Write together
Share a project over direct TCP or an encrypted relay. Edit scenes, manuscript and Codex prose together, see other writers’ cursors and keep a local copy. The host stays online during the session.
{{ dustEl }}
One window. Every page of your novel.
Novalist is a free, offline-first writing app — manuscript, worldbuilding, planning, collaboration and publishing in one place, with your project stored as plain files in a folder that stays yours. Available for desktop, with an early Android alpha.
{{ primaryLabel }} {{ primaryMeta }}
not your system?
{{ p.short }}
Prologue
{{ aboutEl }}
Offline-first
A project is a folder of plain files — scenes as HTML, metadata as JSON. Back it up, sync it, open it anywhere.
Cross-platform
Windows, macOS and Linux, plus an early Android 13+ alpha for phones and tablets, available as a sideloaded APK.
The full craft
Manuscript, codex, plot grid, timeline, maps, research, export and Git — without leaving the window.
Open & extensible
MIT licensed, with a complete extension SDK for views, exports, themes and more.
Chapter I
The craft, in full.
From your first scene to a shared draft and a finished book. Explore the desktop tools below, with the detailed feature reference drawn from the latest stable release.
Keep scene goals in view
Turn scene notes into a checklist with expandable details. Dock it beside any pane or float it in a movable window, follow the active scene or hold one in place, and synchronize notes with collaborators.
Build the whole world
Link characters, places and custom Codex entries across books. Shape the story with plot grids, timelines, calendars, maps and planning boards; track progress by scene stage.
Bring your work, publish your book
Import manuscripts, Scrivener projects or folders of research. Export EPUB, DOCX, print-ready PDF and audiobooks, with automatic backups, scene snapshots and Git to protect each draft.
Couldn’t load the feature list right now — read it in the README on GitHub.
Plates
{{ plateTitle }}
{{ plateCaption }}
Chapter II
Your copy of the press.
{{ dlSub }}
{{ selTitle }}
Detected as your system
{{ selFile }}
{{ selMeta }}
{{ selHint }}
Android APKs are early alpha builds for Android 13 or newer. Choose ARM64 for phones and tablets or x64 for emulators. Install the APK manually (sideload); there is no Google Play release. Existing project folders open through Android’s folder picker, and cloud synchronization depends on the selected provider.
Chapter III
The story so far.
Release notes, loaded live from GitHub. The newest edition is open on the desk; lift any other to read its notes.
Couldn’t load release notes right now — see the releases page on GitHub.