Made by the Feldar team. Feldar is our app, so it is our first pick here. Everything we say about other apps comes from their own pages, and we link to them.
The best AI for writing novels remembers your story and lets you decide which words stay. Our pick is Feldar, which we make: its suggestions sit in blue or in a card until you accept them. If you want the AI to draft fast with fiction-tuned models, Sudowrite is the strongest alternative.
By the Feldar team · 9 AI tools compared · prices checked 5 to 8 November 2026
Our picks
Nine AI tools that novelists actually use, ordered by how well they suit someone writing a novel of their own. Our app is first; the rest are placed by what each does best.
01FeldarWriting your own novel with AI you approve OursFree, then $20/mo
02SudowriteDrafting fast with fiction-tuned modelsFrom $10/mo
03NovelcrafterChoosing your own models and seeing every prompt$8/mo plus AI
04Type.aiA clean AI editor for long documentsFrom $8/mo
05LivingWriterAI as an optional extra in a full writing appFree plan
06NovelAIPrivate, unlimited story generationFrom $10/mo
07SquiblerGenerating a whole book draftFree, then $15.83/mo
08ClaudeTalking through plot and character outside the manuscriptFree, Pro $20/mo
09ChatGPTBrainstorming and researchFree, Plus $20/mo
Who writes the words?
The biggest difference between these tools is not the model underneath. It is how much of the writing each one expects to do. This is our reading of each tool's design, based on its own pages.
You write, the AI suggestsThe AI writes, you steer
FeldarSuggestions arrive in blue or in a card and stay only if you accept them. You can write a whole book without touching the AI.
Novelcrafter, Type.ai, LivingWriterAI is a set of tools inside an editor. Nothing happens until you call it.
SudowriteBuilt to draft with you, from a few paragraphs to whole scenes from your outline, in your style.
Claude, ChatGPTThey will write anything you ask for, but outside your manuscript. You paste text in and out.
NovelAI, SquiblerMade to generate the story. NovelAI continues text as long as you like; Squibler advertises a full-length book.
If you want the book to be yours sentence by sentence, look at the left half. If you want a draft to edit, look at the right half.
Side by side
What the AI does, what it remembers about your story, what happens to your text, and what it costs.
Tool
How the AI works
Story memory
Trains on your writing?
Price
Free option
Runs on
Feldar Ours
Continues at the cursor, rewrites a selection, drafts a chapter from its scenes; every change is reviewable
Scene outlines, Canvas cards, a sample of your prose
No
Core $20/mo or $180/yr; Pro $40; Ultra $200
Free plan, 500 credits, no card
Web, macOS
Sudowrite
Write, Rewrite, Describe, Expand, Brainstorm; drafts from your outline
Story Bible; Series Folders across books
No, it says
$10/mo billed yearly or $19 monthly; up to $44/mo billed yearly
Free trial, no card
Web, iOS, Android
Novelcrafter
Any model through your own key, or a local model; editable prompts
Codex entries that change over time and link to each other
No; your AI provider's terms apply
AI plans $8 to $20/mo, plus your provider's bill
21-day trial, no card
Web
Type.ai
AI writing and editing inside a document editor
Documents up to 150,000 words
No, it says
$8/mo billed yearly or $12 monthly; Pro $16 billed yearly
Free, limited credits
Web
LivingWriter
Chat, analysis, rewrites, outlines, summaries on Pro + AI
Story Elements
No, it says
Pro + AI (price did not load when we checked)
Free plan; 7-day trial for $0.99
Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
NovelAI
Continues your story; text adventure mode
Lorebook
Stories end-to-end encrypted; prompts not stored
$10, $15 or $25 every 30 days
50 free text generations
Web
Squibler
Generates books and screenplays, with an editor
Not stated
Not stated in the pages we read
Plus $29.99/mo or $15.83/mo billed yearly; Pro $89.99 or $49.17
Free, 500 AI credits a month
Web
Claude
General chat; you paste your text in and out
What you put into the chat
Only if you allow it, or if a chat is flagged for safety review
Pro $20/mo or $17/mo billed yearly; Max from $100
Free plan
Web, desktop, mobile
ChatGPT
General chat; you paste your text in and out
What you put into the chat
May be used on individual plans unless you opt out
Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro from $100
Free plan
Web, desktop, mobile
Prices in US dollars from each company's own pages, checked 5 to 8 November 2026. "Not stated" means the pages we read did not say. The table scrolls sideways on small screens.
