Novelist replaces 3 paid apps
One genuinely free tool, 3 subscriptions it can stand in for. Each pairing below is curated and verified by hand, with the honest catch spelled out. No votes, no pay-to-list.
licenseproprietary, free
runson your machine
installInstall from Google Play or the App Store, or open the companion web app in a browser
dataProjects are kept in the app/browser's local storage; backups can be exported to device storage or a user-selected cloud provider such as Google Drive, and manuscripts export as EPUB, ODT, or HTML
setupno real blockers; verified to install clean
facts verified 2026-08-11
A genuinely free mobile novel planner with boards, scenes, goals, history, and no ad slot lurking under the keyboard.
the catchIt is strong for mobile planning, but its editor, export and desktop workflow are less substantial than Dabble's full cross-device manuscript environment.
the verdict →all Dabble alternatives →
A genuinely free mobile novel planner with boards, scenes, goals, history, and no ad slot lurking under the keyboard.
the catchIt is an excellent free mobile planner, but it is not as capable a full desktop manuscript editor and lacks LivingWriter's cloud collaboration and publishing workflow.
the verdict →all LivingWriter alternatives →
A genuinely free mobile novel planner with boards, scenes, goals, history, and no ad slot lurking under the keyboard.
the catchIt is a mobile-first planner with no Novelcrafter-style model connections, Codex-grounded chat or full desktop/browser drafting environment.
the verdict →all Novelcrafter alternatives →last updated 2026-08-11 · up to $408/yr replaced · no votes, no pay-to-list
