NovelAI review

NovelAI is a story generator built for co-writing: you write, the AI continues, and you steer. Its story generation runs on GLM 4.6, and the editor includes a Lorebook for world and character details, a Text Adventure mode, a Writers Toolbox and a scripting API for custom tools. Subscriptions start at $10 a month and include both the text generator and NovelAI Diffusion V5, the company's anime image model, so writers can create character art in the same account. A free account comes with 50 text generation actions to try the editor. Privacy is a stated focus: NovelAI encrypts stories locally, which also means losing your login details permanently locks you out of stored stories. The interface exposes many sampling and generation settings, which gives control but takes longer to learn than Sudowrite or ChatGPT, and the service leans toward hobby and genre fiction rather than manuscript planning.

Who it is for

hobby writers who co-write freely and also want character art

Price

Subscriptions from $10 a month, covering story and image generation; free account includes 50 text generation actions.

Our subscriptions start at $10/month, perfect for casual creators with access to both our AI anime image generator and text generator.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• Story generation powered by GLM 4.6
• Lorebook for world and character details
• Text Adventure mode and a Writers Toolbox in the editor
• Scripting API for custom editor tools
• NovelAI Diffusion V5 image generation in the same subscription

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: One subscription from $10 a month covers both story and image generation
• Strength: Free registration includes 50 text generation actions to try it
• Strength: NovelAI says stories are encrypted locally before they are stored
• Weakness: Losing your email or password means permanently losing remotely stored stories, per NovelAI
• Weakness: Image tools are focused on anime-style art
• Weakness: Many settings such as sampling sliders take time to learn

Key facts

• Starting price: $10 a month
• Text model: GLM 4.6
• Trial: 50 text generation actions on a free account
• Company: Anlatan Inc.

Where it ranks

NovelAI is No. 6 in our Best AI Story Generators verdict.