Ellipsus vs Novlr

Ellipsus

• Co-authors, editors and beta readers working on fiction together
• Fan fiction writers who publish to AO3
• Writers who want a tool with no generative AI
• People who would sooner own a license than rent one

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

Ellipsus

• Browser-based only: there is no mobile or desktop app yet, though the help center suggests setting it up as a PWA.
• Offline access and tables are listed as still to come.
• On the free plan, version history covers 30 days and image uploads are capped at 512 KB.
• Collaborator chat is moving to Plus and becomes read-only for free users.

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.

Ellipsus

Linked drafts

A document can branch into as many drafts as needed for trying ideas or working with editors. Drafts stay linked to their document, so there are no separate files to manage.

Compare and merge

Drafts can be viewed side by side to check what changed, and the writer chooses which edits are merged into the main document.

Collaboration and feedback

Unlimited collaborators can write in the same draft, comment and react. Collaborator roles and share links control what each person can do.

Version history

Past versions of a piece can be viewed and restored: 30 days of history on the free plan, unlimited on Plus.

Publishing and export

Posts new works and chapters to AO3, exports PDF, HTML, Markdown and rich text, and creates reader links that can be opened without an account.

Emboss and writing insights

Plus adds shareable authorship badges, public version history and writing insights such as sentence length, passive voice and word frequency, computed on the device without AI.

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.

Ellipsus

• Free$0

  Unlimited docs, drafts and collaborators, with 30-day version history, 512 KB image uploads and 37 themes.

• Plus, monthly$6

  per month for 24 months ($144 in total)

  Subscribe-to-own: after 24 monthly payments the Plus license is owned outright. Adds custom themes, writing insights, unlimited version history and 5 MB images.

• Plus, annual$60

  per year for 2 years ($120 in total)

  Two annual payments buy the Plus license outright, which the page describes as 4 months free compared with paying monthly.

• Plus, one-time$99

  one-time payment

  The Plus license bought upfront and owned immediately, including future Plus features, updates and maintenance.

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.

Ellipsus

• Lifetime license

  Own Plus outright for $99

  A single $99 payment buys the Plus license for good, including future Plus features and updates. It is the lowest total of the three ways to pay.

• Annual discount

  Annual plan totals $120 instead of $144

  Paying annually takes two payments of $60, $120 in all, against $144 over 24 monthly payments. The pricing page calls this 4 months free.

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.