Novelists
Draft in a quiet editor while the timeline keeps flashbacks and parallel plots straight. Follow character growth and story arcs across the manuscript, alongside beta-reader feedback.
See every thread.
Across time and page.
Move from arranging scenes, to planning their beats, to writing the manuscript. Then step back to see whole-story trends.
Everything stays connected as the draft changes. Thruline is currently in private beta; free access requires a beta key, issued in waves.
Find your way in.
Find the parts that fit your project: a novel, screenplay, branching RPG, or campaign world.
find the parts for your project
Screenwriters
Keep ensemble casts and parallel action clear on one timeline. Give diverging character storylines separate lanes, then bring them together when they meet. Export the script to Fountain.
RPG designers
Plan branching stories with choices that matter. See every branch on one screen, trace how each decision changes later scenes, and compare the outcomes of each ending.
GMs & worldbuilders
Build a library shaped around your world, including custom sheet types for whatever the project needs and background notes for relevant lore that may not be linked to any time. Link library tags to one another and to the scenes where they matter, while a separate background timeline holds the history before the story start.
open in the browser
A finished book, or series, in the browser.
Publish a local .thrv file for readers to open in the Viewer. It carries the reading views, published story structure, and Library. Publish one book or a complete series, then let readers switch between the included books.
Open the ViewerYour file stays on your device. The Viewer reads the file locally and does not upload it to Thruline.
Write
Shape your manuscript.
The library follows narrative order: the sequence readers meet each scene. Organize it to fit the project, then move and rename scenes or folders as the structure changes.
Plan the scene, then write it.
Sketch the scene as a sequence of beats, then keep the plan beside the draft while you write. Revise it as the scene changes. The draft is a rich text editor, and a passage can be annotated with a tag to link it back to its character or place.
Keep a steady writing rhythm.
Set daily targets for words or active writing time, then follow each session on the calendar. Weekly progress and streaks stay visible without turning the work into a prescription.
Write in peace.
Enter fullscreen Focus Mode to hide the rest of the app while you write. Set rain, sunbeams, or a night sky behind the workspace.
Arrange
the timeline workspace
The workspace
The workspace follows chronological story time, making a fully nonlinear story easier to understand without changing manuscript order. A flashback can sit at the moment it happens, and related scenes can share a timestamp whose label does not need to be a calendar date.
Mark a scene off-screen when it belongs to the story but not the manuscript. Add a scene anywhere and the grid shifts to make room; move or resize it in small increments for fine time offsets, with undo and redo while you find the right arrangement.
Split the party.
When one group rides north and the rest stay behind, the story splits with them: parallel lanes through the same stretch of time, side by side, converging when the groups meet again.
Return to an earlier draft.
Take a scene draft snapshot before a large revision. It saves the draft as it is so you can return to it later.
Keep another take nearby.
A potential scene starts as a copy of an existing scene. Change its plan, beats, tags, or outcomes, then swap it into the same story moment to see how that version affects the wider story.
Follow a choice through its branches.
Lay its paths out as one graph. See where a choice splits the story, and where paths meet again.
Follow one path when you need its details, or zoom out until the whole decision structure fits on screen. Save different paths through your story, then choose the one you want to explore, study, export, or send to readers.
See your whole story at once.
World
Know your people and places.
Your graph shows who's tangled up with whom. Step your map through the story beat by beat: the camera follows whoever you're tracking.
Keep your world close.
Each person or place can have a sheet with traits and images. Items and factions live there too, and you can add as many custom types as your world needs. Tags can link to one another and back to the scenes where they appear. Every sheet also compiles its own article: backlinks, relationships, what it belongs to, and each appearance in story order, kept current as you write.
Keep your references beside the page.
Background Notes hold research and setting lore in their own folder. Keep a folder for campaign sessions or random ideas. Give a note an image gallery.
Link it from your manuscript, pin it beside your scene, or tear it into its own window and drag it wherever you like. A referenced tag sheet can open the same way, so the facts you need stay in view while you write.
Freeform ideas.
Use the corkboard for loose notes and images before they become scenes.
Analytics
Check a hunch.
"When did she last show up?" Open a presence heatmap or follow the relevant thread payoff. Your story's metrics are there when the question needs them.
These are only a few of the visual tools. Open a fortune graph for any character, item, location, or other tag to see how it changes through the plan and its beats.
