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Pendraic

pendraic.com

From $14.99/mo Free plan WebWindowsmacOSAPI
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Spec score 9.2 #7 of 135 in Writing Apps

What it is

Pendraic is a long-form fiction writing tool for keeping a book's characters, world, voice and story details together. The editor provides prose, outline and arcs views, with optional panels for character lookups, voice consistency, beats and unresolved threads. Planning and revision are organized into eight areas: Promise, Engine, Nexus, Dynamics, Registry, Anchors, Iterations and Closure. Its World Builder links maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines and encyclopedia entries to the prose. Listed AI options include Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and OpenRouter, using either a user's account or a Pendraic Managed AI wallet. When a user starts an AI generation pass, the prompt and needed context go to the chosen provider under that provider's terms. Pendraic says saved files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and that it does not train models on users' writing or sell their content. The Free plan supports up to three active books and includes Word, Markdown and plain-text exports. Pendraic runs on macOS, Windows and the web; paid plans start at $14.99/mo.

Spec sheet

What it does
Pendraic is a long-form fiction writing workspace that keeps manuscript text, story facts, worldbuilding, voice and plot threads together.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Product
Pendraic describes itself as a writing tool for long-form fiction that keeps a book’s characters, world, voice, and story details together.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Free plan
YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Security
Pendraic says stored files and connections are encrypted and API keys are encrypted at rest with row-level security.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Privacy
The privacy policy says Pendraic does not train models on manuscripts or sell content, while selected AI providers receive the context needed for an initiated generation pass.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Support
Premium includes priority support, and Pendraic lists [email protected] for questions.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Account access
Pendraic uses email magic-link authentication and says it does not handle account passwords.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
AI data handling
When a user initiates an AI generation pass, the prompt and needed context are sent to the selected AI provider under that provider’s terms.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
AI providers
The documented provider options include Anthropic Claude, OpenAI models, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, xAI Grok and local OpenAI-compatible endpoints.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Availability limitation
The terms disclaim guaranteed uninterrupted uptime and allow features, interfaces and pricing to change as the product evolves.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
BYOK billing
With BYOK, model calls run on the user's provider account and Pendraic records invocation metadata for cost accounting without storing prompt bodies.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Cloud sync
Premium cloud users can manually copy books, series, sagas or worlds between desktop and cloud; transfers create separate copies and do not merge automatically.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Co-writing limitation
Real-time co-writing is described as planned for a later release rather than currently available.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Collaboration
The Premium pricing page lists co-writing with another person as a feature planned for when it ships.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Data deletion
Deleted projects are removed from the live database immediately and rotate out of backups within a 30-day window.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Desktop storage
The desktop application stores projects and logs in a local database, has no cloud manuscript dependency and claims no telemetry.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Editor
Its editor includes prose, outline, and arcs views, with optional panels for character lookups, voice consistency, beats, and unresolved threads.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Exports
Pendraic exports manuscripts as Markdown, DOCX and EPUB while preserving chapter and scene structure.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Independent positioning
A September 2026 comparison describes Pendraic as a manuscript-centered control room where authors retain granular control over acts, chapters, scenes, beats and provider choice.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Limit: provider privacy
The independent comparison cautions that manuscript prompts and context are still governed by the selected upstream AI provider's terms.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Limit: separate AI costs
The independent comparison warns that paid workspace fees can be accompanied by separate provider usage or managed-wallet charges.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Limit: setup burden
The independent comparison says Pendraic leaves more drafting decisions open, which may be less suitable for authors seeking an automatically generated complete first draft.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Local model support
Desktop can connect to Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM or llama.cpp endpoints without requiring an API key.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Maker address
A Google Play listing for twelve52 LLC gives its address as 530 N Siltstone Ave, Kuna, Idaho 83634-2136, United States.Read 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
Maker identity
The Windows desktop download identifies twelve52 LLC as the publisher.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
MCP access tier
The MCP server is restricted to Premium accounts and checks the subscription tier on every call.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
MCP API
Pendraic exposes an MCP server at https://mcp.pendraic.com/api/mcp for project, world, story, manuscript, analysis, workbench and export tools.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Novel editor
The manuscript editor provides Compose and Architect views with an outline tree, prose editor and contextual panels.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Ownership
Terms state that users own manuscripts, outlines, notes, indexes, characters, prompts and custom configuration they create.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Praise: author control
The independent comparison praises Pendraic's detailed workspace and ability to intervene before prose is generated.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Praise: story architecture
The independent comparison highlights scoped story-index entries, aliases, voice seeds, arcs, promises and scene-aware context selection.Read 14 Oct 2026 · shakespeareai.net
Retention
The privacy page says deleted content is removed from the live database immediately and rotates out of backups within 30 days.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Series and saga model
Projects can be organized as books, worlds, series and sagas with cross-book timelines, threads and continuity diagnostics.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Story Index
Story Index entries can hold aliases, canonical descriptions, voice seeds, transformation arcs, promise hooks and an importance score.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Story structure
Its PENDRAIC method divides work into Promise, Engine, Nexus, Dynamics, Registry, Anchors, Iterations and Closure.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
World Builder
World Builder links maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines and encyclopedia entries back to prose.Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Worldbuilding
The World Builder supports maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines, and encyclopedia entries linked to the prose.Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com

