Where does Palimpseste fit in?
Long-form writing today draws on several well-known tools — Sudowrite, NovelCrafter, Plottr, Scrivener, Obsidian. Each has its history, its loyal users, and its niche. Here, plainly, is what Palimpseste Editor contributes to the landscape and who it's meant for. The gateway (send a folder out, bring it back) is a sister product: Palimpseste Pseudo.
What Palimpseste brings
A single application that brings together three crafts, several AI models, five languages, and an open format. Here, in detail, is what you'll find.
- ✓ Full chapter generation — a two-pass pipeline (beat-by-beat plan then markdown prose), about 1500 words per chapter, in your persona's voice.
- ✓ Fully local mode — your manuscripts stay on your disk. Ollama and LM Studio compatible, no cross-subscription for AI.
- ✓ Cloud on your terms — Anthropic Claude and OpenAI GPT via your own API key. You stay in control of the cost.
- ✓ Three work profiles — novelist (Story Bible, plot threads, corkboard, timeline), researcher (CSL, Zotero, JATS, academic compliance), journalist (templates, confidential sources, deadlines).
- ✓ Personas — author voice memory — Story Bible, glossary, voice samples, reference docs. My Studio stores them locally, reusable across projects.
- ✓ 100% local semantic RAG — embeddings computed with fastembed-rs on your machine. Your personal archives are queried semantically without leaving your disk.
- ✓ Native UI in 5 languages — French, English, German, Spanish, Italian. 2,287 keys × 5 languages, strict parity verified every release.
- ✓ Pro export — Markdown, LaTeX, EPUB, DOCX, JATS XML, manuscript format, presentation. All out of the box, no plugin needed.
- ✓ Versioning and revisions — named snapshots with visual diff, change tracking, supervision mode with annotations.
- ✓ Open formats only — Markdown, YAML, JSON. Git-versionable. Readable in ten years, in any editor.
- ✓ Native multi-platform app — macOS (Apple Developer ID signed), Windows, Linux x86 and ARM64. Works offline.
- € Pro plan at €59.99/year VAT incl. — a single subscription, no AI credits to top up, no mandatory cloud. Permanent free version, no credit card.
If you come from another workshop
A few notes for those who already know another writing tool and wonder what Palimpseste might add. No judgment on the tools themselves — each has its merits and its loyal users.
If you come from Sudowrite
What Sudowrite brings
- A well-tuned Story Engine and Brainstorm, with a mature prompt library.
- A mature Story Bible and a rich set of style tools (Twist, Describe, Shrink Ray).
- A cloud experience with no install.
What Palimpseste adds
- A 100% local mode via Ollama or LM Studio — your manuscript stays on your disk.
- A native UI in five languages (FR, EN, DE, ES, IT) with translated prompts.
- An open Markdown format, Git-versionable, readable in any editor.
- Three work profiles: Palimpseste also serves researchers and journalists — one tool across your different projects.
If you come from NovelCrafter
What NovelCrafter brings
- A well-thought Codex (characters, locations, arcs).
- Fine-grained AI generation at chapter, scene, and dialogue level.
- Multi-LLM support (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter).
What Palimpseste adds
- A first-class local Ollama / LM Studio path, treated at the same level as cloud models.
- A native macOS / Windows / Linux app that works offline.
- A 100% local semantic RAG over your own reference documents.
- A flat annual fee of €59.99 VAT incl., no AI credits to top up — you stay in control of cloud usage costs.
If you come from Plottr
What Plottr brings
- A polished visual planning tool (timeline, plot threads).
- Ready-made narrative templates (Hero's Journey, Save the Cat…).
- A clear interface to lay out a plot before writing.
What Palimpseste adds
- The manuscript writing itself — you stay in Palimpseste to both plan AND write.
- A built-in generative AI (Story Engine, AI verbs) that uses your plan to produce the prose.
- Corkboard, timeline, and plot threads are also present — no tool-switching to move to writing.
If you come from Scrivener
What Scrivener brings
- The long-form writing standard for twenty years, with a solid community.
- A very mature corkboard and compile/export system.
- A one-time payment, no recurring subscription.
What Palimpseste adds
- A built-in generative AI in the manuscript itself — no need for a third-party tool alongside. And the subscription has an end: after 48 cumulative months, the license becomes perpetual.
- An open Markdown format that versions under Git and opens in any editor.
- Several work profiles (novelist, researcher, journalist) that activate panels and vocabulary tuned to each craft.
- A native macOS Sonoma 2026 UI, with auto-updater signed by Apple Developer ID.
If you come from Obsidian
What Obsidian brings
- An open Markdown, an elegant graph view, a very rich plugin ecosystem.
- Native backlinks and Zettelkasten, perfect for knowledge management.
- A free personal edition.
What Palimpseste adds
- A built-in long-form writing workshop — Story Bible, plot threads, corkboard, CSL citations, JATS XML, all out of the box.
- A local Story Engine that generates a full chapter from the bible and the arcs.
- Several work profiles (novelist, researcher, journalist) that adapt the work environment.
- Backlinks and graph view are also present in Palimpseste — you don't lose your habits.
Many of our users keep one or two of these tools open in parallel for specific needs. Palimpseste isn't trying to replace, but to complement the landscape.
Palimpseste's distinctive choices
Four deliberate choices that define the workshop's identity.
Local-first by default
Story Engine, document RAG, semantic embeddings — everything can run on your machine. The cloud stays an option you turn on at your own pace, with your own API key.
Five native languages
FR / EN / DE / ES / IT. UI, AI prompts, documentation, user tests: 2,287 keys × 5 languages, strict parity verified every release.
Three work profiles
Novelist (Story Bible + plot threads + corkboard), researcher (CSL + Zotero + JATS + academic compliance), journalist (deadlines + sources + editorial styles). A single workshop across your different writing projects.
Reusable personas
Capture your voice once (style guide, glossary, voice samples, document RAG) — reuse it across all your projects, one-click attached to any manuscript.
You are…
A novelist looking for a local-first AI workshop in your own language
→ Palimpseste. Two-pass Story Engine, Story Bible, plot threads, RAG on your archives, native UI in your language, €59.99/year VAT incl.
See Story Engine →PhD student writing a thesis + papers
→ Palimpseste researcher profile. CSL citations (5 styles), Zotero (BBT + Cloud), LaTeX/JATS export, similarity detection, academic compliance.
See academic mode →Freelance journalist juggling 5 deadlines
→ Palimpseste journalist profile. Deadline tracker, sources with 3 confidentiality levels, 5 templates, AP/Le Monde/AFP compliance.
See journalist mode →Someone who just wants to write, no AI involved
→ Palimpseste with AI off. You keep a modern four-mode Markdown editor (raw, preview, split, WYSIWYG), with Story Bible, plot threads, pro export, snapshots and revisions. The full workshop, no automatic generation at all.
See all features →Try it free, no credit card
Palimpseste's free version is permanent: no subscription to cancel, no card required. Download, create your first project, judge for yourself.