Novelcrafter
Browser-based novel writing app with a Codex story bible, planning views and AI through the provider you connect.
Founded 2023
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Novelcrafter is browser-based novel writing software that also markets itself for short stories, screenplays and non-fiction. It started in 2023 as a one-person project by its founder, Leonie, and is now a small, bootstrapped company registered in Hamburg, Germany. At its center is the Codex, a story wiki that tracks characters, places and lore across a book or a series, alongside planning views (Grid, Matrix, Outline), a manuscript editor and an AI chat.
Plans run from Scribe at $4 a month to Specialist at $20, with two months free on yearly billing, and every account starts with a 21-day trial that needs no credit card. Novelcrafter sells no AI usage itself: from the $8 Hobbyist plan you connect your own provider, such as OpenRouter or OpenAI, and pay it for what you use, or run a local model. Workshop chat starts at Artisan ($14), and inviting collaborators needs Specialist.
Best for
Fiction writers, especially of long books or multi-book series, who want a story bible and planning tools in one place and prefer to choose, and pay for, their own AI models.
Pros
- 21-day free trial of the top Specialist plan, with no credit card needed
- From $4 a month ($40 a year) up to $20 for the top plan; yearly billing gives two months free
- The Codex tracks characters, places and lore and can be shared across a book series
- Bring your own AI: OpenAI directly, over 100 models including Claude and Gemini through OpenRouter, or local models
- Your writing, including AI-generated text, stays your intellectual property under its terms
Cons
- The subscription includes no AI usage: you connect and pay an AI provider such as OpenRouter yourself
- The $4 Scribe plan has no AI features in your own novels, and Workshop chat starts at Artisan ($14 a month)
- No team pricing: every collaborator who edits needs a paid plan, and only Specialist can invite users or create teams
- Needs an internet connection: there is no offline mode yet
- No publication formatting yet: you export to Word (.docx) or Markdown and lay out the book elsewhere
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (12-month total) |
|---|---|---|
| Scribe1 user; unlimited books, Codex and series, no AI features in your own novels; $40/yr billed yearly (2 months off) | $4/mo | $40/yr ($3.33/mo) |
| HobbyistAdds AI with your own key (AI usage paid to your provider), scene beats and summaries, live chat support; $80/yr billed yearly | $8/mo | $80/yr ($6.67/mo) |
| ArtisanAdds Workshop chat with your scenes; AI usage paid to your provider; $140/yr billed yearly | $14/mo | $140/yr ($11.67/mo) |
| SpecialistAdds inviting collaborators, creating teams and priority support; the 21-day trial plan; $200/yr billed yearly | $20/mo | $200/yr ($16.67/mo) |
Prices checked on .
Features
In AI writing tools
| Feature | Novelcrafter |
|---|---|
| Brand voice | Partial · Style via writing samples and a 'Your Voice' prompt preset |
| SEO mode | No · None listed; built for fiction and long-form writing |
| Plagiarism check | No · None listed in the features or help docs |
| Templates | Yes · 8 plot-structure templates (e.g. Save the Cat); personal novel templates; prompts from the Novelcrafter team and community (Hub) |
| Team seats | Partial · No team pricing; each editor needs a paid plan; Specialist creates teams |
| API | No · No public API listed; AI runs through your own provider key |
| Word limits | Yes · Unlimited books; AI output billed by your own provider |
| Free trial | Yes · 21 days of Specialist, no credit card |
| Integrations | Partial · AI: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI-compatible APIs (Groq among them); import Word, Markdown, HTML; export Word, Markdown |