Dabble vs Novlr

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

Novlr

• Novelists who want a clean, distraction-free place to draft
• Writers building a daily habit with goals, streaks and sprints
• Writers who want a tool with no generative AI in it

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.

Novlr

• The Free plan is limited to 2 projects; Starter allows 10 and only Studio is unlimited.
• The proofreader, the grammar and style checker, and Google Drive and Dropbox backups are Studio-only.
• It runs in a browser; the site lists no desktop or mobile apps, and offline use is described only as protection for unstable internet.
• Version history is 30 days on Starter and unlimited on Studio, and is not listed for the Free plan.

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.

Novlr

Distraction-free editor

A full-screen focus mode and a typewriter mode keep the page clear, with dark and light modes and search and replace.

Goals, streaks and sprints

Keep writing streaks, run timed writing sprints and get success nudges on every plan. Setting weekly and monthly goals is listed from the Starter plan up.

Notes and planning grid

Notes for research, characters and lore sit beside the manuscript, and a plot grid built from those notes lays out story arcs and plot threads.

Writing analytics

Analytics track word counts over time and show a writer's habits and most productive moments. They are included on every plan.

Proofreader and grammar checker

The Studio plan includes a built-in proofreader and an advanced grammar and style checker. Novlr says it has no AI writing or generating tool.

Novlr Sites

An author website builder with themes and custom domains, using the same login. It is included with Studio and costs $6 a month or $60 a year on other plans.

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.

Novlr

• Free$0

  2 projects with cross-device sync, notes, the planning grid, focus mode, writing sprints, streaks, comments and analytics.

• Starter$8

  per month, billed yearly ($96); $10 billed monthly

  10 projects with 30-day version history, writing goals with streak tracking, and full access to Academy courses.

• Studio$16

  per month, billed yearly ($192); $20 billed monthly

  Unlimited projects and version history, proofreader and grammar checker, Google Drive and Dropbox backups, and Novlr Sites included.

• Lifetime Studio Member$499

  one-time payment

  Everything in Studio with no subscription, plus co-ownership of Novlr and exclusive Discord channels.

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.

Novlr

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with yearly billing

  Starter is $96 a year ($8 a month) against $10 a month billed monthly, and Studio is $192 a year ($16 a month) against $20 a month.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Studio membership for $499

  A one-time payment covers everything in Studio with no subscription. Lifetime members also become co-owners of Novlr.