Free yWriter AlternativesTop Novel Authoring Tools & Word Processors like yWriter

The best free alternative to yWriter is Manuskript, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to yWriter and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to yWriter are bibisco, novelWriter, Quoll Writer and Daino Notes.

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yWriter alternatives are mainly Novel Authoring Tools, but if you're looking for Note-taking Tools or Story Writing Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Free and Linux. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to yWriter.
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Alternatives list

  1. Manuskript icon

    Manuskript

     168 likes
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    Open-source software offering a hierarchical outliner, distraction-free editor, character management, plot tools, Snowflake method support, section multi-organization, customizable writing workflows, cross-platform availability, and export to standard formats.

    118 Manuskript alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Manuskript screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Comments about Manuskript as an Alternative to yWriter
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Manuskript combines concepts and functions of yWriter, Novel Factory and Scrivener. It's a bit rough in its presentation, but a good alternative for anyone who can't decide between the aforementioned tools.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    yWriter Icon
    Manuskript icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Manuskript is a great yWriter alternative.

    • Manuskript is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to yWriter.

    • Manuskript is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to yWriter.

    • Manuskript is Free and Open SourceyWriter is Freemium and Proprietary
  2. bibisco icon

    bibisco

     85 likes
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    Desktop application for novel structuring, offering chapter and scene management, distraction-free text editing, detailed timeline, character interviews, multilingual support, export to publishing formats, revision history, relationship diagrams, and writing goal tracking.

    52 bibisco alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron
    • Node.JS
    Novel architecture
     
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    19
    Comments about bibisco as an Alternative to yWriter
    Guest
    Negative
    -1

    main character's option are really too numerous

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It may not be as flexible as yWriter to move text between scenes and chapters.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    yWriter Icon
    bibisco icon

    • Most users think bibisco is a great yWriter alternative.

    • bibisco is Freemium and Open SourceyWriter is Freemium and Proprietary
    • bibisco is Privacy focusedyWriter is not according to our users
  4. novelWriter icon

    novelWriter

     25 likes
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    novelWriter is a Markdown-like text editor designed for writing novels and larger projects of many smaller plain text documents. It uses its own flavor of Markdown that supports a meta data syntax for comments, synopsis and cross-referencing between files.

    61 novelWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Qt
    • Python
    Screenshot of older version
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Novlr icon
    Novlr

    Advanced writing tool supporting online and offline modes, accessible from any device. Features chapter and scene organization, grammar checks, version history, and export options including docx and epub. Novlr syncs with cloud s...

    https://www.novlr.org
    Learn More
  6. Quoll Writer icon

    Quoll Writer

     38 likes
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    Focus on your words not the interface. Quoll Writer is a writing application that helps you focus on your words. Clean and uncluttered. Feature rich. Features are where you would expect them to be.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Quoll Writer screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Quoll Writer as an Alternative to yWriter
    Linda Jenkinson
    Negative
    -2

    According to their website, Quoll Writer is not available for Linux or Mac

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    yWriter Icon
    Quoll Writer icon

    • Most users think Quoll Writer is a great yWriter alternative.

    • Quoll Writer is Free and Open SourceyWriter is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. Daino Notes icon

    Daino Notes

     8 likes
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    Offers fast, distraction-free note-taking via a high-performance editor with real-time Markdown, local-first storage, image support, Kanban task boards, intuitive drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts, configurable themes, fast search, and cross-platform access.

    75 Daino Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Daino Notes screenshot 1
     
  8. Lore Forge icon

    Lore Forge

     18 likes
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    The only app you'll need to write your novels and build your worlds. Organize your thoughts and cross-reference anything at any time.

    46 Lore Forge alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Overview screen
     

    • Lore Forge is the most popular Web-based alternative to yWriter.

    • Lore Forge is Free and ProprietaryyWriter is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Lore Forge is Privacy focusedyWriter is not according to our users
  10. Fortelling icon

    Fortelling

     7 likes
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    Fortelling provides the tools you need to plot & write your book.

    54 Fortelling alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Fortelling is optimised for both a smal and a large screen.
     

    • Fortelling is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to yWriter.

    • Fortelling is Freemium and ProprietaryyWriter is also Freemium and Proprietary
  11. Fantasia Archive icon

    Fantasia Archive

     17 likes
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    Free offline worldbuilding and story creation tool with dozens of templates, complex tagging options, document linking, and project-wide search. Template examples: characters, places, events, religions, currencies, magic, species, languages.

    29 Fantasia Archive alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Fantasia Archive screenshot 1
     
  12. oStorybook icon

    oStorybook

     25 likes
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    oStorybook is a free, open source novel-writing software for creative writers, novelists and authors which will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines while writing texts.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    oStorybook screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about oStorybook as an Alternative to yWriter
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Layout is easier to use, more intuitive. Character database is excellent. However, yWriter shows you word count for each scene, very helpul.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    yWriter Icon
    oStorybook icon
    • oStorybook is Free and Open SourceyWriter is Freemium and Proprietary
  13. Gingko Writer icon

    Gingko Writer

     58 likes
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    Gingko Writer is a text editor that uses a tree-like structure to help you organize and visualize your thoughts, making it easier to outline, draft, and refine complex texts.

    77 Gingko Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Gingko tree for screenplay "2001"
     
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    1
    Comments about Gingko Writer as an Alternative to yWriter
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    it's the only one that actually offers a dynamic word documenting system that is fluid and able to be used by NON-FICTION writers, which is harder to find than you'd think. Still no where near the set up of yWriter though.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    yWriter Icon
    Gingko Writer icon

    • Gingko Writer is the most popular SaaS alternative to yWriter.

    • Gingko Writer is Freemium and ProprietaryyWriter is also Freemium and Proprietary
  14. Skribisto icon

    Skribisto

     6 likes
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    Skribisto is born from the ashes of Plume Creator , keeping the goals while adopting more recent ways to think an application.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Skribisto screenshot 1
     
  15. Novlr icon

    Novlr

     12 likes
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    Advanced writing tool supporting online and offline modes, accessible from any device. Features chapter and scene organization, grammar checks, version history, and export options including docx and epub. Novlr syncs with cloud services for seamless access and tracks goals with analytics.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Novlr screenshot 1
     
12 of 40 yWriter alternatives