yWriter on the BookBird Author Score
Author Score · book writing software · #8 of 16 ·
Best for: Windows writers on a zero budget who plan by scene
Author jobs, from yWriter’s own pages
- Yes: Chapters and scenes you can reorder
- Not stated: Word-count goals (not stated)
- Yes: Notes beside the manuscript
- Yes: Version history or snapshots
- Yes: Works offline
- Not stated: Exports to Word (DOCX) (not stated)
- Yes: Exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF)
- Yes: Syncs across devices
yWriter pricing
Several ways to pay. There is a free plan. The plans as yWriter’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:
- yWriter7 for Windows: Free (optional registration encouraged)
- Registration (optional): price in USD not confirmed
- yWriter for Android: price in USD not confirmed
- yWriter for iOS: price in USD not confirmed
Windows version is free; mobile versions are paid and built by another developer; a MacOS beta is free while in testing.
What yWriter offers
From yWriter’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:
- Novel broken into chapters and scenes, dragged and dropped between chapters
- Characters, items and locations kept in the project
- Viewpoint, goal, conflict and outcome fields per scene
- Storyboard view of the whole book
- Snapshot backups that roll scenes back to earlier versions
- Per-file word counts and a daily progress log
- Export to RTF, EPUB, MOBI and LaTeX
- No internet connection needed; mobile apps edit PC projects via Dropbox
Runs on: Windows, Android and iOS. Exports: RTF, EPUB, MOBI and LaTeX. Works offline.
Who yWriter suits, and what its pages do not say
Best for: Windows writers on a zero budget who plan by scene.
Not confirmed on yWriter’s pages when we checked: word-count goals and exports to Word (DOCX). That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.
About 2,400 people a month search Google in the US for “ywriter”, down 36% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).
yWriter alternatives
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Compare: All book writing software · All software for authors
yWriter questions
How much does yWriter cost?
Free plan. yWriter lists 4 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.
What does yWriter run on?
Windows, Android and iOS, according to its own site.
What file formats can yWriter export?
RTF, EPUB, MOBI and LaTeX, according to its own site.
How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from yWriter’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.