Sudowrite vs Novelcrafter
The main difference is who supplies the AI. Sudowrite includes it and meters it in monthly credits. Novelcrafter connects to an AI provider you pay yourself.
Plans and prices side by side
Every figure comes from each company’s own pricing page. Prices are in US dollars.
| Sudowrite | Novelcrafter | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plans | $19 Hobby & Student, $29 Professional, $59 Max | $4 Scribe (no AI), $8 Hobbyist, $14 Artisan, $20 Specialist |
| Billed yearly | $10, $22 or $44 a month (advertised as up to 50% off) | Advertised as two months off |
| How the AI is paid for | Included, metered in monthly credits | Your own AI provider key, billed by that provider |
| Monthly AI allowance | 225,000, 1,000,000 (promotion; 450,000 standard) or 2,000,000 credits | Set by your AI provider, not by Novelcrafter |
| AI models | Sudowrite’s own fiction models Muse and Ballad, plus more than 30 other models | Whichever models your provider key gives you access to |
| Story reference | Story Bible | Codex, shared across a series |
| Free trial | Yes, no credit card | 21 days, all features, no credit card |
| If you cancel | Projects stay open; AI features stop | Read-only access; you can view and export |
Figures from sudowrite.com/pricing and novelcrafter.com/pricing, checked 9 November 2026.
Which writer each tool suits
Sudowrite
Pick Sudowrite if you want AI writing tools ready on day one and one bill. You do not manage an API key. The trade-off is the credit allowance: heavy drafting months can use it up before the month ends.
Novelcrafter
Pick Novelcrafter if you want to choose your own models and keep a Codex for a whole series in the browser. The trade-off is a second bill from your AI provider, which grows with how much you generate.
Webnovels AI
Webnovels AI is a desktop app at $10 a month, with no credits. It runs on your ChatGPT or Grok sign-in, an API key or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, and keeps characters, timeline and plot threads beside each chapter.
Work out your real monthly cost
For Sudowrite, the plan price is the bill. Estimate how many credits a typical month of drafting uses on the trial, then pick the plan whose allowance covers it.
For Novelcrafter, add the plan price to your AI provider’s charges. A writer on the $8 Hobbyist plan who already pays for an API key pays $8 plus that key’s usage. Your provider’s billing page shows the usage after a few chapters, which is a better guide than any estimate.
Before you commit to either, test both trials on the same chapter of your own book. If you write a long web serial, also try the Webnovels AI vs Sudowrite and Webnovels AI vs Novelcrafter comparisons, or plan the book first with the free story outline generator and novel word count calculator.
Compare Webnovels AI with other tools
Questions
Is Sudowrite or Novelcrafter cheaper?
Novelcrafter costs less on paper: $8 a month for the first plan with AI, against $19 a month for Sudowrite. Novelcrafter does not include the AI, so add what your AI provider bills you. Sudowrite includes the AI in its credits, so its price is the whole bill until the credits run out.
Does Novelcrafter include AI?
No. Novelcrafter’s Hobbyist plan and above let you bring your own key from an AI provider, and that provider bills you for use. The $4 Scribe plan has no AI features.
How do Sudowrite credits work?
Each Sudowrite plan includes a monthly credit allowance: 225,000 on Hobby & Student, 1,000,000 on Professional (shown as a promotion over 450,000) and 2,000,000 on Max. AI actions use credits. On Max, unused credits roll over for 12 months.
Which one has a free trial?
Both. Sudowrite offers a free trial with no credit card. Novelcrafter offers 21 days with all features unlocked and no credit card. Neither has a permanent free plan with AI.
What happens to my writing if I cancel?
Sudowrite says you can still open and work on your projects without a paid plan, but not use AI features. Novelcrafter keeps your data read-only, so you can view and export it but not edit.
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