The tools, reviewed
Each review covers what the AI does, who it suits, the catch, and the price. Links go to each company's own site.
01Feldar Ours
Best for writing your own novel with AI you approve
We built Feldar for novelists who want help without handing over the book. The AI works where you point it. Hover the cursor at the end of a paragraph and choose Continue from here, Add scene detail or Start dialogue; the new text appears in blue with Accept, Revise and Dismiss beside it, and Revise offers Shorter, Longer, More interiority or More subtle. Select a passage and Polish, Deepen or Enhance it, or give a plain instruction; the result comes back in a card with every added word marked, and nothing changes until you press Apply.
The AI writes from your plan, not from a blank prompt. Each chapter has an Outline of scenes you can generate, edit and reorder, and Draft Page turns those scenes into prose at the length you choose. The Canvas holds characters, locations, items, factions, plot beats and notes as linked cards, and they feed the context of every request. Voice & Style takes a 600-word sample of your prose, and as the project grows Feldar leans on the project's own writing.
Continue from here in Feldar. The blue paragraph is the AI's suggestion; it becomes part of the chapter only if you accept it.
Good
Every AI change is visible and optional. Planning and story memory you can read and edit. Six models: GPT-6 Astra, Sol and Luna, and Claude Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5, with a model setting for each feature. Lens personas and five Checks for revision. A private Writing record of what you typed and what came from the AI. Feldar does not train AI models on your writing.
Watch out
Web and Mac only, with no offline mode and no phone app. No sharing or co-writing. English only. AI use draws on credits; the free plan's 500 credits are a taste, not a book.
Price
Starter free with 500 credits, no card (GPT-6 Luna). Core $20 a month or $180 a year, 20,000 credits a month. Pro $40 or $400, 45,000 credits. Ultra $200 or $2,220, 250,000 credits.
Sudowrite is made for fiction, and its tools work directly on your draft: Write, Rewrite, Describe, Expand and Brainstorm, plus drafting from an outline. Its Story Bible holds characters and outline as the AI's memory, and Series Folders carry it across books.
It runs dozens of models, including Claude and OpenAI models, alongside its own fiction models, Muse and Ballad. Sudowrite says Muse was trained with informed consent from the authors whose work went into it. Professional and Max add developmental edits, line edits and beta reads.
Good
Models tuned for fiction. Strong drafting and expansion tools. Continuity across a series. Apps for iOS and Android. A big, active community with free classes. It says it does not train on your writing.
Watch out
Credits drain quickly with heavy drafting. The pricing page defaults to yearly billing. Exporting a project leaves the Story Bible behind.
Price
Hobby & Student $10 a month billed yearly, or $19 monthly. Professional $22 and Max $44 a month billed yearly. Free trial, no card.
Best for choosing your own models and seeing every prompt
Novelcrafter separates the writing app from the AI. You connect a model yourself, usually through OpenRouter, or run one on your own computer, and pay that provider for what you use. In return you get control most tools hide: custom prompts, a preview of exactly what will be sent, and a switch to keep any scene away from the AI.
Its Codex is the deepest story bible here. Entries can change as the story moves (a character who loses an eye in chapter nine), and relations link them. Scene beats turn a short plan into prose, and Workshop Chat lets you talk to a scene.
Good
Any model, including local ones for privacy. Full prompt transparency. A deep Codex with progressions. Low subscription prices. Revision history.
Watch out
AI is a second bill from your provider. Connecting keys and choosing models takes some effort. No offline mode yet.
