--- schema_type: "SoftwareApplication" entity_type: "Mobile Application" app_name: "Untold Novel - Story Planner" developer_entity: "Pascal Grote" bundle_id: "com.pgrote.untoldnovelapp" app_store_id: "6740824603" category: "Productivity" primary_platform: "ios" primary_monetization: "Paid" offline_capable: false market_region: "US" platforms: "iOS" app_last_updated: "2025-11-04" report_date: "2026-06-09" last_verified: "2026-06-09T13:55:39.608Z" report_version: "1.3.1" total_reviews: 8 overall_rating: 4.75 sentiment: "Thrilled" sentiment_score: 90 confidence: "low" confidence_score: 0.55 top_praise_theme: "Granular project organization tools help writers maintain focus on complex creative novel planning" top_complaint_theme: "Word count tracking fails to register progress when users input manual writing statistics" top_request_theme: "Customizable character species options to support non-human protagonists in creative writing projects" review_sample_size: 8 total_review_count: 4 analyzed_review_count: 4 data_age_days: 22 momentum_velocity: "steady" intelligence_version: 4 nemesis: "Story Planner for Writers" competitor_count: 6 tags: ["productivity", "paid", "thrilled sentiment", "mobile app", "app review", "app analysis", "fiction", "writers", "screenwriters"] canonical_url: "https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/com-pgrote-untoldnovelapp" license: "CC-BY-NC 4.0" content_version: "v2" --- # Untold Novel - Story Planner App Audit ## TL;DR {#tldr} - **Category**: Productivity · Paid - **Signal**: Rating 4.75 · Sentiment Thrilled - **Recent focus**: Word count tracking fails to register progress when users input manual writing statistics (top complaint) · Granular project organization tools help writers maintain focus on complex creative novel planning (top praise) · Customizable character species options to support non-human protagonists in creative writing projects (top request) > **TL;DR:** Untold Novel - Story Planner is a productivity app by Pascal Grote, rated 4.75/5 by 8 users, with Thrilled user sentiment (90/100), available on iOS. > > **Marlvel.ai App Intelligence** — Independent analysis. US Market. No publisher influence. > **Key Insight:** Untold Novel - Story Planner maintains Thrilled user sentiment (4.75/5 from 8 reviews), with users consistently praising granular project organization tools help writers maintain focus on complex creative novel planning. ## Quick Facts | Fact | Value | | :--- | :--- | | **Rating** | 4.75/5 (8 reviews) | | **User Mood** | Thrilled | | **Category** | Productivity | | **Developer** | Pascal Grote | | **Pricing** | Paid | | **Platforms** | iOS | | **Confidence** | Low (0.55/1.0) | | **Data Age** | 0d | ## Metadata & Market Performance - **Publisher:** Pascal Grote - **Category:** Productivity - **Target Audience:** Fiction writers and screenwriters seeking a structured, visual environment to manage complex narrative elements. - **Platforms:** iOS - **Version Audited:** 1.3.1 - **Audit Date:** 2026-06-09 - **Signal Count:** 4 reviews analyzed - **Confidence:** Low (0.55/1.0) - **App Store ID (iOS):** 6740824603 - **Bundle ID:** com.pgrote.untoldnovelapp - **Performance Trend:** Mixed - **Data Window:** Analysis based on signals collected up to 2026-06-09 ## Executive Snapshot **What it is:** Untold Novel is a productivity app for fiction writers to manage characters, timelines, and scenes on iOS. **Why users hire it:** Writers hire this tool to centralize complex narrative data, reducing the cognitive load of tracking story elements across multiple files. ## App DNA (Features & Intent) - **[Standard] Character Planner:** Tracks character traits, strengths, and flaws with image attachments * *User Intent:* Users expect intelligent, adaptive experiences that learn from their behavior. - **[Differentiator] Timeline Module:** Organizes story events and plot points chronologically - **[Differentiator] Location Planner:** Maps settings with distance tracking and custom icons * *User Intent:* Users value self-expression and personalized experiences. - **[Differentiator] Scene Crafting:** Layouts scenes with weather, atmosphere, and tension tracking * *User Intent:* Users want visibility into their own performance and progress. ## Market Position {#market-position} Untold Novel holds the #86 Paid position in the UK category, reflecting a niche but stable presence. The $14.99 price point positions it as a premium alternative to free-form note-taking apps. ## Monetization Strategy - **Model:** Paid - **Tiers:** One-time purchase at $14.99 - **Price:** iOS: $14.99 - **Analysis:** The one-time purchase model includes