NovelAI
NovelAI is a direct-to-consumer AI creative platform offering proprietary anime-style image generation and AI-powered storytelling through tiered subscriptions, serving individual writers and artists seeking unfiltered creative tools with privacy-first encryption.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersWilmington, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What NovelAI does
NovelAI is a direct-to-consumer AI creative platform operated by Anlatan Inc. (Delaware LLC, founded 2021) that combines AI anime-style image generation with AI-powered storytelling under a unified subscription product. The platform serves writers, roleplay enthusiasts, and AI artists seeking unfiltered content generation, long-context narrative coherence, and privacy guarantees that mainstream AI tools do not provide. Customers access the service through three monthly subscription tiers — Tablet ($10), Scroll ($15), and Opus ($25) — supplemented by pay-as-you-go Anlas (virtual currency) for usage beyond monthly pools, with a free trial of 30 generations to drive conversion.
The product is built on proprietary AI models developed and trained in-house. NovelAI Diffusion V4.5 is the flagship image generation model, trained from scratch without reliance on public base models, featuring a custom 16-channel Flux VAE, T5 text encoder support for 512 prompt tokens, and capabilities including Vibe Transfer style blending (up to 16 styles), Multi-Character Prompting (up to 6 characters), Precise Reference (Character and Style Reference), a Canvas editor with 3D model import, and Director Tools for batch image editing. Text generation is delivered through multiple models: Xialong (355B parameter MoE finetuned from ZhipuAI's GLM-4.6), Erato (Llama 3 70B finetune), Kayra (in-house trained), and Clio (3B parameter). Features include Writer's Toolbox, Text Adventure mode with CYOA support, Lorebook worldbuilding, User Scripts extensibility (TypeScript/JavaScript), and Text-to-Speech. Compute runs on NVIDIA HGX H100 clusters via CoreWeave.
The business model is product-led and community-led: a single distribution channel (novelai.net) serves a global user base with no enterprise sales motion or third-party resellers. Revenue derives from recurring subscriptions plus usage-based Anlas consumption, with subscriber discounts of 20% on Anlas purchases. Growth is driven by organic community amplification across Discord, Reddit, YouTube, and Twitter/X, supported by annual creative contests (e.g., the 5th anniversary contest with a 155,555 Anlas grand prize), regional partnerships (Tokyo AI Festival 2025), and influencer collaborations (Pipkin Pippa). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or revenue figures in available source material.
NovelAI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NovelAI
- Legal name
- Anlatan Inc.
- Website
- https://novelai.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- NovelAI is a direct-to-consumer AI creative platform offering proprietary anime-style image generation and AI-powered storytelling through tiered subscriptions, serving individual writers and artists seeking unfiltered creative tools with privacy-first encryption.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NovelAI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Generative AI Creative Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multimodal Generation (Text-Image-Video-Audio) & Creative Toolchains (HDAAACAG)
Keywords
Where NovelAI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NovelAI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans (Tablet, Scroll, Opus): Three recurring monthly subscription tiers offering access to image generation and text/storytelling AI. Each tier includes a monthly Anlas pool, varying levels of bonus Anlas, and access to different model capabilities. Opus is the premium tier with exclusive early access to new models (e.g., Xialong) and highest Anlas allocation.
- Anlas (Pay-As-You-Go): On-demand virtual currency purchased separately from subscriptions, used for image generations beyond the monthly pool, additional generations at non-standard resolutions, multi-generations, and Vibe Transfer encoding (2 Anlas per encode). Discounts of 20% are available for subscribers on all tiers. Anlas refills monthly for subscribers who have used their pool.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Tablet - $10/mo USD entry-level plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | Scroll - $15/mo USD mid-tier plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | Opus - $25/mo USD premium plan |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-As-You-Go Anlas |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
NovelAI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NovelAI operates a subscription-based AI creative platform offering two core product lines: (1) NovelAI Diffusion (currently V4.5), a proprietary anime-style image generation service trained from scratch without public base models, with tools for inpainting, style/character reference, vibe transfer, and a 3D-supported canvas editor; and (2) NovelAI Text Generation, providing large language models (Xialong 355B MoE, Erato, Kayra, Clio) for creative storytelling, roleplay, fan fiction, and interactive text adventures. The platform sells access through tiered monthly subscriptions (Tablet, Scroll, Opus) with a pay-as-you-go virtual currency (Anlas), emphasizing uncensored generation, user-controlled encryption, and privacy.
