Novel writing software for Mac
Novel writing software for Mac, free and built for Apple silicon
Bunsho is a free novel writing app for Apple silicon Macs. It gives you a binder for chapters, a distraction-free page, a Planner, a story bible that fills itself from your prose, and a continuity checker you run when you choose. Your manuscript stays on your Mac as plain files, and the editor needs no account.
What Bunsho needs on a Mac
Bunsho for Mac comes in two builds: one for Apple silicon, the M-series chips Apple has shipped in its Macs since late 2020, and one for Intel Macs. The download page picks the right one for your Mac and lists both if you would rather choose. Download the .dmg, drag Bunsho into Applications, and open it. No account, no sign-in, no trial clock: the editor is free.
A project is an ordinary folder on your Mac, and every chapter is a plain file inside it. That means the things Mac writers already rely on keep working without any help from us: Time Machine backs the folder up, and iCloud Drive or Dropbox can sync it. If you ever stop using Bunsho, the book is still sitting there in Finder.
What you get on your Mac
A binder and a page
Chapters and scenes sit in a tree on the left in manuscript order. The page in the middle comes in warm paper or a dark theme, and Command Shift F drops everything but the page.
Spellcheck that knows your world
Add invented names and places to a custom dictionary once, so a fantasy cast stops lighting up red. A thesaurus is built in.
A story bible you do not have to type
The World tab fills itself with your characters, places and objects as Bunsho reads your manuscript, each one tied to the sentence that established it. Your own entries count as canon.
A Planner and goals
Chapter cards in a Grid or Tracks view, a daily word goal, a streak that counts across all your books, and a finish date with its pace. Goals and streaks are on every plan, including Free.
Continuity checks when you ask
Check this chapter, Review changes or Run full review, with the cost shown before anything runs. Each finding quotes both passages: the one that set the fact and the one that broke it.
Other novel writing apps on the Mac
The Mac has the deepest bench of writing software of any platform, and an honest page should say so. Scrivener runs on macOS 11 or later as a one-time purchase of $59.99 and remains the most complete tool for structuring and compiling a manuscript. Ulysses is a polished Markdown writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, sold as a subscription from $5.99 a month, at its best for writers who live inside the Apple ecosystem and want sync across devices. Plottr gives plotters a visual timeline, and Dabble and Reedsy Studio run in the browser or sync across devices. Apple Pages is free and capable for a short manuscript, but it has no binder or story notes.
None of those read your book back. That is the gap Bunsho fills: you write in a binder and a clean page as you would anywhere else, and when you want to know whether chapter twelve still agrees with chapter three, you ask, and get both passages side by side. The Bunsho vs Scrivener comparison goes deeper on the most common Mac question, and the 2026 roundup covers the rest of the field.
Moving a Mac manuscript into Bunsho
From Scrivener, compile or export your draft to Word (.docx) and import it; chapter headings become chapters in the binder. From Ulysses, iA Writer or Obsidian, export Markdown and import that. Pages documents export to Word first. After the first import, Bunsho offers a one-time read of the whole manuscript so the World tab starts full, with the cost shown and a not-now option. The import and export page lists every format.
Common questions
Does Bunsho run on Intel Macs?
Yes. There are two Mac downloads, one for Apple silicon (M-series) Macs and one for Intel Macs. The download page picks the right one, and lists both. To check which Mac you have, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.
Is Bunsho free on Mac?
Yes. The editor is a free download with no account: one project with goals and export. A free sign-in adds the World tab, the Planner and starter credits for continuity checks. Quill at $8 a month unlocks unlimited projects with no AI, and Storyteller at $15 adds the continuity checker with a monthly allowance.
Can I sync my Bunsho project with iCloud Drive?
A Bunsho project is an ordinary folder of plain files, so you can keep it in iCloud Drive, Dropbox or any folder Time Machine backs up. Bunsho does not run its own sync service and keeps no copy of your manuscript on a server.
Is there a Bunsho app for iPad or iPhone?
No. Bunsho is a desktop app for macOS and Windows. If writing on an iPad matters to you, Scrivener for iOS, Ulysses and Dabble all offer that today.
How is Bunsho different from Scrivener on a Mac?
Both give you a binder and a page and keep your files on your Mac. Scrivener adds a powerful compile step and decades of features. Bunsho adds a World tab that fills itself from your prose and a continuity checker that compares chapters and cites both passages when they disagree.
Keep reading
Write your novel on your Mac.
Bunsho is free to download for Apple silicon Macs. The editor needs no account.