Wavemaker Cards

Wavemaker Cards is a free planning and writing app for building a book from chapters and scenes. It suits solo novelists who want outlining and drafting tools that can work offline. Its appeal is a card-based approach with user-controlled project storage, rather than a shared writing workspace.

Overview

Wavemaker brings outlining, research notes, manuscript writing, and formatting into a single environment. Its focus on developing a story in stages will suit writers who want to arrange material before drafting; it is less suited to someone seeking a minimal, blank-page editor. The maker says projects remain in a local database or the writer’s personal Google Drive, not on its servers, and that users retain ownership of their work.

Local projects can be backed up and moved, while Google Drive can be used for backup and device syncing. That gives writers control over where their work is stored, but it also means Wavemaker is not built for real-time collaboration.

Key features

Planning and research

The planning board lets writers rearrange notes and turn them into a to-do plan for a novel. That flexibility can help with shaping a story before committing to an outline, though the board is aimed at novel planning rather than general task management. A searchable research database uses hashtags to organize notes, which can make project references easier to retrieve as they accumulate.

Card-based story development

The Snowflake tool helps expand an initial idea into a novel using cards. It gives writers a structured way to develop a premise into more material, rather than requiring them to start with a complete outline. Wavemaker also includes outlining, manuscript formatting, and export to Text and RTF, covering key steps from planning through sharing a manuscript file.

Offline work and assistant bot

Wavemaker can be installed as a Progressive Web App and run without an internet connection, a practical advantage for writers who want to work away from a connection. Connecting the assistant bot requires an OpenAI API key, and OpenAI may charge for its service, so the bot can carry a separate cost even though Wavemaker itself is free.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing. It includes outlining tools, manuscript formatting, Text and RTF export, and cloud sync, while collaboration is not included. Its free price makes it a straightforward choice for solo writers who want to plan and write without a subscription; the key trade-off is that projects cannot be developed together in real time. Use of the assistant bot may also incur an OpenAI charge.

Platforms

Wavemaker runs on the web, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, with installation subject to browser support. The maker also identifies Mac as supported, and Google Drive can sync projects across devices. Offline use is possible through its Progressive Web App installation.

Who it's for

Wavemaker is a strong fit for novelists who prefer cards, scene planning, and searchable project research, particularly those who want offline access and control over local or personal Drive storage. Writers who need live co-authoring should look elsewhere, as should those who want a simple editor without a planning-focused workflow.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The free plan combines outlining, formatting, and Text and RTF export, so solo writers can plan and produce manuscripts without paying a subscription.
• Pros: Offline use and local project storage give writers flexibility when working without a connection and control over where their work resides.
• Pros: Searchable, hashtag-organized research notes and the Snowflake card tool support story development as well as drafting.
• Cons: No real-time collaboration makes it a poor fit for co-writing or shared editorial workflows.
• Cons: The assistant bot may entail a separate OpenAI charge, so it is not necessarily cost-free to use every feature.

Alternatives

Book Writing Software and Writing Apps are useful starting points for comparing options across those categories.

• Campfire is worth considering for writers who want to try writing and worldbuilding modules on a free plan with limited access and no credit card required.
• LivingWriter may suit a writer who wants a free single-manuscript allowance capped at 25,000 words, with a full editor and PDF export.
• Novlr is an option for writers who value online syncing, a two-project free plan, writing sprints, and analytics.
• Plot Factory is an alternative for story and universe planning, with its Basic plan capped at one story, one universe, and 250-word narrations per day.
• Author's Forge is another free-plan option for writers using Linux, macOS, or Windows.
• DragonWriter may appeal to Android and web users seeking a free, online-only app with no ads or paywall.
• Novvler is another option for writers considering a free plan or a Pro plan with AI writing features.
• Plumelisse offers a free web plan with caps on projects, chapters, notes, characters, and timeline events.

Verdict

Choose Wavemaker Cards if you are a solo novelist who wants a free, offline-capable toolkit for planning, research, and manuscript work, with projects kept locally or in your own Google Drive. Its strongest reason to choose it is that combination of card-based story development and user-controlled storage at no subscription cost. Look elsewhere if real-time collaboration is essential or if you want an uncomplicated writing editor rather than a novel-planning workspace.