# novelWriter

> Free, open-source plain-text editor for writing novels

novelWriter is a free, open-source editor for novels, released under the GPL-3.0 license by The Saga Software Project. A book is assembled from many small plain-text documents written in a Markdown-like syntax, with meta data tags for comments, synopses and cross-references to project notes. It is built for Linux and Windows; the macOS installer has been discontinued for now.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** The Saga Software Project (since 2018)
- **Website:** https://novelwriter.io
- **Runs on:** Linux, Windows, macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

novelWriter is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole application is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. The site has a Donate link for optional contributions.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | The complete editor: AppImage, Flatpak and Debian packages for Linux, a setup installer for Windows 10 or newer, and a Python package. |

Read from https://novelwriter.io/ on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with novelWriter before buying.

## Key features

- **Project tree of documents:** A novel is broken into as many documents as needed. They can be dragged into a custom order, organised into folders and given sub-documents.
- **Tags and references:** Keyword and value tags in a document link it to project notes. References are clickable, and a References box lists every document that points back to the one being viewed.
- **Novel View and Outline View:** The Novel View shows the book by headings instead of files. The Outline View lists chapters and scenes with their meta data and cross-references in configurable columns.
- **Build Manuscript:** Assembles chosen files into a manuscript, an outline draft or a notes document, which can be printed or saved as Open Document, Word, PDF, HTML or Markdown.
- **Plain-text storage:** Projects are stored as human-readable text files, a format the project describes as well suited to version control software and file synchronisation tools.
- **Focus Mode and themes:** Focus Mode hides the project tree and view panel so the editor fills the window. Colour, icon and editor syntax themes are chosen separately, in light and dark variants.

## Good for

- Novelists on Linux or Windows who want a free plain-text editor
- Writers who keep manuscripts under version control or file sync
- Books with many scenes and cross-referenced notes

## Worth knowing

- macOS DMG releases were discontinued as of release 2026.1; on a Mac it runs only by installing the Python package.
- The Windows installer is made for Windows 10 or newer.
- It is scoped to novels and short fiction and uses its own Markdown-like syntax, not standard Markdown.
- No web or mobile version is offered.

**Tags:** Open source, Long-form writing, Markdown

## Alternatives

- [Manuskript](https://toolgpa.com/tools/manuskript): Free, open-source novel planner with an outliner and index cards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/manuskript-vs-novelwriter)
- [bibisco](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bibisco): Novel planning and writing software built around characters. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bibisco-vs-novelwriter)
- [yWriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ywriter): Novel-writing software that organizes a book into scenes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novelwriter-vs-ywriter)
- [Scrivener](https://toolgpa.com/tools/scrivener): Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novelwriter-vs-scrivener)
- [Zettlr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zettlr): Free, open-source Markdown editor for academic writing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novelwriter-vs-zettlr)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://novelwriter.io/
- https://novelwriter.io/features.html
- https://novelwriter.io/about/index.html
- https://novelwriter.io/download/index.html
- https://github.com/saga-soft/novelWriter

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/novelwriter
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).