all updates for the current major version and promises free access to the upcoming macOS version. ## 🟢 User Sentiment (Low Confidence: 4 of 4 reviews analyzed) {#user-sentiment} - **Overall Rating:** 4.75/5 - **Platform Split:** iOS 4.8/5 (8 ratings) - **Overall Sentiment:** Thrilled ### Top Praises - **Granular project organization tools help writers maintain focus on complex creative novel planning** ### Top Complaints (Impact Areas) - **Word count tracking fails to register progress when users input manual writing statistics** - **Character data fails to persist when users attempt to add entries for new books** ### Top Requests (What Users Want) - **Customizable character species options to support non-human protagonists in creative writing projects** ## SWOT Analysis {#swot} **Core Strengths:** - Visual scene-crafting interface reduces cognitive load for complex narrative planning - One-time purchase model lowers barrier to entry for professional writers **Critical Frictions:** - Data-persistence bugs in character profiles erode trust in long-term project storage - Manual word count tracking fails to register progress for active users **Growth Levers:** - Expand character species options to capture the non-human protagonist fiction market - Develop macOS integration to increase utility for desktop-based professional authors **Market Threats:** - Story Planner's decade of domain-specific feature refinement creates a high switching cost - Horizontal productivity platforms like Notion offer free, template-based alternatives to specialized planning tools ## Recent Changes (v3 → v4) {#recent-changes} The app has gained clearer competitive positioning but faces material technical regressions in data persistence and tracking that threaten user retention. **Overall trend**: Mixed **Compared at**: 2026-06-09 ### High-impact changes - **[Declined] Emergence of critical data-persistence bugs** (sentiment) — New complaints report character data loss when adding entries for secondary books, undermining the app's reliability. ### Medium-impact changes - **[Improved] Repositioning of core modules** (features) — Timeline, Location, and Scene Crafting modules were upgraded from 'standard' to 'differentiator' competitive status. - **[Shifted] Expansion of target user base** (audience) — Target audience definition expanded from 'Novelists and creative writers' to include 'Fiction writers and screenwriters'. - **[Declined] Word count tracking failure** (sentiment) — New complaint theme identified where manual word count statistics fail to register progress. ## Rivals Landscape {#rivals} > Competitive positioning identified by AI analysis of app features, category, and market signals. ### Untold Novel - Story Planner vs Story Planner for Writers — Head to Head - **[Story Planner for Writers](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/com-literautas-storyplanner)** by Bartolome Masco Lopez: This is the only direct competitor in the qualified pool that shares the exact 'novel planning' niche and user intent. - **Moat strength:** Medium — durable but contestable - **Key differences:** - Provides dedicated character, location, and scene-tracking modules specifically for long-form fiction authors. - Offers a structured 'story arc' visualization tool that guides writers through the narrative planning process. - Maintains a specialized focus on the writing workflow rather than general-purpose note-taking or task management. - **Where Untold Novel - Story Planner wins:** - ✅ Untold Novel offers a more modern, streamlined interface that reduces the cognitive load for new writers. - ✅ The app provides a more intuitive onboarding experience for users who find complex planning tools overwhelming. - **Where Story Planner for Writers wins:** - ❌ Story Planner has a decade of domain-specific feature refinement, including advanced scene-sequencing and export capabilities. - ❌ The established user base provides a deeper repository of community-tested workflows for professional novel planning. - **Verdict:** The target app must double down on UX simplicity to differentiate from the feature-heavy, legacy-entrenched Story Planner. ### Peers (What They Do Better) - **[Notion: Notes, Tasks, AI](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/notion-id)** by Notion Labs, Incorporated: A horizontal productivity giant that serves as a flexible, albeit unspecialized, alternative for writers. - Offers a massive ecosystem of user-created templates specifically for novel planning and project management. - Integrates powerful AI writing assistants directly into the note-taking environment for