What is the best book writing software?
It depends on how you work, which is why the list above can be filtered. By the Author Score, the top of the list is shown under The short answer; each product’s page explains every point it earned or missed.
Best Book Writing Software: 16 Apps Scored for Authors
The apps authors draft books in, from free ones to one-time licences, each with a BookBird Author Score: which author jobs its own site confirms, what a year of use costs, and how many people search for it. Prices checked on each vendor’s site in October 2026.
Prices and data checked October 7–14, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for · List your tool
The short answer
These score highest for a self-published author. Each line says what it costs and who it suits; the full list, with filters, is below.
- Novlr 8.7 Free plan; paid from $8 a month (billed yearly)
Writers wanting a free web app with no built-in AI - Google Docs 8.3 Free
Authors sharing drafts with editors at no cost - LivingWriter 7.8 Free plan; paid from $179 a year
Plotters writing on web, desktop and mobile - Scrivener 7.7 $59.99 one-time
Mac or Windows authors who want a one-time licence - Ulysses 7.6 $39.99 a year
Apple-only writers who like plain-text markup
All book writing software, scored
16 of 16 shown · How the Author Score works
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1
8.78/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $8 a month (billed yearly)Free plan + paid plans, one-time option3.6K+1%searches a monthweb
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2
8.36/8 author jobsFreeFree20.4M−54%searches a monthweb · iOS · Android
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3
LivingWriter
Cloud writing app with planning boards, story templates and optional AI
Book writing softwareAI writing tools for fiction
7.87/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $179 a yearFree plan + paid plans1.3K−29%searches a monthweb · Windows · Mac · iOS · Android -
4
7.77/8 author jobs$59.99 one-timeOne-time licence720+0%searches a monthMac · Windows · iOS
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5
7.67/8 author jobs$39.99 a yearSeveral ways to pay1K−1%searches a monthMac · iOS
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6
7.57/8 author jobs$19 one-timeOne-time licence260−46%searches a monthMac · iOS
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7
7.35/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $179.99 one-timeSeveral ways to pay, one-time option1M−44%searches a monthWindows · Mac · iOS · Android · web
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8
7.26/8 author jobsFree planSeveral ways to pay2.4K−36%searches a monthWindows · Android · iOS
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9
7.16/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $69 one-timeSeveral ways to pay, one-time option720−40%searches a monthWindows · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
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10
Atticus
Browser-based book writing editor and formatter for ebook and print
Book writing softwareBook formatting
7.06/8 author jobs$147 one-timeOne-time licence1K+25%searches a monthWindows · Mac · Linux · Chromebook · web · iOS · Android -
11
Reedsy Studio
Free browser book editor that typesets print PDF and EPUB
Book writing softwareBook formatting
6.85/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $52.99 a year (add-on)Free plan + paid plans5.4K−13%searches a monthweb -
12
6.75/8 author jobsFreeFree1.3K−7%searches a monthWindows · Linux
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13
Novelcrafter
Web novel-writing app with a codex and bring-your-own-key AI
Book writing softwareAI writing tools for fiction
6.55/8 author jobs$4 a monthSubscription8.1K+0%searches a monthweb -
14
6.17/8 author jobs$19 a monthSubscription, one-time option1.9K+12%searches a monthWindows · Mac · Linux · Chromebook · web · iOS · Android
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15
5.94/8 author jobsFreeFree170+18%searches a monthweb
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16
Squibler
AI book and screenplay generator with an editor, on credits
Book writing softwareAI writing tools for fiction
5.43/8 author jobsFree plan; paid from $15.83 a month (billed yearly)Free plan + paid plans8.1K−53%searches a monthweb
Nothing matches. Clear a filter to see more.
Prices in USD from each vendor’s own site, checked October 7–14, 2026. Searches: US Google searches a month for the product’s name, with the change over 12 months. Score out of 10, by one published formula; nobody pays to be listed.
How to choose book writing software
Do you need ebook and print files from the same app?
A self-published book needs an EPUB for ebook stores and a print-ready PDF for the paperback. Atticus, Reedsy Studio, Scrivener, LivingWriter, Novlr and Storyist all export EPUB, so you can go from draft to files in one place. Dabble and Novelcrafter stop at Word and Markdown, which means a second tool for formatting; our book formatting software page compares those. Reedsy Studio does the reverse of most: it typesets EPUB and PDF for free but does not export a Word file at all.
Which devices do you write on?
Atticus, Dabble and LivingWriter run on Windows, Mac, the web, iPhone and Android, so a chapter started on a laptop can be finished on a phone. Scrivener covers Mac, Windows and iOS, with no Android or web version. Ulysses and Storyist are Apple only. Novlr, Reedsy Studio, Novelcrafter and Squibler live in the browser; of those, Reedsy Studio and Novelcrafter say they do not work offline.
One payment or a subscription?
