Tolstoy Compose gives you a clean writing space that grows with your work. Keep your notes, research, citations, feedback and earlier versions together in one place.
Get straight to writing.Start writing in Compose for free without an account. Upgrade when you need a professional finish for your work.
Your writing stays with you.Compose keeps your documents in your browser or in files you choose to save. Nothing is automatically sent to us.
No AI writing tools.There are no AI features or tools in Tolstoy Compose. It is for professional writing where you remain in full control.
One writing experience, across your devices.
Compose gives you the same powerful writing experience on every device. Use it in your browser or install it as a Progressive Web App for quick, convenient access wherever you are.
Desktop.Write on Windows, Mac or Linux. Settle into longer writing sessions with the space of a full desktop workspace.
The tools panel gives you quick access to features that help elevate your writing. Use it to navigate, organise, and review your work. Hide the tools panel to focus only on writing.
Documents
Documents. Create, open, and switch between documents. View helpful statistics next to your writing, such as word count and reading time.
Versions. Automatic versions are saved while you write. This helps protect your work and allows you to go back to an earlier draft if needed. Manual snapshots let you save important milestones.
Export. Save your work in the following formats: Compose file, Microsoft Word document, PDF, Markdown, HTML, or plain text.
Writing tools
Outline. The outline uses your headings to automatically create a layered view of your writing. This makes longer work clearer and simpler to navigate.
Find and replace. Find and replace lets you search by whole word or matching case, view each match, and replace one or all results.
Review. Look through comments and suggested changes in your document. You can choose to accept or reject each change, and switch between open and resolved feedback.
Shelf.
Write down notes beside your document and organise them using tags and pins. Use search, sorting and filters to find your ideas later when you need them. You can also add a note straight to your document with one button press.
Settings
Appearance. Personalise the editor so it feels comfortable and easy to work with. Choose between light or dark mode. Change the font, text size, line spacing and writing width at any time.
Account
Account. Sign up for a plan, log in to Compose, or manage your existing account all in one place.
Team Spaces. On the Teams plan, you can invite, manage, and organise team members into dedicated Spaces. You can also filter by Spaces to easily find the right team or group.
Keep useful ideas close.
Each document has a Shelf where you can write and organise notes, ideas, and research. Everything stays in one place for easy access, letting you quickly reference or add notes to your writing and remain focused.
Work on ideas before adding them.Write and develop notes in Shelf separately from your main writing. You can explore ideas freely and bring them into your main writing when they are ready.
Keep notes with the right piece of writing.Every file has its own Shelf, so your notes and research stay with the work they belong to. You do not need to keep them elsewhere or remember where to find them.
Write notes your way.Use familiar formatting tools to add headings, lists, links and other formatting to your notes. You can organise more detailed ideas clearly without having to work in a separate notes app.
Find the note you need.Add tags to organise your notes, then use search, filters and sorting to find them again. This makes it easier to manage a growing collection of ideas and research.
Citations made simple.
Tolstoy Compose creates footnotes and a bibliography automatically from your saved references. You can reuse the same source anywhere in your writing without retyping, saving time and keeping everything accurate and organised.
Start with a DOI.Enter a DOI and Compose can fill in the available source details for you. Review the result before you save it. If there is no DOI, you can add the details yourself.
Add more than one source to a footnote.If several books, articles or websites support the same part of your writing, you can include them together in one footnote. Compose formats them correctly for you.
Use the citation style you need.Choose from APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver and IEEE. Add books, journal articles, websites, book chapters, theses and conference papers, and Compose formats them in your chosen style.
Reuse sources you already have.Search the sources in your document and cite the same one again without re-entering its details. Compose also warns you when a new source looks like a duplicate.
Streamline the editing process.
Review allows you and those you share your writing with to add comments and suggest changes. Feedback is linked to the relevant words, making it clear what requires your attention. You choose which changes to accept and which to disregard.
Encourage feedback and revisions.Provide review comments via the toolbar to suggest text changes or deletions. Share clear notes with others to improve collaboration and make editing easier.
Read without the review marks.You can hide review highlights to focus on the text without distractions. Your feedback stays saved in the document and can be displayed again inside the settings.
Protect newer writing.If your writing has changed since a suggestion was made, Compose will stop before applying it. Compare the original wording with the current wording and decide if the suggestion still fits.
Quickly navigate feedback.Choose an item in the Review tools panel to go directly to its referenced text. You can also select a review highlight within the document to immediately open its related comments and suggested edits.
Start writing for free. Upgrade when you need more.
Early bird pricing. Introductory prices may increase in future.
Prices are listed in GBP. Pro and Teams are billed annually. Stripe shows the local currency amount, taxes and renewal details before payment. You can change plans later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an account?
You can start writing in Tolstoy Compose without creating an account. If you want to subscribe to a plan or need more professional workflows, you will need to create an account.
Where is my writing stored?
Your documents stay on your device or in files you choose to save. Nothing is automatically sent to us and we cannot access your writing.
Does Compose use AI to write for me?
No. Compose does not use AI to write, rewrite or summarise your work. We also do not use your documents to train AI models.
How are Pro and Teams plans billed?
Both our Pro and Teams plans are billed annually. You will see the full price, including any taxes and renewal details, in your local currency before you make a payment.
How do seats work on the Teams plan?
On the Teams plan, you choose how many seats you want. Each person you invite uses one of these seats. You can manage all the seats from your account.
Can I cancel?
Yes, you can cancel at any time and your subscription will not renew. You will still have access to paid features until the end of your current billing period.
Can I request a refund?
You can ask for a refund through Stripe within 30 days of your first payment. Any other refunds will follow the Terms and your applicable rights.
What happens to my documents if I cancel?
Your saved .compose files are yours and are kept by you. When your subscription ends, you will only lose the extra paid features.
There’s so much more to discover.
Compose includes practical features for the everyday jobs that come up while you write, making them quicker and easier without adding unnecessary complexity.
Keep writing without internet.Install Compose as an app and keep working when you are offline. Your writing remains available on your device, so a lost connection does not have to interrupt your work.
Find the command you need.Search for a command instead of looking through menus. Start typing what you want to do and quickly find formatting, writing and document actions in one place.
Build and edit tables.Add tables directly to your writing. Add or remove rows and columns, create headers, and merge or split cells as your information changes.
Add and organise images.Insert images into your writing, choose their size and position, and add a caption and description. This keeps images clear, useful and accessible.
Link to another part of your writing.Create a link that takes the reader straight to a heading elsewhere in the same piece of writing. This makes longer reports, guides and other structured work easier to move around.
Protect newer versions of your files.If a saved Compose file has changed outside the app, Compose warns you before replacing it. You can reopen the changed file, keep a separate copy or decide which version you want to use.