Plans and prices

Free Free forever up to 3 active books · full editor and worldbuilder · Word, Markdown, plain-text export · 1 AI cover and 1 world map daily Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Essentials $14.99 a month monthly up to 10 active books · BYO Claude or ChatGPT account · continue, rewrite, tighten, humanize · 20 AI covers and maps daily Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Premium $24.99 a month monthly unlimited active books · Editorial Workbench · Story-World bridge · MCP use from Claude or ChatGPT · 100 AI covers and maps daily · priority support Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com
Desktop $99 a month No subscription Up to 3 devices Read 21 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Pendraic Desktop $99, paid once once Mac and Windows · Offline use · One license for three computers · Free 7-day trial, no card needed Read 29 Sep 2026 · pendraic.com
Pendraic Desktop $99, paid once one-time purchase native Mac and Windows app · local database · offline manuscript work · one license for 3 devices · 7-day trial Read 14 Oct 2026 · pendraic.com

Every Pendraic plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Editor includes prose, outline and arcs views.
  • World Builder links reference material to prose.
  • Free plan allows three active books.
  • Free plan includes Word, Markdown and plain-text exports.
  • Supports multiple listed AI providers.

Limits

  • AI prompts and context go to the selected provider.
  • Free plan is limited to three active books.
  • Co-writing is listed as planned for when it ships.

Who it suits

Pendraic suits fiction writers planning and revising longer work who want story structure and worldbuilding linked to their prose. Its free plan may suit writers with up to three active books.

Pendraic in depth

Read the full write-up

Pendraic is a long-form fiction workspace for writers who want drafting, planning and worldbuilding in one place. It is best suited to novelists managing substantial story and continuity detail, rather than authors seeking a simple editor. Its strongest case is the connection between manuscript and reference material; its main trade-offs are plan limits and the handling of context sent to AI providers.

Overview

The editor brings prose, outline and story-arc views together, with optional panels for character lookups, voice consistency, beats and unresolved threads. That makes it easier to keep structural and continuity questions close to the draft, particularly during revision. Writers who prefer to invent their own process may find the eight-part planning framework—Promise, Engine, Nexus, Dynamics, Registry, Anchors, Iterations and Closure—too prescriptive.

Key features

The World Builder connects maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines and encyclopedia entries to prose. For fiction with a broad cast or intricate setting, that linked reference system is more useful than a collection of detached notes. Pendraic also offers book outlining, chapter workspaces, continuity tools, rewrite controls and exports in Markdown, DOCX and EPUB; the Free plan specifically includes Word, Markdown and plain-text export.

