Posted on May 20, 2020
Novlr Review: The Best Writing Software for You?
In a writerâs eternal quest for productivity, one cannot overstate the value of a solid piece of writing software. Fortunately, thereâs no shortage of great novel writing software out there â including Novlr, an online writing app thatâs been built âby writers, for writers,â according to the siteâs tagline.
Novlr has made a decent name for itself over the last couple years. But what does it actually offer writers, and who will get the most out of its features? Read on to find out how those features stack up to other writing programs like Scrivener, Plottr, and the Reedsy Book Editor. Letâs dive right in!
What is Novlr?
Novlr is an online novel-writing app that includes a word processor, a progress-tracking dashboard, and export capabilities for your book. Its cloud-based platform will automatically back up your writing whenever you're online, so it's basically Google Docs made specifically for novelists.
If you want to cut straight to the chase and find out whether it's the right writing app for you, we recommend taking this quick 30-second quiz.
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How much does Novlr cost?
As you might expect, this author-customized experience comes at a price. Novlrâs subscription costs $10/month or $100/year, which really adds up over time! Unlike some of its rivals, Novlr doesnât have a one-time license fee option, and the free trial only lasts for two weeks â though you will have access to the full range of features during that period.
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In other words, if you get through the two-week trial and want to continue with Novlr, prepare to pay up. Still, the author-focused features (which weâll analyze below) may be worth it for you. If your interest is piqued, keep reading; weâll start by reviewing the app's word processor.
Novlr word processor
When you log into Novlr, the first thing youâll see is the space where youâll actually write your book (shown here in Day mode). This sleek interface is complete with toolbars on either side of your text: one for chapter and character outlines, the other for formatting and aesthetic preferences.
Either sidebar can be minimized by clicking the corresponding arrow, or by selecting âFocus Modeâ on the right, which causes the sidebars and Novlr header to fade out as you type.
Other formatting options include:Â
- Paragraphs indents
- Toggling between âstraightâ and âcurlyâ quotes
- Adding chapter numbers to the left-hand sidebar
- Changing the font size (handy if you find that a larger font helps you write faster!)
Also note that choosing a new indent option or font size automatically updates all the text in your book, which is convenient for authors who like to experiment with their formatting.
Story planning features
Novlrâs chapter and character outlines are fairly basic â unlike Plottr and similar programs, this app doesnât come with fill-in-the-blank story templates. However, some authors may find its guidelines refreshing compared to the strict mandates of typical plot and character templates.

Easy on the eyes
Perhaps the most appealing feature of Novlrâs word processor is the ability to choose different color schemes â they have a Day theme (seen above), an Evening theme, and a Night theme. This might seem like a minor detail, but itâs a nice indicator of Novlrâs consideration for user experience.
Overall, the Novlr word processor is light on features, but its relative simplicity may be a boon for authors who just want to focus on writing. Focus Mode helps tune out distractions, and being able to instantly change the formatting of everything youâve written can save precious minutes that are better spent on your story.
Editing assistance
Though no writing software can replace a human editor, Novlr makes a decent attempt with its Proof Reader tool. Once youâve finished writing a section and want to check it for errors, you can switch on Proof Reader via the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the page. The tool will highlight spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as stylistic inhibitors such as passive voice and weak adjectives.

