Alternatives to novelWriter
Plain-text novel projects with metadata
novelWriter ranks #5 of 10 in Writing apps, with an Alt Score of 68. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Novelists and other long-form writers who are organizing a book-length project across many documents and prefer plain text over a word processor.
A distraction-free, markdown-like editor paired with a project tree for organizing chapters, notes, characters, and plot elements. It supports metadata syntax for synopses, comments, and cross-references between documents, plus export to common formats. It's free, open-source (GPL 3.0), and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
You build a project as a tree of plain-text documents, write in the markdown-like format, and use inline metadata tags to link scenes to characters, locations, and plot threads, then export the compiled manuscript when ready.
Why people leave novelWriter
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How novelWriter compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Writing apps checklist | novelWriter | Ulysses | iA Writer | Scrivener | Atticus | Dabble |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Export formats (docx, epub, pdf) | ||||||
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Every fact and feature listed for novelWriter is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-11
It is released on Linux, Windows and MacOS.
https://github.com/vkbo/novelWriter/blob/main/README.md -
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
This is Open Source software, and novelWriter is licenced under GPLv3.
https://github.com/vkbo/novelWriter/blob/main/README.md -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
This is Open Source software, and novelWriter is licenced under GPLv3.
https://github.com/vkbo/novelWriter/blob/main/README.md -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
novelWriter is still under active development, and I personally use it for all my writing projects.
https://novelwriter.io/about/index.html -
Markdown support Yes verified 2026-07-11
This formatting standard comes from Markdown and is supported by novelWriter.
https://novelwriter.io/docs/usage/introduction.html -
Distraction-free mode Yes verified 2026-07-11
In Focus Mode, the editor covers the full window, hiding away the project tree and the view panel so you can focus on your text.
https://novelwriter.io/features.html -
Long-form organization (chapters) Yes verified 2026-07-11
indicates the start of a new chapter
https://novelwriter.io/docs/usage/chapters_and_scenes.html -
Goals & word counts Partial verified 2026-07-11
When you work on a project, a log file records when you opened it, when you closed it, and the total word counts of your novel documents and notes at the end of the session, provided that the session
https://novelwriter.io/docs/user_interface/statistics.html -
Export formats (docx, epub, pdf) Yes verified 2026-07-11
The Microsoft Word Document format writes a single `.docx` file. It uses a fairly basic format that should be compatible with most rich text editors.
https://novelwriter.io/docs/user_interface/manuscript.html -
Sync between devices Partial verified 2026-07-11
having multiple small files means it is very easy to synchronise them between computers with standard file synchronisation tools
https://novelwriter.io/docs/technical/storage.html -
Version history Partial verified 2026-07-11
An automatic backup system is built into novelWriter. In order to use it, a backup path to where the backup files are to be stored must be provided in Preferences.
https://novelwriter.io/docs/user_interface/projects.html -
One-time purchase option No verified 2026-07-11
This is Open Source software, and novelWriter is licenced under GPLv3.
https://github.com/vkbo/novelWriter/blob/main/README.md -
Offline Yes verified 2026-07-11
The files of a novelWriter project are stored in a dedicated project folder.
https://novelwriter.io/docs/technical/storage.html -
Publishing integrations No verified 2026-07-11
The following document formats are supported:
https://novelwriter.io/docs/user_interface/manuscript.html
FAQ
Yes. Manuskript and Ghostwriter have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Manuskript, Ghostwriter and FocusWriter — every license claim links its source.