real-time drafting support. - **[Ulysses: Writing App](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/ulysses-writing-app)** by Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG: A premium writing-focused tool that competes for the same professional author demographic. - Provides a distraction-free, typewriter-style interface optimized for long-form drafting rather than just planning. - Features seamless synchronization across Apple devices with a focus on professional-grade export and publishing formats. - **[Obsidian - Connected Notes](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/md-obsidian)** by Dynalist Inc.: A high-end note-taking tool favored by writers who prefer local-first, graph-based knowledge management. - Utilizes a bi-directional linking system that allows writers to map complex character and plot relationships. - Supports a vast plugin architecture that lets power users build custom novel-planning workflows from scratch. - **[Evernote](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/evernote)** by Evernote Corporation: A legacy note-taking platform that serves as a general repository for research and brainstorming. - Features powerful web-clipping tools that are highly effective for collecting research and inspiration for novels. - Provides robust cross-platform search capabilities that help writers retrieve scattered notes across multiple devices. ### New Kids on the Block (What's Innovative) - **[Milanote](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/milanote)** by Milanote: High release velocity indicates an aggressive push into the creative planning space. ## App Momentum (Steady) {#momentum} - Improved German translation in latest release. - Fixed crash on Rating Color dropdown. > **Cadence:** 5 total versions · 0 majors in last 6 months · 174 days since last update ## The "So What?" (Strategic Takeaway) {#so-what} Untold Novel - Story Planner is a market-leading productivity app that is a paid app. With a 4.75/5 rating from 8 reviews, it delivers strong user satisfaction. > **Bottom Line:** Untold Novel succeeds by offering a visual, specialized planning environment, but technical instability regarding data persistence threatens its long-term viability, so the PM must prioritize core reliability over new feature requests. **Best for:** Fiction writers and screenwriters seeking a structured, visual environment to manage complex narrative elements. ### PM Action Plan (Next Best Moves) - [ ] [INVEST] [HIGH IMPACT] Rebuild character data persistence logic because data loss is a top-reported blocker → increase long-term retention — *User reviews explicitly cite data loss when adding character profiles to secondary books.* _(trade-off: deprioritize Delay the character species customization request — data integrity is a prerequisite for user trust.)_ - [ ] [PIVOT] [MEDIUM IMPACT] Audit word count tracking module because manual input fails to register progress → improve daily usage metrics — *Users report manual word count entries remain stuck at zero, breaking the feedback loop.* _(trade-off: deprioritize Pause the German translation maintenance — functional tracking is more critical to core utility.)_ ### Feature Gaps vs Competitors - Real-time collaboration (available in Notion but absent here) - Advanced scene-sequencing (available in Story Planner but absent here) ### Outlook: Mixed The novel-planning market is consolidating around tools that offer either deep specialization or extreme flexibility. Untold Novel remains exposed to technical friction that prevents it from fully capitalizing on its visual-first differentiator, so the PM must stabilize the core data architecture to prevent users from migrating to more stable, general-purpose platforms. - 🔴 Data-persistence failures in character profiles create churn risk, which directly undermines the app's value as a reliable long-term planning hub. - ⚪ Recent updates focused on bug fixes and translation, indicating a maintenance-heavy phase rather than aggressive feature expansion. ## Key Metrics Summary | Metric | Value | | :--- | :--- | | Overall Rating | 4.75/5 | | Total Reviews | 8 | | Sentiment | Thrilled (90/100) | | Confidence | Low | | Pricing Model | Paid | | Platforms | iOS | | Key Features | 4 analyzed | | Trend | Mixed | | Outlook | Mixed | ## Competitor Comparison | App | Rating | Sentiment | Developer | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Untold Novel - Story Planner** (this app) | 4.75/5 | Thrilled | Pascal Grote | | [Notion: Notes, Tasks, AI](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/notion-id) | 4.8/5 | Frustrated | Notion