Brandon Sanderson’s recent comment on the future of fantasy needing to break out of Lord of the Rings imitation was the right pep talk for a lot of writers who finally have something original to say but no good tool to write it in. Microsoft Word is fine for the first ten thousand words and starts to fight you somewhere around thirty thousand. The category of novel-writing apps exists for the next nine hundred thousand. We tested eight of them, drafted a chapter in each, and ranked them by what kind of novelist they actually serve.
Every option below runs on at least Windows or macOS. Half are cross-platform; a few are platform-locked for the reasons covered below.
What to look for in a novel-writing app
Five things separate the tools that finish a novel from the ones that get abandoned at the second draft:
- Structure that survives the rewrite. Scenes, chapters, parts, acts. Tools that hard-code a single hierarchy fail the moment you split a chapter or merge two scenes.
- Per-scene metadata. Point-of-view, location, day, word count, status. Filtering by these saves real time during revision.
- Distraction-free writing. Some writers need full-screen typewriter mode. Others want the binder visible. Tools that force one mode lose the other half.
- Export to a finished file. EPUB, PDF, Word, manuscript-format text. A tool that traps your draft in a proprietary file forever is a liability.
- Versioning. Snapshots before a heavy revision is the difference between bravery and panic.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrivener | The flexible standard for serious novelists | Windows, macOS, iOS | 30-day trial | $59.99 one-time |
| Atticus | Drafting plus self-publishing formatting | Windows, macOS, Linux, web | Demo | $147 one-time |
| yWriter | Free, scene-first structure for outliners | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes, fully | Free |
| Manuskript | Open-source Scrivener-style alternative | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes, fully | Free |
| Reedsy Book Editor | Browser-based with self-publish workflow | Web | Yes, fully | Free |
| FocusWriter | Distraction-free typewriter | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes, fully | Free, donation |
| Vellum | macOS-only self-publishing formatter | macOS | Trial | $199.99 (eBook), $249.99 (eBook + Print) |
| Plottr | Visual outliner that pairs with any writer | Windows, macOS, Linux | Trial | $99/year |
The 8 best novel-writing apps for desktop
1. Scrivener — best flexible standard
Scrivener by Literature & Latte is the default serious-novelist tool for good reason. The binder lets you reorganise scenes by drag-and-drop, the corkboard shows scenes as index cards you can shuffle visually, the inspector surfaces per-scene metadata, and the Snapshots feature versions any scene before a heavy edit. Compile (the export tool) is intimidating at first sight but produces clean Word, EPUB, PDF, and manuscript-format files. Project Targets keep daily word counts honest.
Where it falls short: The 3.x release brought Windows to parity with Mac, but the older Windows users still recall the version-1 limitations. Compile templates take a session to set up. Cloud sync uses Dropbox; iCloud support is limited.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day trial (counts actual usage days, not calendar days)
- Paid: $59.99 standard one-time, $24.99 student, often discounted to $40 on Black Friday
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS.
Download: literatureandlatte.com
Bottom line: Start here unless you have a clear reason not to. The tool flexes to whatever novelist process you bring.
2. Atticus — best for drafting and self-publishing
Atticus by Kindlepreneur covers the rare gap Scrivener leaves: it drafts and it formats for publication. The book-formatting interface produces clean Kindle, Apple Books, and IngramSpark-ready files without the Compile-template wrestle Scrivener requires. The cloud sync is included (no Dropbox required), and the cross-platform desktop apps stay in step.
Where it falls short: $147 one-time is steep next to Scrivener. Drafting features are good but not as deep as Scrivener’s. Updates have slowed in the past year.
Pricing:
- Free: demo
- Paid: $147 one-time, lifetime updates included
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web (browser fallback).
Download: atticus.io
Bottom line: The pick for self-publishing novelists who want the draft and the formatted final file in the same app.
3. yWriter — best free scene-first structure
yWriter by Spacejock Software (Simon Haynes is himself a published novelist) breaks a novel into scenes, each with its own metadata, point-of-view character, location, and word target. The interface is plain Windows Forms but the data model underneath is the cleanest of any tool on this list. yWriter 7 added Mac, Linux, and Android versions, all free.
Where it falls short: UI looks dated. Some features (storyboard view, character generators) feel grafted on. Sync between machines is manual; no built-in cloud.
Pricing: Free. The author asks for a donation if you publish a novel using it.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android.
Download: spacejock.com
Bottom line: The right pick when you want a free tool from someone who actually writes novels and you do not care what the UI looks like.
4. Manuskript — best open-source Scrivener alternative
Manuskript is the open-source Scrivener-style outliner. The binder, corkboard, scene metadata, distraction-free mode, and Compile-equivalent export are all present, and the snowflake method outliner walks you through structuring a novel from premise to scene outline. The project is community-driven; releases are slower than commercial tools but each one is solid.
