Best apps for novel writing: top 3 pick
There is so much choice out there for writing applications. As a writer, I’ve been through a few but often find myself gravitating back to a good old Microsoft Word document for the editing phase. Call me old school, but because I use Word to format novel proofs into print ready PDFs, it feels like a reasonable go-to for me when I edit, at least.
When it comes to plotting, world building and distraction free writing however, I sometimes find myself bogged down in folders and files. Recently, I have yearned for a neater, more comprehensive methodology and approach to novel crafting. So, I decided to try out a few different applications to find one that suits my needs. The apps I chose were:
– Manuskript
– Scrivener
– Reedsy
App features and prices
Free
open source
Pay nothing
Free to download
One fee
Reasonably priced
Pay once for license
single charge with free 30 day trial available
Top Pick
Free Core
Upgrade options
Prices start at:
per month
PROS – This is a nice little desktop app which is easy to learn, use and run. It’s quite a basic tool with a focus on using the ‘Snowflake Method‘ of planning and writing a novel (see this link for more info on the Snowflake Method – opens in new tab https://jerichowriters.com/how-to-plot/). It’s very useful for people who are looking for quite a simple layout in an app, with sections to map out plot, create character sheets with in-depth details on motivation, goal, conflict, which you can link to the plot sections; outline your manuscript chapter by chapter and break down into smaller sections, if desired; edit your manuscript in a distraction free space, with very basic spellcheck facility. The best thing is it is free to use and a really great place to start if you are new to writing apps.
CONS – Features are limited and the compile and export facility requires an add-on and is not straight forward like the other two apps in this review. There is no auto-save, so you must remember to do regular saves manually. You can only access your work from the device on which the app is installed and the save file is kept locally.
PROS – The thing I liked most about Scrivener was it’s layout. It is really nicely designed and accessible. Unlike Manuskript, the focus is less on outlining and more on organisation. This application makes it really easy to move around your planning with split screens to help you view two different documents simultaneously; you can view research and the chapter you are working on at the same time. I found this very helpful, especially when I was writing a novel which involved split timelines, and I needed to refer back to my character sheets and outlines for plot and timeframes with ease. It’s a reasonable price for the full license, and the trial is really good because you get 30 days of use, which means if you use it one day a week, the trial will last for 30 weeks, if you use it every day, it will run out after 30 days. The compiler was very good and easy to use. Unlike Manuscript, this app has an autosave.
CONS – like Manuskript, you can’t access your work from anywhere, but only from the device where your local file is saved. There is also a lot to learn about this application, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is just takes a little more time to get used to it and navigate your way around. I recommended engaging with the tutorial file on installing this programme, it is very comprehensive and useful before getting set up with a new project.
PROS – Reedsy Studio is my top pick of the writing applications I have used, predominantly for the following reasons:
1. It is an online based platform, so your files are always current and autosaved in the cloud; you can access your latest draft and write from anywhere, at any time.
2. It’s layout is incredibly easy to use and it has much of the power of a word processor while being a great place to work on outline, store research, create character sheets and world build.
3. The optional premium features are excellent and well worth the subscription fee.
I liked this platform immediately for it’s ease of use and myriad of useful free features. The subscription fee makes this app a more expensive way to write, compared to the other two options; monthly for both add-on packages amounts to £10.99 a month, with the annual costs being around the £150 mark without any discount applied. However, the premium features were highly useful and I thought they were worth the price: dark mode to help me focus better, pinned notes, goal setting, unlimited planning boards, enhanced insights and statistics for redrafting and editing. As a bonus, this platform features a sharing facility, track changes and comments as part of the free core. This is great for clients using Reedsy Studio to write have been able to share access to their manuscript in a live environment.
CONS – The price would be the only thing I’d say lets this application down, it could be a shade cheaper but saying that, if you can afford it, the price does reflect the quality and usefulness of the extras you get with a premium subscription. The compile feature is very good for putting a formatted proof together, although, I found some revision to the proof was required to make the file print ready or usable as an Ebook.
So which should you chose?
That is entirely up to you! I am not affiliated with any of these organisations or apps in any way, but I wanted to try some different ways of working and found, from my experience, all three of these applications have their merits.
If low budget determines your choice, then I would recommend trying out Manuskript because it is free and a good platform. Scrivener is great too but you only get 30 days of use before needing to buy the license. If you have some money to spend but not interested in signing up for a monthly subscription I would recommend Scrivener if you don’t mind working solely in a desktop app, or Reedsy Studio free core, as it is a really great live online platform to use. If you do have a bit of extra to spend, or don’t mind the subscription cost, Reedsy Studio would be my recommendation any day.
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