Software Alternatives & Startups

Novlr VS GDevelop

Compare Novlr VS GDevelop and see what are their differences

Novlr

Online word processor and organizer for novel writing.

Novlr Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
GDevelop

GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.

GDevelop Landing page
Rating
4.0 · 1 review
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, GDevelop seems to be a lot more popular than Novlr. While we know about 78 links to GDevelop, we've tracked only 1 mention of Novlr.

social mentions
1 vs 78
Writing Tools popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
158 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Novlr
GDevelop
Website novlr.org gdevelop.io
Pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Novlr 5 features
GDevelop 6 features
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Novlr's clean, intuitive design allows writers to focus on their work without distractions. The layout is simple yet powerful, providing a smooth writing experience.
  • Cloud-Based Access
    Being a cloud-based service, Novlr allows you to access your work from any device with an internet connection, ensuring that your writing is always up to date and backed up.
  • Goal Setting and Tracking
    Novlr includes features for setting writing goals and providing daily, weekly, and monthly tracking. This encourages accountability and helps writers stay on track.
  • Distraction-Free Writing Mode
    The platform offers a distraction-free writing mode that eliminates unnecessary menus and notifications, allowing writers to focus solely on their work.
  • Collaboration Features
    Novlr provides options for writers to share their work with others for feedback or collaboration, making it a versatile tool for cooperative writing projects.

Possible disadvantages

  • Subscription Model
    Novlr operates on a subscription-based pricing model. This could be a disadvantage for writers looking for a one-time purchase or free writing software.
  • Limited Offline Functionality
    Since Novlr is primarily cloud-based, its offline capabilities are limited, which can be a drawback for writers who prefer to work without an internet connection.
  • Learning Curve
    There may be a learning curve for new users to fully understand and utilize all the features offered by Novlr, potentially making it less accessible for less tech-savvy users.
  • Lack of Advanced Formatting
    Novlr lacks some advanced formatting options that other writing software might offer, which could be important for writers who need extensive formatting capabilities.
  • Feature Overlap
    Some users may find that Novlr's features overlap with other tools they already use, potentially making it redundant if they are satisfied with their current writing setup.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    GDevelop provides a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible for beginners who don't have prior coding experience.
  • Cross-Platform Export
    Games created with GDevelop can be exported to multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.
  • Free and Open Source
    GDevelop is completely free and its source code is open for anyone to modify and improve.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The platform provides a wide range of tutorials, examples, and thorough documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and utilize the tool.
  • Vibrant Community
    An active community forum and resources are available, providing support and opportunities for collaboration.
  • No-Code Solution
    GDevelop allows game creation without any coding, making it highly suitable for rapid prototyping and educational purposes.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Limitations
    The engine may struggle with performance issues for more complex games, especially those with high-end graphics and intensive computations.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While suitable for 2D game development, GDevelop lacks advanced features found in other engines, potentially limiting more experienced developers.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Usage
    Although easy for beginners, mastering the platform for more complex projects can have a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Integration
    Integration with third-party tools and services is not as extensive as in some other, more established game development engines.
  • Project Collaboration
    Collaborative features are relatively basic, potentially making it less ideal for larger, team-based projects.
  • 2D Only
    GDevelop focuses exclusively on 2D game development, which can be a downside for those looking to develop 3D games.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Novlr
GDevelop

Overall verdict

  • Novlr is generally considered a good writing tool, particularly for novelists and writers looking for a user-friendly platform with a focus on long-form writing.

Why this product is good

  • Novlr offers a clean, distraction-free interface that helps writers focus on their work.
  • It provides writing stats and goals to help track progress and motivate writers.
  • Novlr saves all changes in real-time and has offline functionality, ensuring work is not lost.
  • It offers features like version history, which allows users to revisit previous drafts.
  • Novlr's cloud-based platform means work can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

Recommended for

  • Novelists who want a dedicated space for writing and organizing their works.
  • Writers who appreciate goal-setting features and progress tracking.
  • Individuals looking for a cloud-based writing tool with robust backup and access options.
  • Writers who prefer a clean and straightforward interface without unnecessary distractions.

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GDevelop is generally considered a good option for game development, especially for beginners.

Why this product is good

  • GDevelop is an open-source game development platform that provides an easy-to-use interface and a variety of features that allow for the creation of both 2D and 3D games without needing extensive programming knowledge. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, a robust set of pre-built behaviors, and extensive documentation and tutorials, making it accessible to new developers. Additionally, being free and supported by a community of developers, it constantly evolves with updates and new features.

Recommended for

  • Beginners who want to learn game development without extensive coding.
  • Independent developers looking for a free, open-source tool.
  • Educators teaching game development due to its user-friendly interface and ease of use.
  • Developers interested in rapid prototyping of game ideas.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Novlr 3 videos + Add
GDevelop 4 videos + Add

Novlr Update Review: New Features (Versioning)

More videos

  • Review - Top 5 Favorite Novlr Features + GIVEAWAY!🎉🎉{CLOSED 10.31.19}
  • Review - Novlr Full Release Features

GDevelop 5 -- Ultimate Beginner Game Engine?

More videos

  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2019 )
  • Review - Clickteam Fusion 2.5 Vs GDevelop 5 - (Game Engine REVIEW 2020 )
  • Tutorial - Beginner Multiplayer Tutorial

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Novlr
GDevelop
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Novlr and GDevelop. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Novlr no reviews yet
GDevelop 4.0 · 1 review
  • 7 Best Scrivener Alternatives
    www.regendus.com · Jun 2021

    Novlr is another alternative Scrivener application. Novlr is using the cloud as the base of its application. Novlr is a useful tool for novel writers and book writers. It could be the reason why this app is called Novlr.

  • Rated 4/5 by kio
    SaaSHub review
    · Jun 2025

    awesome, but contains some bugs like frezees or editor view crash

  • 16 Scratch Alternatives

    Beginners who don’t have any programming skills but still want to create some games can quickly access one of the best platforms based on the open source network to help them develop games named the GDevelop. This...

  • 20 Best Scratch Alternatives 2023
    rigorousthemes.com · Jul 2022

    GDevelop is described as a “free and easy game-making app.” It’s similar to Scratch in that it’s a no-code platform; it doesn’t require using programming languages. GDevelop is also free and open source.

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Novlr 1 mention
GDevelop 78 mentions
  • What’s a good program to write on? Preferably not google docs.
    Novlr Pros: Chapter organization Cons: No scene organization, not sharable, not as cheap as Dabble (but may be cheaper for UK users avoiding international fees of some other software) Https://novlr.org/. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • No-Code Game Development: Using AI to Build Your First Game
    GDevelop combines open-source flexibility with powerful no-code features. Their recent AI plugins provide remarkable capabilities:. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Platform for 11 year old to create video games?
    Humble Bundle has a Godot bundle is available for the next day or so. That might be a good one to look at if you're ok with leaning into code a bit (gdscript is very very similar to python).... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Exploring Raylib and Open Source
    I selected this library as I normally use much higher-level tools to develop games such as p5.js, or GDevelop. Both these tools are amazing in their own right; however, I want to learn how these processes operate on a much lower level.... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago

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Alternatives to Novlr and GDevelop

When comparing Novlr and GDevelop, you can also consider the following products.