Hiveword vs The Novel Factory (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hiveword grades higher than The Novel Factory: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hiveword grades higher on value for money and the free plan. The Novel Factory grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hiveword
Web-based novel organizer for scenes, characters and plotlines
The Novel Factory
Novel-writing software with a built-in step-by-step roadmap
Which one is for you
Pick Hiveword if
- Fits if you plot with index cards or the Snowflake method and track many characters
- Works for writers who want a free organizer now and might add coaching later
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to draft and format the manuscript in the same place, as export is novel export only
- Not for you if you need an app on your phone or desktop, because it is web only
- Watch out: custom types and fields, images, notes, journal and search all need Plus at $25 a year
- Pricey if you want the coaching prompts, since Knockout Novel is a separate $49 on top of any plan
Pick The Novel Factory if
- Fits if this is your first novel and you want to be walked through it step by step
- Works for writers who want planning software with no AI in it
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you write more than one book, since unlimited novels need Standard at $220 a year or $22 a month
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only the 30-day trial
- Not for you if you write offline on a phone or tablet, because those use the browser version, which needs a stable connection
- Watch out: the $649 lifetime license covers Version 3 only, for as long as that version lasts
- Tight if you're on Basic, which leaves out dark mode and moving characters and locations between novels
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHivewordGood | 2.2GPAThe Novel FactoryFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APlus is $25 a year, about $2.08 a month, well under 60% of the $5.75 the category's cheaper quarter starts at. Knockout Novel coaching is a separate $49 one-time charge. | DBasic is $82.50 a year, or $8.25 a month, and it holds one novel. Unlimited novels need Standard at $220 a year, which is $18.33 a month against this category's $8.33 middle, or $22 paid monthly. Lifetime is $649, and only for Version 3. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic is free for good, with unlimited stories, scenes, characters, settings and plotlines. Plus has a 14-day trial, but custom types, images, notes, search and dark mode need it. | CNo free plan. The 30-day trial needs no credit card and covers one novel project with all the other Standard features. After that it's a subscription or the lifetime licence. |
| Features | CScenes, casts and plotlines are covered. The listing's own gaps keep it at C: export is novel export only, not manuscript formatting, and custom fields, notes and search sit on Plus. | BIt covers the whole job: a fifteen-step roadmap from first idea to final manuscript, scene cards you drag around in the Plot Manager, genre plot templates, sections for characters, locations and items that link to scenes, word-count goals, version history and Word export. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build your own scenes, characters and plotlines, so there is setup before it pays off. | BNo store rating on record, so we go on the listing: the roadmap hands you a task to tick off at each step, so you always know what comes next. Browser, or the desktop app if you want to work offline. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no desktop or mobile app listed and no integrations on record. | CA browser version plus desktop apps for Windows and Mac, which sounds broad but isn't: there are no phone or tablet apps, those devices use the browser version and it needs a stable connection, and the listing shows no integrations or API. |
| Best for | tracking big casts and plotlines | a guided first novel, step by step |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Hiveword and The Novel Factory. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hiveword starts at $2.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. The Novel Factory starts at $6.88 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
The Novel Factory scores higher, and starts $4.80 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other writing tools on the chart, 9 score higher than Hiveword for less, and 8 score higher than The Novel Factory for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- The Novel Factory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Hiveword also covers notes, daily notes and bookmarks.
At a glance
| Hiveword | The Novel Factory | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per year | $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic) |
| Free plan | Hiveword Basic: unlimited stories, scenes, characters, settings, items and plotlines, with scene filtering, plotline view, backups and novel export. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Hiveword Plus | 30-day free trial, no credit card required. It includes one novel project with all other Standard features. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Zecura, LLC | Sentiva Limited (trading as The Novel Factory) |
| Price read from | hiveword.com | novel-software.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hiveword
- It organizes a novel but is not a manuscript-formatting tool; export is listed as novel export only.