Product overview
NovelAI is a unified AI creative platform combining two core product lines: NovelAI Diffusion for AI anime image generation (currently at V4.5) and NovelAI Text Generation for AI-powered storytelling (offering multiple models including Xialong, Erato, Kayra, and Clio). The platform operates on a subscription tier model (Tablet, Scroll, Opus) with tier-gated access to different models and features. Key features include Vibe Transfer for style transfer, Precise Reference for character/style consistency, Director Tools for batch image editing, Writer's Toolbox for text refinement, and User Scripts for extensibility. The image generation uses proprietary models trained from scratch while text models combine in-house trained models with licensed bases finetuned for storytelling. All plans offer free trial with limited generations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NovelAI Diffusion: AI anime image generation model series including V4 and V4.5 variants (Curated and Full versions)
- NAI Diffusion
- Xialong
- Kayra
- Erato
- Clio
- Euterpe
- Sigurd
- Vibe Transfer
- Writer's Toolbox
Products and services
- NovelAI Diffusion V4.5 Proprietary AI anime image generation model series trained from scratch without public base models, supporting natural language prompting (T5 encoder, 512 token context), multi-character prompting (up to 6 characters with positioning and action tags), 16-channel FLUX VAE, and 2048x1536 resolution. Targeted at anime artists, illustrators, and visual creators seeking high-quality, customizable anime-style imagery.
- NovelAI Text Generation / Storyteller AI-powered storytelling platform offering multiple text generation models (Xialong 355B MoE, Erato Llama 3 70B, Kayra in-house, Clio) for creative writing, roleplay, fan fiction, interactive fiction, and text adventures. Supports long-context memory up to ~144,000 characters for Opus subscribers and includes Writer's Toolbox, Lorebook, Editor V2, and Text Adventure Mode. Targeted at writers, roleplayers, and storytellers seeking uncensored, long-form narrative generation.
- Vibe Transfer Style transfer feature that extracts and blends mood, color, texture, and style from reference images into new generations. Supports Multivibe (up to 16 simultaneous styles), Vibe Encoding with fidelity/strength sliders, and downloadable .naiv4vibe files for sharing. Available as a core feature of NovelAI Diffusion V4.5.
- Director Tools Batch post-generation image editing suite including 3-stage background removal (Remove BG), Line Art conversion, Sketch generation, Colorize, Emotion adjustment (facial expression changes for anime characters), and Declutter (removal of unwanted text/objects). Targeted at anime artists and illustrators refining generated images.
- Image Generation Canvas Interactive canvas editor for image generation with Fill, Blur, Clone Stamp, and Lasso tools; supports importing and posing 3D models (.glb, .gltf, .pmd, .pmx, .vrm) for composition and anatomy references; customizable inpainting masks with multiple colors, borders, and patterns. Available to all NovelAI subscribers within the image generation suite.
- Xialong Text Generation Model NovelAI's flagship 355 billion parameter Mixture of Experts (MoE) text generation model finetuned from ZhipuAI GLM-4.6. Features anti-repetition training to prevent loops, supports ~144,000 characters of context for Opus subscribers, and exhibits the Xialong (夏龍) persona. Available exclusively to Opus tier subscribers as a standalone text model offering.
- NovelAI API Persistent token-based programmatic API enabling developers and power users to integrate NovelAI's text generation and image generation capabilities into their own applications and workflows. Documentation available at docs.novelai.net.
- NovelAI Diffusion Furry V3 Specialized anime-style image generation model for furry and kemono art, built on improved SDXL architecture with Vibe Transfer support and updated furry tagging system. Targeted at furry/kemono art creators within NovelAI's user base.
Quantifiable outcome
- NovelAI Diffusion V4.5 Curated outperformed V4.0 by a large margin in blinded user testing, achieving a 92.1% win rate when prompts were hidden and 75.6%+ win rates across all measurement tasks (prompt visible, invisible, and prompt adherence).
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NovelAI
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NovelAI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature15 records
NovelAI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- Tokyo AI FestivalflagshipNovelAI partnered with the Tokyo AI Festival 2025 for the 'AI Creative Contest.' NovelAI users submitted image generation creations for the contest, with finalists displayed at the Tokyo AI Festival Shibuya exhibit (October 4-5, 2025). Winners received Anlas and prizes in JPY. The partnership provided cross-promotional visibility in the Japanese AI creative community.
- Pipkin PippaminorNovelAI collaborated with VTuber Pipkin Pippa for a live stream showcase of NovelAI Diffusion V3. The collaboration included a promotional discount code (PIPPA10) providing 10% off subscriptions and Anlas purchases for the duration of the collaboration.
