Versorium and the alternatives
Price, where your novel lives, history, AI and more for 29 alternatives, as each one’s own website gave them on 4 October 2026. Every fact has its source, and where another app is ahead, that is here too.
A dash (—) means its website doesn’t say, not that it lacks it. A “No” about another app appears only where that app’s own website says so.
Price and AI
“Three years”: the cheapest way to use it for three years, at list price, before tax. AI that comes from someone else (your subscription, your API key) is paid for separately.
| App | Price | Three years | AI | Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VersoriumDesktop · novels | Free | $0 | None, a model inside the app, Ollama, a local server such as LM Studio, or Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode on your own subscription | No |
| For writing novels | ||||
| Scrivener 3Desktop · novelssources | $59.99 once per platform (macOS or Windows); both, $95.98; iOS, $23.99 | $59.99 | Not stated on its website | Licence with a serial number |
| DabbleWeb, desktop and phone · novelssources | $19, $29 or $49 a month; 20% off paid yearly; lifetime Author, $699 | $547.20 | None, by design | Yes |
| AtticusDesktop and web · write and formatsources | $147 once | $147 | Not stated on its website | Yes |
| Reedsy StudioWeb · write and formatsources | Free; Craft, $4.99 a month; Outlining, $7.99 a month | $0 | Not stated on its website | Yes |
| PlottrDesktop · plottingsources | $80 a year or $199 lifetime (on sale: $60 and $150); Pro, $99 a year or $699 (on sale: $599) | $199 | None (“No AI”) | Not stated on its website |
| novelWriterDesktop · novels · open sourcesources | Free | $0 | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| ManuskriptDesktop · novels · open sourcesources | Free | $0 | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| bibiscoDesktop and phone · novels · open sourcesources | Open source; Everywhere, separately, with a 14-day trial | $0 | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| yWriterDesktop and phone · novelssources | Free on Windows | $0 | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| With paid AI | ||||
| SudowriteWeb and phone · AIsources | $10, $22 or $44 a month paid yearly; $19, $29 or $59 month to month | $360 | Its own and 30+ models, on credits (225,000 to 2,000,000 a month) | Yes |
| NovelcrafterWeb · AI (your key or local)sources | $4, $8, $14 or $20 a month; $40, $80, $140 or $200 a year | $120 | Your own API key or local models (Ollama, LM Studio), from Hobbyist; Claude only through OpenRouter | Yes |
| NovelAIWeb · AIsources | $10, $15 or $25 a month | $360 | Its own, by subscription | Yes |
| SquiblerWeb · AIsources | Free (1,000 credits a month); Plus, $29.99 a month or $15.83 paid yearly; Pro, $89.99 or $49.17 | $0 | Its own, on credits | Yes |
| For writing in general | ||||
| NotionWeb, desktop and phone · notes and docssources | Free, $0; Plus, $10, and Business, $20, a member a month, paid yearly | $0 | Notion AI on Business and Enterprise; on Free and Plus, a few trial responses | Yes |
| Google DocsWeb and phone · documentssources | Free with a Google Account | $0 | Gemini, with Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) | Yes (a Google Account) |
| Microsoft WordDesktop, web and phone · documentssources | Microsoft 365 Personal, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year; Office Home 2024, $179.99 once | $179.99 | Copilot, in the Microsoft 365 plans | A Microsoft account, for Microsoft 365 |
| ObsidianDesktop and phone · Markdown notessources | Free app; Sync from $4 a month; Publish from $8 a month | $0 | Not stated on its website | No (“no sign-up required”) |
| UlyssesMac, iPhone and iPad · writingsources | $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month (US prices) | $119.97 | Not stated on its website | Bought in the App Store |
| iA WriterDesktop and phone · Markdown writingsources | Once: Mac $49.99, Windows $39.99, iPhone and iPad $49.99; Android, a subscription | $39.99–49.99 | Marks text written by AI | Not stated on its website |
| Open source, with AI or agents | ||||
| Novel EngineDesktop · novels with AI agents · open sourcesources | Free | $0 | Claude Code on your subscription, Codex CLI, Ollama, llama-server | No (“no accounts”) |
| Siming (司命)Desktop (Windows) and Android · novels with AI · open sourcesources | Free | $0 | Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or DeepSeek Harness on your computer, APIs, or local models with llama.cpp | Not stated on its website |
| DenovaDesktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) · novels and role-play with AI · open sourcesources | Open source | $0 | Its own agents, Codex or Claude Code; set up with your API key | Not stated on its website |
| OpenWriterIn the browser, locally · writing with agents over MCP · open sourcesources | Open source | $0 | Your agent’s, over MCP (24 tools) | Not stated on its website |
| VelaDesktop · writing with AI · open sourcesources | Open source | $0 | Your own API key and Ollama; connects to MCP servers | Not stated on its website |
| Augmented | Free | $0 | llama.cpp or Ollama on your machine, or cloud APIs | No |
| OpenWriteWeb, hosted or self-hosted · writing with AI · open sourcesources | No subscription; open source | $0 | Your own API key, Ollama included | Yes (email and password) |
| OpenNovelTerminal · novels with agents · open sourcesources | Open source | $0 | API keys through LiteLLM; a 4-tool MCP server | Not stated on its website |
| scrivener-mcpMCP server for Scrivener · open sourcesources | Open source (needs Scrivener) | $59.99 | Your MCP client’s; some tools need your API key | Not stated on its website |
| awesome-novel-agentSkills for terminal agentssources | Free for personal use; commercial use needs a licence | $0 | Inside Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Grok Build and others | Not stated on its website |
With Versorium, AI can cost nothing: the app’s own model and Ollama are free, Codex comes even with ChatGPT’s free plan, within its limits, and OpenCode brings free models or signs in with your ChatGPT Plus or GitHub Copilot account. If you already pay for Claude Pro ($20 a month, or $17 paid yearly) or ChatGPT Plus ($20), Versorium uses that and charges nothing on top.
Your novel: where it lives and how it comes back
| App | Where it lives | History | Offline | Phone | Open source | Exports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VersoriumDesktop · novels | Markdown files in a folder you own | A git snapshot every minute, before AI writes and before a deletion; a log of every change; no expiry. Going back to one needs git, for now | Yes | No | Yes, AGPL-3.0 | Markdown, DOCX, EPUB 3, PDF, Scrivener |
| For writing novels | ||||||
| Scrivener 3Desktop · novelssources | A Scrivener project on your disk | Snapshots you can return to; automatic backups on open and close | Desktop app | iOS ($23.99); syncs through Dropbox | No | Word, RTF, OpenOffice, Final Draft, PDF, EPUB |
| DabbleWeb, desktop and phone · novelssources | Your device and its cloud, synced | Versions you can restore, on paid plans; cloud backups | Yes, offline-first | iOS and Android, as a web app | No | Manuscript-format DOCX, Google Docs, web and Markdown; PDF by printing |
| AtticusDesktop and web · write and formatsources | Saves as you write, backed up to its cloud | Version control “coming soon” | Yes | In the browser, phones included | No | EPUB, PDF, DOCX |
| Reedsy StudioWeb · write and formatsources | Its cloud | 30 days free; unlimited with Craft | Not yet | Not stated on its website | No | EPUB and typeset PDF |
| PlottrDesktop · plottingsources | On your device; with Pro, in its cloud | Not stated on its website | Yes | With Pro, its web and mobile apps | No | Word, Scrivener |
| novelWriterDesktop · novels · open sourcesources | A folder of plain text files on your disk | Automatic zip backup on close | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, GPL-3.0 | ODT, DOCX, PDF, HTML, EPUB, Markdown |
| ManuskriptDesktop · novels · open sourcesources | Open, plain text files on your disk | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, GPL-3.0 | HTML, ePub, OpenDocument, DOCX and more |
| bibiscoDesktop and phone · novels · open sourcesources | The desktop app; syncs with Everywhere | Manages revisions | Not stated on its website | Android, iPhone and iPad, with Everywhere | Yes, GPL-3.0 | PDF, DOCX, TXT |
| yWriterDesktop and phone · novelssources | On your computer; on the phone, through Dropbox | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Android and iOS | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| With paid AI | ||||||
| SudowriteWeb and phone · AIsources | Its web app | Document history and a trash, in the web app | Not stated on its website | iOS and Android (a companion app) | No | DOCX and ZIP; the Story Bible as CSV |
| NovelcrafterWeb · AI (your key or local)sources | Its web app | Revisions you can restore | No (“only with an active internet connection”) | Not stated on its website | No | DOCX and Markdown; to Scrivener and Atticus |
| NovelAIWeb · AIsources | Its servers, encrypted; or your browser | Not stated on its website | No (“a stable internet connection”) | In the phone’s browser | No | Its .story and .scenario formats; plain text |
