--- {"title": "ChatGPT vs Novelcrafter in 2026", "description": "Compare ChatGPT and Novelcrafter for book writing: what each is built for, how plans are priced, and what to check before you choose a tool.", "url": "https://uncommoncomforts.com/chatgpt-vs-novelcrafter/", "date": "2026-10-17"} --- Compare ChatGPT and Novelcrafter for book writing: what each is built for, how plans are priced, and what to check before you choose a tool. ChatGPT offers a free version available to everyone. [^1] Novelcrafter's plans start from 4 USD per month with no credit card required. [^2] Connections Writing is a web app for planning and drafting a book, and writing is free to start. [^3] [^3] | Option | Free tier | Lowest paid price | Free start or trial | |---|---|---|---| | ChatGPT | Free version available to everyone [^1]. File uploads are limited [^1], and messages with uploads are limited [^1] | Not published here; paid plans are priced per user per month [^1] | Not published | | Novelcrafter | Not published | Scribe, $4 USD monthly [^4] | 21-day free trial, no credit card required [^4] | | Connections Writing | Connections Free, $0 [^3] | Connections Pro, $39.99 a month [^3] | Writing is free to start [^3] | ## The short answer ChatGPT offers everyday text chats, and its free version is available to everyone. [^1] [^1] Novelcrafter's page describes a feature that automatically keeps track of and links characters, places and lore. [^2] Connections Writing lets you write down a premise and how it should sound, and plans the book chapter by chapter. [^3] Its AI writes a chapter one section at a time, and a free proofread checks for mechanical errors without using AI or credits. [^3] [^3] On needs, ChatGPT's sources describe limited deep research and limited image creation on ChatGPT Free, so check those limits against your work. [^1] [^1] Novelcrafter's sources say its character and lore tracking can be shared across books in a series, and that you can connect to an AI platform of your choice. [^2] [^2] Connections Writing's approved claims say it imports Word, text and Markdown files and exports Word, EPUB and Markdown. [^3] [^3] ## What ChatGPT, Novelcrafter is built for ChatGPT's page says its free version is available to everyone. [^1] ChatGPT Free includes everyday text chats. [^1] ChatGPT Free has limited image creation and limited deep research. [^1] [^1] Access is listed on web, iOS and Android for its listed plans. [^1] The page also says all data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2. [^1] Novelcrafter's page says it was built by writers, without venture funding. [^2] It describes a feature that automatically keeps track of and links characters, places and lore. [^2] That feature can be shared across books in a series, so you don't have to copy-paste or enter the same information over and over again. [^2] Its page also describes a customizable prompting system for building your own shortcuts. [^2] Collaboration options include teams for writing groups. [^2] It can connect to an AI platform of your choice, or run models on your own machine. [^2] ## What Connections Writing is built for Connections Writing is made by the team that publishes this site. Its approved claims describe the following. You write down a premise and how it should sound, and the book is planned out chapter by chapter. [^3] The AI writes a chapter one section at a time and shows progress as it goes. [^3] Your notes on characters and places reach the AI only when a passage mentions their name or an alias. [^3] You select a passage, then choose an action, and that use counts toward your usage. [^3] An AI check reads a chapter for grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity, and checks continuity against your notes and earlier chapter summaries. [^3] You can run up to five AI readers, each a different kind of person, and they report where they got lost. [^3] A copy of the chapter is saved before an AI write, an upload, a restore or a tidy-up, so you can restore an earlier version. [^3] Writing with your own AI spends none of the AI credits this product provides. [^3] ## Pricing and fees ChatGPT's pricing page lists individual, business and enterprise plans. [^1] Its paid plans, Go, Plus, Business and Enterprise, are priced per user per month. [^1] Monthly plans are offered for Go, Plus and Business. [^1] Annual plans are offered for Business and Enterprise. [^1] The sources for this page do not give a dollar amount for ChatGPT's paid plans, so check the pricing page for current figures. [^1] Novelcrafter's plans start from 4 USD per month, with no credit card required. [^2] The Scribe plan costs $4 USD monthly. [^4] The Hobbyist plan costs $8 USD monthly. [^4] The Artisan plan costs $14 USD monthly. [^4] The Specialist plan costs $20 USD monthly. [^4] Connections Writing is free to start. [^3] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. [^3] AI features use credits on the free plan, and no paid plan is required to open the product. [^3] Connections Pro costs $39.99 and gives premium access across every Connections product. [^3] Connections Business costs $99.99 a month. [^3] Connections Business Plus costs $199.99 a month. [^3] ## Getting started ChatGPT's free version is available to everyone, so a first job can be tried without choosing a paid plan. [^1] Its sources list access on web, iOS and Android for listed