NEO
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.
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Distraction-free
A page, and not much else. No red squiggles, no toolbars fighting for attention — just your words.
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Your files, your machine
NEO runs locally and saves your manuscript as plain files you can see and back up yourself.
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Free. No catch.
No subscription, no trial period, no account required. Download it and start writing today.
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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
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Auto-formatting
Curly quotes, em dashes, drop caps, and smart paragraph breaks happen automatically as you type.
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Autosave & backups
Continuous autosave with two weeks of backups kept automatically, so you never lose a session’s work.
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Bookshelf library
Organize every project on customizable, labeled shelves with simple drag-and-drop.
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Darlings
Cut a passage without losing it forever. Everything you trim is saved, never deleted.
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Placeholders
Drop in a placeholder for a name, date, or fact you haven’t nailed down yet, and keep writing.
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Outline & ghost text
Sketch your outline right inside the manuscript; ghost paragraphs guide you without cluttering the page.
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Goals & sprints
Set daily word goals, run timed sprints, and watch your progress bar fill in as you write.
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Export anywhere
One click to EPUB3, Word, PDF, HTML, Markdown, or plain text — ready for any publishing path.
Screenplays, too
NEO writes scripts as well as books. They sit on the same shelves, and the page is set exactly the way it prints: Courier, pages, page numbers, a title page.
Int. harbor office – continuous
Kim
That’s three nights.
Vernon
(not turning)
Four. You slept through Sunday.
She drops a coil of chain on his desk. The last link has been cut clean through.
Kim
Somebody anchored it.
The cut shines like a new dime.
Kim (CONT’D)
And somebody came back for it.
VERNON
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It formats itself
Start a line with INT. and it’s a scene heading. Type a name in capitals and the next line is dialogue. No menus.
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Knows your cast
Names and places you’ve already written show up in gray as you type. (CONT’D) takes care of itself.
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Real pages
Page numbers, scene lengths in eighths, and a running time at a page a minute. The PDF matches the screen.
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Final Draft & Fountain
Export an industry-format PDF, a Final Draft file, or Fountain. Drop either kind on a shelf to bring a script in.
To start one, right-click the + on any shelf and choose New Script.