I am mainly a linux guy and was searching AppStore on my new macbook pro to install Scrivener and my license on it, then saw this in same page.

This is not pushing a spammy suggestion for a subscription app that i will not use myself, ubiquitous practice nowadays in social media online.

Also the guy, seems to have an indian dev name, either in india or north america (USA/Canada) and my experience with indian devs has been the best, they are good coders and also honest people, been going there since i was young.

He does not collect any data nor asks for login/accounts. I usually do not install subscription apps for writing nor those needing accounts/login, because of privacy + quality buy-options like scrivener exist. Why i like this:

* Free (though i love paying to support devs like scrivener, notecase pro etc not forcing subs on us)
* Multi format modes: Books, Docs, Screenplays, etc
* Multi imports, docs formats, fountain (screenplays), etc etc
* Multi exports: many docs, ebooks , plays etc
* Pro creator ui/ux, like scrivener with corkboard, outlines etc
* Comprehensive menu options, it is not a lightweight + doc interface options
* lots of utilities & sys thingies it has that i have not tried yet

have a look and i hope it is not too good to be ture.
If he charges for it, i will pay, but not if it becomes subscription.

Just search app-store for:
ink now
i searched the forum & also via google (this website) & saw no reference.

Any red flags, do let us know, as i do not want to invest strategic time in an app if there is a problem. I mainly use scrivener, obsidian/plugins, Fade-in etc etc but this looks good even if just for reading. It looks huge, like an adobe app, & i think he will grow it further.

also it is basically huge on markdown for use & features & i/o. i am an ardent user of for many years & have tried well over a thousand md apps on many platforms & use a bout two dozen on several OSes & 3 phone systems (linux inc.). this is great for markdown if nothing else, with a focus on creation with chapters/sections. even better than joplin, markor , iA writer etc.

Indeed an impressive app, at least judging from what it claims to do without really putting it through its paces yet. It appears to have many of the same features as Scrivener, including cork board, "outliner," and timeline. For free? Amazing. Of course, with a free app I always wonder for how long it will be developed and maintained. Anyway, thanks for letting us know about Ink Now.

Here's his website:

https://inknowapp.com

I see that he has included configuration controls for collaboration support for book presentation, co-authoring, and editor review and commenting. If those features work the way the app settings say they will, then he's produced a level of author support that Scrivener does not have. Makes a lot of sense, but since Scrivener development moves at near zero MPH, not surprising that a developer came along to supersede its features with modern features.

Hi @ Stephen & Paul,

Yes, valid points. Why I wanted others to scrutinize or let us know if they have prior knowledge of it.

I was sleepy when found it. Upon second closer inspection iirc it says: made with love in Minnesota, so he's in States + timing says 4 years. So hopefully it will remain & not disappear & initial kinks have been straightened out already.

I'll look into his system utilities, servers etc, as at first glance it's not obvious what some of them do & some other settings/deeper menu options. Seems very comprehensive for my use with markdown, docs editing, reading, writing articles/books/screenplays & I/O (conversions).

I saw this the website:
"Write, format, and publish from one desk. Free for 14 days — no account required."

So I was a little confused that link to the App Store listed the app as free. Something in the works? I personally would feel a little more confident for the future development if the app was paid.

Stephen Zeoli wrote:

... For free? Amazing. Of course, with a free app I always wonder for how long it will be developed and maintained. Anyway, thanks for letting us know about Ink Now.

Yes, that 14 days free only wasn't there before when Paul found his website. I can guess probably due to this thread, somehow he found out about it by a message, he decided on a pay tier. But he's probably busy trying to figure out how.
That's OK.

Most important cost is not money. It's the Long term strategic investment in interface usage curve & committing ones' projects in time to a software.

Unlike what's been said, there are comprehensive free packages, bigger than this and better, that have always been free Like Joplin, Qownnotes, Markor etc.

Lesson learnt. I'll just read subscription based apps spams recommendations online & skip through them. That's the norm nowadays. Most disappear after a few years. Those recommending them serially, never buy the subscriptions themselves usually.

However it was a good strategy to post about this & see him find out & change tier to non free. Why? Because I will not use it, as long term strategy says he might turn on a dime again. There are several potential turns but I will not mention them.

As I said over the years, this long term strategy investment commitment decision for me & my files & working procedures is not primarily about the software Evaluation, that's secondary. My primary criteria is the developer(s), I've said this a few times.

I don't mind spending money, just got something new, permanent license, for just under three hundred bucks. But I know that developer, solid as gold. My strategic commitment returns will be solid gold too.

I don't know how a developer gets away with giving us the Mac App Store as the only source for downloading the app (i.e., the links on their website), and also tell us, on the site but not in the app itself. that the app is "free for 14 days", when there is nothing on the app's App Store page about in app purchases or any other future payment for continued use. Apple would not allow an app that does not disclose a trial period followed by a future purchase price, yet later demands an (unspecified) payment for continued use. This violates a few App Store Guidelines.

Perhaps the developer doesn't understand how the App Store works.