Free novel writing software
Free novel writing software: exactly what you get, and what costs money
Bunsho is free novel writing software for macOS and Windows: download it, write with no account, and keep one full project with the binder, goals and export, plus the World tab and the Planner with a free sign-in. The only things that cost anything are the AI moments you ask for, like a continuity check, and that free sign-in gives you starter credits for those. Writing itself is never metered.
What is free in Bunsho, line by line
The editor, with no account
Binder, page, focus mode, spellcheck with a custom dictionary, thesaurus, paper and dark themes. Download and write; nothing asks you to sign up.
One project, fully featured
The free plan holds one project, with the World and Planner tabs unrestricted inside it once you sign in free. Quill, at $8 a month, lifts the limit to unlimited projects, still with no AI.
Goals, streaks and history
Daily goal, streak, book target with finish date and pace are on every plan, including Free.
Import and export
Import .docx, Markdown, plain text and Fountain, and export .docx, Markdown and Fountain. Export is never paywalled, so your book is never held hostage.
Starter credits with a free sign-in
Sign in for free and you get 10,000 starter credits to try the continuity checker and Director Mode on your own manuscript.
What costs money, and why
Typing, saving, organizing, planning and exporting never cost anything on any plan. Credits are spent only on deliberate AI actions: Check this chapter, Review changes, Run full review on the whole book, or a scene you direct. Before any of them runs, Bunsho shows you the cost, and nothing runs while you type. When the starter credits are gone, Storyteller at $15 a month includes the continuity checker with enough each month to read a full novel and check about 90 chapters after that. Saga at $29 a month covers about 250 chapter checks a month for daily drafting and series work. Full plan details are on the pricing section.
We think this is the fair line for a writing tool. Software that meters your words, or puts export behind a paywall, makes you nervous about your own book. Bunsho charges for the part that costs real work to deliver, reading your chapters and reporting contradictions with both passages cited, and leaves the writing alone.
Other free novel writing software, and the catch with each
Reedsy Studio is free in the browser with a clean editor, goals, planning boards and EPUB and print PDF export; it lives online, and advanced outlining and stats are paid add-ons at $4.99 and $7.99 a month. Manuskript is free and open source, with an outliner, character sheets and a distraction-free mode; its own site says it is still in development. yWriter is a long-standing free scene-based tool, strongest on Windows. Campfire has a free plan with real limits, such as 25,000 manuscript words and ten characters. Google Docs and Word Online are free and familiar, with no structure for a book.
Every one of those is a fine place to put words. None of them reads your manuscript back to find contradictions, which is the one thing Bunsho exists to do, and you can try it on your own book with the starter credits. The 2026 roundup covers paid tools too, and the story bible template is free if you prefer to keep your notes by hand.
Common questions
Is Bunsho really free?
Yes. The editor is free to download for macOS and Windows with no account, and the free plan keeps one project with goals and export, plus the World tab and the Planner with a free sign-in. AI features use credits; a free sign-in includes 10,000 starter credits.
Is there a time limit on the free plan?
No. The free plan is not a trial. You can write and export a whole book on it.
What happens when my starter credits run out?
Your writing is unaffected: the editor, World, Planner, goals and export keep working. Continuity checks and directed scenes need credits, which come with the Storyteller and Saga plans.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. Download and write with no account. A free sign-in for starter credits does not ask for a card.
What is the best free novel writing software for Windows?
Bunsho and yWriter are both free desktop options on Windows, and Reedsy Studio is free in any browser. Bunsho is the one that also checks your chapters for continuity errors when you ask.
Does the free plan include the story bible?
Yes. The World tab is included on the free plan, unrestricted inside your one project.
Keep reading
Free to write. Pay only for checks.
Bunsho is free to download for macOS and Windows. No account, no card.