Novelists love shopping for writing software because it feels like progress without the risk of actually writing. Let's be honest about that up front: the best software is the one that gets you drafting daily. With that said, different tools genuinely do different jobs, so here's an honest map.
Three jobs, not one
Writing a novel splits into three separate jobs, and most tools are good at one or two of them:
- Drafting — getting raw words out, fast, without stopping to edit.
- Organizing — chapters, scenes, research, character notes, restructuring.
- Editing & publishing — revision, formatting, and export.
The main options
- Scrivener — the heavyweight for organizing. Corkboard, scene reordering, research in one place. Best for plotters and long, complex manuscripts. Steep learning curve. See Scrivener alternatives if it feels like too much.
- Ulysses — a clean, library-based Mac/iOS app with great publishing. Lovely for managing many documents. See our Ulysses alternatives.
- iA Writer — a beautiful, minimal Markdown editor with focus mode. Great for clean drafting in Markdown. See iA Writer alternatives.
- Obsidian — a knowledge graph for writers who want linked notes, world-building, and research webs. Overkill for some, perfect for others.
- JustWrite — not an organizer. A distraction-free, forward-only drafting tool that exists to get words down. Best paired with one of the above for structuring and editing.
How to choose
- If your problem is structure: Scrivener or Obsidian.
- If your problem is a tidy library: Ulysses or iA Writer.
- If your problem is finishing the draft: a forward-only tool like JustWrite, then organize elsewhere.
Most working novelists run a two-tool stack: a drafting space and an organizing space. Don't let the search for the perfect single app become another reason not to write.
Where JustWrite fits
If you have the outline and the organizer but still can't get the words out, the missing piece is a place that makes drafting the only option. JustWrite's forward-only mode stops you from editing mid-draft, so chapters actually get finished. Download JustWrite and pair it with your organizer of choice. New to fiction? Start with how to write a novel.
FAQ
What is the best writing software for novelists?
There's no single winner. Scrivener is the standard for organizing long manuscripts, Ulysses is great for a clean library and publishing, and a forward-only tool like JustWrite is best for actually drafting words. Many novelists combine a drafting tool with an organizing tool.
Do I need Scrivener to write a novel?
No. Scrivener is powerful for structuring big projects, but plenty of novels are written in plain editors. Software doesn't write the book — a daily drafting habit does.
What's the best free option for novelists?
Plain text editors and the free tier of several apps are enough to start. The free constraint that helps most is removing distraction, not adding features.