Best Book Writing Software: 12 Apps Compared by Price, Features and Reviews

The short answer

No single app suits every author, but the data points to a few clear choices:

• Free, with ebook and print files: Reedsy Studio. Its free plan typesets a print-ready PDF and an EPUB in the browser.
• Free, for worldbuilding: Campfire, the top score in this group. Its free plan caps the manuscript at 25,000 words, 10 characters and 2 maps.
• Pay once, write for years: Scrivener at $59.99 per computer, with a 30-day trial.
• Write and format in one app: Atticus, $147 once for drafting plus ebook and print formatting.
• Plan before you draft: Plottr, with the highest Trustpilot rating that counts in this group.
• AI drafting help: Sudowrite, the one app in the set built around AI for fiction.

Book writing software compared

Sorted by BookBird Score. “Price from” is the plan the score’s Value part uses: the cheapest way to pay for a year.

Prices in USD as shown on each vendor’s site on October 2, 2026. Score out of 10, computed as described in How the score works.

1. Campfire

Campfire is a writing app built around worldbuilding. Next to the manuscript editor sit modules for characters, timelines, maps, calendars, an encyclopedia, magic systems, languages, species and cultures, plus relationship webs that show how characters connect. It runs in the browser, as an offline desktop app and as a mobile app, and exports print-ready PDF or EPUB.

Who it suits: fantasy and science fiction writers who keep a story bible and want it beside the draft rather than in a separate document. Unlimited collaborators can view, comment or edit, which helps co-writers and beta readers.

What it lacks: DOCX export is not listed, and there are no writing goals or word-count stats in its feature list. Annual and lifetime prices were shown to us only in Polish zloty, so the only confirmed USD price is $12 a month. Campfire has no Trustpilot profile, so its score is calculated without Reputation.

2. Scrivener

Scrivener is built for long manuscripts written out of order. You write in sections of any size, rearrange them in an outline or on a corkboard, keep research such as PDFs and images inside the project, and compile the whole book to Word, PDF or EPUB with formatting presets applied at the end. It also has word-count and deadline targets, a distraction-free mode, and scriptwriting formats.

Who it suits: authors who want to pay once and own the software. A Mac or Windows licence costs $59.99, both together $95.98, and the iPad and iPhone version is $23.99 on its own. The 30-day trial is long enough to draft a few chapters.

What it lacks: there is no Android or browser version, and collaboration and cloud sync do not appear in its feature list. Each platform is a separate purchase. Its Trustpilot rating (4.3) comes from only 23 reviews, so the weighting pulls it toward the middle.

3. Reedsy Studio

Reedsy Studio, formerly the Reedsy Book Editor, is a free browser app that covers drafting and typesetting. You can import a manuscript, organize it into sections, chapters and scenes with front and back matter, and export a print-ready PDF and an EPUB without paying. Real-time collaboration includes comments and tracked changes, and you can share a read-only preview with beta readers.

Who it suits: first-time self-publishers who want one free tool from draft to files they can upload to Amazon KDP. The paid add-ons are optional: Craft at $4.99 a month or $52.99 a year, Outlining at $7.99 a month, with a 30-day trial.

What it lacks: it works only in a browser, and DOCX export is not listed. Reedsy’s 4.7 Trustpilot rating covers the whole company, including its marketplace of editors and designers, so it is not counted here.

4. LivingWriter

LivingWriter combines outlines, story templates and boards for planning, research and story elements with a manuscript editor. It runs on the web, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and lists exports to DOCX, PDF, EPUB and Amazon KDP. The Pro + AI plan adds AI rewrites, outlines, analysis and a chat about your manuscript.

Who it suits: writers who move between a laptop and a phone and want planning and drafting in one place. It earns the highest Features score in this group, 28 of 30.

What it lacks: the free plan exports only a basic PDF; print-ready files need Pro at $15 a month. Annual prices were not shown, and the 7-day trial costs $0.99. Its Trustpilot rating is 2.4 from 17 reviews, which is why its total sits below apps with fewer features.

