Best AI for writing novels in 2026
Pick by how you pay for the AI and what you write. If you already pay for ChatGPT or Claude, use a tool that runs on that account. If you want the AI included, expect monthly credits.
Which AI writing tool fits which novelist
Seven tools, each matched to the job it does best. Prices are the lowest plan that includes AI, from each vendor’s own pricing page.
Webnovels AI
A desktop app for web serial and light novel authors. It keeps characters, places, timeline and plot threads beside each chapter, and runs on your ChatGPT or Grok sign-in, an API key or a local model. $10 a month, no credits.
Sudowrite
Fiction tools with the AI built in, a Story Bible for planning and a free trial with no card. AI use is metered in monthly credits, from $19 a month.
Novelcrafter
A web app with a Codex that can be shared across a series. AI plans connect your own provider, which bills you separately. From $8 a month with AI, after a 21-day trial.
NovelAI
Runs its own models with unlimited text on paid plans, plus anime image generation. Context size grows with the tier. From $10 a month.
Squibler
Generates stories and books quickly from a prompt, with visual output. Plus meters AI in credits and Pro is advertised as unlimited, from $29.99 a month or $15.83 a month billed annually.
ProWritingAid
Grammar, style and pacing reports, with a lifetime plan. AI Sparks are limited per day by plan.
Type.ai
A document editor with AI chat beside the draft, up to 150,000 words per document. Credits by plan, from $8 a month billed annually.
Price, AI credits and where you write
The biggest difference between these tools is how the AI is paid for. A credit plan stops when the month’s allowance runs out. A bring-your-own-AI plan bills the AI to the provider you connect.
| Tool | Lowest AI plan | How AI is paid for | Use your own AI | Where you write |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webnovels AI | $10 a month | No credits. AI runs on your own ChatGPT or Grok sign-in, an API key such as a Claude key, or a local model | Yes: ChatGPT and Grok sign-in, API keys (Claude, OpenRouter, DeepSeek and others), Ollama, LM Studio | Desktop app; chapters saved as Markdown files in a folder you choose |
| Sudowrite | $19 a month ($10 a month billed annually) | Monthly credits: 225K, 1M (promotional) or 2M depending on plan; Max rolls unused credits over for 12 months | No; AI is included through Sudowrite credits | Web app |
| Novelcrafter | $8 a month plus your AI provider | No Novelcrafter credits. AI tiers connect your own provider, which bills you separately | Yes: provider keys and advertised local-model connections | Web app |
| NovelAI | $10 a month | Unlimited text on paid plans, with context of 8,192 to 28,672 tokens by tier; newer models and images have limits | No; NovelAI runs its own models | Web app |
| Squibler | $29.99 a month ($15.83 a month billed annually) | Credits: 1,000 a month free, 10,000 on Plus; Pro is advertised as unlimited | No; AI is included through Squibler credits | Web app |
| ProWritingAid | $30 a month ($10 a month billed yearly) | Daily limits: 5 Sparks a day on Premium, 50 on Premium Pro, 3 on the free plan | Not offered on its pricing page | Editing and style checker for text you have written |
| Type.ai | $8 a month ($96 billed annually) | Credits: 500,000, 1.5 million or 6 million by plan; larger requests use more | Not offered on its pricing page | Web app; up to 150,000 words per document |
Figures from each vendor’s pricing page: Sudowrite (7 November 2026), Novelcrafter (7 November 2026), NovelAI (3 November 2026), Squibler (3 November 2026), ProWritingAid (3 November 2026), Type.ai (3 November 2026).
Three questions that decide it
- Do you already pay for an AI plan? If you have ChatGPT, Claude Max or an API key, a credit plan charges you for AI a second time. Webnovels AI and Novelcrafter run on the account you connect. Webnovels AI also runs local models through Ollama and LM Studio.
- How many facts does your story carry? A cultivation novel at chapter 300 has ranks, techniques, sects and grudges that a model forgets between sessions. Webnovels AI records what changed when you accept a chapter, and Bao reads those records before it drafts the next one. Sudowrite has a Story Bible and Novelcrafter has a Codex for the same job.
- Do you want the AI to draft, or to check your draft? For drafting, look at Webnovels AI, Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, NovelAI or Squibler. For grammar and style on chapters you wrote yourself, ProWritingAid is the specialist.
Before you pay, try the free planning tools on this site with your own premise: the plot generator, the story outline generator and the book title generator. Then compare plans on the pricing page.
Compare Webnovels AI with other tools
Questions
What is the best AI for writing a novel?
It depends on how you want to pay for the AI and how you write. If you already pay for ChatGPT, Claude or another provider, pick a tool that uses that account: Webnovels AI ($10 a month) or Novelcrafter (from $8 a month plus your provider). If you want the AI included and set up for you, Sudowrite is the established choice, from $19 a month with monthly credits.
Which AI writing tools use credits?
Sudowrite, Squibler and Type.ai meter AI use in credits by plan. ProWritingAid limits its AI Sparks per day. Novelcrafter and Webnovels AI sell no AI credits because the AI runs on a provider you connect. NovelAI includes unlimited text generation on its paid plans.
Can AI write a whole novel for me?
Some tools are built to generate a book from a prompt, such as Squibler. A long serial still needs an author to keep characters, power levels and plot threads straight from chapter to chapter. Webnovels AI drafts and edits one chapter at a time, and you approve each change before it goes into the book.
What is the best AI for web novels and LitRPG?
Long serials such as xianxia, LitRPG and progression fantasy depend on facts that change every few chapters: ranks, skills, stats and who knows what. Webnovels AI keeps those records beside each chapter and updates them when you accept a chapter, so the next draft starts from the current state of the story.
Is ProWritingAid an AI novel writer?
ProWritingAid is mainly an editing and style checker for text you have already written. It reports on grammar, style and pacing and adds a limited number of AI Sparks a day. If you want a tool that drafts chapters, look at the other tools on this page.
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