NovelAI
AI co-writer for fiction with an anime-style image generator
What is NovelAI?
NovelAI is a subscription service from Anlatan that pairs an AI co-writer for fiction with an anime-style image generator. In the story editor the AI continues the text a writer starts, drawing on a Lorebook of characters and places, and stories are encrypted in the browser before they are stored. It runs in a web browser and can be installed on a phone as a progressive web app.
NovelAI is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10 per month (Tablet). See every plan
Good for
- Fiction writers who want an AI that continues their own prose
- Interactive fiction and text adventures with persistent lore
- People who want story writing and anime-style image generation in one subscription
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan: the Paper trial's generations are granted once and do not refill.
- Subscriptions renew every 30 days, and the subscription docs list no annual option.
- There are no native apps; it runs in a browser or as an installable progressive web app.
- Forgetting the account email or password means losing access to stories stored on the server, because of the local encryption.
Key features
- Story editor
- Write in the editor and send to have the AI continue the text. Every generation and edit is kept in a branching history, and a retry produces a new output.
- Lorebook
- Entries for characters, locations and factions are inserted into the AI's context when their activation keys appear in the story. Lorebooks can be imported and exported.
- Text Adventure mode
- Actions typed with a > symbol tell the AI what a character does, and it writes the narrative response. Pre-made scenarios are available to start from.
- Text to speech
- Streamed voices read inputs and AI outputs aloud for subscribers. A local option uses the browser's own speech synthesis instead.
- Image generation
- NovelAI Diffusion models produce anime-style images from prompts and tags, with inpainting, a canvas and Director Tools for edits. Images are paid for in Anlas.
- Encrypted story storage
- Stories saved to NovelAI's servers are encrypted in the browser first. Text sent for a generation is transmitted unencrypted over HTTPS and, per the FAQ, not stored or logged.
NovelAI pricing
- Starts at
- $10 per month (Tablet)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- Paper free trial: 50 text generations, 30 images and 100 text-to-speech lines, granted once
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tablet | $10per month (renews every 30 days) | Unlimited text and text-to-speech generation, plus 1,000 Anlas a month to spend on image generation. |
| Scroll | $15per month (renews every 30 days) | Everything in Tablet with a larger context size, so the AI takes more of the story into account. |
| Opus | $25per month (renews every 30 days) | Largest context (28,672 tokens), the Xialong model, 10,000 Anlas a month and Anlas-free standard images within a usage limit. |
Read from docs.novelai.net on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with NovelAI before you buy.
NovelAI alternatives
- NovelAI vs Sudowrite
Free trial · from $10/mo
- NovelAI vs Novelcrafter
Free trial · from $4/mo
- NovelAI vs ChatGPT
Free plan · from $8/mo
- NovelAI vs HyperWrite
Free plan · from $16/mo
Common questions
Is NovelAI free?
No, NovelAI is a paid product, but you can try it first. Paper free trial: 50 text generations, 30 images and 100 text-to-speech lines, granted once.
How much does NovelAI cost?
NovelAI lists 3 plans. Tablet: $10 per month (renews every 30 days). Scroll: $15 per month (renews every 30 days). Opus: $25 per month (renews every 30 days). Prices were read from docs.novelai.net on Oct 6, 2026.
What platforms does NovelAI work on?
NovelAI is available on Web.
Does NovelAI have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. NovelAI is listed for Web.
Does NovelAI have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. NovelAI is listed for Web.
Is NovelAI open source?
NovelAI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does NovelAI have an API?
Yes. NovelAI offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes NovelAI?
NovelAI is made by Anlatan Inc. It dates from 2021.
What are the alternatives to NovelAI?
The closest alternatives to NovelAI in our directory are Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, ChatGPT and HyperWrite. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with NovelAI.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026.