Yay or nay?
Discover what the internet is saying about Dabble.
Upgraded Reviews scanned the web to find out what real users are saying about Dabble.
See the highlights below and decide for yourself!
Table of contents
- ✅ Pros
- ❌ Cons
- ⚖️ Summaries
- 💸 Top Discount
✅ Pros
“Users can easily organise their manuscript, working closely and in detail with each scene, chapter, and book independent of one another.”
“You can create and organize your story notes.”
“Dabble’s Story Notes includes all notes, whether for characters or the world setting.”
“Both Dabble and LivingWriter are web-based, so any device with a decent Internet connection can easily open both and work wherever they want.”
“You can make notes on places in your story so you never have to flip through all the pages you’ve written to remember how big the mansion you are writing about actually is.”
“Even if you’re the least tech savvy person in the world, it won’t take you long to get going with Dabble.”
“There are places where you can add chapters, plan out the scenes of your story and the plot, design your character profiles, add notes for world building and more.”
“It allows for complete focus on the writing itself as opposed to being bogged down with distracting format issues.”
“You can plot your story using Dabble’s plot grid, plot lines (subplots), and plot points (the events that take place in your subplots).”
“Dabble provides tools for plotting your novel, including the ability to drag and drop scenes and characters.”
“Dabble’s user-friendly interface is accessible even to tech novices, making it easy to start writing.”
“They offer a 14-day free trial that doesn’t require you to input a card in.”
“Exporting a document to Word or Text file is as easy as clicking the right button.”
“Basic organizational features are available for character and setting development.”
“Basic goal-setting and tracking options are available.”
“It has a plotting tool.”
“I found Focus Mode to be really helpful.”
“The interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate.”
“I also find the distraction free mode to work very well, especially when I’m out and about on my laptop and don’t have a second screen going.”
“Plotting tool is also available.”
“Word counts are available.”
“It offers story card view for plotting.”
“It is definitely easier to use.”
“There are different options for the different types of stories like fantasy and historical fiction.”
“It does seem a bit easier to navigate than Scrivener.”
“You can also add images, set the cover art, and more.”
“Dabble’s plot grid feature is user-friendly and ideal for writers who need detailed plot mapping.”
“There is built-in dictation.”
“Its sleek, modern interface makes it easy to just open, click your book, and immediately pick up where you left off.”
“Focus mode enhances concentration, and users can toggle it on or off with ease.”
“Dabble has dark mode as an offering for standard and premium subscribers.”
“For writers who find that their motivation is strongest when rooted in goal-setting, Dabble offers the ability to set a word count over a specified period of time.”
“You can access your writing from any device.”
“It allows streamlined collaboration.”
“Dabble is available on all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.”
“It helps you having your work on the cloud to access anywhere.”
“A thing that I have found especially useful is the “Scene Notes” feature.”
“Dabble’s notecards act as virtual index cards.”
“It collaborates with Pro Writing Aid for spelling and grammar checking.”
“It features novel series.”
“It is well-priced for a tool like this. Word is more expensive.”
“The simple goal-setting features included in all tiers are great.”
“Organizing by chapter and scenes within chapters is made easy by Dabble’s outlining platform.”
“The first thing that impressed me was the ability to sign up for a free two-week trial with only an email address and no credit card.”
“You can plot the primary story alongside any various subplots or narratives.”
“App (works on a PC) is available.”
“Dabble offers focus tools to help you concentrate on your writing.”
“You can export to Word/text file.”
“Goals & stats is easy to set up and use.”
“Book Scene section allows for great plot build out.”
“Dabble’s goal-setting features are practical for planning daily or weekly writing targets.”
“Dabble has a built-in goal setting feature that allows you to stay on track and get your daily word count in.”
“There is cloud-based syncing.”
“Dabble prides themselves on a “simple” design.”
“As an added bonus, you can even set a time period within your goal’s time frame to mark as days you’ll be taking off.”
“It makes it easy to have events in each subplot happen at the right time in your story.”
“You can set goals and track real-time stats on your writing habits.”
“You can access it from any computer, any device as long as you have internet.”
“If you are one who needs a detailed plot line for each character, you have that option with this tool.”
“Writing itself comes with with typewriter scrolling, auto-fade and an aesthetic writing interface.”
“Dabble is easy to use.”
“Instead of having to buy subsequent new versions of software, the subscription-based platform provides rolling updates as they become available.”
“Dabble has its own home-grown community chat board called The Story Craft Cafe.”
“You can plan how each interweaving plot line and character arc interacts with the main story using Dabble’s ‘Plot Grid’.”
“You can quickly export to Word/Text for sharing/printing.”
“It has easy learning curve.”
“You can create character sketches and character relationships.”
“Word counts for the whole project, chapters, and sections are provided to help writers balance and plan their work.”
“Dabble offers a plot grid, allowing writers to plan out chapters together with their subplots within plot lines.”
💸 Top Current Discount
❌ Cons
“You can’t import an MS Word or Google Docs file into Dabble.”
