4thewords vs Dabble

4thewords

• Writers who are motivated by game rewards and daily streaks
• Building a daily writing habit around a word-count target
• People who draft in Google Docs or Notion and want those words counted

Dabble

• Novelists who want plotting, notes and the manuscript in one place
• Writers who move between a computer, a tablet and a phone
• Co-authors working on the same manuscript
• Writers who want a tool without generative AI

4thewords

• The Free plan stops at 25 files, 2 projects and 25 battles a day, and leaves out streak saving and sharing files with collaborators.
• Sharing is capped by plan: 2 collaborators per file or project on Member, 5 on Pro and 10 on Lifetime Pro.
• It is a web app with no App Store download, and the extension is tested and supported on desktop Chrome only.
• Monthly plans and Lifetime Pro cannot be refunded; yearly plans can be refunded within 15 days of purchase.

Dabble

• There is no free plan. Without a subscription, projects stay viewable and exportable but become read-only.
• Comments, track changes, sticky notes, advanced grammar checks and Read-to-Me need the Author plan at $29 a month or higher.
• On phones and tablets Dabble is a web app added to the home screen from the browser; it is not in the App Store or Google Play.
• The pricing page lists monthly prices only and says annual billing saves 20%, without showing the annual amounts.

4thewords

Writing battles

Pick a monster and write the required number of words before the timer runs out. There are solo, endurance and co-op modes, with co-op teams of 2 to 8 writers.

Streaks and daily challenges

Writing 444 or more words in a day extends a streak that earns rewards over time. Paid plans can repair missed days or reserve future ones.

Built-in writing editor

A cloud editor groups files into projects, saves automatically, keeps a version history and exports to Word, text, Markdown or HTML.

Writing goals and stats

Word-count targets with deadlines can be set for a single file, a project or the whole account, with charts to track progress.

Chrome extension

A free extension counts the words typed on other sites, such as Google Docs, Notion and Substack, and applies them to battles, streaks and quests.

Sharing and co-writing

On paid plans a file or a whole project can be shared with friends as editors or viewers, who can write in it together in real time.

Dabble

Plot Grid

Lays out plot lines and plot points against scenes so a story's structure can be planned as fully or as loosely as wanted, with the editor open alongside the plan.

Story notes and characters

Keeps character profiles, worldbuilding details and research beside the manuscript, and can share characters, locations and lore across the books in a series.

Manuscript editor and goals

Scenes and chapters are numbered and formatted automatically and reordered by drag and drop, with focus mode, daily word-count goals, stats and a writing timer.

Editing tools

Comments, sticky notes, highlighting, track changes and Read-to-Me, plus grammar and style checks powered by ProWritingAid. These start on the Author plan.

Co-authoring

Invited co-authors work on the same manuscript in real time. Writer allows 5 collaborators per project; Author, Bestseller and lifetime plans allow 100.

Offline-first sync

Every edit saves to the device first and syncs to the account once a connection is available, so writing continues offline on any installed copy.

4thewords

• Free$0

  25 files, 2 projects, 25 battles a day, one month of version history and limited event access.

• Member$10

  per month, or $96 per year

  Unlimited files, 40 projects, up to 1,000 battles a day, 6 months of version history, streak saving and full event access.

• Pro$14

  per month, or $144 per year

  Unlimited files, projects and battles, one year of version history, monthly refills and Pro event perks such as early access.

• Lifetime Pro$599

  one-time purchase

  The Pro features for a single payment with no renewals, plus up to 3 years of file history.

Dabble

• Writer$19

  per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)

  Unlimited manuscripts, cloud backup and sync, Plot Grid, story notes and character profiles, goals and stats, co-authoring and versioning.

• Author$29

  per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)

  Adds comments, track changes, sticky notes, text highlighting, advanced grammar and style checks, Read-to-Me, and priority support by chat and email.

• Bestseller$49

  per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)

  Everything in Author plus DabbleU Academy: live monthly workshops, a library of courses and more than 70 hours of workshop recordings.

• Lifetime Author Access$699

  one-time payment

  All Author features permanently, including future Author updates and features. No additional discounts apply.

4thewords

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing saves 20% on Member

  Member costs $96 a year against $10 a month ($120 over a year), a 20% saving. Pro costs $144 a year against $14 a month ($168), about 14% less.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Pro for a one-time $599

  Lifetime Pro is a single $599 payment with the same features as the Pro subscription, including any benefits added to Pro later. It does not renew.

• Other savings

  Community Pool for writers who need help paying

  Members can donate subscription time to a Community Pool, which goes to writers who have opted in because they need financial assistance.

Dabble

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Dabble's pricing page says paying annually saves 20% compared with the monthly prices of $19, $29 and $49.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Author Access for $699

  A one-time payment of $699 gives every Author feature permanently, which Dabble describes as about the price of two years of Author. No other discounts apply.

• Education

  30% off for teachers and students

  Teachers and students with an academic email address can save 30% by applying through Dabble's partner, Student App Centre.