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Neo

A distraction-free, local-first novel-writing tool for authors who want manuscripts that look like books as they write them.

Open Source (MIT)268+ GitHub stars17 forksLocal-firstCreated by Hugh Howey
Category
Desktop writing software / Word processor / Open source
Business model
Free open-source desktop app; no visible monetization. Possible indirect value from audience, reputation, or future paid features, but none are stated.
Stage
Early-stage open-source project, pre-commercial. The README describes rough features and a wishlist roadmap, suggesting it is not a mature commercial product.
Target audience
Fiction authors, novelists, NaNoWriMo participants, self-published authors using KDP, plotters and pantsers, and writers who want local file ownership without subscriptions.
Opportunity score
55/100

Neo is a promising free open-source wedge into a crowded author tools market, but as a standalone business it lacks monetization and distribution.

Founder verdict
MAYBE

Neo is a strong free tool and great product-led wedge, but not a standalone business as-is.

What is Neo?

Neo is an open-source, Electron-based desktop word processor designed specifically for fiction authors. It replaces general-purpose writing tools with an opinionated book-writing environment: a visual bookshelf, automatic chapter and scene breaks, a ‘Darlings’ parking area for cut prose, placeholders, word goals, and publishing-ready exports including EPUB, docx, PDF, HTML, markdown, and plain text. The product is local-first, stores work as plain files, and has no visible monetization. It appears to be an early-stage passion project from author Hugh Howey, with modest GitHub traction and a functional but still-rough feature set. As a tool, it is credible and useful; as a business, it is unproven because it is currently free and distribution is limited mainly to GitHub.

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