Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Manuskript VS ForthWrite

Compare Manuskript VS ForthWrite and see what are their differences

Manuskript logo Manuskript

Open-source tool for writers.

ForthWrite logo ForthWrite

Email that sounds like you, and gets measurably more like you every week. Drafts in Gmail, Outlook, and the browser. Free to start.
Visit Website
  • Manuskript Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10
  • ForthWrite Landing Page
    Landing Page //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Dashboard
    Dashboard //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite In Gmail
    In Gmail //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Pricing
    Pricing //
    2026-06-19

ForthWrite is an AI email writing assistant for Gmail and Outlook that learns your writing style from your real sent mail. The more you use it, the more it sounds like you. Get smart drafts in seconds, auto-draft replies before you open your inbox, and maintain your personal voice at scale. Free to start, no credit card required. Works inside Gmail and Outlook on the web.

How it works

ForthWrite captures your tone, sentence rhythm, and sign-offs from your actual sent emails, then uses that profile to generate drafts that match how you write, not a generic AI voice. Every draft you edit or send improves the model over time.

Key features

  • Auto-draft: replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Voice matching from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Recipient-aware drafts that adapt to who you are emailing
  • Prompt Lab for version-controlling and A/B testing your persona prompt
  • BYOK support: bring your own API key for Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Works in Gmail and Outlook on the web, plus a standalone browser widget
  • Training data export and full data portability

Who uses it

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, founders, and anyone who wants their inbox handled without sounding like a chatbot wrote it.

Pricing

Free tier includes 10 drafts per week with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $12/month and include unlimited drafts, custom persona prompts, and auto-draft.

Manuskript

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

ForthWrite

$ Details
freemium $12.0 / Monthly (Standard plan)
Platforms
Web
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
San Diego
Founder(s)
Curtis Boortz
Employees
1 - 9

Manuskript features and specs

  • Open-source
    Manuskript is free and open-source software, allowing users to contribute to its development and benefit from continuous community support and updates.
  • Outliner Mode
    The outliner mode helps writers structure their work efficiently, offering a clear overview and easy navigation through scenes and chapters.
  • Index Cards
    Index cards provide a flexible, visual way to organize ideas, plot points, and characters, helping writers develop complex storylines.
  • Research Section
    Manuskript includes a dedicated research section for collecting and organizing background information crucial for writing.
  • Character Development Tools
    It offers tools to create detailed character profiles, track character development, and ensure consistency throughout the manuscript.
  • Distraction-Free Mode
    A distraction-free writing mode helps users focus on their writing without getting interrupted by toolbars or notifications.

Possible disadvantages of Manuskript

  • Limited User Base
    Being a niche tool with a smaller user base compared to mainstream commercial products, Manuskript may have fewer community resources and tutorials available.
  • Potential for Bugs
    As an open-source project relying on community contributions, Manuskript may experience stability issues or bugs that require user troubleshooting.
  • Occasional Updates
    The development pace may be slower compared to commercial alternatives, often depending on volunteer contributions and available resources.
  • Learning Curve
    The abundance of features and complex interface might present a steep learning curve for new users or those not tech-savvy.
  • Compatibility
    Manuskript may have compatibility issues with certain operating systems or require additional dependencies for installation, complicating setup for some users.

ForthWrite features and specs

  • Voice Matching
    Learns from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Auto-draft replies
    Replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Batch-drafting
    Draft replies for your entire inbox with one click
  • Works in browser
    Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers
  • BYOK support
    Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Prompt Lab
    Version control and A/B test your persona prompt
  • Free tier
    10 drafts per week, no credit card required

Analysis of Manuskript

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Manuskript is generally considered a good tool, particularly for writers who prefer open-source software.

Why this product is good

  • Manuskript offers a range of features designed to help writers plan, structure, and organize their writing. It includes functionalities for outlining, character management, and a distraction-free mode, making it suitable for novelists and writers of long-form content. It is open-source and cross-platform, meaning it can be used on different operating systems without cost, and it benefits from community-driven development and support.

Recommended for

  • Novelists
  • Writers of long-form content
  • Users who prefer open-source software
  • Writers seeking a distraction-free writing environment
  • Individuals who appreciate customizable and adaptable writing tools

Manuskript videos

Manuskript 0.3.0 Review

ForthWrite videos

No ForthWrite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Manuskript and ForthWrite)
Markdown Editor
100 100%
0% 0
Writing Tools
95 95%
5% 5
Email
0 0%
100% 100
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Manuskript and ForthWrite.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Next.js, React, Supabase, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Stripe, Vercel, Chrome Extensions API

What makes your product unique?