Price
Scribe $4 a month without AI. Hobbyist $8, Artisan $14 and Specialist $20, all with AI through your own provider. Two months off yearly. 21-day trial, no card.
Type describes itself as an intelligent editor for long-form writing, including books, novels and screenplays. It is a document editor with AI built in rather than a novel planning app, which suits writers who want a calm page and help on demand, and who keep their notes elsewhere.
Good
A simple editor. Documents up to 150,000 words. Free credits that never expire. It says it does not train AI models on your data. A 30-day money-back guarantee on the first subscription.
Watch out
No scene planning or story bible of the kind novel apps have. The pricing page does not name its models. Credits reset monthly and do not roll over.
Price
Basic $8 a month billed yearly ($96), Pro $16 ($192), Max $64 ($768). Monthly billing costs more.
Best for AI as an optional extra in a full writing app
LivingWriter is a complete writing app first, with planning boards, templates and Story Elements, and native apps on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. AI sits on top, on the Pro + AI plan: chat, analysis, rewriting, outlines, summaries, element generation and even converting a book to a screenplay. Every AI feature is optional, and LivingWriter says it does not train on your manuscript, notes or Story Elements.
Good
Apps on every platform. Screenplay formatting. A free plan for the writing tools. Clear opt-in AI.
Watch out
Unlimited AI needs the top plan. Its models are not named on the pages we read. The pricing page did not load prices when we checked.
Price
Free plan, then Pro and Pro + AI. A 7-day trial for $0.99.
NovelAI, from Anlatan, is built for storytelling with the AI as co-author: you write a few lines and it continues, as far as you want to go. A Lorebook holds world details, and a text adventure mode turns stories into interactive fiction. Story generation runs on GLM 4.6, with NovelAI's own models on the top tier, and anime image generation is bundled in.
Good
Stories are end-to-end encrypted and NovelAI says it cannot read them; prompts are processed and not stored. Unlimited text generation from $10.
Watch out
Not a manuscript tool: no chapters, outlines or book export pipeline. The largest context is on the most expensive tier.
Price
Tablet $10, Scroll $15 and Opus $25, each renewing every 30 days. A free trial of 50 text generations.
Squibler is an AI book and screenplay generator with an editor attached, and its site advertises generating a full 200 to 300 page book. It is the most automated option on this list, for people who want a draft to react to more than a tool to write with. Squibler says you keep full ownership of what you create, generate or upload.
Good
A free plan with 500 AI credits every month. Unlimited AI credits on Pro. PDF and DOCX export on paid plans.
Watch out
Export needs a paid plan. We found no statement on training in the pages we read. A generated book is a starting point, and a long one to revise.
Price
Plus $29.99 a month, or $15.83 a month billed yearly. Pro $89.99 a month, or $49.17 a month billed yearly.
Best for talking through plot and character outside the manuscript
Anthropic's Claude is a general assistant, not a writing app, but many novelists keep it open to argue with: why a motive feels thin, what a chapter is really about, how a 1930s orchard would be run. It does not hold your manuscript structure, so you paste passages in and copy ideas out.
Good
A thoughtful conversation partner for story problems. Free plan. Apps on desktop and mobile.
Watch out
No chapters, story bible or export. Anthropic uses consumer chats for training if you allow it in settings, if a chat is flagged for safety review, or if you opt in.
Price
Free. Pro $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly. Max from $100 a month.
OpenAI's ChatGPT is the quickest way to get twenty names for a mining town or a summary of how a Victorian inquest worked. Like Claude, it lives outside your manuscript, and keeping a long story consistent across many chats is up to you.
Good
Broad knowledge, fast. A free plan and a cheap Go plan. Apps everywhere.
Watch out
No manuscript structure. On individual plans OpenAI may use your conversations to train its models unless you turn off "Improve the model for everyone", and feedback you give can still send a conversation for training.
Price
Free. Go $8 a month, Plus $20 a month, Pro from $100 a month.
No AI tool simply knows your book. Each request goes to a model with context: some of your text and some notes about the story. The tools differ in what goes into that context and in whether you can see and change it. That matters more than any marketing line about memory.
