What Inky does
Ink is an open-source narrative scripting language used for games, with scripts written as plain text where text comes first and code or logic is inserted within it. The page says it is primarily designed for professional game development but can also be used for choice-based interactive fiction. Inky is the companion editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux, with a play pane that refreshes as you write, error highlighting as you type, alt-click jumping to diverts, and export to JSON or a web page. Integrations are available for Unity through a plugin and for Unreal Engine through Inkpot. Ink, Inky, and the Unity plugin are open source under the MIT license. The tools are free, with optional donations through Patreon, and the official user guide is sold separately.
How Inky compares with its closest alternatives
2 of the 5 closest alternatives have a free plan, as Inky does. Only Sudowrite lists a starting price, $22 a month. None of the 5 offers an API; FalcoScan's records show none for Inky. Inky offers a desktop app. Of the alternatives, 2 offer a desktop app. Inky was founded in 2016; the alternatives were founded between 2018 and 2023. The alternatives with a known headquarters are in Germany and the United States.