Authoring Platforms

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"We want to have a clear idea of what tools are already out there for online collaborative authoring of documents. [...] At this point, this list may include some platforms and programs that are really more orientated towards collaborating on code than documents (eg GITLab). I'm including these in case some components of their stack may be useful to us, but after I've done some more testing and evaluation, I will start separating code and documenting platforms into separate tables." — Strypey

The maintained version of a table of collaborative authoring platforms originally created on the Disintermedia wiki.

Server-Based Software

Platform Publisher Language License Database Business model Notes

Atlas

O'Reilly Media

?

?

GIT-based

commercial with gratis trial

aimed at people writing technical manuals. "On the Atlas platform, you write, design, and publish in one environment and workflow. Produce print or digital content without an expensive “retooling” of fundamental processes—and even publish content that is “born digital” in print." Supports multiple output formats (MOBI, ePub, Print and Web PDF, HTML). "You can always access or move your own content—it’s in a non-proprietary, open format, so you can’t get locked in."

Authorea

Authorea

Ruby on Rails

?

GIT-based

gratis for open access articles, commercial for private

aimed at people doing academic writing, supports writings in LaTeX, Markdown, HTML, Javascript, and more, some free code components

BookType

SourceFabric

Python

GNU AGPL

gratis to run on your own server, Pro commercial hosting

evolved out of in-house software used by FLOSSmanuals.net to facilitate the accelerated production models enabled by book sprints.

CollateBox

CollateBox Inc.

commercial with gratis trial

more of a shared spreadsheet/ database than an authoring tool

CryptPad

XWiki Labs

JavaScript

GNU AGPL

ChainPad

Selling proprietary licenses to anyone who wants to opt-out of the share-alike conditions of the AGPL.

Similar to Etherpad but with the difference that only invited collaborators can edit the pad, not just anyone who stumbles across it.

DBook

commercial, gratis for limited use

"Structured and collaborative writing for large documents"

Draft

"Easy version control and collaboration for writers"

EtherPad

Etherpad Foundation

Scala

Apache 2.0

?

free code with many gratis instances

The base software for PiratePad and many other instances, EtherPad allows for real-time editing, with a chat sidebar. No registration required, just enter a name, choose a colour, and edit/chat. Timeline visualises the full edit history of each pad.

FirePad

Google ? "MIT" Firebase ? FirePad is intended to make it very easy for web developers to integrate a rich text editor into their site, without running a full server package like Etherpad or CryptPad, but leaving them totally dependent on Google servers for their site to continue working.

ForktheCookbook

GIT-based

aimed at people who like sharing and modifying recipes

GatherContent

commercial with free trial

"Content planning, production & workflow software"

GinkoApp

uses Adobe Flash! Aimed at creative and academic writers, "Gingko is a new kind of tool, that lets you shape your ideas with lists, outlines and cards, all in the same clean interface."

GITBook

FriendCode

Apache 2.0

GITHub?

gratis for public projects, commercial for private projects

authoring front-end for GITHub? Has a server-side component and a desktop component.

GITHub Pages

GitHub

GITHub

hosting for blogs and homepages

GITLab

GitLab

Ruby

Expat License with some proprietary "extras"

GIT-based

gratis for public projects, commercial for private projects

mainly intended for software projects, and the interface is non-intuitive to someone who isn't use to code forges

Graphite Docs Graphite Docs Javascript, ? GPLv3 Blockstack free code with a gratis test instance at http://app.graphitedocs.com

Kune

Comunes Collective/ OurProjects

Java

GNU AGPL

some gratis demo sites like Kune.cc

based on the same underlying technology as Apache Wave, Kune offers collaborative documents, live chat, and group messaging (unlike email messages stay on the originating server more like the way the web works with RSS), and federation using the Wave Protocol built on XMPP, but with more of a focus on groups of users than individual users

LeanPub

royalties on e-book sales

writing platform, one-click-publishing to mulptiple formats, and e-book sales

OnWord

requires Twitter login, "No formatting. No toolbars. No folders, file formats, or compatibility problems."

Penflip

MadebyLoren.com

GIT

gratis for public projects, commercial rates for private

"I'm building Penflip, a collaborative writing platform. It's similar to GitHub, but designed for writing instead of coding."

Poetica

Poetica

gratis to use

"content collaboration for WordPress", UI resembles working on paper with pen, also integrate with Slack

PressBooks

PressBooks

PHP 5.6.X and WordPress 4.4.1

GPLv2

?

gratis with watermark on digital files, or one-off charge per book for ad-free

built on Wordpress Multisite

Prose

Development Seed

Javascript, CSS, and MarkUp

BSD

GitHub

gratis

"a web-based interface for managing content on GITHub"

ProseMirror (beta)

?

?

"MIT"

?

gratis

"represents changes to documents as well-defined pieces of data. Such changes can be stored, inverted (for undo), analyzed (think git blame), and filtered (to implement more complex types of content restriction). And most importantly, they can be sent over the wire to implement real-time collaborative editing."

Quip

commercial, gratis for limited use

documents, spreadsheets, lists, chat

Scalar

The Alliance for Networking Visual Culture

homepage uses some Flash

Educational Community License, Version 2.0

gratis to use

"Scalar enables users to assemble media from multiple sources and juxtapose them with their own writing in a variety of ways, with minimal technical expertise required."

StackEdit

" In-browser markdown editor"

TypeWrite

Josh C

gratis to use

"A simple, real-time collaborative writing environment"

WriteApp

gratis to use

"Write. In private. With your own free online notebook"

Apache Wave/ Wave in a Box (formerly Google Wave)

Apache Foundation

Java

Apache 2.0

gratis to run on your own server, various gratis hosted services including Kune.cc

Combines a collaborative document editor with live chat and group messaging, federated using Wave Protocol, an extension of XMPP.

Weeva

aimed at gift-giving

Desktop and Mobile Client Software

Application Publisher Language License Supported Platforms Notes

HarooPad

GNU/Linux, OSX, Windows

"The Markdown enabled Next Document Processor"

IA Writer

Information Architects

Cocoa

proprietary

iOS, OSX, Android

Sigil

GPLv3

OSX, and Windows (Vista or above)

"multi-platform EPUB ebook Editor"

SublimeText

"a sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose."

Substance Composer

cross-platfrom, currently in beta (as of May 2014), "Do-It-Yourself Publishing for everyone", "Write for the web. The web just turned 25. And still, most writing tools available are only simulating print."

UberWriter

Wolf Vollprecht

Python

GPLv3

GNU/Linux

Inspired by IA Writer

More Information