Novelcrafter
Novel writing platform with a story wiki and optional AI
Novelcrafter report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026
Best for novels and series with a built-in story wiki
Novelcrafter is a novel-writing app built around the Codex, a wiki of your characters, places and lore that links itself to the scenes they turn up in. It starts at $4 a month, and the AI is optional: you bring your own key and pay the provider yourself. There's no free plan, and it only runs in a browser.
Who Novelcrafter is for
- Great if you write a series and want one story bible shared across every book
- Handy when you'd rather pick your own AI model and pay for it yourself
- Good for co-authors, as long as one of you is on Specialist to send the invites
Who Novelcrafter is not for
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only the 21-day trial
- Pricey if you want to invite a co-writer, since that needs Specialist at $20 a month and they need a paid plan to edit
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, because it only runs in the browser
Why Novelcrafter gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyScribe is $4 a month, or $40 for the year, with unlimited books, the Codex and series. Most writing tools start nearer $10. AI begins on Hobbyist at $8, and what the models cost goes to your AI provider on top, unless you run local ones.
- CFree plan and trialNo free plan, but the 21-day trial has every feature switched on and needs no credit card. After that, without a subscription, your work stays viewable and exportable but can't be edited.
- AFeaturesThe Codex tracks characters, locations and lore and finds their mentions across scenes. You plan on a grid, a matrix or an outline, write in an editor with revision history, and import from Word. AI drafting and a Workshop Chat for feedback are there if you want them.
- BEase of useThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It runs in the browser with nothing to install. The AI side is more work: you connect your own account with OpenAI, OpenRouter or the like, or set up a local model.
- BPlatforms and integrationsA web app, described as mobile compatible, that connects to OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Mistral AI, LM Studio and Ollama. No desktop or mobile app is listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Novelcrafter's own pages on 9 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/novelcrafter#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/novelcrafter.svg" alt="Novelcrafter: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>What is Novelcrafter?
Novelcrafter is a browser-based novel writing platform built around the Codex, a story wiki that tracks characters, locations and lore and links them to the scenes where they appear. Planning views lay a book out as a grid, a matrix or an outline, and a Codex can be shared across the books in a series. AI features are optional and bring-your-own-key: writers connect their own account with a provider such as OpenRouter or OpenAI, or run local models.
Novelcrafter is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $4 per month, or $40 billed annually (Scribe). See every plan
Good for
- Novelists and series writers who want a story bible tied to the manuscript
- Writers who want to pick and pay for their own AI models
- Co-authors and writing groups, on the Specialist plan
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan. Without an active subscription, data stays viewable and exportable but cannot be added to or edited.
- AI starts at the Hobbyist plan and is bring-your-own-key, so model usage is paid separately to the AI provider unless local models are used.
- Workshop Chat needs Artisan, and inviting collaborators or creating teams needs Specialist. Each user needs a subscription of their own.
- It runs in the browser with nothing to install, and is described as mobile compatible; no desktop or mobile app is listed.
Key features
- The Codex
- A wiki for characters, locations and lore with aliases, relations, tags and progressions over time. It finds mentions across scenes and can be shared by every book in a series.
- Planning views
- The Grid reorders acts, chapters and scenes by drag and drop, the Matrix shows the whole story as a spreadsheet-like table, and the Outline is a single-page summary.
- Manuscript editor
- A rich text editor with focus mode, highlighter markers, sections for alternative ideas, revision history, and import from Word, Markdown or HTML files.
- Bring-your-own-key AI
- From Hobbyist up, connects to services such as OpenAI, Anthropic and OpenRouter or to local models through LM Studio and Ollama, with custom prompts and a prompt preview.
- Workshop Chat
- On Artisan and above, a chat for feedback and brainstorming that can take the outline, a scene or the full novel as context and extract scene beats or Codex entries from the reply.
- Collaboration and teams
- Any account can be invited as a viewer, and editing needs a paid plan. Inviting others to a novel or series, and creating teams, needs the Specialist plan.
Novelcrafter pricing
- Starts at
- $4 per month, or $40 billed annually (Scribe)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 21-day free trial with all features unlocked. No credit card required.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Scribe | $4per month, or $40 billed annually | Unlimited books, the Codex, series and basic review tools. No AI features. |
| Hobbyist | $8per month, or $80 billed annually | Adds AI with your own API key or local models: scene summarization, character extraction and generating prose from scene beats, plus live chat support. |
| Artisan | $14per month, or $140 billed annually | Adds Workshop Chat for feedback and brainstorming on scenes. Advanced review tools are listed for this tier but marked as planned. |
| Specialist | $20per month, or $200 billed annually | Adds inviting other users to novels and series, creating and managing teams, and priority support. |
Read from novelcrafter.com on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Novelcrafter before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discount2 months off with annual billing
Annual billing costs ten times the monthly price: $40 for Scribe, $80 for Hobbyist, $140 for Artisan and $200 for Specialist, against $4, $8, $14 and $20 a month.
Stated on novelcrafter.com
Works with
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- OpenRouter
- Mistral AI
- LM Studio
- Ollama
Novelcrafter alternatives
- Novelcrafter vs Sudowrite
Free trial · from $10/mo
- Novelcrafter vs Scrivener
Free trial · from $23.99 one-time
- Novelcrafter vs Dabble
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Novelcrafter vs Plottr
Free trial · from $60/yr
- Novelcrafter vs Campfire
Free plan · from $0.50/mo
Common questions
Is Novelcrafter free?
No, Novelcrafter is a paid product, but you can try it first. 21-day free trial with all features unlocked. No credit card required.
How much does Novelcrafter cost?
Novelcrafter lists 4 plans. Scribe: $4 per month, or $40 billed annually. Hobbyist: $8 per month, or $80 billed annually. Artisan: $14 per month, or $140 billed annually. Specialist: $20 per month, or $200 billed annually. Prices were read from novelcrafter.com on Oct 9, 2026.
What platforms does Novelcrafter work on?
Novelcrafter is available on Web.
Does Novelcrafter offer any discounts?
Novelcrafter publicly lists the following: 2 months off with annual billing.
Does Novelcrafter have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Novelcrafter is listed for Web.
Does Novelcrafter have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Novelcrafter is listed for Web.
Is Novelcrafter open source?
Novelcrafter is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Novelcrafter integrate with?
Novelcrafter's listing names OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Mistral AI, LM Studio and Ollama. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Novelcrafter?
Novelcrafter is made by novelcrafter UG (haftungsbeschränkt). It dates from 2023.
What are the alternatives to Novelcrafter?
The closest alternatives to Novelcrafter in our directory are Sudowrite, Scrivener, Dabble, Plottr and Campfire. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Novelcrafter.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026.