novelWriter vs Wavemaker Cards (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, novelWriter and Wavemaker Cards share a 2.8 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which platforms you need.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Wavemaker Cards
Free installable web app for planning and writing a novel
Free
Which one is for you
Pick novelWriter if
- Fits if you're on Linux or Windows and want a free editor made for novels
- Works for keeping a manuscript in version control or a synced folder, as it's all plain text
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac and don't fancy setting up Python, as the Mac installer is discontinued
- Not for you if you want standard Markdown, because it uses its own Markdown-like syntax
- Too light for non-fiction or academic work, since it's scoped to novels and short fiction
- Not for you if you write on a phone or in a browser, as no web or mobile version is offered
- Watch out: the Windows installer needs Windows 10 or newer, and no integrations are listed
Pick Wavemaker Cards if
- Fits if you want a no-cost planner and do not mind setting up your own structure
- Works for writers who want manuscript data kept on their device or in their own Google Drive
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use a browser other than Chrome, since the FAQ says install and offline use need the latest Chrome
- Skip it if you need guaranteed support, because the FAQ describes a one-person project
- Watch out: the AI assistant needs your own OpenAI API key and OpenAI bills you for it
- Tight if you work on a Mac or iPhone, as support there is described as believed to work but untested
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAnovelWriterGood | 2.8GPAWavemaker CardsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence, downloadable and complete, so there's nothing to buy in a category where paid plans start around $8.33 a month in the middle. The site has a Donate link if you want to chip in. | AThe whole app is free, with no paid tier; the author only asks for optional Patreon or PayPal support. That beats a category whose cheaper quarter starts at $5.75 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe complete editor is free on every system it supports. There's no paid tier, no cap and nothing held back. | ANothing is locked behind a plan. The one extra cost is the optional AI assistant, which uses your own OpenAI key and is billed by OpenAI. |
| Features | CIt does the novel job fully, and that's a smaller job than most of this category: a project tree of scenes you reorder, tags linking scenes to notes, an Outline View, and Build Manuscript to Open Document, Word, PDF, HTML or Markdown. The listing scopes it to novels and short fiction. | CChapters, scenes, a board, a research database and Snowflake cards cover planning. The listing's own gaps keep it at C: Mac and iOS are described as believed to work but untested, and the AI helper is bring-your-own-key. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you have to learn its own Markdown-like syntax and build a tree of documents before it's much use. Installing is simple on Windows and Linux; on a Mac it's a Python package now the DMG is discontinued. | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where the work is building your own chapters, notes and cards, and it asks you to install it as a progressive web app. |
| Platforms and integrations | CLinux and Windows 10 or newer, plus a Mac only through the Python package now the macOS installer is gone. A desktop program is still only computers, however many it runs on: no web, no mobile and no integrations on record. | CWeb only. It installs as a progressive web app and runs offline, but the FAQ says that needs the latest Chrome, and there is no desktop or phone app in the stores. |
| Best for | free novel writing in plain text files | free novel planning that works offline |
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: novelWriter and Wavemaker Cards. How we grade
Price against what you get
novelWriter has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wavemaker Cards has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than novelWriter for less, and none scores higher than Wavemaker Cards 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
- novelWriter is open source, according to its own site.
- novelWriter also covers Markdown.
- Wavemaker Cards also covers notes.
In commonFree planLong-form writing
At a glance
| novelWriter | Wavemaker Cards | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole application is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. The site has a Donate link for optional contributions. | The whole app is free; the author asks for optional support through Patreon or PayPal. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The Saga Software Project | Wavemaker |
| Price read from | novelwriter.io | wavemaker.co.uk |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
novelWriter
- macOS DMG releases were discontinued as of release 2026.1; on a Mac it runs only by installing the Python package.
- The Windows installer is made for Windows 10 or newer.
- It is scoped to novels and short fiction and uses its own Markdown-like syntax, not standard Markdown.
- No web or mobile version is offered.
Wavemaker Cards
- The FAQ says it currently needs the latest Chrome browser for installation and offline use.
- The FAQ describes a one-person project, so support and long-term upkeep depend on one maintainer.
- The optional AI assistant needs your own OpenAI API key, which is billed by OpenAI, not by Wavemaker.
- Mac and iOS support are described as believed to work but untested.
Key features
novelWriter
- Project tree of documents
- A novel is broken into as many documents as needed. They can be dragged into a custom order, organised into folders and given sub-documents.
- Tags and references
- Keyword and value tags in a document link it to project notes. References are clickable, and a References box lists every document that points back to the one being viewed.
- Novel View and Outline View
- The Novel View shows the book by headings instead of files. The Outline View lists chapters and scenes with their meta data and cross-references in configurable columns.
- Build Manuscript
- Assembles chosen files into a manuscript, an outline draft or a notes document, which can be printed or saved as Open Document, Word, PDF, HTML or Markdown.
- Plain-text storage
- Projects are stored as human-readable text files, a format the project describes as well suited to version control software and file synchronisation tools.
- Focus Mode and themes
- Focus Mode hides the project tree and view panel so the editor fills the window. Colour, icon and editor syntax themes are chosen separately, in light and dark variants.
Wavemaker Cards
- Chapters and scenes
- Break a book into chapters and scenes, add notes to each and rearrange them by dragging.
- Planning board
- A board for moving notes around, with a to-do-list style plan for the novel.
- Research database
- Stores notes and research in a searchable database organized with hashtags; the app also has a timeline view.
- Snowflake cards
- A card tool for the Snowflake Method: start with a short idea and add detail until it becomes a full outline.
- Install and offline use
- Installs as a progressive web app and can run without a connection on devices and browsers that support it.
- Google Drive sync
- Files are stored locally or in your own Google Drive, and devices can sync through Drive.
Plans
novelWriter
Free$0
The complete editor: AppImage, Flatpak and Debian packages for Linux, a setup installer for Windows 10 or newer, and a Python package.
Wavemaker Cards
Free$0
Full app with no paid tier; voluntary support through Patreon or PayPal.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, novelWriter or Wavemaker Cards?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both novelWriter and Wavemaker Cards are free to use.
Which has a free plan, novelWriter or Wavemaker Cards?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both novelWriter and Wavemaker Cards have a free plan.
Which platforms do novelWriter and Wavemaker Cards run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only novelWriter lists Windows and Linux apps and only Wavemaker Cards lists 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.