Reed
Reed: A free, multilingual dialogue editor with visual branching and broad export options. Ranked #11 of 27 in Game Dialogue Editors by our editors (7.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free multilingual dialogue production.
At a glance
- Editor score7.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree multilingual dialogue production
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Visual editorYes
- Facts checked20 Oct 2026
Where it wins
- Visual branching canvas with live playtesting and validation checks
- Side-by-side editing for 47 ready-to-use languages
- Exports for major engines, localization formats, and voice production
Where it doesn't
- Pre-1.0 software may not suit teams needing a mature release
- No built-in AI features for assisted dialogue work
- Git and GitHub workflows are optional rather than required
Our verdict on Reed
Reed is an offline-first workspace for writing, testing, localizing, and exporting branching game dialogue. Its visual node-based canvas connects lines, choices, and junctions, while live playtesting exposes branching behavior with choices and conditions. The audience is narrative designers, writers, translators, solo developers, indie teams, and distributed groups working on projects for Windows, macOS, or Android. Because it runs locally and requires no account, it also fits teams that want a self-contained authoring environment.
Localization is a central strength. Reed provides side-by-side multilingual editing with 47 ready-to-use languages and validation checks for missing translations, dead ends, unreachable lines, and variable issues. Export coverage connects projects to Unity, Godot, Unreal Engine, Yarn Spinner, Pixel Crushers, gettext, XLIFF, JSON, and CSV workflows. Voice-production assets—including actor PDFs, studio trackers, and audio filename manifests—extend the tool beyond writing into production handoff. Automatic backups and named save points add recovery options, while optional Git and GitHub workflows support checkpointing and versioned collaboration.
The Free plan costs 0 USD as a flat price and includes offline-first use, no account or subscription, and open-source availability under MPL-2.0; pay-what-you-want donations are optional. Reed is pre-1.0, with the published materials identifying version 0.2.0 on the Mania Design page and 0.1.9 as the current installable release in the GitHub README. That status makes it a better fit for solo creators and small or mid-market teams comfortable with evolving software than for organizations requiring a mature, established platform. Choose Reed when multilingual branching, local files, validation, and varied exports matter more than a finalized product lifecycle or built-in AI assistance.
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Reed pricing
Reed fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Visual editor | Yes |
| Text scripting | Not verified |
| Unity integration | Yes |
| Unreal integration | Yes |
| Localization support | Yes |
| Condition logic | Yes |
| Runtime model | Standalone |
| Deployment | Desktop, Mobile |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 8 integrations: Unity, Godot, Unreal Engine, Yarn Spinner, Pixel Crushers, gettext … |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | mania.design |
| Facts checked | 20 Oct 2026 |
Reed integrations
Reed lists 8 integrations on its own site.
- Unity
- Godot
- Unreal Engine
- Yarn Spinner
- Pixel Crushers
- gettext
- XLIFF
- GitHub
Alternatives to Reed
- ink and InkyA free, script-focused toolkit for branching narrative development across engines and the web.9.3
- TwineA free, cross-platform story editor with variables, testing, and HTML publishing.9.1
- inklewriterA free, focused browser editor for branching stories, with testing tools and JSON export.8.8
Used Reed? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Reed for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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