5. Atticus

Atticus is a writing editor and a book formatter in one app. One file produces both an ePub and a print-ready PDF, with 17 chapter themes, a custom theme builder, previews on Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple devices, and support for full-bleed images and footnotes. It runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook as a web app that also works offline.

Who it suits: self-publishers who want to format their own ebooks and paperbacks and would rather pay once. The $147 licence includes future updates and unlimited books and pen names.

What it lacks: as a writing tool it is thin. Its feature list has no outlining, notes, writing goals or collaboration, which is why it scores 18.8 of 30 on Features here and much higher as a formatter. There is no free trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee. See Atticus vs Vellum for its formatting side.

6. Plottr

Plottr is an outlining tool. You lay out a plot on a visual timeline, tie characters, places and notes to it, and keep a series bible across several books. The outline exports to Word or Scrivener, where the actual drafting happens. Plottr lists “No AI” as a feature.

Who it suits: plotters, especially series writers. It has the strongest reputation in this group, 4.6 from 120 Trustpilot reviews. Our older Plottr review walks through the timeline in more detail.

What it lacks: it is not a manuscript editor and does not export EPUB or PDF. Pricing has many tiers: basic Plottr is $60 a year or $150 for life, Pro is $9.99 a month, $99 a year or $599 for life, and the browser app is Pro-only. A discount was running when we checked, so list prices were higher.

7. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is free on the web and on phones with a Microsoft account. The desktop app comes with Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, which also includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage and Copilot, or as Office Home 2024 for $179.99 once, for one PC or Mac.

Who it suits: writers who already use it and want to keep the drafting and the file they send to editors in one place.

What it lacks: nothing in its feature list is specific to books, such as outlining, a corkboard or word-count goals. Its score is incomplete: Word’s product page blocked our request, so its export formats are not in our data and earn no points, and Microsoft’s Trustpilot profile rates the whole company, so Reputation is left out.

8. Google Docs

Google Docs is free with a personal Google account and runs in the browser and on iOS and Android. Its strengths are real-time co-editing, comments with suggested edits you accept or reject, revision history and offline editing. Gemini’s “Help me write” is built in.

Who it suits: co-authors, and writers who share chapters with an editor or beta readers and want comments in one place.

What it lacks: no outlining, notes or goals for long-form writing, and no desktop app in its platform list. The help page we read confirms only PDF among its download formats, so that is all the score counts. Its Trustpilot profile shows 2.5 from 68 reviews.

9. Novlr

Novlr is a browser-based writing app with a plot grid built on notes, world-building notes beside the manuscript, focus and typewriter modes, and writing sprints, streaks and goals. The Studio plan adds a proofreader and grammar checker, unlimited version history, Google Drive and Dropbox backups, and an author website on your own domain.

Who it suits: writers who like habit tools such as sprints and streaks and want them in the editor. Starter is $8 a month and Studio $16 a month, both billed yearly, or $499 for lifetime Studio.

What it lacks: the pages we read do not state which file formats it exports, so the score gives no export points. Only yearly-billed prices were visible. Its Trustpilot page loaded with no rating, so Reputation is left out.

10. Ulysses

Ulysses is a distraction-free, markup-based editor for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Projects split into sheets you can reorder, a grammar and style check covers more than 20 languages, and you can export to PDF, Word and ebook with a live preview or publish straight to WordPress, Ghost or Medium. It syncs through iCloud and can be shared with up to five people through Apple Family Sharing.

Who it suits: Apple users who want a calm writing space at $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month.

What it lacks: there is no Windows, Android or browser version. Its site says “ebooks” without naming the format, so EPUB is not counted. The trial length is not stated, and there is no Trustpilot profile.

