MARLVEL

Novelist vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Novelist's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Novelist
This App
The Writer - Vulpi's Text Editor
Nemesis
Easy Write - Writing Assistant
Contender
Jokebook - Stand Up Comedy
Contender
LivingWriter: Write Anywhere
Contender
Final Draft Go
Peer
Sudowrite - AI Novel Writing
Peer
Scriptation: PDF for Film & TV
Peer
Ginger Writer
Peer
BUNKO Notes
New Kid
Core Identity
DeveloperAlessandro RiperiAbdullah AlioskiNagalekshmi PadmavathyBradley FrizzellLivingWriter LLCCast & Crew Production Software, LLCHuman Plus Plus, Inc.Scriptation LLCGinger SoftwareZACHARY MASON KELLER
CategoryProductivityProductivityUtilitiesProductivityProductivityProductivityUtilitiesProductivityProductivityProductivity
PlatformAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOSiOS, AndroidiOSiOSiOS
Store Metrics
Rating4.4 / 55.0 / 55.0 / 54.7 / 53.3 / 53.9 / 54.5 / 54.8 / 54.6 / 50.0 / 5
Ratings Count189111481,4682443,3593,5000
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateApr 30, 2021Jun 13, 2017Dec 13, 2023Mar 11, 2024Mar 13, 2023May 4, 2023Sep 15, 2025May 1, 2016Mar 16, 2014Mar 23, 2026
Last UpdatedJul 30, 2025Jun 14, 2017Dec 21, 2023Apr 5, 2024May 1, 2026Apr 29, 2025Apr 7, 2026May 11, 2026Mar 28, 2026Mar 26, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentpositive--mixedmixedmixednegativemixed--
Score75/100--65/10050/10060/10025/10055/100--
Praises
  • Ad-free and completely free model
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  • Portability for professional writers
  • Story Bible feature provides helpful organization for writers managing complex narrative projects
  • Mobile accessibility allows writers to capture thoughts and edit on the go
  • Efficient script note management and version comparison tools save production time for film professionals
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Complaints
  • Sync reliability issues
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  • Subscription model gating basic editing
  • Inconsistent AI memory and hallucination issues disrupt narrative continuity during long-form writing
  • Technical instability and frequent connection timeouts prevent reliable access to core writing tools
  • Aggressive subscription pricing and feature gating frustrate long-term users who previously purchased the app
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Requests
  • Advanced export options
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  • Real-time collaboration features
  • Peer feedback integration requested to allow community interaction directly within the mobile interface
  • Improved cross-platform support and parity for desktop and mobile environments
--
Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Visual plotting board enables complex narrative management
  • Ad-free model drives high organic user trust
  • Focus-mode design minimizes drafting distractions
  • Lightweight interface lowers entry barriers
  • Minimalist interface reduces cognitive load for drafting
  • AI-driven tone adjustment provides immediate refinement utility
  • Joke-to-set synchronization mechanism reduces material management friction
  • Stage-Mode interface provides specialized utility for live performance environments
  • Cloud-integrated story architecture provides a specialized workspace for long-form narrative planning.
  • Industry-standard formatting engine ensures production compatibility
  • Universal Control integration provides hardware-level parity
  • Grammarly integration adds professional proofreading utility
  • Story Bible organizational structure creates high switching costs
  • Plugin library enables community-driven feature expansion
  • Proprietary note-transfer algorithm functions as a technical barrier to entry for general PDF editors
  • Deep integration into professional production workflows creates high switching costs for script supervisors
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Weaknesses
  • Zero revenue model limits development velocity
  • Sync reliability issues reported in user feedback
  • iOS version inactive since 2017
  • Lack of cloud-sync across devices
  • Premium tier lacks AI-generative value
  • iCloud sync gated behind Pro tier limits retention
  • Single review count indicates lack of social proof
  • Missing offline-first manuscript management features
  • 0.9★ Android-iOS rating gap suggests platform-specific stability issues
  • No monetization model limits long-term feature development capacity
  • 0.26-star rating gap between iOS and Android platforms indicates inconsistent performance.
  • Subscription-gated editing drives high casual churn
  • Absence of real-time collaboration features
  • 3.94 rating indicates friction in user experience
  • 3.93 Android rating indicates technical instability
  • Opaque subscription management triggers cancellation complaints
  • AI memory hallucinations erode long-form narrative trust
  • Premium subscription pricing above category median triggers negative sentiment among legacy users
  • Performance instability and freezing during critical on-set tasks erode professional trust
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Pricingfreefreemiumfreemiumfreefreemiumsubscriptionsubscriptionsubscriptionfreemiumfree
MomentumMaintenanceZombieZombieMaintenanceMaintenanceZombieMaintenanceMaintenance--
Update Cadence2 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~6d avg2 versions, ~2959d avg1 versions2 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~204d avg2 versions, ~0d avg1 versions2 versions, ~27d avg1 versions--

Compare Novelist head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Novelist, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0