Compare
How Sgeulai compares.
Sgeulai next to the writing apps people most often ask about, feature by feature. Each of them is good at something; this is about which fits the way you work.
| Feature | Sgeulai | Scrivener 3 | Ulysses | Plottr | Campfire | Dabble | Novelcrafter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac app | Yes. Native | Yes. Native | Yes. Native | Yes. Desktop app | Yes. Desktop app | Partly. Installable web app | No. Web only |
| iPad app | Yes. Native, same purchase as Mac | Partly. Separate app, bought separately | Yes. Native | Not confirmed. Not confirmed | Yes. CF Creators app | Partly. Web app | Partly. Mobile browser |
| Windows | No. No | Yes. Yes | No. No | Yes. Yes | Yes. Yes | Yes. Web app | Yes. Web |
| Pricing | Yes. Free, no time limit. Sgeulai Pro: $49 one-time, covering Mac and iPad, with Family Sharing and a 14-day free trial | Yes. One-time: $59.99 (Mac or Windows); iOS $23.99 | No. Subscription: $5.99/month or $39.99/year | Partly. $60/year or $150 lifetime; Pro tiers cost more | Partly. Free plan with caps; full access shown at $12/month | No. Subscription: $19–$49/month; $699 lifetime option | No. Subscription: $4–$20/month |
| Story bible | Yes. Linked character, place and event records beside the manuscript | Partly. Character and setting templates, research folder | No. No | Yes. Story Bibles | Yes. Characters, Encyclopedia and other modules | Yes. Story Notes | Yes. Codex |
| Timeline | Yes. Real-world timeline beside scenes and chapters | No. No | No. No | Yes. Visual timeline | Yes. Timeline module | No. No | Partly. Marker and mention timelines |
| Plot board / visual outlining | Yes. Plot Board, Corkboard | Yes. Corkboard, outliner | No. No | Yes. Scene cards on the timeline | Not confirmed. Not confirmed | Yes. Plot Grid | Yes. Grid, matrix and outline views |
| Relationships / family tree | Yes. Relationship Graph, Family Tree | No. No (mind maps are in Scapple, a separate app) | No. No | Not confirmed. Not confirmed | Yes. Relationships module, family trees | No. No | Yes. Relations |
| AI | Yes. Optional and off by default: your own Claude API key, or Apple Intelligence on the device | No. None of its own (Apple Writing Tools) | No. None of its own (Apple Writing Tools) | No. None | No. None found | No. None | Yes. Bring your own key |
| Offline and sync | Yes. Local files; syncs through iCloud Drive | Yes. Local files; iOS syncs through Dropbox | Yes. Works offline; syncs through iCloud | Partly. Local files synced by hand; cloud sync on Pro | Partly. Cloud; desktop app has an offline mode | Partly. Keeps an offline copy; Dabble’s cloud | No. Online only |
| Export | Yes. Free: DOCX, Markdown, JSON backup, and PDF and EPUB with a free-version mark. Sgeulai Pro: unmarked PDF and EPUB, RTF, Vellum, Word with tracked changes, Scrivener, Plottr, Aeon Timeline | Yes. DOCX, RTF, PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Final Draft and more | Yes. DOCX, EPUB, PDF, HTML, Markdown | Partly. Word, Scrivener | Partly. EPUB, PDF; other formats vary | Partly. DOCX (including manuscript format), Google Docs, Markdown | Not confirmed. DOCX, Markdown, HTML (not confirmed) |
What the table leaves out
Sgeulai checks the manuscript against its own Story Bible for continuity: twenty kinds of inconsistency across the whole book with Sgeulai Pro (four, on the scene you’re writing, free), from a character’s eye colour changing to someone travelling further than the timeline allows, worked out on your Mac with no AI involved. It also imports from Scrivener, Plottr, Aeon Timeline, yWriter, novelWriter, EPUB, Word and Markdown, so you can bring a book in from most of the apps above. See every feature in detail, or the FAQ for how it differs from Scrivener, Vellum and Word.
A note on fairness
These apps change, and so do their prices. Everything about them here comes from their own pages, listed below, on the date above. Where we couldn’t confirm something, the table says so rather than guessing. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it.