# yWriter review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/ywriter
Website: https://www.spacejock.com/yWriter7.html

Free Windows novel writer organized by chapters and scenes

yWriter is a free novel-writing program for Windows from Spacejock Software. It breaks a novel into chapters and scenes, tracks word counts and keeps automatic scene history. Version 7 exports EPUB and MOBI files, and the Mac and mobile versions come from another developer.

yWriter is a word processor built around a project of chapters, scenes, characters and locations. Scenes can be reordered by drag and drop, and each scene has fields for its viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome. Every file shows its word count with a project total, and automatic history lets you roll a scene back to an earlier version.

The program is free to download and use on Windows 7 and later, and the author encourages registration without making it required. The site says the Mac version is still in progress, and the mobile and Mac versions sold by another developer are separate products. Print PDFs need an external TeX step, and the author describes the program as a word processor rather than a writing assistant.

- Free | Windows
- Price: Free to download and use; registration is optional
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## Strengths

- Free to download and use on Windows
- Scene fields for goal, conflict and outcome
- Automatic scene history with rollback

## Limits

- Windows only, with the Mac version still in progress
- Print PDFs need an external TeX step

## Rankings

- #10 of 10 in [best Novel and long-form writing apps](https://listme.name/best/novel-and-long-form-writing-apps), score 76.5: Free for Windows, with chapters, scenes and per-scene conflict fields. The Mac version is still in progress, and print PDFs need an external TeX step.

## Alternatives

- [Scrivener](https://listme.name/software/scrivener), score 94.5
- [Atticus](https://listme.name/software/atticus), score 91.5
- [Ulysses](https://listme.name/software/ulysses), score 90.5
- [Reedsy Studio](https://listme.name/software/reedsy-studio), score 89.5
- [Plottr](https://listme.name/software/plottr), score 88.5
- [Vellum](https://listme.name/software/vellum), score 87.5
- [Novelcrafter](https://listme.name/software/novelcrafter), score 86.5
- [Dabble](https://listme.name/software/dabble), score 85.5