A native Mac editor for text, CSVs, and data files
Book formatting software for self-publishers
Stage
Not given
Not given
Founded
Not given
Not given
Based in
US
DE
Pricing model
Freemium
Paid
Pricing
Caxton Free (free forever); Caxton Pro monthly at $9.99 USD, annual at $99.99 USD, or lifetime at $179.99 USD. Team pricing starts at $79 to $99.99 USD per seat per year.
One-time purchase price to be announced before launch. Without a license, the software works with basic features indefinitely but exports carry a watermark.
Key features
Text editing with memory-mapped files for large documents
CSV and TSV table editing with column transforms
Column transformations and data type preservation
CSV validation with structural and data rules
File comparison without copying data
Extract matches and columns to new documents
Local processing with no cloud uploads or telemetry
Supports Windows, macOS and Linux
Accepts Word and Markdown manuscripts
Generates print-ready PDF for KDP and IngramSpark
Creates EPUB 3 for ebook stores
Automatic layout of running heads and chapter openers
Professional typography with correct quotation marks and dashes
German language typography support
Works offline without requiring an account
Custom theme saving in licensed version
What makes it different
Opens files directly from disk without importing or uploading, preserving data exactly as stored
Combines text editor, CSV table editor, and log viewer in one native Mac application
Handles multi-gigabyte files with consistent performance and one-millisecond keystroke latency
Preserves leading zeros, long IDs, and data types exactly as stored in the file
All files stay local to your Mac with no cloud processing, telemetry, or vendor lock-in
Runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux while the best-known alternative only runs on Mac
Professional typography handling for both English and German
Offline desktop app with no account or cloud dependency required
One-time purchase model instead of subscription
Includes free tools for KDP formatting and quote/dash fixing
Caxton
Kernsetzer