Fortelling - Story Writing App
Fortelling is a story-writing and plotting platform for novelists, featuring world-building databases and real-time collaboration on iOS.
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Writers use the platform to remove the cognitive load of managing complex, interconnected story elements across multiple books.
For Novelists and creative writers seeking a centralized platform for narrative plotting, world-building, and collaborative drafting.
What does it look like?
Key features
Centralized repository for characters, languages, species, and items with relational linking.
Multi-user editing session synchronization for shared story projects.
Timed writing sessions with integrated progress tracking.
How much does it cost?
The app recently shifted core features behind a paywall, causing significant user backlash.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentnew contentUX improvementsShow more...
Fortelling currently operates at a maintenance cadence, having shipped only one version in the last 18 days. The latest release represents a significant feature expansion, focusing on productivity tools and organizational features for writers. Development appears to be project-based rather than iterative or continuous. Future momentum will depend on whether this update signals a shift toward more frequent feature drops or a return to a longer development cycle.
Who built it?
AJP Digital Tools B.V.
2 apps tracked · Productivity
Fortelling - Story Writing AppUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews mixed. Users appreciate comprehensive worldbuilding and character organization tools provide significant value for writers managing complex story projects and community-driven writing challenges and collaborative features foster engagement and motivation for aspiring authors.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- Comprehensive worldbuilding and character organization tools provide significant value for writers managing complex story projects
- Community-driven writing challenges and collaborative features foster engagement and motivation for aspiring authors
- Accessible free-tier features allow users to manage extensive story data without immediate subscription pressure
- The recent move of core character development features like family trees behind a paywall frustrates long-term users
49 of 49 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Fortelling - Story Writing App
How's the Productivity market?
Fortelling maintains a 4.49 rating across 49 analyzed reviews. The recent move to gate features behind a paywall has created a friction point that threatens the platform's cost-effective value proposition.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
Unlock the deeper market read.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Fortelling - Story Writing App
Where is it heading?
The platform is currently in a maintenance phase, with stability regressions in the latest release overshadowing new feature additions. The PM must prioritize technical hygiene over new feature development to prevent further erosion of the user base.
- Frequent crashes during account creation prevent new-user conversion, which compounds the churn risk from existing users dissatisfied with recent monetization changes.
- The move of core features behind a paywall triggers negative sentiment, which risks losing the core community that built the platform's initial reputation.
The SWOT
- Relational world-building database creates high switching costs
- Real-time collaboration increases multi-user account dependency
- Automated daily word count tracking
- Cross-project character profile copying
Next best moves
Rebuild account creation and navigation flow because crashes are the #1 barrier to new-user conversion → reduce churn.
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The platform's stability issues are a greater threat…
Read the full takeBottom line
Addressing the stability regressions in the latest release would unlock the growth potential of the current feature set. The current monetization shift risks alienating the core user base, so stabilizing the onboarding flow is the priority to prevent further churn.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Fortelling free to use?
Does Fortelling work offline?
Is Fortelling good for managing complex novels?
Sources
- [1] App Store
Report last updated