Novelcrafter vs Squibler (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Novelcrafter grades higher than Squibler: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Novelcrafter grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Novelcrafter
Novel writing platform with a story wiki and optional AI
Squibler
AI writer that drafts books, novels and screenplays
Which one is for you
Pick Novelcrafter if
- Fits if you write a series and want one story bible shared across every book
- Works for writers who'd pick their own AI model and pay the provider directly
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only the 21-day trial, and a lapsed account can be viewed but not edited
- Pricey if you want to invite a co-writer, since that needs Specialist at $20 a month and each user needs their own subscription
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, because it only runs in the browser
- Watch out: AI starts on Hobbyist at $8 and model usage is paid to your AI provider on top, unless you run local models
- Watch out: Workshop Chat needs Artisan at $14, and the advanced review tools listed there are still marked as planned
Pick Squibler if
- Fits if you want an AI to produce a first draft of a book to rework
- Works for screenplay drafters who want outlines generated
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you stay on Free, as 500 credits go quickly and export is locked
- Tight if you write several books, since Plus covers a single book or screenplay and more points to Pro
- Pricey if you want unlimited credits, with Pro at $49.17 a month billed yearly
- Watch out: prices are in credits, and the pricing FAQ rounds them to $16 and $49
How we grade them
| 2.6GPANovelcrafterGood | 2.0GPASquiblerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BScribe is $4 a month, or $40 for the year, with unlimited books, the Codex and series. That's inside the cheapest quarter for writing tools, which starts at $5. AI begins on Hobbyist at $8, and the model costs go to your own provider on top unless you run local ones. | CPlus is $15.83 a month billed yearly, above the dearer quarter of writing tools ($12.50) but short of the dearest tenth. Pro is $49.17. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The 21-day trial has every feature switched on and needs no credit card. After it, without a subscription, your work stays viewable and exportable but can't be edited. | C500 AI credits a month, with no time limit, but Plus is 20,000 credits and export is Plus only. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job: the Codex tracks characters, locations and lore and finds their mentions, you plan on a grid, a matrix or an outline, the editor has revision history and Word import, and AI and Workshop Chat are there if you want them. Advanced review tools are still marked as planned. | CBook and screenplay generation, outlines and character tracking. The listing puts full manuscripts and exports on paid plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and there's a fair bit to set up: a Codex to fill, tags to apply, and for the AI your own OpenAI, OpenRouter or Anthropic account to connect or a local model to run. The writing part is the easy bit. | CNo store rating on record. You build the book from prompts, so there's a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app, described as mobile compatible, that connects to OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Mistral AI, LM Studio and Ollama. That list is what earns the B: no desktop or mobile app is listed, so a browser is the only way in. | CWeb only, with no desktop or phone app and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | novels and series with a built-in story wiki | drafting a book or screenplay from a chat prompt |
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: Novelcrafter and Squibler. How we grade
Price against what you get
Novelcrafter starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Squibler starts at $15.83 a month and scores 2.0.
Novelcrafter scores higher and starts $12.50 a month lower. Of the other writing tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Novelcrafter for less, and 48 score higher than Squibler 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
At a glance
| Novelcrafter | Squibler | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month, or $40 billed annually (Scribe) | $15.83 per month, billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 500 AI credits a month to test book and screenplay creation, with no time limit. |
| Free trial | 21-day free trial with all features unlocked. No credit card required. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | novelcrafter UG (haftungsbeschränkt) | Squibler, Inc. |
| Price read from | novelcrafter.com | squibler.io |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Novelcrafter
- There is no free plan. Without an active subscription, data stays viewable and exportable but cannot be added to or edited.
- AI starts at the Hobbyist plan and is bring-your-own-key, so model usage is paid separately to the AI provider unless local models are used.
- Workshop Chat needs Artisan, and inviting collaborators or creating teams needs Specialist. Each user needs a subscription of their own.
- It runs in the browser with nothing to install, and is described as mobile compatible; no desktop or mobile app is listed.
Squibler
- Pricing is in AI credits; the free plan's 500 monthly credits are far below Plus at 20,000.
- Export to PDF and DOCX is listed under Plus, not under Free.
- Plus is described for a single book or screenplay; multiple projects point to Pro.
- The pricing FAQ rounds prices ($16 and $49 a month), so the displayed figures differ slightly.
Key features
Novelcrafter
- The Codex
- A wiki for characters, locations and lore with aliases, relations, tags and progressions over time. It finds mentions across scenes and can be shared by every book in a series.
- Planning views
- The Grid reorders acts, chapters and scenes by drag and drop, the Matrix shows the whole story as a spreadsheet-like table, and the Outline is a single-page summary.
- Manuscript editor
- A rich text editor with focus mode, highlighter markers, sections for alternative ideas, revision history, and import from Word, Markdown or HTML files.
- Bring-your-own-key AI
- From Hobbyist up, connects to services such as OpenAI, Anthropic and OpenRouter or to local models through LM Studio and Ollama, with custom prompts and a prompt preview.
- Workshop Chat
- On Artisan and above, a chat for feedback and brainstorming that can take the outline, a scene or the full novel as context and extract scene beats or Codex entries from the reply.
- Collaboration and teams
- Any account can be invited as a viewer, and editing needs a paid plan. Inviting others to a novel or series, and creating teams, needs the Specialist plan.
Squibler
- Full-length book generation
- Turns a concept, genre and core elements into a draft organized by chapters and scenes. Plus lists 200 to 300 pages.
- Screenplay generation
- Produces a screenplay draft with formatted scenes and dialogue that follows screenplay conventions.
- Outlines
- Builds a story outline showing structure, pacing and character progression that can be reorganized at any stage.
- AI Smart Writer
- Evaluates your text against a stated goal and proposes revisions that you accept, reject or refine.
- Elements and visuals
- Stores characters and settings so edits stay consistent, and turns highlighted passages into images or short video clips.
Plans
Novelcrafter
Scribe$4
per month, or $40 billed annually
Unlimited books, the Codex, series and basic review tools. No AI features.
Hobbyist$8
per month, or $80 billed annually
Adds AI with your own API key or local models: scene summarization, character extraction and generating prose from scene beats, plus live chat support.
Artisan$14
per month, or $140 billed annually
Adds Workshop Chat for feedback and brainstorming on scenes. Advanced review tools are listed for this tier but marked as planned.
Specialist$20
per month, or $200 billed annually
Adds inviting other users to novels and series, creating and managing teams, and priority support.
Squibler
Free$0
500 AI credits a month. The FAQ says work stays accessible in free mode.
Plus$15.83
per month, billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly)
20,000 AI credits a month, full-length manuscripts, whole-manuscript AI edits and PDF and DOCX export.
Pro$49.17
per month, billed annually ($89.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Plus with unlimited AI credits and no cap on books generated.
Ways to pay less
Novelcrafter
- Annual discount
2 months off with annual billing
Annual billing costs ten times the monthly price: $40 for Scribe, $80 for Hobbyist, $140 for Artisan and $200 for Specialist, against $4, $8, $14 and $20 a month.
Squibler
- Annual discount
Save 45% with annual billing
The pricing page shows Plus at $15.83 a month and Pro at $49.17 a month when billed annually, against $29.99 and $89.99 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Novelcrafter or Squibler?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Novelcrafter is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against $15.83 a month for Squibler. Novelcrafter starts at $4 per month, or $40 billed annually (Scribe), and Squibler starts at $15.83 per month, billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Novelcrafter or Squibler?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Squibler has a free plan. Novelcrafter does not, though it has a free trial.
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.