| SquiblerWeb · AIsources | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | No | PDF and DOCX (Plus) |
| For writing in general | ||||||
| NotionWeb, desktop and phone · notes and docssources | Its cloud (AWS; in the US by default) | A version every 10 minutes; 7, 30 or 90 days by plan, unlimited on Enterprise; restorable | Pages you download | iOS and Android | No | PDF, HTML, Markdown and CSV |
| Google DocsWeb and phone · documentssources | Online | Version history you can restore | Yes | iOS and Android | No | DOCX, ODT, RTF, PDF, TXT, HTML, EPUB, Markdown |
| Microsoft WordDesktop, web and phone · documentssources | Your files or OneDrive | Not stated on its website | Desktop app | Phones and tablets, with Microsoft 365 | No | Not stated on its website |
| ObsidianDesktop and phone · Markdown notessources | A folder of Markdown files on your device | File recovery on your device, 7 days by default; with Sync, 1 month (Standard) or 12 months (Plus) | Yes | iOS and Android | No | Not stated on its website |
| UlyssesMac, iPhone and iPad · writingsources | Its library, synced through iCloud | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | iPhone and iPad | Not stated on its website | PDF, Word, ebooks and blogs |
| iA WriterDesktop and phone · Markdown writingsources | Plain text files in Markdown | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | iOS and Android | No | PDF, Word, HTML |
| Open source, with AI or agents | ||||||
| Novel EngineDesktop · novels with AI agents · open sourcesources | Markdown files on your disk | Every change snapshotted, up to 50 versions per file; one-click restore | With Ollama | Not stated on its website | Yes, AGPL-3.0 | Markdown, DOCX, EPUB (with Pandoc) |
| Siming (司命)Desktop (Windows) and Android · novels with AI · open sourcesources | A database on your computer, mirrored as Markdown | A snapshot before and after each chapter is written; diffs and restore | On Android, a copy you can edit offline | Android | Yes, Apache-2.0 | TXT, Word and PDF |
| DenovaDesktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) · novels and role-play with AI · open sourcesources | Markdown documents in the project folder | Local versions; diffs and restore | Not stated on its website | On the phone’s home screen | Yes, Apache-2.0 | Not stated on its website |
| OpenWriterIn the browser, locally · writing with agents over MCP · open sourcesources | .md files on your disk | Snapshots with rollback; pushes to GitHub | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, MIT | Markdown, HTML, Word, plain text and PDF |
| VelaDesktop · writing with AI · open sourcesources | A SQLite database on your computer | Not stated on its website | Yes | Not stated on its website | Yes, GPL-3.0 | Not stated on its website |
| Augmented | Folders on your computer | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, GPL-3.0 | Not stated on its website |
| OpenWriteWeb, hosted or self-hosted · writing with AI · open sourcesources | A database (D1/SQLite) | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, AGPL-3.0 | Markdown (DOCX and EPUB “planned”) |
| OpenNovelTerminal · novels with agents · open sourcesources | Markdown and a SQLite ledger | Snapshots; changes with diffs and rollback | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, MIT | Not stated on its website |
| scrivener-mcpMCP server for Scrivener · open sourcesources | Your Scrivener project | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, AGPL-3.0 | Not stated on its website |
| awesome-novel-agentSkills for terminal agentssources | The project folder | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | AGPL-3.0; commercial use needs a licence | Not stated on its website |
Where others are ahead
- Going back to a version inside the app: Scrivener (snapshots), Dabble and Google Docs (versions), Novelcrafter (revisions), Notion (history), Obsidian (file recovery), Novel Engine, Siming and Denova. In Versorium, today, that needs git.
- Your phone: Scrivener (iOS), Dabble (as a web app), Notion, Sudowrite, Obsidian, iA Writer, Google Docs, Word, bibisco (with Everywhere), yWriter, Plottr (with Pro) and Siming (Android). Versorium has no phone app.
- Syncing devices: Dabble, Obsidian Sync, Scrivener through Dropbox, bibisco Everywhere, Ulysses through iCloud, Plottr Pro, Siming (between desktop and Android, through a Gateway you run), and the cloud apps. Versorium relies on GitHub and on backups to a synced folder.
- Writing with other people: Google Docs, Notion, Dabble (co-authoring), Novelcrafter (Specialist plan), Plottr Pro (in real time) and Obsidian Sync (shared vaults). Versorium is for one writer.
