The best novel-writing apps in 2026 (an honest comparison)
There is no single best app for writing a novel, only the one that fits how you write: how much you plan, whether you need offline, what you can spend, and whether you will publish it yourself. Here are nine worth considering, with who each suits, what it does well, where it falls short, and what it costs. The list is not ranked.
A note before we start: Inkling is our app, and it is on this list. We wrote this page to be useful even if you pick something else. Every competitor fact comes from the maker’s own site and is linked below each entry. Prices checked October 2026; plans change, so check the maker’s site before you buy.
The short version
| App | Best for | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrivener | Long, complex manuscripts, written offline, for a one-time price | One-time: $59.99 for Mac, about $60 for Windows, $23.99 for iPhone and iPad | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad |
| Dabble | A polished all-rounder that works offline and on every device | $19, $29 or $49 a month, about 20% less yearly; $699 lifetime (Author). 14-day trial, no card | Windows, Mac, Linux, browser, iOS, Android |
| Plottr | Plotters with many plotlines, points of view or books in a series | $60 a year or $150 lifetime (desktop); Pro $9.99 a month, $99 a year or $599 lifetime. 30-day trial | Windows, Mac; Pro adds a browser app for tablets |
| Reedsy Studio | Writing and formatting a book to publish, for free | Free core; optional Craft ($4.99 a month) and Outline ($7.99 a month) plans. 30-day trial of both | Browser, on any device |
| NovelPad | Board-and-card novelists who want offline writing and no AI | Cloud $15 a month or $150 a year; Desktop $89 once; Lifetime $349. 14-day trial, no card | Browser (Cloud); Mac, Windows, Linux desktop |
| Ellipsus | Co-writing, writing groups and fanfic for AO3, free | Free; Plus is $6 a month until owned (24 months), or $99 once. 7-day trial, no card | Browser; offline and mobile listed as coming |
| Campfire | Deep worldbuilding: maps, timelines, magic systems, languages | Free tier with limits; Standard shown at $12 a month (down from $19); annual, lifetime and per-module options | Browser, desktop, mobile app (not every module) |
| Google Docs | $0, on every device, easy to share | Free with a Google account | Browser, Android, iOS; offline in Chrome or Edge after setup |
| Inkling | Short sessions, with your cast, maps, storyboard and goal beside the page | 14-day trial, no card; then Plus at $9 a month ($72 a year for Founding Writers, launch only) | Browser on phone and computer; installs as an app |
Prices in US dollars, checked October 2026.
Scrivener
Best for: long, complex manuscripts, written offline, for a one-time price.
Strengths: Scrivener’s binder lets you break a book into scenes and move them freely, with a corkboard and an outliner for seeing the shape of it. Research files live inside the project, snapshots keep earlier versions of a scene, and Compile turns the draft into Word, PDF or an ebook, so plenty of self-publishers go from first draft to upload file without leaving it. It works fully offline, and it is a license you buy once, not a subscription.
Drawbacks: The learning curve is real, and Compile in particular sends most writers to a tutorial. Each platform is a separate purchase, there is no Android or browser version, and moving between computer and iPad goes through Dropbox, where a project left open on two devices can produce conflicting copies. Our post on moving off Scrivener covers that in detail.
Price: One-time: $59.99 for Mac, about $60 for Windows, $23.99 for iPhone and iPad. Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad.
Mac price from the Mac App Store, iPhone and iPad price from the App Store.
Dabble
Best for: a polished all-rounder that works offline and on every device.
Strengths: Dabble’s Plot Grid sits beside the manuscript, character profiles and story notes are a click away, and daily goals and stats keep you moving. Its desktop apps keep your work on your computer and sync when you are back online, and it runs on iOS and Android too. Co-authoring comes with every plan; the Author plan adds comments, track changes and beta-reader support. It exports to Word, Google Docs and Markdown, and says it will not train models on your content.
Drawbacks: It costs more each month than most apps here, from $19. The Plot Grid suits writers who think in rows and columns; if you plan on loose cards, it can feel more structured than you want. There is no map maker among its features.
Price: $19, $29 or $49 a month, about 20% less yearly; $699 lifetime (Author). 14-day trial, no card. Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, browser, iOS, Android.
From Dabble’s pricing page and downloads page.
Plottr
Best for: plotters with many plotlines, points of view or books in a series.
Strengths: Plottr’s timeline is the reason to buy it. Scene cards sit on plotlines for your main plot, subplots and character arcs, an outline builds itself from them, and the Series View shows the whole arc across books. It has 30+ plot and scene templates, character bios with custom fields, places and notes, and exports the outline to Word or Scrivener. Plottr says it is not building AI into the app.
Drawbacks: It has no manuscript editor, by design: you draft somewhere else. The base plan is desktop only; the browser app and cloud sync need Pro. Prices were shown marked down from higher list prices, so check before you buy.
