Novelcrafter vs Riff: Which Is Better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of Novelcrafter and Riff — what each does, who it's best for, and how to choose between them.
Quick verdict
Novelcrafter is a writing & content tool and Riff is a social media tool — they're built for different jobs, so start with the problem you're solving. Pick Novelcrafter if you want Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI… Pick Riff if you want Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for…
Novelcrafter
Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control.
- Category
- Writing & Content
- Rating
- Not yet rated
- Best for
- writing software, novel writing, ai writing
Riff
Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post on X, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
- Category
- Social Media
- Rating
- Not yet rated
- Best for
- AI, Chrome extension, social media
| At a glance | Novelcrafter | Riff |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. | Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post on X, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. |
| Category | Writing & Content | Social Media |
| Type | Software | Software |
| Best for | writing software, novel writing, ai writing, worldbuilding | AI, Chrome extension, social media, reply writer |
What is Novelcrafter?
Writing a novel means juggling a cast of characters, a sprawling world, a plot with a dozen moving parts, and the creeping fear that you contradicted yourself in chapter three. Novelcrafter is writing software built specifically to wrangle all of that — plan, organize and draft your story in one place, across any genre.
The Codex keeps your world straight
Novelcrafter's signature feature is the Codex, a wiki-style world-building tool that automatically tracks your characters, locations and lore and links them throughout your manuscript. Instead of keeping a messy separate document of who's who, your world lives alongside your writing and connects to it — so when a character shows up in chapter twelve, their details are one click away. For series writers especially, that connective tissue is gold.
Plan your way, catch plot holes
The platform offers multiple planning views that help you see your story's structure and spot plot holes and inconsistencies before your readers do. Whether you're a meticulous outliner or a discovery writer who plans loosely, you can arrange your story in the way that matches your brain, then draft with the full picture in front of you.
AI on your terms
Novelcrafter includes AI-powered writing assistance through an integrated chat, but crucially it puts you in control: you can customize the AI prompts and connect to various AI models of your choice rather than being locked to one. That 'bring your own model, shape your own prompts' approach is why so many serious authors trust it — the AI is a tool you steer, not a black box that writes for you.
Write together
You can also collaborate in real time with editors, proofreaders and co-authors, and organize seamlessly across multiple books in a series — so the messy logistics of getting a manuscript polished and shipped stay manageable.
Who it's for
Novelcrafter is built for fiction and non-fiction authors of every experience level — novelists, poets, screenwriters, short-story writers, and even journalists and academics. If your current setup is a chaotic mix of docs, spreadsheets and sticky notes, this consolidates it into a real writing studio.
Pricing
Novelcrafter is subscription-based with plans starting from around $4/month, plus a generous 21-day free trial that requires no credit card. That low entry price and long trial make it easy for any writer to test whether it fits their process.
Bottom line: Novelcrafter is the organized writer's dream — a world-tracking Codex, flexible planning, real-time collaboration, and AI you actually control, all built specifically for writing books.
What is Riff?
Riff is a free Chrome extension that helps you reply on X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. You paste your rough point. Gemini Nano, the AI built into Chrome, writes a fresh reply for that exact post. You read it, edit it if you want, and press send yourself.
Riff also answers your DMs in LinkedIn Messaging, Messenger on facebook.com and Instagram Direct. When a chat is new, it writes the first message. It can draft your own posts too. Drop in rough notes, ask for changes in plain words, and pick a hook you like.
You set how it sounds. Choose how smart, how salesy and how bold the reply should be. Tell Riff once who you are and how you write, and it follows that voice. Each draft is checked against your recent replies, so it does not repeat itself.
Everything runs on your computer. There is no account, no API key, no server and no monthly bill. Your notes, drafts and history stay in Chrome on your machine. Riff never posts or sends anything for you.
Riff needs desktop Chrome 138 or newer, about 22 GB of free disk for the one-time model download, and a GPU with more than 4 GB of video memory, or 16 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores.
What problem it solves
Writing a fresh, fitting reply to every post or DM takes time. Riff turns your rough point into a reply for that exact post, on your own computer.
Key differences at a glance
- Purpose: Novelcrafter is Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Riff, by contrast, is Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post on X, LinkedIn, Facebook…
- Category & type: Novelcrafter is Writing & Content, while Riff is Social Media, and both are offered as software.
- Best suited for: Novelcrafter leans toward writing software, novel writing, ai writing, whereas Riff leans toward AI, Chrome extension, social media.
- Community rating: Novelcrafter is not yet rated vs Riff is not yet rated. Ratings are community-submitted and change over time.
Novelcrafter vs Riff: which should you choose?
Novelcrafter (Writing & Content) and Riff (Social Media) are built for different jobs, so think first about which problem you're solving. Choose Novelcrafter if you want Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Choose Riff if you want Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post…The smartest move is to try each one's free tier or trial on a real task — that's the fastest way to feel the difference and pick the tool you'll actually stick with.
Frequently asked questions
Is Novelcrafter better than Riff?
It depends on what you need. Novelcrafter is Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Riff is Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post on X, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. They serve different needs (Writing & Content vs Social Media), so compare them against your specific use case.
What's the main difference between Novelcrafter and Riff?
Novelcrafter focuses on Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. while Riff focuses on Free Chrome extension. Paste your rough point and Chrome's built-in AI writes a fresh reply for that post on X, LinkedIn, Facebook… Read the full breakdown above and check each tool's site for current features and pricing.
Can I use both Novelcrafter and Riff?
In many cases, yes — teams often use complementary tools together. Whether it makes sense depends on overlap in functionality and your budget. Try the free tier or trial of each to see how they fit your stack before committing.
Which is cheaper, Novelcrafter or Riff?
Pricing changes often, so check each tool's pricing page for the latest. Many tools offer a free tier or trial, which is the best way to evaluate value for your specific usage before you pay.