11. Dabble

Dabble keeps a plot grid next to the manuscript, with a story notebook, character profiles, goals and stats. Co-authors can write in real time, and the cloud sync still works offline. It is the only app in this group that ticks all five items on our writing checklist, and it runs on all five platforms plus Linux.

Who it suits: writers who want plotting, drafting and co-writing in one subscription and do not need ebook files from it. The 14-day trial does not need a card.

What it lacks: it is the most expensive app here. Writer costs $19 a month, Author $29 and Bestseller $49, or $699 for lifetime access; annual billing saves 20%, but annual prices are not printed. Exports are Word, plain text and Google Docs, with no EPUB or print PDF stated. Trustpilot shows 3.0 from just 5 reviews.

12. Sudowrite

Sudowrite is an AI writing assistant for fiction. It can write, rewrite, describe and expand passages using your story’s context, brainstorm and generate outlines, match your style and keep continuity across a series. It runs on its own fiction models, Muse and Ballad, plus more than 30 others. The Professional and Max plans add developmental edits, line edits and beta reads.

Who it suits: fiction writers who want AI to generate and revise text with them. Plans are credit-based: $10, $22 or $44 a month, billed annually.

What it lacks: export formats are not stated, it runs only in a browser, and its feature list has no notes, goals or collaboration, so it scores lowest on Features. Monthly-billing prices did not load for us. Trustpilot shows 2.9 from 32 reviews.

How to choose book writing software

Do you need ebook and print files from the same app?

If you self-publish, you will need an EPUB for ebook stores and a print-ready PDF for a paperback. Atticus, Reedsy Studio, Campfire and LivingWriter’s Pro plan state both; Scrivener compiles to EPUB and PDF. Dabble, Plottr and Ulysses do not list EPUB, so with them you would format in a second tool. Our guide to ebook file formats explains what each store accepts, and Atticus vs Vellum compares two dedicated formatters.

Which devices do you write on?

Dabble, LivingWriter, Campfire and Word run on Mac, Windows, the web, iOS and Android. Scrivener has no Android or web version, Ulysses is Apple-only, and Novlr, Reedsy Studio and Sudowrite run in a browser.

One payment or a subscription?

Over three years, Scrivener costs $59.99 for one computer and Atticus $147. Ulysses on the yearly plan costs $119.97 over the same period, and Dabble’s Writer plan paid monthly costs $684. Plottr, Novlr and Dabble also sell lifetime plans. The Value part of the score spreads one-time licences over three years for this reason.

Do you plan before you write?

Plotters get the most from Plottr’s timeline, Campfire’s worldbuilding modules or the plot grids in Dabble and Novlr. If you write first and restructure later, Scrivener’s corkboard and outline views are built for it. Our guide on how to outline a book covers the planning methods these apps support.

Free book writing software

Six of the twelve apps can be used without paying, with very different limits:

• Google Docs: free with a Google account, with no paid tier needed for writing.
• Microsoft Word: free on the web and on phones; the desktop app needs Microsoft 365 or Office.
• Reedsy Studio: drafting and typesetting to print-ready PDF and EPUB are free; add-ons cost extra.
• Campfire: free modules with limits, such as 25,000 manuscript words, 10 characters and 2 maps.
• LivingWriter: free plan with basic PDF export only.
• Novlr: free plan; the proofreader, backups and full version history are on Studio.

Once you know your word count, our free words to pages calculator shows how many printed pages that makes.

AI for writing a book

Several apps in this comparison now include AI, in different amounts. Sudowrite is built around it: drafting, rewriting, brainstorming, outlining and editing feedback. LivingWriter adds AI rewrites, outlines and a manuscript chat on its $30-a-month Pro + AI plan. Word on the desktop comes with Copilot through Microsoft 365, and Google Docs has Gemini’s “Help me write.” Plottr goes the other way and advertises that it has no AI.

Our score does not rate the quality of AI-written prose, and we did not test it. If AI help is the main reason you are choosing, start with Sudowrite’s free trial, which needs no credit card.

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