Price: $60 a year or $150 lifetime (desktop); Pro $9.99 a month, $99 a year or $599 lifetime. 30-day trial. Platforms: Windows, Mac; Pro adds a browser app for tablets.
From Plottr’s pricing page and features page.
Reedsy Studio
Best for: writing and formatting a book to publish, for free.
Strengths: Reedsy Studio gives self-publishers a clean editor and typesetting to EPUB and print-ready PDF, free. The free plan also has planning boards (in card view), a manuscript word goal, 30 days of version history, live collaboration with comments and tracked changes, and preview links for beta readers. Reedsy’s marketplace of editors and designers is there when you publish.
Drawbacks: It runs in the browser, and Reedsy says offline access is not available yet. Custom goals, unlimited history and advanced stats are in the paid Craft plan. There are no maps or worldbuilding tools among its features.
Price: Free core; optional Craft ($4.99 a month) and Outline ($7.99 a month) plans. 30-day trial of both. Platforms: Browser, on any device.
From Reedsy’s Studio page and Studio FAQ.
NovelPad
Best for: board-and-card novelists who want offline writing and no AI.
Strengths: NovelPad is built around boards: story boards, subplot boards and character smart boards, with each character’s presence tracked by chapter. It has daily goals, streaks and adaptive schedules, automatic version history with a side-by-side revision desk, and beta-reader sharing with viewer, commenter and editor roles. It exports to Word or EPUB. The desktop app is local-first and fully offline, and NovelPad states that no AI reads your words, trains on them, or offers to write them.
Drawbacks: The one-time Desktop license has no cloud features, and major upgrades cost $39. The browser app, sync and sharing are the Cloud subscription. There is no map maker.
Price: Cloud $15 a month or $150 a year; Desktop $89 once; Lifetime $349. 14-day trial, no card. Platforms: Browser (Cloud); Mac, Windows, Linux desktop.
From NovelPad’s pricing page and home page.
Ellipsus
Best for: co-writing, writing groups and fanfic for AO3, free.
Strengths: Ellipsus is a collaborative editor made for creative writers. The free plan gives unlimited documents, drafts and collaborators, with comments, in-doc chat, drafts you can branch and merge, and reader links where beta readers comment on the page. It exports straight to AO3, chapters included. It has promised never to integrate generative AI, and Plus is subscribe-to-own: keep paying and it becomes yours.
Drawbacks: There is no character builder, storyboard or map among its listed features, and offline access and mobile are listed as coming.
Price: Free; Plus is $6 a month until owned (24 months), or $99 once. 7-day trial, no card. Platforms: Browser; offline and mobile listed as coming.
From Ellipsus’s Plus page and generative AI stance.
Campfire
Best for: deep worldbuilding: maps, timelines, magic systems, languages.
Strengths: Campfire has 18 writing and worldbuilding modules: a manuscript editor, characters, interactive maps, timelines and calendars, species, magic systems and even a conlang tool. You can buy just the modules you need, and its publishing dashboard lets you sell an ebook in Campfire’s own store.
Drawbacks: That depth takes setup. The free tier caps you at 25,000 manuscript words, 10 characters and 2 maps, among other limits, and the mobile app does not include every module. The monthly price was shown as a discount, so check current pricing.
Price: Free tier with limits; Standard shown at $12 a month (down from $19); annual, lifetime and per-module options. Platforms: Browser, desktop, mobile app (not every module).
From Campfire’s pricing page and home page.
Google Docs
Best for: $0, on every device, easy to share.
Strengths: It is free, it is everywhere, and sharing a chapter with a reader or an editor takes one link, with comments and suggestions built in. Since October 2024, document tabs let you keep one chapter per tab in a single file. It works offline in Chrome or Edge once you switch that on. Google says it does not use Workspace data, which includes Docs, to train Gemini.
Drawbacks: It was not built for novels: no corkboard, no character profiles, no word goals. Writers report long manuscripts slowing down, and downloading a tabbed Doc gives you only the current tab unless you choose all tabs. Our post on Google Docs lagging on a novel has the fixes.
Price: Free with a Google account. Platforms: Browser, Android, iOS; offline in Chrome or Edge after setup.
Offline details from Google’s offline help page.
Inkling
Best for: short sessions, with your cast, maps, storyboard and goal beside the page.
What it does: Inkling is our app, so weigh this entry accordingly. It keeps your stories and chapters together with the tools a novel collects: a Storyboard of index cards, a character builder that asks about the wound, the lie, the want and the need, and maps you can open beside the page while you write. Each story opens with a “Previously…” recap made from your own words, so a short session starts with writing, not rereading. The recap comes from an optional generator that never writes your story and never trains on it. A word goal counts itself as you write, shows a daily pace, and can send an email reminder. Muse offers idea sparks from built-in lists and never reads your stories. Paste in a whole draft and it splits into chapters at your chapter headings, with an earlier copy kept. Export to Word, plain text, one Google Doc of the whole project, or a print booklet.
