# Storyist review (2026): is it worth $19? > Novel and screenplay writing app for Mac and iPhone or iPad Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Writing Tools - **Made by:** Storyist Software LLC - **Website:** https://storyist.com - **Runs on:** macOS, iOS - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as neither is supported. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Storyist is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19 one-time (iOS). - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** Free trial on Mac and iOS; length not stated. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Storyist 4 for iOS | $19 one-time | iPhone and iPad version with index cards, outline and screenplay template; needs iOS 17 or later. | | Storyist 4 for macOS | $59 one-time | Mac version with story sheets, outliner, book editor and ePub and Kindle export; also sold on the Mac App Store. | Read from https://storyist.com/store/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Storyist before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Novelists who plan with index cards and character sheets - Screenwriters who want Final Draft and Fountain file support - Writers who prefer a one-time purchase to a 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: A.** $59 once for the Mac app, $19 once for iOS. Even both together are under a year of the writing category's middle subscription. - **Free plan and trial: D.** A free trial exists on Mac and iOS, but the length isn't stated and there's no free plan. - **Features: C.** Story sheets, index cards, outliner, screenplay and ebook export. The iOS app has a narrower set of tools and the book editor is Mac only. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. Story sheets and the corkboard take some learning. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Mac and iPhone/iPad only. Syncs through iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it stands among writing tools - Storyist's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 35 of the 136 other writing tools we grade, and level with 23. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 89 of 136) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 12). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/writing ## Keep it, 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: 78 of the 136 other writing tools grade higher. It costs $19, paid once. - You could make: Long-form writing and documents: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive among them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Final Draft, Scrivener **Tags:** One-time purchase, Long-form writing, Documents ## Alternatives - [Scrivener](https://toolgpa.com/tools/scrivener): Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/scrivener-vs-storyist) - [Novelcrafter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/novelcrafter): Novel writing platform with a story wiki and optional AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novelcrafter-vs-storyist) - [Dabble](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dabble): Novel writing app with plotting, story notes and sync. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dabble-vs-storyist) - [Plottr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/plottr): Visual book outlining and series bible software. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/plottr-vs-storyist) - [Final Draft](https://toolgpa.com/tools/final-draft): Screenwriting software with automatic script formatting. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/final-draft-vs-storyist) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://storyist.com/store/ - https://storyist.com/mac/ - https://storyist.com/ios/ - https://storyist.com/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/storyist Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).