“Dabble does not provide options to import content from other writing tools.”
“Currently, you can only bold, italicize, and strikethrough text and you’re unable to change the typeface or font color.”
“Dabble is a relatively young software with limited features such as the formatting options in the manuscript.”
“Limited options for importing MS Word or Google Docs files, although copying and pasting work.”
“Dabble does not offer any templates on their platform, which is a bummer.”
“There is no mobile-friendly option.”
“It has only simple formatting options.”
“Automatic formatting can mistake your purpose from time to time.”
“Automatic fade can get annoying as it doesn’t work that well (you can turn it off though.”
“You have to manually organize your book scenes with drag and drop.”
“Dabble is a writing and plotting software in the truest sense. There is no option to format and export book files that are ready for upload to Amazon or other online retailers.”
“There is a free trial but no free version.”
“Dabble lacks features for formatting and exporting print-ready PDFs or EPUBs, requiring users to seek additional formatting tools or services.”
“The biggest downside to Dabble is the monthly payment style.”
“Plotting and planning elements are pretty basic.”
“I’ve never been a big fan of the subscription model for writing tools like this.”
“Goal setting options are only for word count.”
“It doesn’t have the power of Scrivener.”
“Some users might find the pricing a bit high compared to other writing tools.”
“It is a subscription service.”
“Dabble does not offer book formatting options, which could be a drawback for some writers.”
“Lifetime access cost is high.”
“Fonts are limited to only a few options, and no ability to add your own fonts.”
“The paragraph spacing option is nice, but you don’t have the option to justify your text.”
⚖️ Final Say
Read the summaries of what reviewers think about Dabble below.
“Dabble Writer is something I would definitely consider in the future as I found it a very easy to use interface, fantastic customer service and the features were exactly what a writer needs.”
“Dabble is a simple, user-friendly writing program with a helpful plotting tool, but at present, it falls short in comparison to other leading writing software as an advanced word processor.”
“It is clear that Dabble is an effective, popular and reasonably priced tool. Anyone who uses it will almost certainly benefit enormously from its clean interface, easy to use features and problem solving nature. However, that does not mean that every single writer in existence would benefit from using Dabble.”
“For creative writers who do a lot of plotting or have a sprawling character list, Dabble is a legitimate alternative to programs like Scrivener. It’s simple, streamlined, and doesn’t require hours of tutorials before effective use.”
“It is an app that you download and install on your computer that enables you to plan your book project, plot your story, create character sketches and do the actual writing of the manuscript. You can also access Dabble via a web browser or an app on your phone or tablet.”
“Dabble is a good option for writers of all levels, from beginners to experienced users. It is easy to use and offers a variety of features that can help writers plan, write, and edit their work. The free plan includes access to all essential features, so writers can try out Dabble before they commit to a paid subscription.”
“I’ve been extremely pleased with the functionality and organized setup of Dabble, as well as their excellent customer care. If you’re looking for a writing platform, why not give the free trial a go to see if it’s right for you?”
“Dabble is a word processor designed specifically for books. It gives you the power to organize and rearrange scenes and chapters using drag and drop, manage your word count goals to keep to a deadline, and plot like a pro.”
“Overall, I’d say that Dabble is a really cool writing service that makes the writing process easier and streamlines everything in one place while letting you get the disconnected writing features of Scrivener without the complications. I think that if you’re looking for an alternative to Scrivener, Dabble is good.”
“Overall I find Dabble to be an incredibly useful tool for writing. It had fewer features than a few others out there, but it works smoothly and flawlessly most of the time. Learning it was easy since the structure mimics standard files structures and will look familiar to most people. If you plan to do NaNoWriMo this year consider their NaNo trial. It’s well worth the effort.”
“I do believe the Dabble plans are worth those prices, but for a lot of people, spending that kind of money may not be feasible or something they want prioritize. In a world of subscriptions after subscriptions, people are wanting to get more for less. And that, my friends, is what I recently found with a writing platform called, “Motif.”
“I am still fairly new to the program, and there might be better/faster ways to do the things but this is what I’ve found, it works for me.”
“Distraction-free mode, dark mode, and other commonalities between Dabble and LivingWriter are a given at this point. However, in this feature comparison, we can see that Dabble’s pride in simplicity breaks down when pitted against a product with a robust feature set like LivingWriter. There might be beauty in Dabble’s simplicity, but when you’re being asked $20 a month for the full experience when you can have that and more at half the price with LivingWriter’s $9.99 per month, you’d be pressed to choose LivingWriter.”
“Dabble is an online cloud-based software for writers. Instead of paying a single price and downloading the software, you pay a monthly membership that gives you access to the various features available in the online app. These features include plotting tools, sticky notes, and goal tracking.”
“Dabble Writer’s software is easily accessible on any device, with a user-friendly interface that allows for a smooth and intuitive writing experience. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting, Dabble Writer’s software has something to offer to bring your ideas to life.”