Comparison

InstaNovel vs StoryAlter

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

InstaNovel

This app provides a private space for writing and reading novels, offering AI assistance for drafting, editing, and polishing chapters. It features a comfortable reading experience with customizable options and supports various import/export formats. Your work is stored locally and never published without your consent.

Highlights
  • AI-assisted chapter drafting
  • Story bible for consistency
  • Chapter version history and undo
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Read Aloud with natural voices
  • Bilingual editions for language learning
  • Local storage and privacy
  • Import/export various file formats
Features
Read full description

InstaNovel is a private place to write and read your own novels, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Your books are stored on your device and never published: there is no public library and no feed of other people's stories. Export or back up your work whenever you like. WRITE WITH THE ASSISTANT • Tell the assistant what you have in mind, whether a premise, a character or a single image, and it drafts chapters straight into your book, one at a time or several in a row. • A story bible of characters, places, style and outline keeps long books consistent. • Point at a chapter or passage and ask for a polish, a rewrite or a different ending. • Every chapter keeps all its earlier versions, and Undo takes back the last reply. • Not sure yet? Begin with a genre or ask for five premises. READ IN COMFORT • A full-screen library of your books with Recently Read, sorting and full-text search. • Chapters flow in one continuous scroll, and every book reopens where you left off. • White, Sepia, Green or Night pages, 8 text sizes, line spacing and full screen. • Fonts suited to each language, including in bilingual editions. Change them under Font in the reader settings, or download free, openly licensed fonts from InstaNovel's site once to use offline. • Select any passage to Copy, Explain or Translate it. LISTEN AND LEARN • Read Aloud is free: natural voices that keep playing in the background and on the lock screen, with playback speed and a sleep timer. • Bilingual editions for language learners: every sentence is followed by its translation. • Ask for a cover based on your title and story bible. YOUR BOOKS STAY YOURS • Books are stored on your device. Nothing is published or shared with other people unless you export it yourself. • Import TXT, Markdown, EPUB and PDF, and export individual books as JSON backups at any time. • Export TXT and Markdown for free. EPUB, PDF and Word export require an active Plus or Pro subscription. • AI writing and cover design send your request and the parts of the book they need through InstaNovel's servers to an AI service. You can withdraw this under Settings > AI data sharing and still read, edit and export your books. • Interface in 20 languages. PLANS InstaNovel is free to start. Plus and Pro subscriptions add a much larger writing allowance, with Pro offering the most, and unlock EPUB, PDF and Word export. AI writing needs an internet connection and available allowance. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled through Apple. Prices, duration, and included allowances appear before purchase. Restore Purchases and Manage Subscription are available under Your plan in the app. Signed-in users can request account deletion in Settings > Account; deleting an account does not cancel an Apple subscription. Free uses the Basic model. Plus and Pro can use the advanced model. Advanced uses more Credits. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://instanovel.si/privacy-policy

About

StoryAlter

Features
Read full description

StoryAlter 是一款 AI 驱动的小说创作工具,帮助你培养专属的 AI 写作分身,高效创作长篇小说。 核心功能: AI 写作分身 • 创建独特的 AI 写作伙伴,设定灵魂、大脑、躯体三层人格 • 分身随创作积累经验,不断成长进化 • 支持多个分身,适配不同写作风格 智能创作流程 • AI 自动生成小说设定:标题、简介、世界观、角色 • 大纲管理:按卷/章结构组织,AI 辅助生成章节大纲 • 自动写作:AI 逐章生成小说内容,保持风格一致 章节编辑器 • 简洁的纯文本编辑体验 • AI 辅助单章写作 • 支持复制、保存等操作 封面生成 • 22 种封面风格可选 • AI 一键生成精美封面 • 支持自定义作者名 阅读模式 • 沉浸式全屏阅读 • 多种阅读主题 自备密钥(BYOK) • 支持 7 大 AI 服务商:Google Gemini、OpenAI、Claude、DeepSeek、通义千问、Kimi、火山引擎 • 使用你自己的 API Key,数据安全可控 • 多密钥管理,自动轮换 注意:本应用需要用户自行提供 AI 服务的 API Key 才能使用 AI 功能。

Screenshots

InstaNovel4 screens
StoryAlter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StoryAlter at none against InstaNovel's 9. StoryAlter also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. InstaNovel sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. StoryAlter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
InstaNovel versus StoryAlter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstaNovelStoryAlter
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB26 MB
Age rating17+17+
Developer旻 蔡向东 李

In-app purchases

9 purchases

InstaNovel

Subscriptions6
  • InstaNovel Plus (Weekly)3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • InstaNovel Pro (Weekly)3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • InstaNovel Plus (Monthly)3 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • InstaNovel Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$39.991 Month
  • InstaNovel Plus (Annual)3 Days trial$199.991 Year
  • InstaNovel Pro (Annual)3 Days trial$399.991 Year
One-time3
  • InstaNovel 2,500 Credits$1.99
  • InstaNovel 6,250 Credits$4.99
  • InstaNovel 12,500 Credits$9.99
None

StoryAlter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is InstaNovel free?
InstaNovel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StoryAlter free?
StoryAlter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do InstaNovel or StoryAlter have ads?
Neither InstaNovel nor StoryAlter shows ads.

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