All of the programs on this list are great in their own right but yWriter has proven to be my favorite several times over. For those of you on the run working from multiple computers, yWriter can also be run off of a flash drive. Some features aren’t as user friendly as they could be, but it does the job.

The biggest downfall to yWriter is probably the user interface. Once you have completed your novel, you can export it as an e-book or in a NaNoWriMo format to validate your word count. And when you’re finally ready to begin writing, in yWriter you can create multiple chapters and scenes to keep your work organized. Like scrivener, yWriter gives you the ability to create character profiles, set locations, and allows you to create a storyboard. Probably the most widely known alternative to Scrivener, yWriter isn’t as robust as some of the others on this list, but has every feature you could need to assist you in your writing. If you are interested in looking into Scrivener however, they have a discount for NaNoWriMo winners and even a special trial version just for participants. The following are a few of the best Scrivener alternatives that won’t cost you a dime.

Fortunately, there are a number of quality open source and free alternatives you can use to help you write your novel this November. If you’re like me however, you’re probably not looking to blow any of your hard-earned money on a paid program like Scrivener. While mapping out a plot and characters are likely to be on every NanoWriMo contestant’s mind, writing software can be a great investment to help you reach your 50,000 word goal. With NanoWrioMo season nearly upon us, it’s time for many of us to start thinking about the novels we’ll be writing in November. Check out the most up to date free novel writing software here! Update: This article has been updated for 2018.

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