Your words stay on your computer
Plain Markdown in a folder you own, with optional backup to your private GitHub repo. If Penflow disappeared tomorrow, your novel would still open anywhere.
Three things Penflow refuses to do to you.
Every keystroke lands on your device
Autosave writes as you type, offline or not. Save points lock in a scene or a chapter when it feels right, and you can always go back.
The AI reads. You write.
Ask about your scene and it answers from your own pages, your manuscript and your codex. You bring the OpenRouter key. It speaks only when spoken to.
Four rooms, one writing desk.
Penflow is built around how novelists actually work. Each room has one job, and the assistant only speaks when you ask it to.
01 Write
A reading editor, first.
Cardo serif, 62 characters wide, line height set for prose. A focus mode that fades the chrome when you want to disappear. Your codex on the right, your words in the middle.
02 Codex
Characters, places, lore.
Type @ in your manuscript and your cast appears. Everything linked, nothing fussed over.
03 Outline
Drag the shape of the book.
Chapters become columns, scenes become cards. Move them, color them by status, watch a whole manuscript breathe in one view.
04 AI, on a leash
A reader that knows your book.
Ask about a scene and the AI opens the actual pages it needs, then tells you what it read. Bring your own OpenRouter key.
Free to write. $4 a month if you want the AI reader.
Free
$0 forever
The whole writing app. Nothing held back.
- One novel, unlimited chapters and scenes
- Write, Codex, Outline, and export
- Autosave and save points on your device
- EPUB and print-ready PDF export
Supporter
$4 a month
Keeps a solo-built app alive. Unlimited novels and the AI room come with it.
- Everything in Free, plus unlimited novels
- The AI reader, grounded in your manuscript and codex
- Bring your own OpenRouter key, pick any model
- License recovery on a new computer
Your AI tokens go straight to OpenRouter at cost, never marked up. Most novelists spend $1 to $4 a month on top.
The things writers ask.
How is this different from NovelCrafter? +
The app itself is free for one novel, with no subscription on top of your API bill. Your manuscript lives in plain Markdown with no lock-in. Autosave and save points protect the work. And Penflow does not claim the AI will write your novel, because it will not.
If you're happy where you are, stay. If any of that has hurt you before, Penflow was built for you.
What does the AI actually cost? +
Two small numbers, not one big one. The Supporter plan is $4 a month. Your own OpenRouter key pays for tokens at cost, usually $1 to $4 a month for a few hours of writing a day. Most writers land between $5 and $8 all in.
What happens if Penflow crashes mid-sentence? +
You lose, at most, the last second or two. Every keystroke writes to local files on your device, and save points give you history you can return to.
Can I work offline? +
Yes, fully. Penflow is a desktop app. Write scenes, move chapters, type codex mentions. Every change stays on your device whether you have internet or not.
Will the AI write my novel for me? +
No, and Penflow won't market it that way. The AI reads the scene you're on and the codex entries it touches, then answers the question you asked. It is a reader you can summon, not a ghostwriter.
When is it out? +
Penflow is in private beta with a small group of novelists working on full-length books. To join the next wave, put your email below and we'll write back.