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Dabble Review: Price, Features and Score

Dabble at a glance: $19 a month, on Windows, Mac, Linux, web, iOS and Android. Below are its plans, what its own site says it does for an author, its score and the products to compare it with. We did not test it ourselves; the data was checked on October 7, 2026.

Prices and data checked October 7, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for

Dabble on the BookBird Author Score

Author Score · book writing software · #14 of 16 ·

Best for: Novelists writing across several devices on a subscription

BookBird Author Score6.1/10 #14 of 16 book writing software. Worked out from Dabble’s own pages, its price and US searches for its name, not typed in. Author jobs50 pts43.8/50Each of the 8 author jobs on the book writing software list is worth an equal share of 50 points, and counts only when Dabble’s own pages confirm it. 7 of 8 confirmed = 43.8 points. A job the vendor does not mention earns nothing.Cost25 pts5/25Dabble costs $228 a year on its cheapest plan. Free earns 25 points; the dearest book writing software product with a US price, Dabble at $228 a year, keeps 5; prices in between fall in a straight line. $228 = 5 points.Adoption25 pts12.1/25Searches, 20 points: 1,900 a month for “dabble writer”, against Google Docs, the most searched in this category (20,400,000), on a log scale = 9. Trend, 5 points: up 12% (last three months against the first three of the year) = 3.1; a fall of half or more earns 0, no change 2.5, a rise of half or more 5. 60.8 of 100 points= 6.1 out of 10 The full method, with every product’s points →

Author jobs, from Dabble’s own pages

  • Yes: Chapters and scenes you can reorder
  • Yes: Word-count goals
  • Yes: Notes beside the manuscript
  • Yes: Version history or snapshots
  • Yes: Works offline
  • Yes: Exports to Word (DOCX)
  • No: Exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF) (no)
  • Yes: Syncs across devices

Visit Dabble

Dabble pricing

Subscription, one-time option. Free trial: 14 days. The plans as Dabble’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:

  • Writer: $19 a month
  • Author: $29 a month
  • Bestseller: $49 a month
  • Lifetime Author Access: $699 one-time

Annual billing "save 20%"; annual prices not printed. Academic email saves 30%. Trial needs no credit card.

What Dabble offers

From Dabble’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:

  • Drag-and-drop chapters and scenes, auto-numbered, with labels
  • Plot Grid open beside the manuscript
  • Story notebook with character profiles, research and sticky notes
  • Daily word-count goals, deadlines, stats and streaks
  • Version history with a time-slider preview and restore (plan-dependent)
  • Offline-first: edits save on the device and sync on reconnect
  • Real-time co-authoring, comments and track changes (Author plan)
  • Word export in standard manuscript format

Runs on: Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, web, iOS and Android. Exports: DOCX, Google Docs, web link and Markdown. Works offline. Launched: 2017.

Who Dabble suits, and what its pages do not say

Best for: Novelists writing across several devices on a subscription.

Not confirmed on Dabble’s pages when we checked: exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF). That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.

About 1,900 people a month search Google in the US for “dabble writer”, up 12% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).

Dabble alternatives

SoftwareScorePrice fromBest for
Novlr8.7Free plan; paid from $8 a month (billed yearly)Writers wanting a free web app with no built-in AI
Google Docs8.3FreeAuthors sharing drafts with editors at no cost
LivingWriter7.8Free plan; paid from $179 a yearPlotters writing on web, desktop and mobile
Scrivener7.7$59.99 one-timeMac or Windows authors who want a one-time licence
Ulysses7.6$39.99 a yearApple-only writers who like plain-text markup

Compare: All book writing software · All software for authors

Dabble questions

How much does Dabble cost?

$19 a month. Dabble lists 4 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.

What does Dabble run on?

Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, web, iOS and Android, according to its own site.

Is there a free trial of Dabble?

Yes, 14 days.

What file formats can Dabble export?

DOCX, Google Docs, web link and Markdown, according to its own site.

How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Dabble’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.