plans. [^1] The sources for this page do not describe its sign-up steps, so check its site for those. Novelcrafter offers a 21-day free trial with no credit card required. [^4] Its plans start from 4 USD per month, and no credit card is needed to begin. [^2] Connections Writing starts from a welcome page with a 'Start writing' button. [^3] It is a web app. [^3] To begin with text you already have, you can bring in a .docx, .txt or .md file, or paste text, and it is split into chapters at its headings. [^3] ## Things to check before you choose Check whether a free version covers the work you need. ChatGPT Free limits image creation and deep research, so compare those limits with your work. [^1] [^1] Check whether notes about characters and places need to carry across books. Novelcrafter's sources say its notes can be shared across a series. [^2] Connections Writing's claims say notes reach the AI only when a passage mentions their name or an alias, so check that this fits how you plan to write. [^3] Check where your text goes. ChatGPT's page says data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2. [^1] Novelcrafter says you can connect to an AI platform of your choice or run models on your own machine. [^2] Connections Writing's AI use is limited by credits and a weekly allowance, so check how much use the plan you pick covers. [^3] Check which export formats you need. Connections Writing can download a book as a Word file, an EPUB or Markdown text. [^3] The sources for ChatGPT and Novelcrafter do not describe export, so check that before you commit. Check whether a team needs to work on the same book. Novelcrafter says it offers collaboration options including teams for writing groups. [^2] The sources for ChatGPT and Connections Writing do not describe collaboration, so check that before you choose. ## How to choose If you want a free start with a general chat tool, ChatGPT's sources describe a free version available to everyone. [^1] If you want a tool that keeps track of characters, places and lore across a series, Novelcrafter's sources describe that feature and its sharing across books. [^2] [^2] If you want to plan a book chapter by chapter, with AI writing one section at a time and a free proofread, Connections Writing's claims describe those steps. [^3] [^3] [^3] If you want to save the book as a Word file, an EPUB or Markdown text, Connections Writing's claims describe those exports. [^3] If you want to work with a writing group, Novelcrafter's sources mention teams for that purpose. [^2] Each option is a match only where its own sources say it meets the need, so check the points above before you decide. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is ChatGPT free to use? ChatGPT's page says its free version is available to everyone. [^1] ChatGPT Free includes everyday text chats, with limited image creation and limited deep research. [^1] [^1] [^1] Paid plans are priced per user per month, and monthly and annual plans are listed on its pricing page. [^1] [^1] ### Does Novelcrafter have a free trial? Novelcrafter offers a 21-day free trial with no credit card required. [^4] Its plans start from 4 USD per month. [^2] The Scribe plan costs $4 USD monthly. [^4] The Hobbyist plan costs $8 USD monthly, and the Artisan plan costs $14 USD monthly. [^4] [^4] Check the current figures on Novelcrafter's site before you sign up. [^2] ### Does Connections Writing cost money? Writing is free to start, and Connections Free costs $0. [^3] [^3] AI features use credits on the free plan, and no paid plan is required to open the product. [^3] Connections Pro is the first paid plan, at $39.99 a month, and includes premium across every Connections product. [^3] Connections Business is $99.99 a month, with higher limits across every Connections product. [^3] Connections Business Plus costs $199.99 a month. [^3] ### Can a book from Connections Writing be exported as a Word file? Yes. You can download the book as a Word file, an EPUB or Markdown text. [^3] You can also bring in a .docx, .txt or .md file, or paste text, and it is split into chapters at its headings. [^3] A print page opens the browser's print dialog so you can save as PDF. [^3] ### Can Novelcrafter share characters and places across books in a series? Novelcrafter's page says the feature that keeps track of characters, places and lore can be shared across books in a series. [^2] It also says that feature automatically keeps track of and links them. [^2] The page says this saves you from copy-pasting or entering the same information again. [^2] Connections Writing's notes reach the AI only when a passage mentions their name or an alias, so compare how each one handles a series before you choose. [^3] Writing is free to start, and AI use is limited by a weekly allowance. [^3] Connections Business Plus costs 19999 cents ($199.99) a month. [^3] - [Visit Connections Writing](/go/chatgpt-vs-novelcrafter) ## Sources [^1]: ChatGPT, chatgpt.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08 (https://chatgpt.com/pricing) [^2]: Novelcrafter, novelcrafter.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.novelcrafter.com) [^3]: Connections Writing's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/chatgpt-vs-novelcrafter) [^4]: Novelcrafter, novelcrafter.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08 (https://www.novelcrafter.com/pricing)