What Novlr does

Novlr is a London-based, privately held creative writing platform founded in 2015 by Kim Montgomery and Thomas Muirhead. It provides a cloud-based writing workspace with distraction-free focus modes, real-time cross-device syncing, offline support, version history, and habit-building mechanics including writing sprints, streaks, and analytics. The platform integrates third-party tools (ProWritingAid for grammar/style, NaNoWriMo for word-count syncing, Google Drive and Dropbox for cloud backups) and supplements the core editor with add-on modules: Novlr Academy (writing courses from named instructors), Writer Discounts (a curated partner marketplace), Author Websites, the Reading Room blog and newsletter, and an active Discord community.

The business is a product-led, self-serve freemium SaaS with four tiers: Free (2 projects), Starter at $8/month billed annually, Studio at $16/month billed annually, and a Lifetime Studio Membership at $499 one-time that grants writers co-ownership status. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, operates with 1-10 employees, and serves a global community of approximately 209,000 registered writers who have produced 1.1 billion words across 368,000 projects. Customer acquisition relies on content marketing (Reading Room, newsletter to 60,000+ subscribers), community engagement (Discord, writing sprints), and organic word-of-mouth rather than paid sales channels.

Name

Novlr

Legal name

Novlr

Website

https://novlr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Novlr is a bootstrapped, writer-owned creative writing SaaS that provides a cloud-based distraction-free writing workspace with syncing, habit tools, and integrated courses, serving 209,000+ individual writers globally via a freemium subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Writing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ghostwriting & Collaborative Writing Services (MPAJAJAI)

Keywords

• Creative writing software
• Writing workspace
• Subscription SaaS
• Novel writing platform
• Freemium productivity

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Free Tier: Free tier offering 2 projects with basic features including cross-device sync, focus mode, writing sprints, streaks, commenting, social sharing, analytics, community access, and Academy starter courses
2. Subscription - Starter: Monthly subscription at $8/month (billed yearly) offering unlimited projects with 30-day version history, 3 extra themes, full Academy course access, community features, Writer Discounts, and Reading Room access
3. Subscription - Studio: Monthly subscription at $16/month (billed yearly, save 20%) offering all Starter features plus unlimited version history, built-in proofreader, advanced grammar and style checker, Google Drive and Dropbox backups, and priority customer support
4. Lifetime Studio Membership: One-time payment of $499 for lifetime access to all Studio features, co-ownership of Novlr platform, and exclusive Discord channels

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Novlr is a cloud-based creative writing platform that provides a distraction-free writing workspace for novelists, fiction writers, and other creative writers. The core product combines goal-driven writing workflows, real-time cross-device synchronization, version history, offline support, focus mode, writing sprints, and an integrated proofreader. The platform is offered on a freemium subscription basis (Free, Starter at $8/month, Studio at $16/month) with an optional $499 Lifetime Studio Member tier that includes co-ownership of the platform.

Product overview

Novlr is a writer-owned creative writing platform consisting of a core Writing Studio product supplemented by several integrated modules. The core Novlr Writing Studio provides the main distraction-free writing workspace with syncing, goals, and analytics. This is augmented by Novlr Academy (writing courses), Writer Discounts (partner marketplace), Author Websites, The Reading Room (blog/advice), the Novlr Community, and the Co-ownership program. The platform offers four subscription tiers: Free (2 projects), Starter ($8/month with 30-day version history and Academy access), Studio ($16/month with unlimited projects, version history, proofreading, and cloud backups), and Lifetime Studio Member ($499 one-time for permanent Studio access plus co-ownership).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Novlr Writing Studio Cloud-based creative writing workspace for individual writers, providing distraction-free writing, goal setting, writing analytics, real-time cross-device word syncing, offline protection, version history, focus mode, world-building notes sidebar, writing sprints, and an integrated ProWritingAid-powered proofreader (Studio).
• Novlr Academy Integrated library of structured writing courses covering beginner writing, novel plotting, novel fast drafting, and non-fiction book proposals; taught by named instructors such as Tim Clare, Jessica Brody, Carl Burkitt, and Lydia Yadi.
• Author Websites Built-in website builder that lets writers create their author portfolio and online presence directly from the Novlr workspace.