Drawbacks: See where Inkling falls short, just below.
Price: 14-day trial, no card; then Plus at $9 a month ($72 a year for Founding Writers, launch only). Platforms: Browser on phone and computer; installs as an app.
From our pricing page.
Where Inkling falls short
- It is new and small. A young app from a small team, with fewer tutorials, templates and community answers than apps that have been around for years.
- No offline writing. It runs in the browser, needs a connection to save, and has no desktop app. If you write without internet, pick Scrivener, Dabble or NovelPad.
- No ebook formatting. No EPUB export or compile; you get Word, plain text, a Google Doc and a print booklet PDF. To format for publishing, use Reedsy Studio, Scrivener or a dedicated formatting tool.
- No co-writing, comments or track changes. A private peer review link gets you a reader’s note, but only you edit the draft. Ellipsus, Dabble and Reedsy Studio do this properly.
- No timeline, series view or plot templates. The Storyboard is a freeform board of cards. Plottr is stronger for many plotlines across a series.
- It cannot open a .docx file directly. Paste your draft in, upload a .txt or .md file, or connect a Google Doc.
- Few integrations. Google Docs is the only account you can connect. Beyond it there is a Send to Substack button that copies a story into a new post, and little else.
- Subscription only. There is no one-time license. After the 14-day trial (up to 3 stories), the desk becomes read-only unless you subscribe; your work stays safe and exports to Google Docs anytime.
- It has an optional generator. It never writes your story and switches off in Setup, but if you want none in the app at all, Ellipsus, NovelPad and Plottr promise that. Our full account is in your words stay yours.
How to choose
You have a day job and 20 minutes. The hard part is getting back in. Pick something that opens fast on the device in your hand: Dabble runs everywhere, Google Docs is free and already on your phone, and Inkling’s “Previously…” recap and daily goal are built for picking a draft back up. Our guide to sticking to a daily word count helps whichever you choose.
You are a plotter. Plottr’s timeline and templates are the strongest planner here. Dabble’s Plot Grid and Scrivener’s corkboard keep the plan inside the manuscript app. NovelPad and Inkling plan on cards and boards.
You are a pantser. Google Docs, Ellipsus and Reedsy Studio stay out of the way. Scrivener lets you write scenes out of order and arrange them later. Not sure which you are? Read pantser vs plotter.
You are writing a series or building a world. Campfire goes deepest on worldbuilding. Plottr’s Series View tracks arcs across books. Inkling keeps a cast and maps beside the draft, each linked to a story or a whole project. See how to plan a book series.
You need offline. Scrivener, plus the desktop apps from Dabble, NovelPad and Plottr. Google Docs works offline once set up in Chrome or Edge.
You are publishing and formatting. Reedsy Studio formats EPUB and print PDF for free. Scrivener compiles to ebook and print. NovelPad exports EPUB. Our guide on how to publish a book covers the rest.
Your budget is $0. Google Docs, Reedsy Studio and Ellipsus are free at their core; Campfire has a limited free tier.
A few questions, answered
What is the best app to write a novel?
It depends on how you write. For deep control and offline work at a one-time price, Scrivener. For a polished all-rounder on every device, Dabble. For plotting a series, Plottr. For free writing and formatting to publish, Reedsy Studio. For co-writing, Ellipsus. For deep worldbuilding, Campfire. For $0 and easy sharing, Google Docs. For short sessions with your cast, maps and goals beside the page, Inkling. Most offer a free trial, so try two before committing.
Is there a good free novel-writing app?
Yes. Google Docs is free, works everywhere and shares easily. Reedsy Studio is free for writing and for formatting to EPUB and print PDF. Ellipsus has a free plan with unlimited documents and collaborators. Campfire has a free tier with limits, including 25,000 manuscript words. Prices checked October 2026.
Which novel-writing apps work offline?
Scrivener works fully offline. Dabble and NovelPad have desktop apps that keep your work on your computer. Plottr's desktop app runs on Windows and Mac. Google Docs works offline in Chrome or Edge once you turn it on. Reedsy Studio, Ellipsus and Inkling need a connection.
Which writing apps promise not to use AI on my writing?
Ellipsus says it will never integrate generative AI. NovelPad states that no AI reads your words, trains on them, or offers to write them. Plottr says it is not building AI into the app, and Dabble says it will not train models on your content. Google says Workspace data, including Docs, is not used to train Gemini. Inkling has an optional generator for recaps, covers and portraits that never writes your story, never trains on your writing, and switches off in Setup.
Can I write a novel on my phone?
Yes, with several of these. Dabble runs on iOS and Android, Scrivener has an iPhone and iPad app, Google Docs has phone apps, and Campfire has a mobile app without every module. Reedsy Studio, Ellipsus and Inkling run in the phone's browser, and Inkling can be installed to your home screen.