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Dabble

Novel writing app with plotting, story notes and sync

Free trial · from $19/moWritingChecked Oct 5, 2026
Visit dabblewriter.com
Dabble, as pictured on dabblewriter.com
How Dabble presents itself. Image from dabblewriter.com.

What is Dabble?

Dabble is a novel writing app for fiction authors. A project holds the manuscript, a Plot Grid for mapping plot lines against scenes, and story notes for characters and worldbuilding, with daily word-count goals to track progress. Work saves to the device first and syncs across the web app and desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux. It is sold by subscription or as a one-time lifetime purchase, and the vendor says it deliberately includes no generative AI.

Dabble is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 per month, billed monthly (Writer). See every plan

Good for

  • Novelists who want plotting, notes and the manuscript in one place
  • Writers who move between a computer, a tablet and a phone
  • Co-authors working on the same manuscript
  • Writers who want a tool without generative AI

Worth knowing

  • There is no free plan. Without a subscription, projects stay viewable and exportable but become read-only.
  • Comments, track changes, sticky notes, advanced grammar checks and Read-to-Me need the Author plan at $29 a month or higher.
  • On phones and tablets Dabble is a web app added to the home screen from the browser; it is not in the App Store or Google Play.
  • The pricing page lists monthly prices only and says annual billing saves 20%, without showing the annual amounts.

Key features

Plot Grid
Lays out plot lines and plot points against scenes so a story's structure can be planned as fully or as loosely as wanted, with the editor open alongside the plan.
Story notes and characters
Keeps character profiles, worldbuilding details and research beside the manuscript, and can share characters, locations and lore across the books in a series.
Manuscript editor and goals
Scenes and chapters are numbered and formatted automatically and reordered by drag and drop, with focus mode, daily word-count goals, stats and a writing timer.
Editing tools
Comments, sticky notes, highlighting, track changes and Read-to-Me, plus grammar and style checks powered by ProWritingAid. These start on the Author plan.
Co-authoring
Invited co-authors work on the same manuscript in real time. Writer allows 5 collaborators per project; Author, Bestseller and lifetime plans allow 100.
Offline-first sync
Every edit saves to the device first and syncs to the account once a connection is available, so writing continues offline on any installed copy.

Dabble pricing

Starts at
$19 per month, billed monthly (Writer)
Free plan
None
Free trial
14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Writer$19per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)Unlimited manuscripts, cloud backup and sync, Plot Grid, story notes and character profiles, goals and stats, co-authoring and versioning.
Author$29per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)Adds comments, track changes, sticky notes, text highlighting, advanced grammar and style checks, Read-to-Me, and priority support by chat and email.
Bestseller$49per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually)Everything in Author plus DabbleU Academy: live monthly workshops, a library of courses and more than 70 hours of workshop recordings.
Lifetime Author Access$699one-time paymentAll Author features permanently, including future Author updates and features. No additional discounts apply.

Read from dabblewriter.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Dabble before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Ways to pay less

  • Annual discountSave 20% with annual billing

    Dabble's pricing page says paying annually saves 20% compared with the monthly prices of $19, $29 and $49.

    Stated on dabblewriter.com
  • Lifetime licenseLifetime Author Access for $699

    A one-time payment of $699 gives every Author feature permanently, which Dabble describes as about the price of two years of Author. No other discounts apply.

    Stated on dabblewriter.com
  • Education30% off for teachers and students

    Teachers and students with an academic email address can save 30% by applying through Dabble's partner, Student App Centre.

    Stated on dabblewriter.com

Works with

Dabble alternatives

All Dabble alternatives comparedAll writing tools

Common questions

Is Dabble free?

No, Dabble is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

How much does Dabble cost?

Dabble lists 4 plans. Writer: $19 per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually). Author: $29 per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually). Bestseller: $49 per month, billed monthly (20% less when paid annually). Lifetime Author Access: $699 one-time payment. Prices were read from dabblewriter.com on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does Dabble work on?

Dabble is available on Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Does Dabble offer any discounts?

Dabble publicly lists the following: Save 20% with annual billing; Lifetime Author Access for $699; 30% off for teachers and students.

Does Dabble have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Dabble is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Does Dabble have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Dabble is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Is Dabble open source?

Dabble is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

Does Dabble work offline?

Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.

What does Dabble integrate with?

Dabble's listing names ProWritingAid and Google Docs. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Does Dabble have a student discount?

30% off for teachers and students. Teachers and students with an academic email address can save 30% by applying through Dabble's partner, Student App Centre.

Who makes Dabble?

Dabble is made by Dabble Writer, Inc.

What are the alternatives to Dabble?

The closest alternatives to Dabble in our directory are Scrivener, Novelcrafter, LivingWriter, Novlr and Plottr. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Dabble.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026.