Your words and ideas belong to you, and Aspen puts you in control of them.  Aspen uses a fully portable project folder structure that allows you to export your project in open and non-proprietary formats for use in other apps, or for archival purposes.  No lock-in with proprietary databases or file formats.  Your text documents are saved as widely compatible .txt documents with markdown-backed text formatting, and canvas documents are automatically converted to .svg files that can easily be edited later in a wide variety of web tools and digital art softwares.  Aspen doesn’t make you trade file freedom for convenience.

In addition to the open file formats Aspen uses to save and store your documents, Aspen also provides several useful export file formats.  Users can export entire projects or specific project documents in .docx, .pdf, .epub, and .zip, providing the common formats writers need for editorial and review purposes.

By default, Aspen removes the complexity that distracts and makes it harder to focus on writing. However, this minimalist writing space doesn’t come at the cost of functionality. Rather than removing complex functionality and tools, Aspen hides them in the Tool Panel, accessed by a single ellipses button at the top of the writing space. This opens the Tool Panel, exposing Aspen’s writing tools and text formatting options. Want faster access to these tools? In addition to the Tool Panel, Aspen offers an optional Toolbar that users can customize with the tools they use on a regular basis. Use different tool combinations for different projects? Aspen saves Toolbar settings on a per-project basis, so every project can have a toolbar layout specifically tailored to the project at hand. Aspen’s flexible UI allows you to tailor it to the way you work.

Aspen provides powerful mind-mapping and outlining tools with Canvas Mode: a built-in freeform mind-mapping space that's linked directly to your documents.  Insert text boxes, shapes, floating text, and draw with the Apple Pencil.  Canvas Mode provides a great environment for visually arranging your thoughts.  And Canvas Documents are directly linked to your text documents, making Canvas Mode perfect for outlining chapters or sections of your documents, or exploring ideas from a different angle.

Aspen's Export Composer allows you to effortlessly stitch together your manuscript documents and notes into a clean .docx, .pdf, or .epub file.  Document Presets allow you to export your manuscript in the Shunn Manuscript format for submissions to editors and publishers among other document structures.

Aspen is currently in TestFlight beta, but we're hoping to launch soon!  Join our Discord community, or watch our social media for updates as Aspen approaches it's launch!