Campfire vs LyX

Campfire brings together writing software, a mobile writing app, an online eBook store and a reading app for authors, publishers and readers. Its Manuscript Module supports drafting, chapter organization on a digital corkboard, Index Card View, word-count goals and writing statistics. Worldbuilding tools include modules for characters, cultures, items, locations, philosophies, religions, species, systems, an encyclopedia, magic, maps, research, timelines, arcs, calendars, languages and relationships. Users can invite as many collaborators as they want to view, comment on or edit a project. Campfire states that storage is unlimited across its apps, and manuscripts can be exported as PDF or EPUB. The free desktop app for Mac and Windows supports offline writing. The iOS and Android mobile app requires internet access and omits some modules; free-plan element limits apply in browser and desktop access. Campfire says it backs up work with Amazon servers and keeps projects limited to invited people until sharing or publication. Authors can publish eBooks and digital bonus content and connect Stripe for royalties and sales analytics.

LyX is a document processor for structured writing, combining TeX and LaTeX capabilities with a graphical interface. It suits work ranging from academic articles, theses, and books to letters, novels, plays, and film scripts. Its equation editor accepts point-and-click input or LaTeX commands and renders formulas on screen. For document organization, LyX includes labels, references, indexes, and bibliography tools, with advanced BibTeX support. Configurable converters handle imports and exports including LaTeX, PDF, PostScript, DVI, ASCII, HTML, OpenDocument, RTF, and MS Word. It supports multilingual documents, right-to-left writing, CJK writing systems, and Unicode. Basic links to Maple, Maxima, Octave, and Mathematica are available, while modules can add Noweb, Sweave, and LilyPond support. LyX works offline on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and supports track changes and external version control systems such as Git. It is free software under the GPL. Windows requires a TeX distribution; Mac installations require a TeX system such as MacTeX.