Storyloft vs Vellum (2025): Great Formatting Isn’t Enough Anymore
If you’ve been in the self-publishing world for any amount of time, you know the Vellum reputation. It makes beautiful books. Authors love it. The output looks like something a professional design house produced. And if you’re a Mac user with $249 to spend on a formatting tool, it’s very good at being exactly that.
But here’s the thing: Vellum is a formatter. It doesn’t write with you. It doesn’t generate illustrations. It’s Mac-only in a world where half of authors are on Windows. And in 2025, the question is no longer just “does my book look good?” but “what does my entire publishing workflow look like, and is my software keeping up?”
That’s where Storyloft enters the picture. Let’s compare them honestly.
Storyloft vs Vellum: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Storyloft | Vellum |
|---|---|---|
| AI Writing Assistant | ✓ Eddy — manuscript-aware AI editor | ✗ None |
| Book Formatting (Print + Ebook) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Excellent (industry benchmark) |
| AI Illustration Generation | ✓ Full AI illustration suite | ✗ None |
| Number of Formatting Themes | ✓ Growing library | ✓ 30+ refined themes |
| Fonts Available | ✓ Extensive library | ~ Limited (26 fonts) |
| Platform Availability | ✓ Any browser (all OS) | ✗ Mac only |
| Publishing Tools | ✓ Yes | ✗ Export only |
| Cloud Storage / Sync | ✓ Native cloud | ✗ Local files only |
| Offline Mode | ✗ Not currently | ✓ Yes (local app) |
| Word Processor Built-In | ✓ Full writing environment | ~ Basic (import-focused) |
| Voice / Style Learning | ✓ Voice DNA profile | ✗ None |
| Collaboration | ✓ Yes | ✗ None |
| Pricing | From $19.99/mo or $169.99/yr | $249.99 one-time (Mac only) |
| Free Trial | ✓ Full-access trial | ✓ Free to use until export |
1. The Mac-Only Problem
Let’s start here, because for a lot of authors this is the conversation-ender.
Vellum is Mac-only. Literature & Latte (makers of Scrivener) and others have found ways to bridge platforms—Vellum has not. Their own website suggests Windows users either buy a Mac or subscribe to a Mac-in-Cloud service, which costs extra and is notoriously clunky.
If you’re on a Mac and always will be, this doesn’t matter to you. But if you’re on Windows, Linux, a Chromebook, or you want to switch between devices, Vellum is effectively off the table unless you want to add significant cost and friction.
Storyloft works in any web browser on any operating system. Your manuscript is the same whether you open it on your Windows desktop in the morning or your MacBook at a coffee shop in the afternoon. No restrictions, no workarounds.
Point: Storyloft
2. Formatting Quality: Vellum Is Still Stunning
This is where we have to be completely honest. Vellum’s output is genuinely beautiful. The typography is refined, the chapter themes are polished, and books formatted in Vellum have a distinctive look that experienced readers and publishing professionals notice. It has been iterating on this for years, and it shows.
Storyloft’s formatting output is professional and clean. It covers print and ebook exports effectively, and for the vast majority of authors it will produce results you’ll be proud of. But if you’re a cover designer or typographer who has strong opinions about micro-typography, Vellum’s level of refinement is hard to match.
The honest take: for most authors, the formatting quality difference is subtle. For design-obsessed authors who prioritize interior aesthetics above everything else, Vellum still has an edge on pure formatting craft.
Point: Vellum (for formatting depth); Storyloft (for everything else)
3. AI Writing: Vellum Doesn’t Have It
Vellum is a formatter. It receives your manuscript, makes it look great, and sends it back. There’s no AI, no writing assistance, no editorial suggestions, and no manuscript awareness. It doesn’t know or care what your story is about—it just formats it.
Storyloft’s Eddy is the opposite. Eddy knows your story. It knows your characters, your tone, your voice, your plot. When you need a suggestion, it comes from an assistant that has actually read your book—not a generic language model working from a single prompt.
If you’re using Vellum, you’re writing somewhere else (Word, Scrivener, Google Docs) and then importing. There’s no AI in that chain unless you’ve bolted it on yourself. Storyloft is the whole chain—writing, AI assistance, and formatting—in one place.