Where it falls short: Smaller user community for templates and troubleshooting. Some features (the Frequency Analyser, the Spell Check) are less polished than Scrivener’s.
Pricing: Free, open-source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: manuskript-software.com · GitHub
Bottom line: The right pick when you want Scrivener’s structure without paying for it and you can live with a less polished interface.
5. Reedsy Book Editor — best browser-based with self-publish path
Reedsy Book Editor is the free browser-based editor that exports cleanly to EPUB and print-ready PDF. The Reedsy marketplace connection is the secondary feature: the same account lets you hire editors, designers, and marketers from a vetted talent pool. The editor itself is intentionally simple, more like Medium than Scrivener, which suits writers who want to write rather than fiddle.
Where it falls short: Web only; no offline mode. No scene-level metadata or corkboard. Outlining tools are limited.
Pricing: Free. Reedsy makes money on its services marketplace.
Platforms: Web (works on every OS).
Download: reedsy.com/write-a-book
Bottom line: The pick when you want a clean web editor that exports professional eBooks without learning Compile templates.
6. FocusWriter — best distraction-free typewriter
FocusWriter is the free distraction-free writing app. Open it, the screen is the document, the rest of the OS disappears. Daily goals, themes, typewriter sound effects, and per-document statistics are all present. It is not an outliner; it is a place to write the words.
Where it falls short: No outline or scene structure. No metadata. Plain text or ODT output that you then move into another tool for revision.
Pricing: Free, open-source. Donations welcome.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: gottcode.org/focuswriter
Bottom line: The right pick when the structure tools are not the problem and getting yourself to put the next sentence down is.
7. Vellum — best macOS self-publishing formatter
Vellum is the macOS-only formatting tool that self-published authors rave about for one specific reason: the output looks professional with almost no effort. Drop in your text, pick a style, and the eBook and print files are ready. It is not a drafting tool; it is what you reach for after the draft is done and you want a clean release.
Where it falls short: macOS only. Expensive one-time purchase. Not a drafting tool; it does not help you write the novel, only finish it.
Pricing:
- Free: trial that previews output but does not export
- Paid: $199.99 for eBook generation, $249.99 for eBook plus Print
Platforms: macOS.
Download: vellum.pub
Bottom line: The right pick for serious indie authors on Mac who want their books to look like a Big Five release.
8. Plottr — best visual outliner
Plottr is the timeline-first outliner that pairs with whatever drafting tool you use. The visual timeline puts plot threads on a horizontal grid, scenes on a vertical axis, and lets you drag both around as the story changes. Built-in story templates (Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat, Story Circle) get a first draft outlined fast. Plottr exports to Scrivener and to plain text, so it slots into any workflow.
Where it falls short: Outline only; you draft in another tool. Subscription model is more expensive long-term than a Scrivener one-time purchase. Cloud sync is reliable but tied to your Plottr account.
Pricing:
- Free: trial
- Paid: $99/year or $199 lifetime
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: plottr.com
Bottom line: The right pick for outliners who think visually and want their plot threads on a timeline before they start typing.
How to pick
Pick Scrivener if you do not have a strong reason to pick something else. It bends to whatever process you bring.
Pick Atticus if you self-publish and want the same app to draft and format.
Pick yWriter for free, no-fuss scene-first structure.
Pick Manuskript for free, open-source Scrivener-style structure.
Pick Reedsy when you want a browser-based editor that exports a clean eBook.
Pick FocusWriter when the problem is getting yourself to write, not how to structure what you have written.
Pick Vellum on Mac when the draft is done and you want indie-published books that look professional.
Pick Plottr when you outline visually and pair it with whatever drafting tool you already use.
The most common pairing among working novelists we know: Plottr for outlining, Scrivener for drafting, Vellum (on Mac) or Atticus (cross-platform) for the final formatted file.
FAQ
Is Scrivener worth the $60? For a novelist who plans to finish more than one book, yes. The one-time purchase pays off across a single project. The 30-day trial counts real usage days, so you can try it for several months.
What is the best free novel-writing app? yWriter for scene-first structure. Manuskript for Scrivener-style features. FocusWriter for distraction-free drafting. Reedsy for a browser-based editor with clean export.
Can I open Scrivener files on Linux? Not directly. Manuskript opens its own format. Importing a Scrivener compile (RTF or Markdown export) into other tools works.
What does Brandon Sanderson use to write? Sanderson has spoken publicly about using Microsoft Word for drafting and a custom Wiki for worldbuilding. The tool he picks is famously not the point of the advice.
What is the best app for outlining a novel? Plottr if you think visually. Scrivener’s corkboard if you want the outline in the same project as the draft. yWriter and Manuskript both have free outline modes too.
Should I use Word for a novel? For a single short novel, yes. For a series, for anything with complex point-of-view structure, or for anything you will revise heavily, Word fights you past a hundred thousand words. Scrivener or Atticus pay off there.