- CoreWeavecoreCoreWeave provides specialized cloud GPU compute infrastructure for NovelAI's AI model training and real-time inference workloads. Anlatan acquired NVIDIA HGX H100 compute clusters through this partnership. CoreWeave testimonials cite 3x faster request serving and 75% cost savings on cloud expenses for NovelAI. NovelAI is listed as a major customer alongside OpenAI, MistralAI, and Jane Street.
- NVIDIAcoreAnlatan acquired NVIDIA HGX H100 compute clusters as part of its infrastructure investment. The partnership with CoreWeave and NVIDIA enables NovelAI to train and serve large AI models (including 355B parameter models) with high-performance GPU compute, supporting NovelAI's goal of building proprietary AI models independent of third-party model providers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NovelAI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sudowrite: AI-assisted creative writing platform purpose-built for fiction authors and storytellers. Directly comparable to NovelAI's text generation / Storyteller offering, targeting overlapping use cases (long-form narrative, roleplay, fan fiction) with a similar subscription model.
- AI Dungeon: Interactive AI storytelling and text adventure platform from Latitude. Competes head-to-head with NovelAI's Text Adventure Mode, roleplay, and interactive fiction use cases for the same creator-and-gamer audience.
- Midjourney: Premium AI image generation service with a strong community and subscription tiers. Comparable on the image generation side of NovelAI's business, though Midjourney targets general artistic styles versus NovelAI's anime/furry specialization.
- Niji Journey: Anime-specialized AI image generator built on top of Stable Diffusion and operated in partnership with Spellbrush. The closest direct competitor to NovelAI Diffusion on anime-style outputs and a peer in the same Nikitti benchmark ranking.
- Leonardo AI: AI image generation platform with tiered subscriptions, strong anime/illustration capabilities, and a creator community. Comparable across product surface, pricing model, and target creator audience; also cited alongside NovelAI in the Nikitti AI benchmark.
Broad incumbents
- Stability AI: Provider of Stable Diffusion and broader generative AI infrastructure used across the industry. Functions as a broad incumbent in AI image and now multimodal generation; overlaps with NovelAI Diffusion on image but operates at a much larger, more horizontal scale.
- Jasper: Established AI content generation platform with subscription tiers serving marketing and enterprise writers. A broad incumbent in AI writing SaaS; less specialized than NovelAI on fiction/storytelling but competes for generative AI writing budgets.
- Anthropic: Foundation model provider whose Claude family powers many generative AI writing applications. Not a direct consumer competitor, but a relevant adjacent incumbent shaping the cost and capability ceiling of any LLM-based creative writing product like NovelAI's.
Emerging players
- Character.AI: Consumer AI character and roleplay platform with subscription tiers. Overlaps with NovelAI on text-based character interaction and storytelling, though it focuses on chat-style companions rather than long-form narrative authoring.
- ComfyUI: Open-source node-based UI for Stable Diffusion workflows, popular with anime/illustration creators for advanced style and reference control. Cited alongside NovelAI in the Nikitti benchmark and competes for the same power-user creator segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NovelAI social profiles
Digital presenceNovelAI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NovelAI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NovelAI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NovelAI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NovelAI
What does NovelAI do?
NovelAI operates a subscription-based AI creative platform offering two core product lines: (1) NovelAI Diffusion (currently V4.5), a proprietary anime-style image generation service trained from scratch without public base models, with tools for inpainting, style/character reference, vibe transfer, and a 3D-supported canvas editor; and (2) NovelAI Text Generation, providing large language models (Xialong 355B MoE, Erato, Kayra, Clio) for creative storytelling, roleplay, fan fiction, and interactive text adventures. The platform sells access through tiered monthly subscriptions (Tablet, Scroll, Opus) with a pay-as-you-go virtual currency (Anlas), emphasizing uncensored generation, user-controlled encryption, and privacy.
Is NovelAI a public or private company?
NovelAI is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NovelAI founded?
NovelAI was founded in 2021.
Where is NovelAI based?
NovelAI is headquartered in Wilmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does NovelAI make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Plans (Tablet, Scroll, Opus) is the primary driver. The others are anlas (Pay-As-You-Go).
Who are NovelAI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sudowrite, AI Dungeon, Midjourney, Niji Journey and Leonardo AI. Broad incumbents are Stability AI, Jasper and Anthropic. Emerging players are Character.AI and ComfyUI.
Does NovelAI have an API?
Yes. NovelAI offers a persistent API token system for programmatic access to its services. Users can generate API tokens through their account settings to access the platform programmatically. The API enables developers to integrate NovelAI's text generation and image generation capabilities into their own applications and workflows. Developer documentation is at docs.novelai.net.
What industry is NovelAI in?
NovelAI's product category is Generative AI Creative Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAACAG, Multimodal Generation (Text-Image-Video-Audio) & Creative Toolchains. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.