Point: Storyloft
4. AI Illustration Generation: Not Even Close
Vellum has no illustration tools. Storyloft has a full AI illustration suite for generating cover art, chapter headers, character portraits, and interior scene art—without leaving the platform. For any author whose book has a visual component (which, in 2025, is increasingly everyone who cares about their brand), this is a meaningful feature gap.
Point: Storyloft
5. Pricing: More Complex Than It Looks
Vellum is $249.99 (for both ebook and print formatting). That’s a one-time payment, which appeals to authors who hate subscriptions. You buy it once, it’s yours.
Storyloft is $19.99/month or $169.99/year. At the annual rate, you’re spending about $14/month. Over the course of a year that’s $169.99 versus $249.99—and Storyloft includes AI writing assistance, AI illustrations, and publishing tools that Vellum doesn’t offer at any price.
The math shifts depending on how you use it. If you buy Vellum today and use it for five years without buying anything else, it’s cheaper than Storyloft. But if you’re actively writing and also spending money on AI tools, a separate formatter, and an illustration service, Storyloft’s bundled price starts looking very different.
Point: Tie — depends on your tooling needs and usage frequency
6. Cloud Storage and Collaboration
Vellum is a local application. Your files live on your Mac. There’s no cloud backup, no cross-device sync, no collaboration features. If your Mac dies, your Vellum files go with it (unless you’ve set up your own backup).
Storyloft is cloud-native. Everything is automatically saved and synced. You can access your manuscript from any device, and real-time collaboration is built in—something Vellum doesn’t offer at all.
Point: Storyloft
Who Should Stick with Vellum?
- You’re a Mac user and always will be
- Formatting aesthetics are your absolute top priority
- You already have a writing workflow you love and just need best-in-class formatting output
- You prefer a one-time payment and have no interest in AI writing tools
- You don’t need cloud sync or cross-device access
Who Should Choose Storyloft?
- You’re on Windows, Linux, or Chromebook (Vellum literally won’t work for you)
- You want AI writing assistance built into your workflow
- You need AI illustration generation for your book
- You want to write, format, and publish from one platform
- You want cloud sync and cross-device access without workarounds
- You’re tired of paying for multiple separate tools
The Bottom Line
Vellum makes gorgeous books, and if you’re a Mac-native author who needs best-in-class formatting and nothing else, that case holds up. But “formatting only” is an increasingly narrow value proposition in a world where serious authors also want AI assistance, illustration generation, and a publishing workflow that doesn’t involve five different apps.
Storyloft is the option for authors who want a platform that formats well and writes with you, and generates illustrations, and works on any device you own.
If you’re ready to see what that looks like in practice, try Storyloft free—no Mac required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a good Vellum alternative for Windows?
Yes. Storyloft is one of the best Vellum alternatives for Windows users—it runs in any web browser, produces professional print and ebook formatting, and adds AI writing assistance and AI illustration generation that Vellum doesn’t offer on any platform.
Is Storyloft as good as Vellum for formatting?
Storyloft produces professional, polished formatting output for both print and ebook. Vellum has more refined themes and has been iterating on formatting quality for longer—but Storyloft is the only platform that combines comparable formatting with AI writing assistance and illustration generation in one place.
How much does Vellum cost compared to Storyloft?
Vellum costs $249.99 one-time (Mac only). Storyloft starts at $19.99/month or $169.99/year, is cross-platform, and includes AI writing, formatting, and illustration tools. At the annual rate, Storyloft costs less than Vellum in year one—with significantly more features.
Does Vellum work on Windows?
No. Vellum is Mac-only. Windows users who want Vellum must pay for a Mac-in-Cloud service, which adds cost and friction. Storyloft works on any operating system through a web browser—no Mac required.
Does Vellum have AI writing tools?
No. Vellum is a formatting-only tool with no AI writing or editing features. Storyloft includes Eddy, a manuscript-aware AI editorial assistant, along with AI illustration generation and publishing tools.
Can I use Storyloft and Vellum together?
Yes—some authors write in Storyloft and then export to Vellum for final formatting. But as Storyloft’s formatting capabilities grow, most authors find they don’t need both. The goal with Storyloft is a single platform from first draft to final file.