- Years of use and more systems tried: Scrivener, Obsidian, novelWriter and bibisco (since 2014, in 15 languages). Versorium came out on 4 October 2026 and has been tried on macOS, Windows 11 and Ubuntu; its installers are unsigned.
- Formatting for print: Atticus, Reedsy Studio and Scrivener’s Compile.
- Plotting: Plottr and Dabble’s Plot Grid.
- More AI: Sudowrite (30+ models; chat and dictation in its app), Novelcrafter (many providers), Notion (agents), Novel Engine (from pitch to book), Siming and Denova (agents and tasks). Versorium’s AI rewrites and checks continuity: no chat, no search by meaning, no dictation, and it doesn’t detect Grok or Gemini CLI.
Where Versorium is ahead
- Price: $0, no plans. It resells no AI: it uses what you already pay for, or a free model on your computer.
- Your novel, in your own files: Markdown in a folder that opens without the app, as in Obsidian, iA Writer, novelWriter, Novel Engine or OpenWriter.
- History with no expiry, like Scrivener’s snapshots; what’s different is a git snapshot every minute without your asking, another before AI writes, and a log of every change. Notion keeps 7 to 90 days by plan (unlimited only on Enterprise); Reedsy, 30 days free; Obsidian, 7 days on your device or, with Sync, 1 or 12 months; Novel Engine, 50 versions per file.
- No account, and it works offline. Novelcrafter, Reedsy and NovelAI, according to their own websites, need a connection.
- AI on your terms: none, a model on your computer, or the tool you already pay for. Novelcrafter, according to its own website, can’t use a Claude Pro subscription.
- Its own MCP: read-only until you allow writing, with a snapshot before every write.
- The trade’s formats, both ways: it exports manuscript-format DOCX, EPUB 3 (it passes epubcheck), PDF and Scrivener, and imports DOCX, EPUB, Scrivener and Markdown.
- Open source (AGPL-3.0), like novelWriter, bibisco, Novel Engine or Siming.
October 2026 We haven’t found another app that brings all of this together.
The founding question
Versorium began with a question, on 11 September 2026: is there a novel-writing app that detects the AIs you already pay for or already run (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Ollama), uses them through your own subscription, and has its own MCP? The answer was no: some apps charge for AI or ask for your API key, and other tools live in the terminal, with no desk to write at. The closest was Novel Engine.
Checked again on 4 October 2026: Novel Engine drives Claude Code on your subscription, Codex and Ollama, and keeps Markdown on your disk with no cloud or accounts; its repository mentions no MCP of its own. Two more, both open source, didn’t come up then: Siming (司命), for Windows and Android, uses Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, local models through llama.cpp and an MCP of its own, and keeps the novel in a database mirrored as Markdown; Denova works with its own agents, Codex or Claude Code, and keeps local versions. Tools built around MCP have arrived too (OpenWriter, scrivener-mcp, and Notion’s official MCP, hosted in its cloud), and new terminal tools such as Grok Build, which Versorium doesn’t detect yet.
| Tool | Uses your AI subscription | Models on your computer | Its own MCP | A desk for the novel | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versorium | Yes: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | Yes: built in, Ollama or LM Studio | Yes: read-only until you allow writing | Yes | Git every minute, and every change |
| Novel Engine | Yes: Claude Code, Codex | Yes: Ollama, llama-server | Not stated on its website | Seven agents, from pitch to book | Snapshots, up to 50 per file |
| Siming (司命) | Yes: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | Yes: llama.cpp | Yes | Yes, on Windows and Android | Snapshots before and after each chapter |
| Denova | Yes: Codex, Claude Code | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Yes, for novels and role-play | Local versions |
| OpenWriter | Your agent drives it over MCP | Not stated on its website | Yes: 24 tools | Not stated on its website | Snapshots; pushes to GitHub |
| scrivener-mcp | Your MCP client | Not stated on its website | Yes, for Scrivener | Scrivener | Scrivener’s snapshots |
| awesome-novel-agent | Runs inside Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Grok Build | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website | Not stated on its website |
| OpenNovel | API keys (LiteLLM) | Yes, through LiteLLM | Yes: 4 tools | In the terminal | Diffs and rollback |
| Novelcrafter | Not with Claude Pro, according to its website | Yes: Ollama, LM Studio | Not stated on its website | Yes, on the web | Revisions you can restore |
It keeps improving
v0.1.0, the first release, came out on 4 October 2026: 229 changes in three weeks, the first on 14 September. v0.1.1 followed hours later, with its first fixes. What comes next is written in plain sight:
- On the list, already thought through: seeing what changed between two versions, as a code editor shows it; going back to a version inside the app; choosing when backups run; notes anchored anywhere in the text; and writing the synopses.