Scrivener costs $59.99 once per computer, Storyist $19 and Atticus $147, which includes formatting. Subscriptions add up: at $19 a month Dabble costs $228 a year, and LivingWriter’s Pro plan is $179 a year. The Cost part of the score spreads a one-time licence over three years so the two kinds of pricing can be compared.
Do you plan first or write first?
If you outline in detail, a dedicated planning app may suit you better than a feature inside a writing app: Plottr, Campfire, Aeon Timeline and World Anvil are scored on our story planning software page. If you write first and restructure later, look for a binder or chapter list you can rearrange, which Scrivener, Novlr, Dabble and LivingWriter confirm. Our guide on how to outline a book covers the methods these tools support.
Free book writing software
Several of these cost nothing for drafting a whole book:
- Google Docs: free with a Google account, on the web, iPhone and Android, and it downloads EPUB as well as Word.
- Microsoft Word: free on the web and phones; the desktop app needs Microsoft 365 or a one-time Office licence.
- Reedsy Studio: free drafting and typesetting to print-ready PDF and EPUB in the browser.
- Manuskript and Wavemaker: free, open projects; Manuskript runs on Windows and Linux, Wavemaker in the browser.
- Free plans: Novlr, LivingWriter, bibisco, Squibler and yWriter can be used without paying, with the limits listed on each product’s page.
Once you know your word count, the free words to pages calculator shows how many printed pages it makes.
AI for writing a book
Novelcrafter and Squibler appear here and on our AI writing tools for fiction page, which also scores Sudowrite and others built around AI. Novelcrafter works with your own AI key rather than selling credits. Our score does not rate the quality of AI prose; it records what each vendor states, such as whether your text is used for training.
How the BookBird Author Score works
Built for self-published authors, from facts anyone can check: each vendor’s own pages, read on October 7–14, 2026, and US Google search volumes (Google Ads data via DataForSEO). Nobody pays to be listed, and no score is adjusted by hand. We did not test the apps by writing a book in them; the score measures what they do for an author, what they cost and how widely they are used.
- Author jobs, 50 points. Each category has a list of jobs an author needs that kind of software to do. A job counts only when the vendor’s own pages say the product does it; a job they do not mention earns nothing, and the product page says which ones.
- Book writing software: chapters and scenes you can reorder, word-count goals, notes beside the manuscript, version history or snapshots, works offline, exports to Word (DOCX), exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF) and syncs across devices.
- Cost, 25 points. What one year costs a single author on the cheapest plan with a USD price. A one-time licence is spread over 3 years. A free plan, or a platform that takes no upfront fee, earns all 25; the dearest product in the category keeps 5.
- Adoption, 25 points. How many people in the US search Google for the product by name each month: 20 points on a log scale against the most searched product in the category, and 5 for the trend, comparing the last three months with the first three of the year.
The score is the points earned divided by the points that could be checked, on a 10-point scale. A part with no data (no USD price, no search volume) is left out rather than guessed. How long a product has existed is not scored: few vendors state it. Review sites are not used: for most of these products the profiles rate the whole company or hold a handful of reviews.
| Book writing software | Author jobs /50 | Cost /25 | Adoption /25 | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novlr | 50 | 25 | 12.3 | 8.7 |
| Google Docs | 37.5 | 25 | 20 | 8.3 |
| LivingWriter | 43.8 | 25 | 9.6 | 7.8 |
| Scrivener | 43.8 | 23.2 | 10.3 | 7.7 |
| Ulysses | 43.8 | 21.5 | 10.6 | 7.6 |
| Storyist | 43.8 | 24.4 | 6.8 | 7.5 |
| Microsoft Word | 31.3 | 25 | 16.7 | 7.3 |
| yWriter | 37.5 | 25 | 10 | 7.2 |
| bibisco | 37.5 | 25 | 8.3 | 7.1 |
| Atticus | 37.5 | 20.7 | 12 | 7.0 |
| Reedsy Studio | 31.3 | 25 | 12.1 | 6.8 |
| Manuskript | 31.3 | 25 | 10.7 | 6.7 |
| Novelcrafter | 31.3 | 20.8 | 13.2 | 6.5 |
| Dabble | 43.8 | 5 | 12.1 | 6.1 |
| Wavemaker | 25 | 25 | 9.5 | 5.9 |
| Squibler | 18.8 | 25 | 10.7 | 5.4 |
Questions
What is the best free book writing software?
Google Docs and Reedsy Studio are free without limits on book length; Reedsy Studio also typesets the ebook and print files. Novlr, LivingWriter and bibisco have free plans with paid upgrades.
Is Scrivener worth paying for?
Scrivener is a one-time $59.99 per computer, with a 30-day trial that counts only the days you use it. It suits long manuscripts written in pieces and compiled to Word, EPUB or PDF. There is no Android or web version.
Why is there no star rating?
Because we did not test the apps by writing books in them. The Author Score uses what can be checked: the jobs each vendor’s own site says the app does, its price, and how many people search for it, all collected on one date.