Overview
NovelAI is a subscription service built specifically for fiction writers, roleplayers, and anime illustrators. Rather than a general chatbot, it centers on storytelling: the Kayra and Erato text models are fine-tuned on curated literary data, and a persistent Lorebook lets you store characters, locations, and factions that the AI automatically recalls during generation. Author’s Notes inject hidden directives that steer tone or plot without appearing in the visible prose. Unusually for a cloud service, every story is encrypted client-side in the browser before it reaches NovelAI’s servers, so the company cannot read your work. The same editor handles NAI Diffusion anime image generation through a Danbooru-weighted tag system, with inpainting, outpainting, and Vibe Transfer for style copying. A free trial gives 50 text and 30 image generations, but there is no free-forever tier, and monthly billing carries no annual discount.
Key Features
- Lorebook memory — Store world-building facts that the AI references automatically, keeping long drafts consistent.
- Fiction-tuned models — Kayra and Erato are trained on literary text, not general web crawl, for stronger prose.
- Client-side encryption — Stories are encrypted in your browser; NovelAI cannot read them.
- Anime image generation — NAI Diffusion V3/V4 with tag-based control, inpainting, and Vibe Transfer.
- Author’s Notes and modules — Hidden steering directives and custom modules shape tone and structure.
- User Scripts — JavaScript-based automation and regex text replacement inside the editor.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 | 50 text + 30 image generations, one-time only |
| Tablet | $10/mo | Unlimited text and TTS, 1,000 Anlas/mo for images |
| Scroll | $15/mo | Larger context window, more image settings, 1,000 Anlas/mo |
| Opus | $25/mo | 28,672-token context, 10,000 Anlas/mo, unlimited standard images |
Comparison
vs. Sudowrite: Sudowrite is the stronger pure writing coach with a friendlier revision UI, but it lacks NovelAI’s built-in anime image generation and client-side encryption. Choose Sudowrite for craft feedback; choose NovelAI for an all-in-one story-and-art workspace.
vs. Jasper: Jasper targets marketing and business copy with brand-voice features, not long-form fiction. NovelAI wins decisively for novels and roleplay, while Jasper wins for teams producing SEO and ad content.
vs. Writesonic: Writesonic is a general content generator good at articles and ads but weak on narrative memory. NovelAI’s Lorebook makes it the better pick when consistency across a 40,000-word draft matters.