Dabble vs Reedsy Studio

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

Reedsy Studio

• Self-publishing authors who want EPUB and print-ready PDF files at no cost
• Co-authors and editors revising one manuscript with tracked changes
• Writers who want outlining boards and the manuscript in the same browser app

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.

Reedsy Studio

• It runs only in a browser: there is no desktop or dedicated mobile app, and Reedsy's FAQ says it cannot be used offline yet.
• Free accounts keep 30 days of writing history and get one Board limited to card view.
• Dark mode, custom goals and advanced stats are only in the paid add-ons.
• Boards cannot be shared with a collaborator yet, according to Reedsy's planning FAQ.

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.

Reedsy Studio

Manuscript editor

Organizes a book by section, chapter and scene in a sidebar, with front and back matter, and imports an existing draft from common text formats.

Typesetting and export

Exports a reflowable EPUB 3 and a print-ready PDF (PDF/X-1a:2001) in three themes and four trim sizes, on the free plan.

Real-time collaboration

A co-author, editor or proofreader can work in the same manuscript, with comments and tracked changes shown as they are made.

Boards

Planning boards hold notes for characters, locations and research as cards or lists. Free accounts get one Board in card view; attributes and relationships need the Outlining add-on.

Goals and writing stats

Free accounts set one word-count goal for the manuscript. The Craft add-on adds custom goals, daily check-ins and advanced stats.

Writing timeline and previews

Past versions can be viewed, compared and restored for 30 days, or without limit on Craft. A link shares a read-only preview of a chapter or the whole book.

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.

Reedsy Studio

• Standard$0

  Manuscript editor, unlimited books, PDF and EPUB export, one manuscript goal, 30-day writing history and 1 Board in card view.

• Craft add-on$4.99

  per month, billed monthly; or $52.99 billed annually

  Unlimited history, advanced stats, custom goals, daily check-ins and dark mode.

• Outlining add-on$7.99

  per month, billed monthly; or $85.99 billed annually

  Unlimited Boards, unlimited notes with attributes, writing templates, pinned notes and dark mode.

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.

Reedsy Studio

• Annual discount

  Save about 10% with annual billing

  The pricing page advertises a 10% saving on annual billing: Craft is $52.99 a year against $59.88 for twelve monthly payments, and Outlining is $85.99 against $95.88.

• Other savings

  Bundle discount for taking both add-ons

  Selecting Craft and Outlining together applies a bundle discount: $10.99 per month instead of $12.98, or $124.99 a year.