Plottr has become a favorite among authors who like to plan before they write. Its visual timeline, drag-and-drop scene cards, and 40+ plot templates make it a powerful outlining tool. But there's something important to understand upfront: Plottr isn't writing software. You can't write your book in it.
In this comparison, we'll look at what Plottr actually does, what it doesn't do, and how it compares to Author's Forge - a tool designed for the complete writing workflow.
Quick Overview
What is Plottr?
Plottr is visual book outlining software for Mac and Windows. It helps authors organize their stories through timeline views, scene cards, character sheets, and plot templates. You can plan your novel's structure, track character arcs, and organize your series bible - but when it's time to actually write, you export your outline to Word, Scrivener, or another word processor.
Plottr costs $60/year or $150 lifetime for the standard version. The Pro version with cloud sync and collaboration costs $129/year or $599 lifetime. A 30-day free trial is available.
What is Author's Forge?
Author's Forge is a desktop writing application for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It's where you plan, write, organize, and export your work - all in one place. The core features including the full writing environment, organization tools, and EPUB export are free.
What makes it different: an AI Writing Assistant that reads your entire library - every chapter, every note, every character detail. It understands your story's context as you write it. Unlike Plottr, Author's Forge is designed for the actual writing, not just the planning - which means your notes and your manuscript live together, always in sync.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Can You Write Your Book In It?
This is the fundamental question.
Plottr: No. Plottr has no writing area. As reviews consistently note: "There's no writing area. Some authors might like an area to draft their story in." To actually write your manuscript, you export your outline to Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, or another tool. One reviewer put it clearly: "If you're looking to do all your work from plotting to drafting in one place, Plottr is not the best option."
Author's Forge: Yes. Author's Forge is built for writing. The organizational structure supports your manuscript, and you can write, revise, and export without leaving the application.
The verdict: If you want one tool for planning and writing, Plottr doesn't offer that. You'll need Plottr plus separate writing software, which means learning two tools and managing files between them.
Price and Total Cost
Here's where things get interesting.
Plottr: $60/year or $150 lifetime for standard (local storage only). $129/year or $599 lifetime for Pro (cloud sync, collaboration, web access). AI features cost extra on top of these prices. And remember: Plottr doesn't include writing software. If you pair Plottr with Scrivener ($60), you're looking at $120-210 minimum just to get started.
Author's Forge: Free forever for core features including the complete writing environment, organization tools, and EPUB export. The AI Writing Assistant is available through Pro ($19.99/month) or pay-as-you-go pricing.
The verdict: Plottr's cost doesn't include the writing tool you'll still need. Author's Forge gives you planning and writing in one free package.
AI Features
Both tools offer AI, but they work very differently.
Plottr: Plottr has added AI features for brainstorming and idea generation during the plotting phase. These are turned off by default and cost extra (pay-as-you-use). The AI helps generate plot ideas and suggestions within the outlining tool - but since you can't write in Plottr, the AI can't help with your actual manuscript.
Author's Forge: Author's Forge includes an AI Writing Assistant that understands your entire library - your manuscript, your notes, your world-building, your characters. It provides inline edit suggestions with a clear diff view, helps with plot consistency and foreshadowing, and maintains character voice. The AI works within your manuscript because that's where you're writing.
The verdict: Plottr's AI helps with plotting ideas. Author's Forge's AI helps with actual writing. If you want AI that understands your story and assists with drafting and revision, Author's Forge is the choice.
Planning and Organization
Plottr: This is Plottr's strength. The visual timeline lets you see your entire story structure at a glance, with color-coded plotlines and drag-and-drop scene cards. Over 40 plot templates (Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, Romancing the Beat, and more) help you structure your story. Character sheets offer templates for Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and Goal/Motivation/Conflict frameworks. The series bible keeps multi-book projects organized.
Author's Forge: Author's Forge uses a Libraries and Shelves system designed around how authors work. Libraries contain Series, Books, and Notes. Planning in Author's Forge means creating notes for your plot outline, characters, and story beats - then having them open in tabs alongside your manuscript as you write. There's no visual timeline or color-coded cards. What you get instead: notes that the AI actually reads, so it can help you stay consistent with your own plans.
