# Scriptorium vs Novel Writing

Scriptorium and Novel Writing both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Novel Writing's written reviews are positive against 50% of Scriptorium's. Novel Writing also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 1). Scriptorium's advantage is iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Scriptorium sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month and Novel Writing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Scriptorium against 5.0 for Novel Writing. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Novel Writing has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Scriptorium's written reviews are positive against 100% of Novel Writing's.

Scriptorium ships an update monthly, Novel Writing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scriptorium | Novel Writing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptorium-ai-writing/id1661490410/reviews) | [5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novel-writing-candlelight/id6584513293/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **7** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 12 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Aditya Dhar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1474199151) | [Cephalopod Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1567837434) |

## What reviewers say

### Scriptorium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scriptorium-ai-writing/id1661490410)

This AI-powered writing assistant helps you write faster and more efficiently. It offers an AI chatbot for assistance, an article summarizer for research, and a unique document editor that enhances AI accuracy through contextual paragraph differentiation. You can also integrate your own OpenAI API key for cost control.

**Highlights:** AI chatbot for writing assistance, Article summary feature, Context-aware document editor, OpenAI API key integration, Faster and more efficient writing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Plan Monthly | $29.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Plan Yearly | $239.99 | per year |
| Article Summarizer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Document Writing | $4.99 | one-time |


### Novel Writing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/novel-writing-candlelight/id6584513293)

This writing companion offers a rich text editor and organizational tools for fiction writers. It provides tiered AI assistance, from manual outlining to full novelette generation, allowing users to choose their preferred level of creative support.

**Highlights:** Manual outline and Story Bible, Rich text editor, PDF export, Chapter organization, AI-powered narrative autocomplete, Full novelette generation

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scriptorium free?

Scriptorium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Novel Writing free?

Novel Writing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Scriptorium or Novel Writing?

Scriptorium and Novel Writing are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 7 ratings respectively.

### Do Scriptorium or Novel Writing have ads?

Neither Scriptorium nor Novel Writing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scriptorium or Novel Writing?

Scriptorium ships an update monthly, and Novel Writing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Scriptorium was updated on October 16, 2026 and Novel Writing on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*