Dabble vs Storyist (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Dabble if

• Fits if you want your plot, your notes and your manuscript in one place
• Works for co-authors writing in the same manuscript live

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want comments and track changes, which start at $29 a month
• Not for you if you want a free plan, as it's a 14-day trial and then projects turn read-only
• Skip it if you want a phone app, because on mobile it's a web app on your home screen
• Watch out: the pricing page says annual billing saves 20% but doesn't show the annual amounts
• Pricey if you want to own it, as Lifetime Author is $699 once with no other discounts

Pick Storyist if

• Fits if you write on a Mac and would rather buy once than subscribe
• Works for novelists and screenwriters who plan on index cards

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as neither is supported
• Not for you if you want one purchase for all devices, because Mac and iOS are bought separately
• Too light for iOS-only writers who need the book editor, which is described only for the Mac
• Watch out: the trial length isn't stated

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.

Storyist

• There is no Windows, Android or web version.
• The Mac and iOS apps are bought separately.
• Orders from the vendor's store are processed by Paddle, the merchant of record.
• The iOS app lists a narrower set of formats and tools than the Mac app, and the book editor is described only for the Mac.

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.

Storyist

Story sheets

Editable forms for plot, character, setting and section, which can be customized to hold the details you track.

Index cards and corkboard

Scenes appear as color-coded index cards that can be arranged, and shown beside the manuscript while you write.

Manuscript and screenplay formatting

Stylesheets and templates for manuscripts and screenplays, with quick keys for changing screenplay elements.

Book editor and ebook export

On the Mac, builds print-ready PDFs with trim size, margins and bleed set, and creates ePub and Kindle editions.

Import and export formats

Handles Word, RTF, OpenDocument, Scrivener, Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain files.

Outliner and word-count goals

An outliner gives a high-level view of a manuscript, and daily and project word-count goals are tracked.

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.

Storyist

• Storyist 4 for iOS$19

  one-time

  iPhone and iPad version with index cards, outline and screenplay template; needs iOS 17 or later.

• Storyist 4 for macOS$59

  one-time

  Mac version with story sheets, outliner, book editor and ePub and Kindle export; also sold on the Mac App Store.

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.

Storyist

No public discounts listed.