Atticus vs Vellum: Which Formatter Fits Your Computer and Budget

If you use Windows or Linux, the choice is nearly made for you: Vellum runs only on macOS, and Atticus lists Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook. If you own a Mac, the question is price against preference. Atticus lists $147 once; Vellum lists $199.99 for ebooks only or $249.99 for ebooks and paperbacks, as of 2026-11-08.

Read this before other Atticus-versus-Vellum comparisons

This page carries an Atticus affiliate slot and no Vellum affiliate link. Atticus's home page, as read on 2026-11-08, has a "Founder of Kindlepreneur & Publisher Rocket" line without naming a person. In its own Atticus review, Kindlepreneur's Dave Chesson describes himself as an Atticus co-founder; that claim rests on Kindlepreneur alone. Kindlepreneur's Atticus review links an outside Atticus-versus-Vellum comparison that we did not read.

Side by side, as listed on 2026-11-08

Atticus's comparison table lists Vellum at $249, while Vellum's page shows $249.99 for the print-capable edition. We rely on Vellum's own figures. The comparison table also gives Vellum 26 fonts and 26 chapter themes against Atticus's 1,500-plus fonts and 17-plus themes; those are Atticus's own counts for a rival, so treat them as marketing.

The new table rows come from Atticus's help centre (free trial, trim sizes, hardcover, EPUB 3, backups, offline use, collaboration, metadata) and from Vellum's (restoring a licence, Word export, accessibility).

Print and ebook controls, from each help site

On print layout, Atticus exposes a setting where Vellum applies fixed rules. Neither help site tells you how the pages look, and we have not compared files.

• Page layout. Atticus's print layout settings let you prioritise removing widows and orphans, balancing pages, or both. Vellum's automatic layout always applies widow and orphan prevention and balanced spreads, and says it may leave a widow in place to keep a spread balanced.
• Store files. Vellum generates a file per store, plus a Generic EPUB for aggregators, and recommends store-specific files when image quality matters, because Generic uses low-resolution images. Atticus says it is not set up for store-specific links and points to universal book links, so that you do not need a separate version per store.
• Trim sizes. Vellum's trim size list names 24 sizes plus 6 Large Print options. Atticus offers common sizes and no custom size.
• Reusing a look. Atticus themes are shared, so editing one changes every book using it. Vellum's Saved Styles are locked once saved and stored in your Mac user account.
• Fonts and tables. Atticus says it supplies over 1,500 fonts, cannot import your own and cannot build tables in the app. The Vellum pages read give no font count and do not cover tables.

Where each wins on documented facts

Atticus wins on platform reach, on price, and on including a writing environment. Vellum wins if you want to try the full program before paying (Atticus's help centre says there is no free trial), if you want Vellum's print settings help, which names default margins and bleed (0.875 inch inside margin, 0.125 inch bleed; we did not compare this with Atticus's help on bleed), and if your priority is a program built only for formatting. We make no claim about appearance, since we have not compared files.

Cost over time

Both are one-time purchases, so the five-year figure equals the first-year figure. Labelled estimate from the listed prices, excluding tax: Atticus $147; Vellum Press $249.99, which is $102.99 more; Vellum Ebooks $199.99. If you buy Ebooks first and later move to Press, Vellum's purchasing FAQ lists the upgrade at $69.99 after the 30-day exchange window, so $199.99 + $69.99 = $269.98, or $19.99 more than buying Press outright. Inside the first 30 days, the FAQ offers an exchange for the difference in price, which is $249.99 − $199.99 = $50, or $19.99 less than the later upgrade. Vellum's FAQ also says a licence is tied to one individual and can be restored onto one additional computer you own.

Both vendors say there is no limit on the number of books. Per book, as a labelled estimate rounded to the cent and excluding tax and your time:

What you can check before your money is at risk

Vellum lets you look before paying and Atticus does not, but neither lets you inspect a finished file for free.

On either tool, the step that matters comes after purchase: generate your real book and open the files in Kindle Previewer and your printer's previewer inside the 30 days. Vellum's help says its Proof preview "will exactly match the final PDF", which gives a Mac owner a fuller look at print layout before paying, if the free download includes it. The pages read do not restrict it.

Switching and lock-in

Both read a DOCX, so your manuscript text is portable if you keep a DOCX master. Vellum's import page says it preserves character formatting "whenever possible", suggests applying Word's Heading 1 style to chapter titles, and says reimporting replaces previously imported content while front and back matter you added stays. Atticus's help says it recognises Word's Heading 1 to 6, with Heading 1 as the chapter title.

Atticus says outright that it cannot import .vellum files. Vellum's File menu has Export Content As > Word File, which its FAQ says is for sharing rather than publishing and keeps your content, added front and back matter and basic structure. Atticus's own DOCX export keeps your text and chapter titles with basic formatting. No page read says a project from either opens in the other, so budget for re-applying styles if you move.

Where your work sits also differs. Atticus autosaves to its cloud with JSON snapshots that its support team restores. Vellum's files stay on the Mac where you made them, so backing them up is your job.

Windows users and Vellum

Vellum's own help says Vellum is Mac-only and describes a rented cloud Mac as a workaround, naming MacinCloud, connected by Microsoft Remote Desktop. It quotes MacinCloud's pay-as-you-go tier "as low as $1 USD per hour", and notes that your Vellum licence is separate, that the host manages updates so your version may lag, and advises keeping your files in a synced folder in case the rental account lapses. Estimate: ten hours at that quoted floor is $10 on top of $249.99, but the real rate may be higher, so check MacinCloud. Compare that workflow with Atticus running locally, and see Vellum alternatives for Windows.

Downsides of each

Atticus: bundles writing you may not need, its comparison claims are the vendor's, it has no free trial or custom trim sizes, and import and export need the internet. Vellum: macOS only, highest price, print needs the more expensive Press edition, working files stay on one Mac unless you copy them, and it does not itself include a writing app. See the Atticus review and Vellum review.

Which to choose

Confirm before paying

• Current price and tax on each vendor's page.
• That your Mac meets macOS 14, if buying Vellum.
• That your print trim size is offered, and that the PDF meets KDP's limits.
• The refund window in the checkout terms.
• Your generated files, opened in Kindle Previewer and your printer's previewer, before day 30.

If you plan an audiobook

Neither page describes audiobook export, but both make ebooks. For Google Play's auto-narration, the policy page asks for an .epub, uploaded or taken from your Partner Center account, and you must own the audiobook rights; see also the Learning Center page. KDP's Virtual Voice beta, invite-only, requires a reflowable title with an NCX or Kindle Interactive table of contents. See prepare a manuscript for AI narration.

Check the current Atticus price at Atticus. More choices are in the formatting software hub.

Last verified 2026-11-08. Rules and prices change: check the linked primary page before you rely on this.