The verdict: If you're a heavy plotter who thinks visually and needs to see your entire story structure as a timeline with multiple plotlines, Plottr offers that specialized view. If you're a lighter plotter or a pantser who plans through notes and discovers the story while writing, Author's Forge keeps your notes integrated with your manuscript - and gives you AI that understands both.
Workflow Integration
Plottr: Because Plottr is outlining-only, your workflow involves multiple tools. Plan in Plottr, export to Word or Scrivener, write there, and if your story changes during drafting (as stories often do), you may need to update both your outline and your manuscript separately. This fragmentation is the tradeoff for Plottr's specialized planning features.
Author's Forge: Everything lives in one place. Your notes, your manuscript, your organization - it's all connected. When you write a scene, your notes are accessible. When you need to reference a character detail, it's in the same application. No exporting, no syncing between tools.
The verdict: Plottr requires managing multiple applications. Author's Forge keeps your entire workflow in one place.
Reliability
Plottr: User reviews mention stability concerns. One reviewer wrote: "It's super buggy. You'll be working on a project and then be suddenly unable to view any of your files that they save in the cloud. Customer service doesn't respond for 24-48 hours." Others have reported data loss when the software crashed. These issues don't affect everyone, but they appear in enough reviews to note.
Author's Forge: Your files are stored locally on your computer in standard Markdown format. There's no cloud service to fail, no sync to break. Your work is as reliable as your own file system.
The verdict: Local files are inherently more reliable than cloud-dependent software. Author's Forge's approach eliminates sync issues entirely.
Platform Support
Plottr: Desktop apps for Mac and Windows. Web access and mobile are Pro-only features ($129/year). Some users report the iPad version has issues with timeline navigation.
Author's Forge: Desktop application for Mac, Windows, and Linux. All core features work offline. Want cloud backup? Store your library in Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud - you choose the service.
The verdict: Both work on major desktop platforms. Author's Forge includes Linux support and doesn't charge extra for the ability to sync your files.
Who Should Choose Plottr?
Plottr is a good fit if you:
- Are a heavy plotter who creates detailed visual outlines before writing
- Want specific plot templates like Save the Cat or Romancing the Beat
- Already have writing software you love and just need planning tools
- Work on complex multi-subplot novels that benefit from visual timeline views
- Don't mind managing multiple applications in your workflow
- Have budget for both Plottr and separate writing software
Who Should Choose Author's Forge?
Author's Forge is a good fit if you:
- Are a pantser or light plotter who discovers the story while writing
- Want an AI that reads your notes AND your manuscript for consistency
- Write series and need notes that carry across books with AI that understands your whole world
- Prefer keeping your planning and writing in one place
- Don't want to pay for outlining software plus writing software
- Want your files stored locally where you control them
- Would rather start writing than spend weeks perfecting an outline
- Value notes that serve your manuscript, not visual planning tools that live separately
Can You Use Both?
Some authors do use Plottr for visual planning and then write elsewhere. If Plottr's timeline view helps you see your story structure, you could plan there and write in Author's Forge.
The question is whether Plottr's visual planning adds enough value to justify the cost and workflow complexity. Author's Forge's Notes system handles character tracking and world-building, and its AI Writing Assistant understands your story context in ways Plottr's planning-focused AI can't match.
Final Thoughts
Plottr is a capable outlining tool. For heavy plotters who think visually and create detailed plans before writing, its timeline view and plot templates are well-designed for that specific task.
But Plottr is only half the equation - and it's the half that doesn't help you write. You still need writing software. That means paying for two tools, learning two interfaces, and managing your work across both. When your story evolves during drafting - as stories do - you're updating two places instead of one.
Author's Forge takes a different approach. Your notes and your manuscript live together. The AI reads both. If you're a pantser who discovers the story while writing, you don't need visual timelines - you need a tool that helps you keep track of what you've already written and stay consistent with it. If you're a light plotter who keeps notes but doesn't need color-coded scene cards, Author's Forge handles that workflow in one place.
For heavy visual plotters, Plottr offers something Author's Forge doesn't. For everyone else - pantsers, light plotters, and authors who just want to write - having notes and manuscript together with AI that understands both makes more sense than specialized planning tools that can't help you draft.