# Wavemaker Cards review (2026): is it any good? > Free installable web app for planning and writing a novel Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Wavemaker Cards is a free novel planning and writing app that runs in the browser and can be installed as a progressive web app. It organizes a book into chapters and scenes, and adds a planning board, a searchable research database and a Snowflake-method card tool. Project data stays on your device or in your own Google Drive. - **Category:** Writing Tools - **Made by:** Wavemaker - **Website:** https://www.wavemakercards.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you use a browser other than Chrome, since the FAQ says install and offline use need the latest Chrome. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Wavemaker Cards is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The whole app is free; the author asks for optional support through Patreon or PayPal. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Full app with no paid tier; voluntary support through Patreon or PayPal. | Read from https://wavemaker.co.uk/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Wavemaker Cards before buying. ## Key features - **Chapters and scenes:** Break a book into chapters and scenes, add notes to each and rearrange them by dragging. - **Planning board:** A board for moving notes around, with a to-do-list style plan for the novel. - **Research database:** Stores notes and research in a searchable database organized with hashtags; the app also has a timeline view. - **Snowflake cards:** A card tool for the Snowflake Method: start with a short idea and add detail until it becomes a full outline. - **Install and offline use:** Installs as a progressive web app and can run without a connection on devices and browsers that support it. - **Google Drive sync:** Files are stored locally or in your own Google Drive, and devices can sync through Drive. ## Good for - Novelists who want a free planner with no account fees - Writers who work offline or on a Chromebook or Linux laptop - Authors who want their manuscript data kept off the vendor's servers ## Worth knowing - The FAQ says it currently needs the latest Chrome browser for installation and offline use. - The FAQ describes a one-person project, so support and long-term upkeep depend on one maintainer. - The optional AI assistant needs your own OpenAI API key, which is billed by OpenAI, not by Wavemaker. - Mac and iOS support are described as believed to work but untested. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Wavemaker is a free novel planner in the browser: chapters, scenes, a planning board, a research database and Snowflake cards, with your files kept on your device or in your own Google Drive. It is a one-person project that needs a recent Chrome to install, so how long it gets looked after is the open question. - **Value for money: A.** The whole app is free, with no paid tier; the author only asks for optional Patreon or PayPal support. That beats a category whose cheaper quarter starts at $5.75 a month. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Nothing is locked behind a plan. The one extra cost is the optional AI assistant, which uses your own OpenAI key and is billed by OpenAI. - **Features: C.** Chapters, scenes, a board, a research database and Snowflake cards cover planning. The listing's own gaps keep it at C: Mac and iOS are described as believed to work but untested, and the AI helper is bring-your-own-key. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. It is a web app where the work is building your own chapters, notes and cards, and it asks you to install it as a progressive web app. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only. It installs as a progressive web app and runs offline, but the FAQ says that needs the latest Chrome, and there is no desktop or phone app in the stores. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Wavemaker's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among writing tools - Wavemaker Cards's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 95 of the 136 other writing tools we grade, and level with 23. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 108 of 136) and worst on features (C, above 2). - Wavemaker Cards has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/writing ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Wavemaker Cards is free, so making your own would save you nothing. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 95 of the 136 other writing tools we grade. - You could make: Long-form writing and notes: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Google Drive, OpenAI **Tags:** Long-form writing, Works offline, Notes, AI features ## Alternatives - [Plottr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/plottr): Visual book outlining and series bible software. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/plottr-vs-wavemaker-cards) - [novelWriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/novelwriter): Free, open-source plain-text editor for writing novels. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novelwriter-vs-wavemaker-cards) - [Manuskript](https://toolgpa.com/tools/manuskript): Free, open-source novel planner with an outliner and index cards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/manuskript-vs-wavemaker-cards) - [yWriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ywriter): Novel-writing software that organizes a book into scenes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/wavemaker-cards-vs-ywriter) - [bibisco](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bibisco): Novel planning and writing software built around characters. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bibisco-vs-wavemaker-cards) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://wavemaker.co.uk/ - https://wavemaker.co.uk/blog/faq/ - https://www.wavemakercards.com/ - https://www.wavemakercards.com/privacy.html - https://wavemaker.co.uk/blog/getting-started-with-the-open-ai-bot/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/wavemaker-cards Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).