AI options include Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and OpenRouter, accessed through users’ own accounts or a Pendraic Managed AI wallet. The distinction matters: when a writer starts a generation pass, the prompt and necessary context go to the selected provider under that provider’s terms. Pendraic says files are encrypted in transit and at rest, does not train models on users’ writing and does not sell their content. Deleted content leaves the live database immediately and rotates out of backups within 30 days. Email magic links avoid account passwords, but writers should still review the chosen AI provider’s terms before sending manuscript context.

Pricing

Free costs nothing, billed forever, and allows up to three active books, the full editor and World Builder, one AI cover and one world map per day. It is a useful way to assess the writing and planning workflow, but the book cap and daily image limits constrain a larger or more active project list.

Essentials costs $14.99 a month, billed per month. It raises the limit to ten active books, adds AI writing help through a writer’s own Claude or ChatGPT account, and allows up to 20 AI covers and 20 world maps per day. It suits writers who need more room and bring their own AI access; it does not include unlimited books or the stated Premium benefits.

Premium costs $24.99 a month, billed per month. It removes the active-book cap, adds MCP connectivity from Claude or ChatGPT, raises daily allowances to 100 AI covers and 100 world maps, and includes priority support. That is the clearest fit for prolific writers who need those connections and higher quotas. Co-writing with another person is planned for when it ships, not a current Premium feature.

Pendraic Desktop is a separate $99, paid once purchase, billed once, for Mac and Windows, offline use and one license for three computers; it includes a free 7-day trial with no card needed. It is the choice for writers prioritizing offline desktop access over a subscription. The pricing also names a Desktop plan at $99 a month, billed No subscription, for up to three devices; the distinct plan terms make it worth confirming which offering matches the intended purchase. The service describes its pricing model as freemium and its paid plans as starting at 14.99 USD/mo.

Platforms

Pendraic runs on macOS, Windows and the web. The separate desktop purchase supports Mac and Windows and offline use, making it relevant to writers who do not want to rely on web access.

Who it's for

Pendraic is a strong fit for novelists who need drafting, structured planning and linked worldbuilding in the same workspace, especially when continuity across a complex story is a priority. It is less suitable for writers who want only a lightweight writing surface, a self-designed planning method, or AI generation without sharing prompts and needed context with an external provider.

Pros and cons

Pro: Prose, arcs, continuity panels and linked worldbuilding keep story references connected to the manuscript.

Pro: The free tier includes the full editor and World Builder, plus export to Word, Markdown and plain text.

Pro: Own-account AI access and a Managed AI wallet give writers a choice among several providers.

Con: Free is capped at three active books, while unlimited books require Premium at $24.99 a month.

Con: AI generation sends prompts and necessary context to the selected provider, so provider terms are part of the privacy decision.

Con: The eight-area planning structure may not suit writers who prefer a wholly personal approach to outlining and revision.

Alternatives

For a broader set of options, browse AI Book Writing Software or Writing Apps. Choose DeepQuill instead if a desktop application for macOS or Windows and its $9.99 a month license are a better fit. Jenova Creative Fiction Writer is worth considering for Android or iOS access and tiered usage. Automateed may suit writers seeking a one-time eBook-creation plan, while Bookwiz offers a web-based free tier with up to three books and specified publishing exports. Loreon is another web option with a free manuscript editor. Manuscripts.ai offers a web free tier centered on one active project, templates and analysis reports; BookBud.ai offers a web free tier with signup credits for starting a book. NovelAI is a paid alternative with a free trial and Android, iOS and web access.

Verdict

Choose Pendraic if you are writing novels whose structure, cast and setting need to stay connected to the draft: the integrated editor and World Builder are its strongest reason to use it. Look elsewhere if you need a simple writing app, dislike a prescribed planning framework, or do not want generation prompts and context sent to an AI provider.

Verdict

Pendraic combines long-form writing views, structured planning and linked worldbuilding, with a free tier and paid plans from $14.99/mo. Review how AI context is shared with providers before using generation features.

Where Specifiction places it

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