- Specified, not started: a chat about the project, search by meaning, and dictation.
It is the list of pending work, not a promise with dates: TODO.md · releases · tell us what you miss.
Sources
All read on 4 October 2026, on each maker’s own website or repository.
- Versorium
- README: licence, no account or telemetry · FORMATS.md: export and import · TODO.md: what is on the list · Release 0.1.0, the first · Release 0.1.1, with fixes · Limits and details ·
- Scrivener 3
- Store: prices per platform, iOS and 30-day trial · Features: snapshots, backups, export · FAQ: licence, serial number, updates · Help: projects are saved on your disk · End-user licence (PDF) ·
- Dabble
- Pricing and plans, mobile, where it stores · On any device; backups · AI-free, by design · View and restore versions · Working offline · On the phone, as a web app; account · Export your manuscript · Terms: all rights reserved ·
- Reedsy Studio
- Features, history, account; offline “not yet” · Add-on pricing · Terms: its code ·
- Plottr
- List and sale prices, storage, offline; with Pro, cloud and collaboration; “No AI” · Features, export, apps · Licence terms ·
- novelWriter
- What it is, how it stores, systems · Code (GPL-3.0) and release 2026.2.1 · Docs: manuscript formats · Docs: backups on close ·
- Manuskript
- Code (GPL-3.0), formats and release 0.17.0 ·
- bibisco
- What it is; systems; since 2014; 15 languages · Everywhere: phone and sync · Code (GPL-3.0), revisions and export ·
- Sudowrite
- Pricing (yearly and monthly) and credits · iOS and Android app · Web app and mobile app; document history · Export · Terms: account and rights ·
- Novelcrafter
- Pricing and plans (AI from Hobbyist) · Claude: only through OpenRouter · Ollama, on your computer · LM Studio, on your computer · Online only · Web app · Revision history · Export · Terms: its intellectual property ·
- NovelAI
- What it is · Tiers and prices · FAQ: storage, connection, phone, export · Terms: its ownership ·
- Squibler
- Pricing, credits and export · What it is · Terms: account and its code ·
- Notion
- Pricing, history by plan, offline · Notion AI: which plans · Version history and restore · Where data is stored · iOS and Android apps · Export · Its MCP server, hosted in its cloud · Personal use terms ·
- Google Docs
- Docs: online, offline, phone, account · Help: restore an earlier version · Export formats · Google AI Pro (Gemini in Docs) · Google’s terms ·
- Microsoft Word
- Plans, prices and Copilot · Services Agreement: the software ·
- Obsidian
- Free app; Sync (with shared vaults) and Publish; no sign-up · Notes in Markdown, in your own folder · File recovery · Sync’s version history: 1 month (Standard) or 12 (Plus) · iOS and Android apps · Licence: its code ·
- Ulysses
- Pricing · Features, iCloud, export ·
- Novel Engine
- Code (AGPL-3.0), README and v0.9.4 · Technical notes: history ·
- Siming (司命)
- Code (Apache-2.0), README and v3.5.0 ·
- OpenWriter
- Code (MIT), MCP and v0.42.0 ·
- AugmentedQuill
- Code (GPL-3.0) and v0.9.2 ·
- OpenWrite
- Code (AGPL-3.0) ·
- OpenNovel
- Code (MIT) and MCP server ·
- scrivener-mcp
- Code (AGPL-3.0) and tools ·
- awesome-novel-agent
- Code, licence and v4.28.0 ·
- The AI you may already pay for or use
- Claude Pro includes Claude Code · Codex in ChatGPT plans, Free included · Ollama on your machine: free and unlimited · OpenCode, with your ChatGPT or Copilot account · Grok Build ·
How this was made
Every price and feature comes from the maker’s own website or repository, read on 4 October 2026 in a browser: some shops only show their prices once the page has loaded. Prices are in US dollars, as each shop showed them, and change with country, tax and promotions. “Three years” is our arithmetic, at list prices.
A dash means the website doesn’t say; a “No” about another app appears only where that app’s own website says so. The open-source tools were found through GitHub. If one is missing, or something has changed or is wrong, write to hola@maecly.com or open an issue, and it is corrected with its date. Names belong to their owners and are used here only to compare; there are no logos.