The Novlr Alternative With a Free Tier and Visual Planning
Novlr is a clean, focused writing tool with excellent statistics. But its free plan stops at 2 projects, and it has no flowcharts or freeform canvases. Plotiar gives you flowcharts, ideaboards, and maps free, with AI on the Pro plan.
Common frustrations with Novlr
Free plan capped at 2 projects
Novlr's free plan allows 2 projects. More projects and version history need Starter ($10/month, or $8/month billed yearly) or Studio ($20/month, or $16/month billed yearly). Plotiar's free tier gives you 5 projects with full features, forever.
No flowcharts or freeform canvases
Novlr focuses on the writing itself but has no flowcharts for plotting story arcs, no freeform canvases for brainstorming, and no maps for worldbuilding. If you think visually, you'll need a separate app for planning.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
How Plotiar and Novlr compare on the features that matter for long-form writing.
Pricing
Free tier (5 projects) - Plus at $5/month or $50/year
Free (2 projects) - Starter $10/month or $96/year - Studio $20/month or $192/year
Free tier
Free forever - up to 5 projects with full features
Free plan - 2 projects with notes, planning grid, focus mode, and analytics
Page layout
Real A4 pages - what you see is what you print
Clean writing interface - exports follow your per-project font and spacing
Visual planning
Flowcharts for plotting, freeform ideaboards for brainstorming, and interactive maps
Note-powered planning grid for outlining - no flowcharts or freeform canvases
Export formats
TXT, DOCX, PDF, and EPUB
DOCX, PDF, ODT, RTF, and EPUB (EPUB on Studio)
Real-time collaboration
Live co-editing with cursors and comments ($5/month or $50/year)
No co-editing on standard plans - share links are read-only; a collaboration beta opened to co-owners in 2026-09
AI tools that read, never write (Pro plan)
AI chat, text inspection, manuscript analysis, and BYOK support (Pro plan, $12/mo with $2.50/week AI cap)
No AI reading and planning tools
AI reference generation (Pro plan)
AI Studio with 23 generators - character bibles, relationship maps, plot grids, family lineage, and more (Pro plan)
Not available
Writing statistics
Streaks, daily targets, velocity charts, activity heatmaps, and achievements (Plus plan)
Detailed writing statistics with daily targets, streaks, and analytics
Version history
Free: named snapshots, visual timeline, and one-click restore. Plus: branching drafts and side-by-side diff comparison.
Version history - 30 days on Starter, unlimited on Studio
What Plotiar offers that Novlr doesn't
Real Pages, Print-Ready Export
Write on actual A4 pages and export directly to PDF or EPUB when you're ready. No reformatting, no guesswork. Your manuscript goes from screen to print or digital store without extra steps.
AI Tools with BYOK Support (Pro plan)
On Plotiar's Pro plan ($12/month), get AI-powered feedback on your prose, analyze your manuscript, and chat with an AI assistant about your book - all with a $2.50/week spending cap. Bring your own API key for full control over costs. Novlr has no AI features built in.
Free Tier That Actually Works
Start with 5 projects, unlimited documents, flowcharts, ideaboards, maps, notes, tasks, and comments - all free, forever. No two-project cap. Upgrade to Plus only when you need collaboration or advanced export.
When Novlr might be the right choice
We believe in honest comparisons. Here's where Novlr still has an edge:
Clean, minimalist interface - Novlr's distraction-free design is beautifully simple. It stays out of your way and lets you focus purely on the words.
Flexible export - Novlr exports to DOCX, PDF, ODT, RTF, and EPUB, and every export follows your project's own font, spacing, and indent settings.
Novlr vs Plotiar FAQ
Common questions from writers comparing the two.
Ready to plan and write without the monthly fee?
Visual planning tools are free. AI reading and planning tools come with Pro. Upgrade only when you need to.
Free forever. No credit card required.