Write your next book without the friction.
NEO is a free, distraction-free writing app built by a working novelist for novelists. It runs on your own computer, and your manuscript stays yours — no account, no cloud, no subscription.
Distraction-free
A page, and not much else. No red squiggles, no toolbars fighting for attention — just your words.
Your files, your machine
NEO runs locally and saves your manuscript as plain files you can see and back up yourself.
Free. No catch.
No subscription, no trial period, no account required. Download it and start writing today.
Built while writing real books
Every feature exists because I needed it myself, finishing my own manuscripts.
Download NEO — free, forever
Pick your platform. NEO checks GitHub automatically, so this always links to the newest version.
Having trouble, or want an older version? See all releases on GitHub.
See NEO in action
Everything a novelist actually needs
Auto-formatting
Curly quotes, em dashes, drop caps, and smart paragraph breaks happen automatically as you type.
Autosave & backups
Continuous autosave with two weeks of backups kept automatically, so you never lose a session’s work.
Bookshelf library
Organize every project on customizable, labeled shelves with simple drag-and-drop.
Darlings
Cut a passage without losing it forever. Everything you trim is saved, never deleted.
Placeholders
Drop in a placeholder for a name, date, or fact you haven’t nailed down yet, and keep writing.
Outline & ghost text
Sketch your outline right inside the manuscript; ghost paragraphs guide you without cluttering the page.
Goals & sprints
Set daily word goals, run timed sprints, and watch your progress bar fill in as you write.
Export anywhere
One click to EPUB3, Word, PDF, HTML, Markdown, or plain text — ready for any publishing path.