Storyist review (2026): is it worth $19?
Novel and screenplay writing app for Mac and iPhone or iPad
Black Friday: is there a Storyist sale?
Storyist report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a one-time-purchase novel and screenplay app for Mac
Storyist is a Mac and iPhone writing app for novels and screenplays, with story sheets, a corkboard and an outliner. The Mac version is $59 once and iOS is $19 once, bought separately. There's no Windows, Android or web version, and the trial length isn't stated.
Who Storyist is for
- Fits if you write on a Mac and would rather buy once than subscribe
- Works for novelists and screenwriters who plan on index cards
Who Storyist is not for
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as neither is supported
- Not for you if you want one purchase for all devices, because Mac and iOS are bought separately
- Too light for iOS-only writers who need the book editor, which is described only for the Mac
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated
Why Storyist gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for money$59 once for the Mac app, $19 once for iOS. Even both together are under a year of the writing category's middle subscription.
- DFree plan and trialA free trial exists on Mac and iOS, but the length isn't stated and there's no free plan.
- CFeaturesStory sheets, index cards, outliner, screenplay and ebook export. The iOS app has a narrower set of tools and the book editor is Mac only.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Story sheets and the corkboard take some learning.
- CPlatforms and integrationsMac and iPhone/iPad only. Syncs through iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Storyist's own pages on 12 November 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/storyist#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/storyist.svg" alt="Storyist: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Storyist stands among writing tools
Storyist's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 23 of the 100 other writing tools we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 65 of 100) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 8).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 101 writing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Storyist’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 65 of 100, level with 35
- DFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 100, level with 3
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 100, level with 63
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 100, level with 52
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 100, level with 45
Keep Storyist, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Storyist you could make: long-form writing and documents. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 62 of the 100 other writing tools grade higher. It costs $19, paid once.
What you could make
- Long-form writing and documents: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive among them.
What this rests on. Storyist’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Storyist?
Storyist is a writing app for novelists and screenwriters that combines a word processor with story sheets, index cards on a corkboard and an outliner. It runs on macOS and iOS, and is sold as a one-time purchase on each platform with no subscription.
Worth knowing
- There is no Windows, Android or web version.
- The Mac and iOS apps are bought separately.
- Orders from the vendor's store are processed by Paddle, the merchant of record.
- The iOS app lists a narrower set of formats and tools than the Mac app, and the book editor is described only for the Mac.
Key features
- Story sheets
- Editable forms for plot, character, setting and section, which can be customized to hold the details you track.
- Index cards and corkboard
- Scenes appear as color-coded index cards that can be arranged, and shown beside the manuscript while you write.
- Manuscript and screenplay formatting
- Stylesheets and templates for manuscripts and screenplays, with quick keys for changing screenplay elements.
- Book editor and ebook export
- On the Mac, builds print-ready PDFs with trim size, margins and bleed set, and creates ePub and Kindle editions.
- Import and export formats
- Handles Word, RTF, OpenDocument, Scrivener, Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain files.
- Outliner and word-count goals
- An outliner gives a high-level view of a manuscript, and daily and project word-count goals are tracked.
Storyist pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Storyist is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 one-time (iOS).
- Starts at
- $19 one-time (iOS)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- Free trial on Mac and iOS; length not stated
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Storyist 4 for iOS | $19one-time | iPhone and iPad version with index cards, outline and screenplay template; needs iOS 17 or later. |
| Storyist 4 for macOS | $59one-time | Mac version with story sheets, outliner, book editor and ePub and Kindle export; also sold on the Mac App Store. |
Read from storyist.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Storyist before you buy.
Works with
- iCloud
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- Final Draft
- Scrivener
Storyist alternatives
- Storyist vs Scrivener
Free trial · from $23.99 one-time
- Storyist vs Novelcrafter
Free trial · from $4/mo
- Storyist vs Dabble
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Storyist vs Plottr
Free trial · from $60/yr
- Storyist vs Final Draft
Free trial · from $99.99/yr
Common questions
Does Storyist have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Storyist is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Storyist have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Storyist is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Storyist open source?
Storyist is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.