Plottr vs Wavemaker Cards (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Wavemaker Cards grades higher than Plottr: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Wavemaker Cards grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Plottr
Visual book outlining and series bible software
Wavemaker Cards
Free installable web app for planning and writing a novel
Which one is for you
Pick Plottr if
- Fits if you like to see a whole book laid out before you draft it
- Works for series writers who draft in Word or Scrivener and want a separate planning tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to write the book in the same app, as it's an outlining tool and not a manuscript editor
- Not for you if you plan on your phone, because the mobile app was removed and the web app has no phone view
- Pricey if you want sync or a co-writer, since that's Pro at $99 a year and each collaborator needs their own
- Watch out: no refunds are given after purchase, and a lapsed Pro plan loses access to its projects until renewed
- Watch out: Linux builds are unsupported beta software, and Pro needs an internet connection
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
| 2.2GPAPlottrFair | 2.8GPAWavemaker CardsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$60 a year for the Windows and Mac app is $5 a month, inside the cheapest quarter for writing tools, or $150 once for life with no monthly plan. The web app, cloud sync and collaboration need Pro at $99 a year or $9.99 a month, and no refunds are given. | 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 | CNo free plan. You can try it free for 30 days, though the listing doesn't say whether that needs a card. No refunds are given after purchase, so make the trial count. | 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 outlining job fully, and that's a smaller job than most of this category: cards on a drag-and-drop timeline with rows for plots and arcs, Hero's Journey and Three Act templates, a Series View across every book, outlines out to Word or Scrivener. Its own docs say draft elsewhere. | 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 the work here is building the thing itself: a timeline to fill, character sheets and custom attributes to set up. The starter templates mean you're not staring at an empty screen, but there's a planner's worth of learning in it. | 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 | CWindows and Mac, and that's the whole standalone product. The browser app, cloud sync and collaboration need Pro, the mobile app was pulled from the stores for a rebuild, the Pro web app has no phone view, and Linux builds are unsupported beta. | 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 | outlining a novel or series on a timeline | 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: Plottr and Wavemaker Cards. How we grade
Price against what you get
Plottr starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wavemaker Cards has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Wavemaker Cards starts $5 a month lower. Of the other writing tools on the chart, 19 score higher than Plottr 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
- Plottr can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Plottr also covers templates.
- Wavemaker Cards also covers notes and long-form writing.
At a glance
| Plottr | Wavemaker Cards | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $60 per year (Plottr); Plottr Pro is $9.99 per month or $99 per year | Free |
| Free plan | None | The whole app is free; the author asks for optional support through Patreon or PayPal. |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Fictional Devices | Wavemaker |
| Price read from | plottr.com | wavemaker.co.uk |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Plottr
- Plottr is an outlining tool, not a manuscript editor: its docs recommend doing the bulk of the writing in another program.
- The web app, cloud sync and collaboration need Plottr Pro, which the docs say requires an internet connection. Each collaborator needs their own Pro subscription.
- The mobile app was removed from the app stores for a rebuild, and the docs say the Pro web app has no phone view. Native Linux builds are unsupported beta software.
- No refunds are given after purchase, and a Pro plan that lapses loses access to its projects until it is renewed.
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
Plottr
- Visual timeline
- Scene cards are dragged along a timeline with separate rows for the main plot, subplots and character arcs. The view can be flipped, zoomed and filtered, and plotlines color-coded.
- Plot and scene templates
- Starter templates based on structures such as the Hero's Journey, Romancing the Beat, Story Circle and Three Act Structure. Users can also create and save their own.
- Characters, places and notes
- Character sheets, places and notes take custom attributes, tags, categories and images, with character templates and sorting and filtering across all of them.
- Series bible
- One project holds every book in a series with its characters, places and notes, and a Series View gives a timeline of the whole series alongside each book's own.
- Outline and export
- Generates an outline from the timeline that can be viewed, edited and exported to Microsoft Word or Scrivener. Projects can be imported from Scrivener and Snowflake Pro.
- Plottr Pro cloud features
- A web app that runs on Chromebooks, tablets and Linux devices, cloud storage and backups, automatic syncing between devices and live collaboration on a shared project.
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
Plottr
Plottr$60
per year, or $150 one-time for lifetime; no monthly plan
Windows and Mac desktop app on unlimited household devices, with files and backups kept on the device. Shown against crossed-out prices of $80 and $199.
Plottr Pro$99
per year; or $9.99 per month, or $599 one-time for lifetime
Adds the browser app, cloud sync and backups, and real-time collaboration. Monthly and lifetime are shown against crossed-out prices of $15 and $699.
Plottr Pro + Community$129
per year; or $14.99 per month, or $649 one-time for lifetime
Pro plus a private community, the Education Vault and networking. Shown against crossed-out prices of $160 a year, $19 a month and $799 lifetime.
Wavemaker Cards
Free$0
Full app with no paid tier; voluntary support through Patreon or PayPal.
Ways to pay less
Plottr
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses from $150
Each tier can be bought once instead of by subscription: $150 for Plottr, $599 for Plottr Pro and $649 for Pro + Community. Lifetime plans never expire and include updates.
- Annual discount
Annual billing costs less than monthly on Pro
Plottr Pro is $99 a year against $9.99 a month, and Pro + Community is $129 a year against $14.99 a month.
- Education
Educational rates and bulk licenses on request
The pricing page invites schools and buyers of bulk licenses to contact Plottr for special pricing. No rates are published.
Wavemaker Cards
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Plottr or Wavemaker Cards?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Wavemaker Cards is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month when paid by the year for Plottr. Plottr starts at $60 per year (Plottr); Plottr Pro is $9.99 per month or $99 per year, and Wavemaker Cards is free.
Which has a free plan, Plottr or Wavemaker Cards?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Wavemaker Cards has a free plan. Plottr does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Plottr and Wavemaker Cards run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Plottr 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.