Relationship graphs trace connections between people. An outcomes view compares everything carried into each ending. You can build your own metrics too, and mark any scene by purpose—setup, introduction, climax, or a label of your own.
Problems inbox The Problems view flags the slips: a reveal that lands before its cause, or someone who dies in one branch and turns up later on the same one. Each note jumps to the scene it's about, and you can mute what you don't care about.
Threads Give a subplot or running theme its own thread. Mark the plant, reveal, misdirect and payoff, trace whether each moment lives in your plan, your draft, or both, and catch a setup that never lands.
Your own metrics Rate your scenes on whatever you care about (romance, dread, tension, or more) and see the shape of your story the way you feel it.
Follow a character or theme Choose a character, relationship, object, or theme and read its meaningful passages in story order.
Beta readers Build the review you want, then send readers a story that opens in their browser. Choose the story paths, rating questions, and kinds of feedback to include. Readers answer beside the manuscript, from notes on one scene to thoughts on the whole story. Bring everything back into Thruline to compare responses, or use a feedback spreadsheet when that is more convenient.
ConsequencesCarry a choice into the scenes it changes. Mark what a scene changes, then follow that consequence into later scenes and branches. The connection stays visible as the story moves.
local files, offline writing
Your files stay with you.
Projects live in folders you choose, and writing works offline. Your license key handles activation, so there is no Thruline account to maintain.
Export to Word, Markdown, Fountain, or a Scrivener-ready folder that keeps your manuscript, research, and images organized. You can also publish a story for the Viewer. Include one book or a complete series, and readers can switch books in their browser.
Private betaFree access by key
One-time purchase$39.99
Three computersReset activations yourself
30-day refund guaranteeTake a month to decide, after you buy
Local projectsYour writing stays on your machine
purchase coming soon
One price, no subscription.
Purchasing is not open yet. When sales begin, $39.99 will buy the current major version and all of its maintenance updates. Future major versions are optional: existing owners receive 50%, 25%, or 10% off when they are one, two, or three major versions behind.
There is no automatic free trial during the beta. Request a free beta key; invitations are sent manually in waves while testing is active.
Thruline, full edition
Coming soon$39.99 current major version
By purchasing Thruline, you agree to the software license terms. Please review the refund policy and privacy policy.
Paddle is the merchant of record. Your localized price and tax appear at checkout. A license key is emailed after payment.
Private beta
LimitedRequest a free beta key. Keys are handed out manually in waves while the beta period is active.
Submitting a request does not guarantee immediate access. See the privacy policy.
the practical questions
Before launch.
What to expect from Thruline and its release.
When will Thruline be available?
Thruline is targeting the end of summer 2026. A temporary pre-launch list will appear shortly.
How do I access the private beta?
Request a beta key using the form above. There is no automatic free trial, and submitting a request does not grant immediate access. Free keys are sent manually in waves while the beta period is active.
Which operating systems are supported?
Thruline currently supports 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11. macOS and Linux versions are in development.
Do I need an account or a constant internet connection?
Writing works offline, and projects stay on your machine. Internet is used to activate the license on up to three computers and for occasional license checks. If the app needs a check, it will ask you to reconnect; reading and export remain available.
Viewer stories open and stay in the reader's browser. The story is not sent to Thruline's servers.
How are projects protected?
Projects autosave after every change. Thruline also keeps up to twelve automatic backups. Because projects stay on your machine, we recommend including them in your cloud backup.
How do I bring in my existing manuscript?
Import your Word manuscript, Scrivener project, or Markdown file. Thruline arranges your prose into scenes in the workspace and library for you to use. Scrivener or Word may change their underlying file structure so this feature is not guaranteed for all projects.
What does the purchase include?
Your purchase includes the current Thruline edition, every feature shown here, use on three personal computers, and all updates until the next major edition. Future major editions are optional upgrades: existing owners receive 50%, 25%, or 10% off based on how many major versions behind they are.
I already own Thruline. Should I buy another copy?
No. Check your existing key before opening the full-price checkout to see its discount and request a one-time code. Buying with that code gets you a new key for the new version; your existing key keeps working for the version it already owns.
Bought right before a new major version came out?
A key bought within 60 days before a new major version's release automatically counts as the new version, at no extra cost.
What if it is not right for me?
New purchases and upgrades both have a 30-day refund window. See the refund policy for what happens to each key.