- Custom types, fields, images, notes and the journal need the paid Plus plan.
- Knockout Novel is a separate $49 charge on top of any plan.
- It is web-only, with no desktop or mobile app listed.
The Novel Factory
- There is no free plan: after the 30-day trial it needs a subscription or the $649 lifetime license.
- Basic is limited to one novel and leaves out dark mode and importing characters and locations between novels.
- The lifetime license covers Version 3 only, for as long as that version lasts.
- Offline work needs the desktop app on a PC or Mac. The browser version, which phones and tablets use, requires a stable internet connection.
Key features
Hiveword
- Scene filtering
- Filter scenes by point-of-view character, location or tag to see where a character appears, and sort the filtered list.
- Plotline visualization
- A visual view of how the main plot and subplots run through the scenes.
- Custom types and fields
- Plus lets you track items like spells or clans with your own fields and add extra fields to standard types.
- Images, notes and journal
- Plus attaches images and notes to story elements and keeps a tagged writer's journal with multiple entries per day.
- Searchable bookmarks
- Plus saves links to web pages with tags and notes, and its search also looks through the saved page text.
- Knockout Novel coaching
- Prompts based on author James Scott Bell's methodology, built into the organizer; sold separately.
The Novel Factory
- Novel Writing Roadmap
- A built-in guide of fifteen steps takes a novel from first idea to final manuscript, with a practical task at each step that can be checked off in the software.
- Plot Manager and plot templates
- Scenes sit on drag-and-drop index cards that give an overview of the story's structure, and genre-specific plot templates set out the beats to hit.
- Characters, locations and items
- Dedicated sections hold character profiles built from development prompts, locations with sensory details and images, and items. Characters and locations can be linked to scenes.
- Manuscript with related notes
- A sidebar beside the text shows the scene synopsis, the linked characters and locations, and the plot points that happen in that scene.
- Writing statistics and goals
- A Statistics tab tracks word counts and writing rates against custom goals, with progress graphs and a weekly average word count.
- Version history and Word export
- Turn Back Time restores earlier versions of the work. The manuscript and its supporting data export to Word, and a Word manuscript can be imported.
Plans
Hiveword
Hiveword Basic$0
Unlimited stories, scenes, characters, settings and plotlines, plus name generators, backups and novel export.
Hiveword Plus$25
per year
Adds custom types and fields, images, notes, bookmarks, journal, search and dark mode; yearly subscription.
Knockout Novel$49
one-time charge
Add-on with self-paced coaching prompts, a sample plot breakdown and coaching response export; needs a free account.
The Novel Factory
Basic$82.50
per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly
One novel with the core features: Plot Manager, characters, items and locations, the manuscript section and writing statistics.
Standard$220
per year, or $22 per month billed monthly
Unlimited novels, plus dark mode, importing characters and locations between novels and additional formatting features.
Lifetime$649
one-time payment
Access to Version 3.0 for as long as that version lasts, with unlimited novels and all features. Equivalent to Standard.
Ways to pay less
Hiveword
No public discounts listed.
The Novel Factory
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Annual plans cost ten times the monthly price: $82.50 against $8.25 a month for Basic and $220 against $22 a month for Standard.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license to Version 3 for $649
A one-off payment gives Standard-level access to The Novel Factory Version 3 for the life of that version, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Other savings
Hardship licenses and discounts
The company says it offers hardship licenses and discounts for people with low incomes or disabilities. No amounts are published.
- Other savings
Credit for original Windows Desktop licenses
Owners of the original Windows desktop version can ask for a discount on a subscription equal to what they paid for that license.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hiveword or The Novel Factory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hiveword is cheaper to start with: $2.08 a month when paid by the year, against $6.88 a month when paid by the year for The Novel Factory. Hiveword starts at $25 per year, and The Novel Factory starts at $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic).
Which has a free plan, Hiveword or The Novel Factory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Hiveword has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Hiveword and The Novel Factory run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only The Novel Factory lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.