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The Novel Factory alternatives · Writing

Free alternatives to The Novel Factory

The Novel Factory has no free plan. 89 of the 136 other writing tools in this directory are free or have a free plan.

The Novel Factory is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic). 25 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.

89 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

The 12 closest to The Novel Factory

  1. Campfire

    Modular novel writing and worldbuilding app with per-module pricing

    What is free: Free account with limited use of all 18 modules: 25,000 manuscript words, 10 characters, 20 timeline events, 2 maps, 5 encyclopedia articles and similar caps on the rest. No credit card required.

    • Campfire starts at $0.50 per month for one module; $12 per month for all modules (Standard). The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Campfire has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Campfire lists iOS and Android apps.
    Campfire vs The Novel FactoryCampfire pricing and details

  2. bibisco

    Novel planning and writing software built around characters

    What is free: Community Edition for desktop: unlimited projects, premise, fabula, setting and storylines, character interviews, locations, chapters and scenes, export to PDF, DOCX and TXT, and automatic backups.

    • bibisco starts at $3.49 per month for Everywhere sync; desktop Supporters Edition is $69 one-time. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • bibisco has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only bibisco lists Linux, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists a web app.
    bibisco vs The Novel Factorybibisco pricing and details

  3. Hiveword

    Web-based novel organizer for scenes, characters and plotlines

    What is free: Hiveword Basic: unlimited stories, scenes, characters, settings, items and plotlines, with scene filtering, plotline view, backups and novel export.

    • Hiveword starts at $25 per year. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Hiveword has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    Hiveword vs The Novel FactoryHiveword pricing and details

  4. Plot Factory

    Online story planner and manuscript editor with audio narration

    What is free: Basic: 1 story, 1 universe, dark mode, automated backups, goal tracking, thesaurus and 250 narrated words a day.

    • Plot Factory starts at $9 per month, or $90 per year. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Plot Factory has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    Plot Factory vs The Novel FactoryPlot Factory pricing and details

  5. yWriter

    Novel-writing software that organizes a book into scenes

    What is free: yWriter7 for Windows is free to download and use, with no adverts. Registration is optional: an unregistered copy only shows 'Unregistered Version' in the title bar.

    • yWriter starts at $5.49 one-time for the Android app. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • yWriter has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only yWriter lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists a web app.
    yWriter vs The Novel FactoryyWriter pricing and details

  6. JotterPad

    Markdown and Fountain editor for books, papers and screenplays

    What is free: Free with limited access: Markdown editing, importing .md, .fountain and .fdx files, Unsplash images, and printing Markdown to PDF with a watermark. No cloud sync.

    • JotterPad starts at $29.99 per year on the App Store; $3.33 per month billed annually on the web. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • JotterPad has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only JotterPad lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists a Windows app.
    JotterPad pricing and details

  7. WriterDuet

    Screenwriting software built for real-time co-writing

    What is free: Free plan with no time limit: three projects of one document each, industry-standard formatting, read-only collaborators, Google Drive and Dropbox backups, and import and export in common formats.

    • WriterDuet starts at $7.49 per month, billed annually ($89.88); $9.99 billed monthly (Plus). The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • WriterDuet has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only WriterDuet lists Linux, iOS and Android apps.
    • The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    WriterDuet pricing and details

  8. Arc Studio

    Screenwriting app with outlining and real-time co-writing

    What is free: 2 scripts with industry-standard formatting, cloud sync, automatic backups, comments, and Fountain and Final Draft export. PDF export is watermarked, and the desktop and iOS apps are not included.

    • Arc Studio starts at $69 per year (Essentials). The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Arc Studio has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Arc Studio lists an iOS app.
    • The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    Arc Studio pricing and details

  9. Microsoft Word

    Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser

    What is free: Word for the web is free for 1 person: real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of cloud storage. The mobile apps cover basic editing without a subscription.

    • Microsoft Word starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal). The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Microsoft Word has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Microsoft Word lists iOS and Android apps.
    • The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
    Microsoft Word pricing and details

  10. Hemingway Editor

    Readability editor that flags wordy, hard-to-read sentences

    What is free: The free web editor highlights hard-to-read sentences, passive voice and weak wording and grades readability. Grammar fixes and AI rewrites need Hemingway Editor Plus.

    • Hemingway Editor starts at $8.33 per month, billed annually ($100); desktop app $19.99 once. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Hemingway Editor has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Hemingway Editor also covers grammar & style.
    • The Novel Factory also covers templates and long-form writing.
    Hemingway Editor pricing and details

  11. LibreOffice Writer

    Free, open-source word processor for Windows, macOS and Linux

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • LibreOffice Writer is free. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • LibreOffice Writer has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only LibreOffice Writer lists a Linux app.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists a web app.
    LibreOffice Writer pricing and details

  12. Overleaf

    Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses

    What is free: Unlimited projects, 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout, 5 AI uses a day and document history for the previous 24 hours only.

    • Overleaf starts at $16.75 per month, billed yearly at $199 (Standard); students from $8.25. The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
    • Overleaf has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only The Novel Factory lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Overleaf is self-hostable, according to its own site.
    Overleaf pricing and details

77 more that are free or have a free plan

All 89 in one table

Common questions

Is there a free alternative to The Novel Factory?

Yes. Campfire, bibisco, Hiveword, Plot Factory, yWriter, JotterPad, WriterDuet, Arc Studio and 81 more are free or have a free plan.

Does The Novel Factory have a free plan?

The Novel Factory has no free plan. The Novel Factory is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to The Novel Factory: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.