Weâd say Novlrâs Proof Reader is roughly on par with the free version of Grammarly â which is no small achievement. The Proof Reader is better than the built-in spellcheckers of MS Word and Google Docs, which detect only the most basic errors, and sometimes not even those. But donât expect the Proof Reader to catch things like repetitive sentence structure and descriptive inconsistencies! For that, again, youâll need a copy editor.
No collaborative editing
This brings us to the bigger issue hindering Novlrâs editing capacity: the author is the only person allowed to edit their work. This means you canât have collaborative editing with Novlr as you would with Google Docs or the Reedsy Book Editor. You can give someone else your login, but youâll struggle to keep track of who made which changes â and even multiple rounds of self-editing might present a problem.
Needless to say, if youâre hoping to edit in-app, Novlr may not be the best choice. Youâll likely find yourself copying the manuscript to edit in another program, which is a royal pain.
And why do that when you can edit collaboratively (track changes and all) with the Reedsy Book Editor? Click here to try it for free.
Progress tracking
Speaking of tracking, letâs talk about the progress tracking features of the Novlr dashboard. As with its word processor, these features are also fairly minimal, but perhaps wisely so; extensive analytics in writing software can distract from the writing itself. In any case, there are two tabs on the Novlr dashboard that will be useful for progress tracking, which weâll cover below.
1. Setting goals: daily and monthly
The Goals tab invites you to set a daily word count goal and a monthly goal, so you can plot your progress in both the short and long term. A fun addition to this tab is the âStreakâ section which tells you, Ă la Snapchat, how many days in a row youâve hit your word count goal!
Not sure what to aim for? Head over to our post about setting writing goals.
2. Productivity analytics
The other progress-tracking feature is Novlrâs Analytics tab, which shows figures for your word count, the amount of time youâve spent writing, and your average pace. However, this Analytics tab will only give stats for today, this month, and this year â it canât tell you exactly how much youâve written each day, nor will it graph your progress over time.
That said, we think this approach to progress-tracking strikes a nice balance between no tracking at all and meticulous bean-counting that can put pressure on you as a writer. With Novlrâs Goals and Analytics tabs, youâll know what you need to get done and have a good sense of your progress, but you wonât be obsessing over your word count every day.
Formatting and exporting
In addition to all its writing-based features, Novlr also allows authors to format and export their work for ebook publication (print-friendly formatting is not yet available). To do this, navigate to the Publishing tab of the dashboard, upload your cover image, and click the button that says âDownload EPUBâ.
Limited formatting options
However, if you do export your book through Novlr, you should expect a pretty bare-bones final product. Novlr doesnât provide specialized formatting for front and back matter (though it does auto-generate a table of contents), nor does it have different style templates to choose from â youâre getting basic chapter headings and a serif font, no matter what.

To be fair, this doesnât look bad, but the lack of options may be frustrating for authors who want elements like dedication pages and acknowledgements sections in their books.
Leave no trace
Some authors may also be alarmed to find that Novlr doesnât just export the chapters youâve written, but everything youâve got in the word processor, including all your notes and character outlines. This can be easily remedied by deleting those sections before you export, but itâs a bit annoying that Novlr doesnât make the distinction on its own.
In summary, while Novlr technically does offer formatting and export services for your book, itâs not really meant for production and publication. If youâre in search of a writing app that will help you on that side as well, youâll need to look elsewhere.
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Novlr vs. Scrivener
So how does Novlr stack up to Scrivener? In many ways, these programs are direct competitors with similar features and target users. Here we'll compare the two, so you can decide which (if either) you want to try.
đ¸ Pricing. Novlr costs $10/month or $100/year, while Scrivener requires a one-time license fee of $45. Both also offer free trials, though Scrivenerâs is longer and more flexible.
đ¨ Aesthetics. Scrivenerâs interface is clunkier than Novlrâs simply because Scrivener has so many planning features â though for serious plotters, this may be worth the aesthetic sacrifice! However, we prefer Novlrâs streamlined, web-based interface.
đ Templates and outlines. Again, plotters love Scrivener because of the abundant planning options, and Novlr canât really compete. Scrivener not only offers scene-by-scene outlining, but also detailed templates for other forms â essays, scripts, and so on. If youâre thinking of turning the story in your head into anything other than a novel, go with Scrivener.
âąď¸ Progress tracking. Scrivener has a Writing History feature that shows how many words youâve written each day, plus an option to set Project Targets and observe scene-by-scene progress. However, having all these features in different places can be confusing; for this reason, we still prefer Novlrâs setup for progress tracking.
âď¸ Editing capabilities. Truth be told, neither Novlr nor Scrivener is exceptional in the editing department. Novlr offers the Proof Reader function, but makes collaborative editing almost impossible; conversely, Scrivener lets you compare versions to see whatâs been changed, but doesnât provide any in-app editing tools.
đ Formatting and exporting. Scrivener is a bit better than Novlr for formatting and exporting your book, if only because it offers two novel formatting templates rather than one. Honestly, if youâre formatting your book for publication, weâd recommend another approach.
Should you choose Novlr?
Novlr is a perfectly respectable piece of writing software â emphasis on the âwritingâ part. Its features are well-adapted for those who just want a nice space in which to build a story, especially if youâre intimidated by the steep learning curve of programs like Scrivener.
However, when it comes to editing, formatting, and exporting your book for publication, Novlr isnât the optimal tool. Of course, this may not be an issue for writers who arenât at all concerned about publication. If it is, weâd recommend the Reedsy Book Editor for editing and formatting, or you can write in Novlr and use a program like Vellum to format.
But if the only thing you care about is writing, Novlr might just help you surmount the challenge of finishing a book in the first place â especially if youâve never written one before.
Reedsy rating:Â 3/5
Still on the fence about which piece of writing software to use? Check out this list of the best writing tools in 2021.