Quillen is a fiction writing app for novelists. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, works fully offline, and keeps every book on your own computer as plain files. It is made by Kaiyo Zero Software, an independent studio, and it costs $39 once with no subscription.
The name is easy to confuse with other things, so to be clear: this is the Quillen novel-writing app, not a medical term, a surname, or one of the similarly named writing tools such as Quill or QuillBot.
What Quillen does
Quillen is built around the stages of writing a novel, all in one place:
- Write. A clean manuscript editor with Bold and Italic only, automatic industry-standard formatting (Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced), chapters and scenes in a sidebar tree, focus mode, spellcheck in US or UK English, a built-in thesaurus and manuscript-wide find and replace.
- Plan. A Kanban-style outline board and a timeline view, with four built-in story structure templates: Fichtean Curve, Save the Cat, Seven-Point Story Structure and the Hero's Journey.
- Build your characters. A nine-section character profile editor, from appearance and history to psychology, relationships and character growth.
- Build your world. Lore entries for maps, world, history and economy, a history timeline, and built-in world map and city map generators.
- Export. One click to a formatted Word (.docx) or PDF manuscript.
Prose analysis without AI
Quillen includes an Analyze Document tool that highlights nine categories of common prose weaknesses, including filter words, passive voice, vague words, adverbs and clichés. It is rules-based, not AI. Your text never leaves your computer.
Who Quillen is for
Quillen suits solo novelists who want one app for drafting, planning and formatting, without learning a complicated tool and without paying a monthly fee. It is a good fit if you want your files stored locally, if you are tired of subscriptions, or if you are moving a manuscript out of Word or Google Docs. It does not offer real-time collaboration or a mobile app, so if you need to co-write live with a partner, look at a collaborative tool instead.
Price and trial
Quillen costs $39 once, including future updates. You can download the full app and use it free for 30 days of actual use. Days you do not open the app do not count against the trial.
Common questions
What is Quillen?
Quillen is a desktop fiction writing app for novelists. It combines a distraction-free manuscript editor, story outlining, character profiles, world-building tools and one-click export to Word and PDF in a single app.
Is Quillen a subscription?
No. Quillen is a one-time $39 purchase that includes future updates, with a 30-day free trial that only counts the days you actually use the app.
Does Quillen use AI?
No. Its prose analysis tool is rules-based and runs on your own computer. Your manuscript is not sent anywhere.
Which platforms does Quillen run on?
Windows, macOS and Linux. It is a desktop app and works fully offline.