Quantifiable outcome

• 209K+ writers have written 1.1B words in 368K projects

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Book Publicity SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing writing discounts for Novlr users on 6-Week Book Publicity Intensive Course (10% off) and 6-Month PR Strategy and Support Program (10% off). Founder Leah Paulos also provides courses through Novlr Academy.
• First EditingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEditing services partner offering Novlr users 20% off professional editing samples, developmental editing, structural refinement, line editing, and book coaching services.
• DamonzaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBook cover design and interior formatting partner offering Novlr users 10% off custom book cover design packages and interior formatting services.
• Jericho WritersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUK-based online writing community partner offering Novlr users 20% off annual Premium Membership, which includes video courses, live events, masterclasses, literary agent database, and query letter reviews.
• Writing Mastery AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline writing courses partner offering Novlr users 50% off first month of monthly membership and 25% off first year of annual membership. Courses include Save the Cat! writing course, Novel Fast Drafting, and Secrets to Self-Publishing.
• The PlotteryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNovel plotting courses and coaching partner offering Novlr users 10% off Novel Plotting Academy, Pro at Prose, Writer Unblocker, and Complete Novelist Course Bundle with code NOVLR10.
• ScribophileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWriting critique community partner offering Novlr users 20% off Scribophile Premium membership for unlimited chapter feedback and Beta Reader Directory access.
• Scribe ForgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWriting resources partner offering Novlr users 15% off The Essential Character Creation Blueprint, The Essential Worldbuilding Blueprint, and Smash Writer's Block Prompt Book.
• Brain.fmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFocus music partner offering Novlr users 1 month free on Premium Membership for scientifically-proven music to increase focus during writing.
• Jasmine PierikminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWriting coach partner offering Novlr users 10% off one-time riffing sessions (90 minutes), 3-month writing companionship, and project riffing sessions for creative blocks.
• MiblartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBook cover design partner offering Novlr users 10% off custom professional book cover design services.
• Carl BurkittcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourse instructor for Novlr Academy's featured course 'Write to Play: Rediscover the Joy of Writing' - a 62-lesson, 6-video course on writing with joy, available free to all Novlr users.
• Tim ClarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourse instructor for Novlr Academy's 'Couch to 80k Creative Writing Bootcamp' - an 8-week audio course with 61 lessons and 53 audio exercises, completely free for all Novlr users.
• Jessica Brody / Writing Mastery AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourse instructor for Novlr Academy's 'An Introduction to the Novel Fast Drafting Method' - a 6-lesson course teaching the Fast Drafting technique for completing novels in 3-12 weeks, available to Starter subscribers.
• Lydia YadicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourse instructor for Novlr Academy's 'Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal' - a 24-lesson course teaching non-fiction book proposal writing, available to Starter subscribers.
• ProWritingAidcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated proofreader and advanced grammar/style checker powered by ProWritingAid, available to Studio subscribers with improved stability and usability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scrivener: Long-form writing software popular with novelists; offers manuscript organization, outlining, and distraction-free composition, directly competing with Novlr's core writing studio for the same fiction-writing audience.
• Atticus: Cross-platform writing and formatting tool for authors that combines a distraction-free editor with built-in book formatting for self-publishing, closely matching Novlr's editor-plus-publishing value proposition.
• Ulysses: Subscription-based writing app for Mac and iOS targeting long-form writers with a focus mode, goals, and library organization, serving the same professional and hobbyist fiction writer segment as Novlr.
• Plottr: Visual novel outlining and plotting tool used alongside writing apps; competes with Novlr's world-building and notes sidebar features for the same pre-writing and planning workflows of novelists.

Broad incumbents

• ProWritingAid: Established grammar and style checking platform integrated into Novlr's Studio tier as the proofreader; competes more broadly as a standalone writing-improvement subscription that overlaps with Novlr's value proposition.
• Grammarly: Mass-market AI writing assistant covering spelling, grammar, and style; overlaps with Novlr's proofreading ambitions and dwarfs it in resources, though it is not built specifically for creative fiction workflows.
• Notion: General-purpose workspace used by many writers for drafting, outlining, and project management; represents a free or low-cost substitute that competes with Novlr at the lower end of the market.

Emerging players

• Reedsy: Marketplace connecting self-publishing authors with editors, designers, and marketers; overlaps with Novlr's Writer Discounts partner ecosystem and the broader author-services adjacency.
• Milanote: Visual planning tool for creative projects used by writers for research boards, character notes, and outlining, partially overlapping with Novlr's notes and world-building sidebar.
• World Anvil: Worldbuilding platform for novelists, game writers, and RPG creators; overlaps with Novlr's world-building sidebar and the author-website feature for serialized creative writing communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/novlrtweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/novlr
• Instagraminstagram.com/novlrofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novlr