Labs, Incorporated | | [Obsidian - Connected Notes](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/md-obsidian) | 4.5/5 | Mixed | Dynalist Inc. | | [Evernote](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/evernote) | 3.5/5 | Upset | Evernote Corporation | | [Ulysses: Writing App](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/ulysses-writing-app) | 4.6/5 | N/A | Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG | | [Milanote](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/milanote) | 4.7/5 | N/A | Milanote | ## Company Profile - **Developer:** Pascal Grote - **Website:** [https://untoldnovel.com](https://untoldnovel.com) - **Social:** [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/untoldnovelapp) · [X/Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/untoldnovelapp) ## Data Sources & Links - **App Store:** [View on Apple Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/untold-novel-story-planner/id6740824603?uo=2) - **Dev Site:** [Official Website](https://untoldnovel.com) - **Sources:** Developer website content, About us / company information, App store metadata, User reviews. ## Related Intel Reports - [*Notion: Notes, Tasks, AI*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/notion-id) (Notion Labs, Incorporated) — 4.8/5 Rating | Negative Sentiment - [*Obsidian - Connected Notes*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/md-obsidian) (Dynalist Inc.) — 4.5/5 Rating | Mixed Sentiment - [*Evernote*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/evernote) (Evernote Corporation) — 3.5/5 Rating | Terrible Sentiment - [*Ulysses: Writing App*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/ulysses-writing-app) (Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG) — 4.6/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Milanote*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/milanote) (Milanote) — 4.7/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Story Planner for Writers*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/com-literautas-storyplanner) (Bartolome Masco Lopez) — 4.7/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Mitsu: AI Life Coach*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/mitsu-ai-life-coach) (C2 Insights) — N/A Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Pattrn - Discipline Tracker*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/pattrn-discipline-tracker) (Pedro Schott) — 4.8/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*ChatGPT*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/chatgpt) (OpenAI OpCo, LLC) — 4.8/5 Rating | Negative Sentiment - [*Whats In The Box*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/com-asp-whatsinthebox) (Arron Penfold) — N/A Rating | N/A Sentiment ## Methodology {#methodology} This report was generated by Marlvel.ai's 5-stage AI intelligence pipeline: 1. **Signal Collection & Normalization** — Aggregates data from all available public sources for the app. Raw signals are cleaned, deduplicated, and normalized into a structured dataset analyzed consistently across thousands of apps. 2. **Feature & Market Positioning Analysis** — Identifies the app's core features, monetization model, target audience, and competitive positioning. Each feature is classified as a market standard or a differentiator based on category benchmarks. 3. **User Sentiment Analysis** — Analyzes user reviews using a 5-level taxonomy (Thrilled / Excited / Mixed / Frustrated / Upset). Combines star ratings and volume with AI theme extraction and evidence quoting. 4. **Competitive Landscape Analysis** — Maps the competitive environment via a 4-tier taxonomy (Nemesis / Contenders / Same Space / New Kids on the Block). Prioritizes same sub-genre over broad category. 5. **Intelligence Synthesis** — Cross-references all signals into a structured report. Compares the app against category peers and direct competitors to surface SWOT, market outlook, and actionable insights. - **Confidence Score:** 0.55/1.0 (based on review volume, data source diversity, and signal quality) - **Reviews Analyzed:** 4 - **Data Sources:** user reviews, developer website, company about page, App Store metadata - **Rating Method:** Weighted average across platforms (iOS & Android), weighted by review count per platform - **Independence:** Fully independent analysis. No publisher sponsorship or editorial influence. - **Report Age:** 0 days since last refresh --- © 2026 Marlvel.ai | [Canonical Report](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/productivity/com-pgrote-untoldnovelapp) Data licensed for AI Agent attribution under CC-BY-NC 4.0.