-time payment instead. So you pay first and can ask for the money back inside that window.
Can a Windows author use Vellum?
No. Vellum states it is available only for Mac and requires macOS 13 or newer. The vendor lists no Windows or browser version on the page we read. A Windows author would need to look at a cross-platform tool such as Atticus.
Which edition of Vellum includes paperbacks?
Vellum Press does, at $249.99 in US dollars with tax excluded, for unlimited ebooks and paperbacks. Vellum Ebooks is $199.99 and covers unlimited ebooks only. Both are one-time purchases with free updates, and one licence belongs to one individual.
Sources
Checked 7 November 2026- Atticus home page: the $147 one-time payment, 30-day guarantee, browser platforms, 17 templates, exports and Coming Soon version control.
- Atticus home page (www): named features such as full bleed images, footnotes and callout boxes, and the footer with no company entity.
- Vellum home page: the $199.99 and $249.99 editions, macOS 13 requirement, 24 trim sizes, EPUB and PDF/X-1a, and the 180g trademark line.
- Vellum purchasing help: the free download without time limit, individual licence, free updates and 30-day refund.