Galley vs. the rest: compared honestly
Choosing novel writing software mostly means choosing where the pain goes: into a compile step (Scrivener), into a second formatting tool (Dabble, Word), into a monthly bill, or into a Mac-only ecosystem (Vellum). Galley's position is simple: write the novel and make the book in one tool, pay once. No tool wins every category, so each page below says plainly when you should pick the other one.
Quick view
A quick glance. Open any tool for the full comparison.
| 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
My closest neighbour: write + format, one-time price. An honest look at both.
Galley as a Dabble alternative
A lovely drafting subscription that still needs a formatter at the end.
Galley as a The Novel Factory alternative
Deep plotting tools, genuinely AI-free — but exports to Word, not a finished book.
Galley as a Novelium alternative
Shares our no-AI-writing rule, but its AI reads your manuscript to check it.
Galley as a Novlr alternative
Writer-owned, anti-AI, courses and community — and it stops at the manuscript.
Galley as a Reedsy Studio alternative
Free and genuinely good for a first book, with template-shaped limits.
Galley as a Scrivener alternative
The deepest drafting tool ever made, and the compile step everyone dreads.
Galley as a Sudowrite alternative
An AI that writes prose with you — the opposite of Galley’s no-AI rule.
Galley as a Ulysses alternative
A gorgeous Apple-only Markdown app that stops at a manuscript, not a book.
Galley as a Vellum alternative
Beautiful interiors, Mac-only, and you have to write the book somewhere else.
Galley as a Word & Google Docs alternative
Where most novels start, and where book formatting goes to suffer.
How I compare these
Every page uses the competitor's public pricing and published features, notes the date I checked, and includes a "choose them if" section I actually mean. If you spot something outdated or unfair, email me. Corrections take priority over marketing.
The best book writing software is the one that fits how you finish books. Here's mine.
Launch Galley