Clear answers before you trust it with a manuscript.

Yes. InkVault is designed as an offline-first local application. Normal writing, chapter organization, layout work, exports and backups are meant to happen without sending your manuscript to a cloud workspace.

No. The product is positioned as downloadable software with ownership-friendly licensing. The goal is to avoid mandatory cloud rental for writers who want to keep their writing environment private and local.

Early Access purchases include 12 months of free updates, improvements and new features from the purchase date. After that period, InkVault keeps working and future major upgrades may be offered separately as optional purchases.

Your license does not expire and nothing breaks. You can keep using the version you already have, including the updates received during your included period. New features released later may require an optional upgrade.

Projects are built around local folders. Manuscripts, images, metadata, exports and backups can live in a workspace you choose, so your files remain understandable outside the application.

Yes. InkVault is designed around files under your control. Ownership also means you should keep your own backups, preferably on more than one drive or backup location.

Local is for running InkVault on your own machine. Self-Hosted is for customers who want browser access from their own compatible private server. Hybrid includes both paths for people who want a local setup plus private server deployment rights.

The intended workflow supports moving a project folder between machines, as long as the receiving machine has a compatible InkVault installation and your license terms allow that use.

InkVault includes print-oriented layout controls, PDF draft generation and KDP-aware warnings for practical checks such as trim size, margins, gutter and image readiness. Final upload validation remains the publisher platform’s responsibility.

The export workflow is planned around print PDF, HTML, DOCX and EPUB-oriented outputs. Exact final output quality depends on the book structure, image choices, fonts and the tools available in your installation.

Yes. InkVault is designed to help writers move from manuscript editing to book layout, including chapter structure, front and back matter, typography, margins, page numbers, PDF proofs and export checks.

Yes. InkVault can be useful from the start of a project because chapters, notes, characters, places and story references can stay connected in the same local workspace.

InkVault is built around structured book projects with planning, chapters, notes, characters, places, metadata, table of contents behavior, image handling and EPUB-oriented export workflows.

Yes. InkVault focuses on the practical formatting work between a finished draft and a publishable file: cleanup, consistent typography, image checks, print layout, EPUB-oriented output and PDF proofing.

Image tools are built around project image folders, export-aware references and lower-resolution variants where useful. This helps illustrated or image-heavy books stay organized without uploading assets to a third-party service.

InkVault cannot recover files that were never backed up. The app can support local backup workflows, but you remain responsible for keeping copies somewhere reliable.

InkVault keeps the workflow local, but encryption depends on your computer, storage device, operating system and backup setup. Use disk encryption and protected backups if your manuscript needs stronger confidentiality.

The licensing direction is ownership-friendly and offline-capable. Some purchase, download or update steps may require internet access, but day-to-day manuscript work should not depend on a remote writing account.

Self-hosted and Hybrid editions are intended for compatible private Linux server environments. Server installation may require checking PHP version, extensions, permissions, storage paths and web server configuration.

InkVault is for writers and small publishing workflows that want structure, cleanup, layout, export checks and backups without handing the manuscript to a cloud editor or managing a book through scattered files.

InkVault is not trying to copy one competitor. It focuses on a local-first production workspace: writing, connected notes, layout controls, image checks, KDP-oriented preflight, PDF/EPUB/DOCX-oriented exports and private ownership across Linux, Windows and Mac.

No. KPF is Kindle Create’s native publishing format. InkVault is aimed at preparing structured book projects, PDF, EPUB-oriented and editable outputs, with a practical handoff path when Kindle Create is required.

Not in every workflow. Kindle Create remains useful when a publisher specifically wants a KPF package. InkVault is broader: it helps organize, edit, format, check and export a book before final platform-specific submission.

Yes. InkVault includes portrait and landscape document layout modes, which can matter for manuals, illustrated books, wide tables, workbooks or mixed production workflows.

Not as a mandatory cloud SaaS workflow. InkVault is local-first and ownership-oriented. Real-time collaboration, track changes and managed cloud storage are separate product directions, not current core features.

The comparison is intentionally strict. NO means the feature is unsupported, not publicly documented, or available only through a workaround that does not match the exact row. Competitor products can still be excellent for their own core use cases.