Feldar draws on the scene outline of the chapter, the Canvas cards for your characters, places and plot, and your voice sample. You can read and edit all of them.
Sudowrite uses its Story Bible: characters, outline and notes, shared across a series if you use Series Folders.
Novelcrafter uses Codex entries and lets you preview the exact prompt, so you can see what the model is told and keep chosen scenes out.
NovelAI uses a Lorebook of world details alongside the recent text.
Claude and ChatGPT know what is in the conversation. Start a new chat and you start again.
A practical test: on a trial, ask each tool to continue a scene that depends on a detail from fifty pages earlier, such as a character's injury or a promise made. See which tool gets it right, and whether you can tell why.
What a year of AI writing costs
The cheapest plan that includes AI, priced over a year. Credits are not comparable between tools, so draft one real chapter on a trial before you decide which plan you need.
Tool
Cheapest plan with AI
Over a year
Notes
Feldar Ours
Core
$180 billed yearly, or $240 monthly
20,000 credits a month. Starter is free with 500 credits once.
Sudowrite
Hobby & Student
$120 billed yearly, or $228 monthly
Higher plans for heavy drafting.
Novelcrafter
Hobbyist
$96 monthly, less with yearly billing
Plus whatever your AI provider charges.
Type.ai
Basic
$96 billed yearly
Credits reset monthly.
NovelAI
Tablet
About $122 ($10 every 30 days)
Unlimited text generation.
Squibler
Plus
About $190 billed yearly
A free plan gives 500 AI credits a month.
Claude
Pro
$200 billed yearly, or $240 monthly
Free plan available.
ChatGPT
Go or Plus
$96 (Go) or $240 (Plus) monthly
Free plan available.
LivingWriter
Pro + AI
Price did not load when we checked
Writing tools free on the free plan.
Worked out from the prices on each company's pricing page, checked 5 to 8 November 2026. Taxes not included.
Questions
Can AI write a whole novel?
Some tools will generate one; Squibler advertises a full-length book from a prompt. Whether it is a novel you would want to put your name on is another matter. Most working novelists use AI for the parts they find hardest, a stuck scene, a flat paragraph, a plot hole, and write the rest themselves.
Which AI model is best for fiction?
There is no single answer, and the models change every few months. Sudowrite has its own fiction models, Muse and Ballad. Novelcrafter lets you connect almost any model. Feldar lets you choose between OpenAI's GPT-6 models and Anthropic's Claude 5.5 models for features such as Chat and Draft Page. Try the same scene with two models before you commit.
Is it allowed to publish a novel written with AI?
Usually, with conditions. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing asks you to disclose AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish, but not AI-assisted work such as editing or brainstorming on text you wrote. Some contests and publishers refuse AI-generated text entirely, so read their rules. Keeping a record of your process helps; Feldar's Writing record does this automatically for work written in Feldar.
Will an AI writing tool use my novel to train its models?
Feldar, Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, Type.ai and LivingWriter say they do not. NovelAI encrypts stories end to end. On consumer plans, OpenAI may train on ChatGPT conversations unless you opt out, and Anthropic trains on Claude chats if you allow it. We found no statement from Squibler in the pages we read.
What is the best free AI for writing a novel?
For a full writing app, Feldar's Starter plan (500 credits, no card) or Squibler's free plan (500 AI credits a month). For brainstorming, the free plans of ChatGPT and Claude. NovelAI gives 50 free generations, and Sudowrite and Novelcrafter have free trials.
Can AI keep track of characters across a whole novel?
Only as well as the context it is given. Tools with a story bible (Feldar's Canvas, Sudowrite's Story Bible, Novelcrafter's Codex, NovelAI's Lorebook) do better than a plain chat, because the facts about your characters travel with each request. Keep those notes up to date and test the tool on a detail from early in the book.
Sources
Checked 5 to 8 November 2026. Facts come from these official pages; the opinions are ours.
