What are the best Windows writing applications for novelists?

Question

WindowsProductivitySoftwareCreative Writing

What are the best Windows writing applications for novelists?

8

Options
Considered

36

User
Recs.

Feb 1, 2024

Last
Updated

7 Options Considered

Best Windows writing applications for novelists	Price	Platforms	Languages
-- Wavemaker	FREE	-	-
-- DramaQueen	$0 / $99 / $297	Windows, Mac, Linux	-
-- First Draft	14.99	Windows, MacOS	-
-- Quoll Writer	FREE	Windows	Java
-- Scrivener	$44.99	Windows, Mac, Linux (beta)	-

See Full List

yWriter

See flagged products

Built By the Slant team

Find the best product instantly.

4.7 star rating

Try it now - it's free

score 8 · Answer 1

Wavemaker

Top Con

No auto-save

Not a problem so long as you're diligent, it's stable and I've never lost data, and the software makes it easy to back up at the touch of a button....but user error can wipe things out without an auto save. See More

Top Pro

Free

IntelligentEnshag's Experience

Responsive developer, sensible features, massively cross-platform. See More

Top Pro

Convinient

Ruth's Experience

I really liked this app. It`s free and convenient, you can easily understand every tool of this app. I wrote so many blog posts and so on (https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-leaders-create-and-use-networks/) in this app, so cat totally recommend it! See More

Top Pro

Good design

ArtisticKhonvoum's Experience

Worked on all my devices - synced up via google drive, which was nice, and free See More

See All

score 3 · Answer 2

DramaQueen

Top Con

Interface is ugly and can be confusing due to the large number of features

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Mac, Linux

score 2 · Answer 3

First Draft

Top Pro

Tracks not just word count, but also time spent writing

Many writers don't aim for a word count, but instead aim for amount of time spent writing. First Draft allows you sets targets for word counts or writing times, with a calendar showing the full history of your writing done per day. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, MacOS

score 2 · Answer 4

Quoll Writer

score 3 · Answer 5

Scrivener

Top Con

Windows version lags behind Mac version

Scrivener's Mac version is updated more often and developed more quickly than the Windows version, As of August 2020, while the latest version for Mac is Scrivener 3, the latest stable Windows version is still 1.9.x - Scrivener 3 for Windows is still in beta. See More

Top Pro

Excellent tree-structure organisation system

In Scrivener, users can store their documents and notes within folders, which can also be stored within folders. This allows for users to write and organise their files in exactly the way they wish. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Mac, Linux (beta)

Notes:Yes

Reports:Yes

Revision tracking:Yes

See All Specs

Top Con

Very Expensive seeing that most software tehse days are free.

See All

score 2 · Answer 6

Dabble

Top Con

Dabble is less mature than Scrivener, so there are still a few small bugs

Top Pro

Dabble has a clean, uncluttered, and modern looking GUI interface

Top Con

Subscription plan rather than outright purchase

Top Pro

Dabble uses cloud storage so your work is always safe

Top Con

If you are already heavily invested in Scrivener, Dabble may not be for you

Top Pro

Dabble is easy to use from the start, with little to no learning curve, unlike Scrivener

See All

score 3 · Answer 7

7 Options Considered

My Recommendation for Wavemaker

My Recommendation for Wavemaker

No auto-save

Free

Convinient

Good design

My Recommendation for DramaQueen

My Recommendation for DramaQueen

Interface is ugly and can be confusing due to the large number of features

My Recommendation for First Draft

My Recommendation for First Draft

Tracks not just word count, but also time spent writing

My Recommendation for Quoll Writer

My Recommendation for Quoll Writer

My Recommendation for Scrivener

My Recommendation for Scrivener

Windows version lags behind Mac version

Excellent tree-structure organisation system

Very Expensive seeing that most software tehse days are free.

My Recommendation for yWriter

My Recommendation for yWriter

My Recommendation for Dabble

My Recommendation for Dabble

Dabble is less mature than Scrivener, so there are still a few small bugs

Dabble has a clean, uncluttered, and modern looking GUI interface

Subscription plan rather than outright purchase

Dabble uses cloud storage so your work is always safe

If you are already heavily invested in Scrivener, Dabble may not be for you

Dabble is easy to use from the start, with little to no learning curve, unlike Scrivener

Don't see your favorite option? Add it.

My Recommendation for Storyline Creator

My Recommendation for Storyline Creator

One sec!