Plot Factory vs The Novel Factory (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, The Novel Factory grades higher than Plot Factory: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Plot Factory grades higher on value for money. The Novel Factory grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Plot Factory
Online story planner and manuscript editor with audio narration
The Novel Factory
Novel-writing software with a built-in step-by-step roadmap
Which one is for you
Pick Plot Factory if
- Fits if you like to proofread by listening to your story read aloud
- Works for writers who want several linked stories inside one universe in a browser
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want more than 1 story on the free plan; stories after the third cannot be edited if you cancel a paid plan
- Pricey if you want the plot organizer or unlimited narration, which start at $14 a month
- Skip it if you need ePub export, drafts or versioning, which need the $19 Novelist plan
- Watch out: the site banner points to Plot Factory Studios, so plans and prices may change
- Not for you if you need offline writing or collaboration, as there is no offline mode and collaboration is coming soon
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
| 2.0GPAPlot FactoryFair | 2.2GPAThe Novel FactoryFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPaid plans run $9, $14 and $19 a month, or $90, $140 and $190 a year, which sits around the middle of a category whose middle is $9.75. The plot organizer needs the $14 plan and ePub export the $19 one. | 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 | CBasic is free but holds 1 story and 1 universe and 250 narrated words a day. A 14-day trial covers the paid plans. | 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 | CPlanning, a manuscript editor, goals and narration cover the basics. The listing's gaps keep it at C: no offline mode, collaboration is only coming soon, and drafts and ePub export need the top plan. | 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 universes, chapters and character sheets yourself, so there is setup before you write. | 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. It is optimized for mobile browsers but has no desktop or phone app, no offline mode and no integrations listed. | 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 | planning and proofreading by ear | 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: Plot Factory and The Novel Factory. How we grade
Price against what you get
Plot Factory starts at $7.50 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 $0.62 a month lower. Of the other writing tools on the chart, 31 score higher than Plot Factory 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.
- Plot Factory also covers goals and text to speech.
At a glance
| Plot Factory | The Novel Factory | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9 per month, or $90 per year | $82.50 per year, or $8.25 per month billed monthly (Basic) |
| Free plan | Basic: 1 story, 1 universe, dark mode, automated backups, goal tracking, thesaurus and 250 narrated words a day. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial for premium plans | 30-day free trial, no credit card required. It includes one novel project with all other Standard features. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Plot Factory | Sentiva Limited (trading as The Novel Factory) |
| Price read from | plotfactory.com | novel-software.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Plot Factory
- The free plan allows 1 story; the FAQ says stories after the third cannot be edited if you cancel a paid plan.
- There is no offline mode, and collaboration is described as coming soon.
- Plot organizer, ePub export and drafts need the $14 or $19 plans.
- The site banner points to a new version, Plot Factory Studios; plans and prices may change.
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
Plot Factory
- Planner and manuscript editor
- Chapters, scenes, characters and notes live together in one project, with a manuscript editor for the draft itself.
- Audio narration
- Reads a story aloud to catch run-on sentences; the daily word allowance grows by plan, and English accents with female voices are supported.
- Character sheets
- Built-in character sheets or your own custom sheet; available from the Hobbyist plan upward.
- Writing stats and goals
- Tracks daily, weekly and monthly word counts against a goal you set, on every plan.
- Exports
- Export to ePub for self-publishing and to docx for querying; the vendor lists ePub export on the Novelist plan.
- Phone-friendly editing
- The site is optimized for mobile browsers so you can write away from a computer.
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
Plot Factory
Basic$0
1 story and 1 universe with backups, goal tracking, thesaurus lookup and 250 narrated words a day.
Hobbyist$9
per month, or $90 per year
Unlimited stories and universes, no ads, character sheets and 1,000 narrated words a day.
Enthusiast$14
per month, or $140 per year
Adds a plot organizer, story questionnaires, a sidebar quick viewer and unlimited narration.
Novelist$19
per month, or $190 per year
Adds ePub export, story drafts and versioning, word analysis, beats mode, mp3 export and beta narrations.
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
Plot Factory
- Annual discount
Yearly pricing for each plan
Plans list a yearly price beside the monthly one: $90, $140 and $190 a year against $9, $14 and $19 a month.
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, Plot Factory or The Novel Factory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, The Novel Factory is cheaper to start with: $6.88 a month when paid by the year, against $7.50 a month when paid by the year for Plot Factory. Plot Factory starts at $9 per month, or $90 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, Plot Factory or The Novel Factory?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Plot Factory has a free plan. The Novel Factory does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Plot Factory 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.