StoryStepper vs NovelAI
StoryStepper vs NovelAI: a book written for you, or a story you write with AI
NovelAI is a creative space for co-writing stories with AI and generating anime-style images: you write, it continues, and you steer every passage. StoryStepper writes for readers. You answer six questions and receive a complete short novel, written for you alone and delivered within the hour, from $2.99 the first month. Choose NovelAI to co-write; StoryStepper to read.
StoryStepper and NovelAI at a glance
| StoryStepper | NovelAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes | StoryStepper writes the whole book from your brief. We say openly that it is AI. | You and the AI together. NovelAI describes its story generator as one that writes with you, not for you. |
| What you get | Books: a complete short novel with its own cover. Stories: a private serial with a new chapter every morning. Plus a Public Library of finished books to browse. | An open-ended story editor with a Lorebook and a Text Adventure mode, plus an anime-style image generator. |
| Time to a finished story | Within the hour. The whole book arrives at once. | Open-ended. The story grows as long as you keep writing with it. |
| Made for | Readers who want a new novel written for them, without writing it. | Writers, worldbuilders and artists who want hands-on control over text and images. |
| Privacy | Private by default: no public feed, no public profiles, no comments wall. | Privacy is a stated priority; NovelAI says prompts are encrypted. |
| Images | Every book has its own cover. A character poster of your lead is optional. | A full image generator for characters, scenes and comic pages. |
| Platforms | Web app in the browser on phone, tablet and desktop. No download. | In the browser, including on mobile, with no installation. |
| Pricing model | Books from $2.99 the first month, two complete books a month. Stories $15.99 a month. One book without a plan: $5.99. | Free trial, then monthly subscription tiers; image credits can also be bought on demand. |
Who each one is for
Pick StoryStepper if you want to sit back and read
You want a finished romance, mystery, thriller, fantasy, drama, comedy, horror or crime novel, shaped by six answers and delivered within the hour, without prompting or steering each passage. The book is planned in full and checked for continuity before you read it. If you prefer one new chapter each morning, Stories does that.
Pick NovelAI if you love to build the story yourself
NovelAI is a deep, flexible sandbox. You can write alongside the AI line by line, keep your world consistent with a Lorebook, switch into Text Adventure mode, fine-tune how the model writes and illustrate your characters with one of the best-known anime-style image generators. If the fun is in the making, NovelAI gives you more control than StoryStepper ever will.
The main differences
Steering or reading
On NovelAI you shape the story as it is written, passage by passage. On StoryStepper you give a brief up front and then read; the planning and writing happen without you.
Open-ended or finished
A NovelAI story can go on as long as you like. A StoryStepper book is planned with an ending you chose, written in one sitting and audited for continuity, so it arrives complete.
Text and images, or books
NovelAI is as much an image studio as a writing tool. StoryStepper is about books: each one has its own cover, and a character poster of your lead is an optional extra.
Questions about StoryStepper and NovelAI
Is StoryStepper like NovelAI?
Both use AI for fiction, but they do different jobs. NovelAI is a tool you write with. StoryStepper writes a complete short novel for you to read, from six answers, and delivers it within the hour.
Do I need to write or prompt anything on StoryStepper?
No. You answer six questions: the shape, the ending, the feel, the language and who the book is about, with a sentence or two of premise. Then you read.
Does StoryStepper make images?
Every book comes with its own cover, and you can order a character poster of your lead for 2 embers. It is not a general image generator like NovelAI.
How much does each one cost?
StoryStepper Books costs $2.99 the first month for new subscribers and includes two complete books a month. Books+ includes five books a month, Stories is $15.99 a month, and a single book without a plan is $5.99. NovelAI offers a free trial and monthly subscription tiers; their site has current prices.
Which languages does StoryStepper write in?
Books and Stories are written in English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil) and Italian.
Rather read than write tonight?
Answer six questions. Your complete short novel arrives within the hour, written for you alone.