Galley compared to other writing tools
Every writing tool has a catch. Scrivener has a hard compile step, Dabble and Word need a second tool for formatting, some charge monthly, and Vellum only runs on a Mac. Galley lets you write the novel and make the book in one tool, and you pay once. It isn't the best at everything, so each page below says when you should pick the other tool.
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| Tool | Price | Runs on | Write the novel in it | The real book page | Print PDF & EPUB | Story bible | Manuscript checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galley | €199 once | Browser: Mac, Windows, Linux | Yes | Yes, you draft on it | Yes, with a KDP preflight | Characters, locations, timeline, world | Overused words, name consistency, pacing |
| Atticus | ~$147 once | Browser, installable | Yes | Editor with a book preview | Yes, from a theme library | Character and location profiles, with images | Not published as a feature |
| Dabble | $9–29/mo, ~$699 lifetime | Browser | Yes | No | No, manuscript export only | Story notes | No |
| The Novel Factory | $8.25–22/mo, ~$649 lifetime | Any desktop browser | Yes, on a ten-step roadmap | No | No, Word export only | Characters, locations, items, plot manager | No |
| Novelium | $0–19/mo, up to $147/mo top tier | Any desktop browser | Yes | Themes, not a live trim page | Yes, no preflight mentioned | Character dashboard, world codex, timeline | AI continuity checking |
| Novlr | $8–16/mo, $499 lifetime, free tier | Browser | Yes | No | Plain PDF, basic EPUB on paid tiers | Notes sidebar | Grammar and spell check, paid tiers |
| Reedsy Studio | Free | Browser | Yes | No, a template preview | Yes, from house templates | No | No |
| Scrivener | ~$59.99 once, per platform | Mac, Windows, iOS. Local files | Yes, in a binder of documents | No, output is set at compile | Through the compile step | Research folders, free-form | No |
| Sudowrite | ~$10–44/mo | Any desktop browser | Yes, and its AI writes with you | No | No, not a publishing tool | Yes, AI-assisted | AI-driven feedback |
| Ulysses | ~$5.99/mo or ~$49.99/yr | Apple only: Mac, iPad, iPhone | Yes, in Markdown | No, a Markdown editor | From Markdown, not typeset | No, free-form sheets and keywords | No |
| Vellum | $199.99 ebook, $249.99 with print, once | macOS only | No, it takes a finished manuscript | Not a writing tool | Yes, widely praised | No | No |
| Word & Google Docs | Microsoft 365 subscription; Docs free | Everywhere, including phones | Yes, as one long document | No | Manual setup or converters | A second document you stop updating | No |
Every comparison
Galley as a Atticus alternative
The closest tool to Galley: write and format in one place, for a one-time price.
Galley as a Dabble alternative
A nice subscription writing app, but you’ll need a formatter at the end.
Galley as a The Novel Factory alternative
Detailed plotting tools and no AI, but it exports to Word, not a finished book.
Galley as a Novelium alternative
Its AI doesn’t write for you, but it does read your manuscript to check it.
Galley as a Novlr alternative
Writer-owned, no AI, with courses and a community, but it only exports manuscripts.
Galley as a Reedsy Studio alternative
Free and good for a first book, but you’re limited to its templates.
Galley as a Scrivener alternative
A great drafting tool, with a compile step most people find hard.
Galley as a Sudowrite alternative
An AI that writes prose with you, which Galley never does.
Galley as a Ulysses alternative
A lovely Markdown app for Apple devices that exports manuscripts, not books.
Galley as a Vellum alternative
Great-looking interiors, but it’s Mac-only and you write the book somewhere else.
Galley as a Word & Google Docs alternative
Where most novels start, and where formatting a book gets painful.
How I compare these
Every page uses the other tool's public pricing and listed features, says when I checked them, and has a "choose them if" section for when the other tool is a better fit. If you spot something out of date or unfair, email me and I'll fix it. For the whole field in one place, there's the best book writing software for self-publishing novelists.