Kindling

Kindling is a free desktop writing environment for fiction authors who want planning information beside the draft. It combines expandable scene beats, project references, import and export options, and an offline editorial-review workflow. Its strongest case is for writers who want an open-source, local-first tool rather than a cloud collaboration suite.

Overview

Kindling keeps an outline visible while you write, but it does not force a single planning method. Plotters can work from scene beats, pantsers can draft in the full-page prose editor, and writers who mix approaches can move between both views. Planning states marked as expandable beats or fixed, flexible, or undefined give structure without requiring every scene to be fully designed in advance.

The application is open source under the MIT license, with public source code. Project data stays in local SQLite files, and no account is required. The maker says there are no analytics, telemetry, or usage tracking. Writing and editorial review work offline; automatic updates and optional feedback submissions need an internet connection.

Key features

Outline-aware drafting

Scene beats appear as expandable prompts inside the drafting view, so a writer can keep the next piece of structure in sight without leaving the manuscript. A full-page prose editor is available when the outline becomes a distraction. This makes Kindling a better fit for outline-led fiction than a general notes app, while still accommodating less rigid workflows.

References and formats

Characters and locations tagged in a scene can appear in a side panel with descriptions, notes, and custom fields. That keeps reference material close to the relevant passage, although the supplied workflow is built around tagging rather than a separate live collaboration space. Kindling imports projects from Plottr, Scrivener, yWriter, Obsidian Longform, novelWriter, and Markdown. It exports to DOCX, EPUB, HTML, plain text, Markdown, Scrivener, Longform, and novelWriter, giving authors practical routes into and out of the app.

Editorial review

A .kindling-review file carries tracked suggestions and threaded comments. You can import that feedback and accept or reject changes, which suits an author exchanging a manuscript with an editor while keeping the project local. There is no real-time collaboration, so simultaneous cloud editing is not its purpose.

Screenwriting

Screenplay projects add slugline input, page-count estimates, and one-page or five-page DOCX treatment exports. Those tools make Kindling relevant to writers who move between prose and screenplay projects, though the published feature set is more extensive for planning and drafting than for production collaboration.

Pricing

Kindling — $0.00 USD, free forever. The free plan has no premium tiers, subscriptions, or feature gates. It includes the complete published feature set, so there is no cheaper tier that trades away export formats, review tools, or offline access. There is no free trial because the product itself is permanently free. This is the straightforward choice for individual writers who want the full desktop app without recurring costs or seat calculations.

Platforms

Kindling runs on macOS 12+, Windows 10+, and x86_64 Linux. There is no mobile version yet, so writers who need phone or tablet drafting must look elsewhere. Support and contribution channels are GitHub Issues and Discord.

Who it's for

Choose Kindling if you write fiction and want beats, references, and prose in one desktop workspace; if you are moving a project from Scrivener, Plottr, yWriter, Obsidian Longform, novelWriter, or Markdown; or if local files, offline work, and an open-source license matter more than hosted collaboration. Screenwriters may also value the screenplay-specific fields and treatment exports.

It is a poor fit for teams requiring real-time collaboration, a mobile app, or cloud-managed projects. Its non-AI design also suits writers who prefer pattern matching for reference detection and do not want AI analysis or interaction with their writing.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The full feature set is free forever, with no subscriptions or feature gates, so cost will not limit a long project.
• Pro: Local SQLite storage, no account, and no telemetry support privacy-conscious, offline writing.
• Pro: Broad import and export coverage reduces lock-in when switching from established writing tools.
• Pro: Review files with threaded comments and tracked suggestions provide a structured handoff to editors.
• Con: No real-time collaboration limits it to asynchronous review and individual work.
• Con: No mobile version rules out writers who need the same project on phones or tablets.
• Con: Internet is still needed for automatic updates and optional feedback submissions.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison of planning tools, see Outliner Software; choose that list when you want alternatives beyond a fiction-focused desktop app. The eBPF Observability Tools list is for Linux and infrastructure observability rather than writing.

Kubeshark, DeepFlow, Qpoint, Coroot, groundcover, Inspektor Gadget, Odigos, and Parca are observability products; pick one of them when monitoring software systems, not drafting or reviewing fiction, is your goal.

Verdict

Kindling is an excellent match for solo fiction writers who want visible planning, nearby story references, offline operation, and a genuinely free open-source desktop app. Choose it for local control and format flexibility; look elsewhere if mobile access, real-time teamwork, or a cloud-first workflow is essential.