AI assistant in context
Draft and revise with an assistant that stays grounded in your story context.
Pre-Sale Opens March 2026
✍️
Writers Studio
The AI-native fiction writing app for Mac — built for serious novelists, screenwriters, and worldbuilders.
Intelligent worldbuilding. Continuity tracking. 8-format export. Your creative command center.
Pre-Order From $39App Store — Free at Launch (June 2026)
Mar '26
Pre-Sale Launch
Lifetime licenses from $39
Jun '26
Full Launch
Direct + App Store
macOS
Native App
SwiftUI & SwiftData
4 AI
Provider Options
OpenAI · Anthropic · Gemini · Ollama
See the workflow in product screens
A quick look at the live writing, worldbuilding, and AI-assisted workflow inside Writers Studio.
Worldbuilding dashboard
Track characters, locations, lore, and timeline details from one organized workspace.
AI entity extraction
Turn manuscript passages into structured entities you can approve and edit.
Continuity checking
Catch cross-chapter conflicts before they reach your editor or beta readers.
Provider settings
Configure OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or Ollama in one place.
🔑
Two Editions, One App
Direct ($79 lifetime): Use your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google — your writing never touches our servers. Free local AI via Ollama.
App Store (Free): AI features via our cloud proxy with optional credit subscriptions. All core writing, worldbuilding, and export features work without any subscription.
Founder Story
Why I Built Writers Studio
I built Writers Studio for my wife. She is a hobbyist writer who is deeply creative, but she kept running into the same friction: character bible notes in one place, timeline details in another, and draft edits spread everywhere. I wanted one app that could keep her world and manuscript in sync while still feeling like a writing editor she actually enjoyed using.
Who built this?
I built Writers Studio at LiteStep, starting from a very personal use case at home, then expanding it for other fiction writers facing the same workflow problems.
Why build it?
She wrote a 250k-word manuscript and used the built-in AI chat that had access to her full document. Together, we discovered it was not one oversized book, it was actually three complete books hiding inside a single draft.
What pain does it solve?
It helps writers track character and timeline consistency, reduces context switching, and makes editing easier for dyslexic writers with guided AI support. Most importantly, it helps long drafts become clear, structured books.
Questions about the roadmap or launch priorities? Contact the founder.
Everything You Need to Write Your Novel
🧠
AI Entity Extraction
Your AI assistant reads your manuscript and automatically builds character profiles, location entries, and timelines from your prose. Accept, edit, or dismiss proposals.
🔗
Continuity Checking
Catch inconsistencies before your beta readers do. AI-powered analysis flags contradicting details, timeline errors, and character discrepancies across chapters.
🌍
Worldbuilding Dashboard
Organize characters, locations, magic systems, and lore across 12 categories. Templates for fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and more.
📤
8-Format Export
Export to DOCX, PDF, EPUB, Markdown, HTML, Plain Text, RTF, and Final Draft (.fdx). Ready for submission, self-publishing, or collaboration.
🔒
Privacy-First AI
Choose your AI provider: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or local Ollama. In the Direct edition, your manuscripts never leave your Mac. Zero telemetry.
✈️
Offline-First
Write anywhere. Your documents live on your Mac. AI features work when you’re online, but the editor never requires a connection.
Full Manuscript Lifecycle
📝 Write & Organize
- ✓ Rich text editor with chapter management
- ✓ Manuscript lifecycle: Planning → Draft → Revision → Final → Archived
- ✓ Series support — group related manuscripts
- ✓ Word count targets and progress tracking
🌐 Build Your World
- ✓ 8 entity types: Characters, Locations, Items, Events, Organizations, Races, Magic, and Lore
- ✓ Relationship tracking with AI detection
- ✓ Timeline events with AI proposals
- ✓ Structured worksheets from 12 worldbuilding categories
Launch Timeline
1
March 2026
Pre-sale opens
Early Bird from $39 · Beta access
2
Mar — Jun 2026
Beta feedback cycle
Pre-sale buyers shape the final product
3
June 2026
Full launch
Direct + App Store · Standard price $79
Pre-Sale Pricing
Lock in your lifetime license at a discount. All tiers include immediate beta access.
Early Bird · 100 Slots
$39
Save 50% off launch price
One-time · Lifetime v1.x license
- ✓ All features included
- ✓ Immediate beta access
- ✓ BYOK AI + free local Ollama
- ✓ Activate on up to 3 Macs
- ✓ Free updates for v1.x
- ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee
First 100 buyers only · macOS 14+
Founder · 200 Slots
$59
Save 25% off launch price
One-time · Lifetime v1.x license
- ✓ Everything in Early Bird
- ✓ Immediate beta access
- ✓ Your name in the app credits
- ✓ Priority feature requests
- ✓ Direct community channel access
- ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee
200 slots · macOS 14+
Standard · Unlimited
$79
Full price
One-time · Lifetime v1.x license
- ✓ All features included
- ✓ Immediate beta access
- ✓ BYOK AI + free local Ollama
- ✓ Activate on up to 3 Macs
- ✓ Free updates for v1.x
- ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee
Always available · macOS 14+
Coming June 2026
Free
Mac App Store edition with optional AI credit subscriptions
✓ Full editor & worldbuilding✓ AI via cloud proxy✓ iCloud sync✓ Family Sharing✓ $9.99/mo or $29.99/mo AI credits
Compare Writers Studio with Top Alternatives
Side-by-side comparisons for authors deciding between Scrivener, Ulysses, and Atticus.
Writer Pain-Point Guides
Read practical workflows for writer's block, continuity fixes, and manuscript export.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the pre-sale tiers?+
Early Bird ($39) — Limited to 100 buyers. 50% off the launch price. Includes immediate beta access and all features.
Founder ($59) — Limited to 200 buyers. 25% off, plus your name in the app credits and priority feature requests.
Standard ($79) — Unlimited availability at the full launch price. All buyers get beta access until June 2026 launch.
Founder ($59) — Limited to 200 buyers. 25% off, plus your name in the app credits and priority feature requests.
Standard ($79) — Unlimited availability at the full launch price. All buyers get beta access until June 2026 launch.
What's the difference between Direct and App Store?+
Both editions include the same core writing and worldbuilding features. The Direct edition is a one-time purchase ($79 at launch, from $39 pre-sale) where AI chat goes directly to the provider using your own API keys. The App Store edition launches free in June 2026 with optional AI credit subscriptions.
Is my writing data private?+
Yes. Manuscripts are stored locally on your Mac. In the Direct edition, AI requests go straight to the provider using your own keys. In the App Store edition, AI requests pass through our encrypted proxy but are never stored.
Does it work offline?+
The editor, worldbuilding tools, and export features work completely offline. AI-powered features require internet (unless using local Ollama).
What does "lifetime license" mean?+
Your purchase covers all v1.x updates. Pre-sale buyers ($39/$59/$79) all receive the same lifetime v1.x license — just at different price points. If v2.0 is released, you can continue using v1 forever or upgrade at a discount. v1 never stops working.
Can I activate on multiple Macs?+
Yes — up to 3 Macs. Manage devices at activate.litestep.com.
What AI providers are supported?+
OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4.1), Anthropic (Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Opus 4), Google (Gemini 2.5 Pro/Flash), and Ollama (local, free). Switch anytime.
Do you offer refunds?+
Yes — 30-day money-back guarantee on Direct purchases. Email [email protected].
Ready to write your story?
Pre-sale opens March 2026 — lifetime licenses from $39.
All pre-sale tiers include immediate beta access.