ForthWrite's answer:

ForthWrite learns your writing style from your actual sent mail, not a generic prompt. Every draft sounds like you wrote it because it was trained on how you actually write. It also auto-drafts replies before you open your inbox, so your email is partially handled before your day starts.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ForthWrite's answer:

Most AI email tools give you a blank box and a "write for me" button. ForthWrite builds a voice profile from your sent history and gets more accurate with every draft you edit or send. Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, it works natively inside Gmail and Outlook with no copy-paste. Unlike Lavender, it writes the draft, not just scores it.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email and cannot afford to sound generic: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, consultants, and founders managing their own inbox.

What's the story behind your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Built out of frustration with AI writing tools that produce text that sounds nothing like the person sending it, and as a way to handle large amounts of daily email. The core insight was that your sent mail is the best training data you already have, and no tool was using it.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Manuskript and ForthWrite

Manuskript Reviews

7 Best Scrivener Alternatives
Manuskript is a versatile word processing tool. This writing software is suitable for novelists, journalists, and even students. This open-source writing software almost has all the features that you need.
5 Free Scrivener Alternatives to Manage Writing Projects
Manuskript offers an incredibly clean interface for distraction-free writing. Itโ€™s also one of the most popular Scrivener alternatives. The open-source alternative features a simple, yet powerful, editor, along with an intuitive outlining function. Tabs keep all your windows and tasks neatly organized.
9 Scrivener Alternative Tools: Overview, Pros, And Cons
Looking for a free and open-source tool to outline your content? Go with Manuskript. This is an exceptional, lightweight tool best used in the early writing stage.

ForthWrite Reviews

  1. curtisboortz
    ยท Founder at ForthWrite ยท
    I built ForthWrite to fix generic AI email, and I still use it every day

    I built ForthWrite because I kept sending emails that sounded like they came from the same generic AI as everyone else. After launching it, I still use it for my own inbox every day, which is about the most honest endorsement I can give.

    The Chrome extension lives inside Gmail and Outlook on the web. Open a thread, hit Alt+Shift+D, and a draft comes back in your voice, not a template. The free tier is real: 10 drafts per week, no API key, no credit card. Voice matching is included on free, because that is the point.

    What keeps it useful compared to Gemini or a chat tab: it learns from what you actually send. Every edit you make before hitting send becomes a signal. Over time the drafts drift closer to how you really write, and the dashboard shows the improvement curve so you can see it happening.

    The web compose surface lets you draft from forthwrite.ai without installing anything, useful for people who want to try before committing to the extension.

    Standard adds recipient-aware and intent-aware drafting plus AI coaching. Pro adds auto-draft (replies waiting when you open Gmail), batch replies, and Prompt Lab for version-controlling your prompts. Teams adds a shared persona and seat-level analytics.

    ForthWrite is not for everyone. If you just need quick replies and tone does not matter, Gemini is free and already in your inbox. ForthWrite is for people where tone does matter: client communication, relationship-driven threads, external correspondence where sounding off costs something real.

    Disclosure: I am the founder and use it daily. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Jace.ai, Fyxer, Mailmeteor
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Drafts land inside gmail and outlook; no copy-pasting from a chat window|Voice matching is on the free tier, not paywalled behind paid plans|No api key, no credit card to start; free tier runs on a server-side proxy|Learns from every edit you make before sending; drafts improve over time|Full keyboard flow: alt+shift+d to draft in any thread, no mouse required|Byok on paid plans, 9 providers supported, keys encrypted at rest|Web compose at forthwrite.ai works without installing the extension at all
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    10 free drafts/week is enough to evaluate, not enough for a heavy inbox|Auto-draft, batch replies, and prompt lab all require the pro tier|Early-stage product; fewer third-party integrations than mature inbox tools|No mobile app: the extension and add-in are desktop-only (chrome on web, or the outlook desktop add-in)

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Manuskript seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Manuskript mentions (1)

ForthWrite mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ForthWrite yet. Tracking of ForthWrite recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Manuskript and ForthWrite, you can also consider the following products

Scrivener - Scrivener is a content-generation tool for composing and structuring documents.

Superhuman - Superhuman is an email management tool.

yWriter - Free writing software designed by the author of the Hal Spacejock and Hal Junior series. yWriter6 helps you write a book by organising chapters, scenes, characters and locations in an easy-to-use interface.

Gemini - Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google. Based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name, it was launched in 2023 in response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

oStorybook - oStorybook : a free Open Source novel writing program for creative writers

Lavender - Realtime coaching for sales emails.