9 Best AI Writing Tools: Amazing Options For Fiction and Nonfiction

There are a lot of AI tools out there, but only a select few that are work for authors of books, whether that be fiction or nonfiction.

At least, there aren’t many that are genuinely good.

Writing with AI continues to be a controversial subject, but that’s not what this article is about. This article assumes you are interested in using AI as a writing tool at some point in your process, whether that be brainstorming, research, character building, outlining, editing, or even writing the first draft.

Most authors probably don’t enjoy at least one of the items on that list. And AI can reduce the friction in that process.

If you don’t want to write with AI, that’s totally fine. But if you are at least curious, we present to you the best AI writing software that you can use for writing fiction and nonfiction.

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What Are the 5 Best AI Writing Tools for Fiction?

I’ve created a list of 4 tools that I believe are the best for fiction authors. They are, in order of recommendation:

1. Sudowrite
2. Claude
3. ChatGPT Plus
4. OpenAI Playground
5. Verb

Additionally, I created a video explaining all of the different tools for writing fiction with AI that you can watch here (this is a personal project, not directly associated with Kindlepreneur, and posted here with permission):

If you want more videos like this talking about the practical uses of AI in writing and marketing, be sure to subscribe to the channel.

1. Sudowrite

Pricing: $19/month for 30,000 AI words, $29/month for 90,000 words, or $129/month for 300,000 AI words. The $29/month tier is recommended.

Pros:

• Comprehensive feature set
• Designed with fiction writers in mind
• Excellent tools for revisions and first drafts
• Ideal for brainstorming sessions
• No limitations on content

Cons:

• Potentially overwhelming number of features
• Suboptimal design for some features
• Highest price on this list (though still lower than many other AI tools in the market)

The AI writing tool called Sudowrite is a tool that's gained a lot of traction among fiction writers. It's packed with features designed to help authors throughout their storytelling process. These features include writing, revision, and brainstorming tools that cater to various aspects of crafting a story. It's pretty impressive, despite having some flaws.

One thing that sets Sudowrite apart from other tools like ChatGPT is that it doesn't impose any content restrictions. So, if you're into writing erotic romance, gratuitous violence, or gore, this is almost certainly the tool you’ll want to use.

Although it has its drawbacks, like an overwhelming interface, Sudowrite remains a top choice for many fiction authors.

So, if you're looking for a writing tool specifically built for fiction, Sudowrite could be your best bet. I don't personally use it as my go-to tool for brainstorming, worldbuilding, character building, outlining, etc., but I do use it for writing actual prose. 

And with our link (affiliate), you can get 10,000 words to try it out for yourself, which should be enough to see if it’s right for you. Give it a try and see if it works!

2. Claude

Pricing: Free

Pros:

• Exceptional quality of prose
• Can accept and read books up to 75,000 words in length with a massive context window
• Good for marketing materials as well

Cons:

• Often doesn't follow directions as well as ChatGPT

Claude is a little newer than ChatGPT, but it has quickly become one of the most important tools for AI fiction writers.

It's not perfect, and part of me really wishes there was a good hybrid of Claude's language with ChatGPT's ability to follow orders, but it's still an exceptional AI large language model.

It's biggest strength is its prose. The prose is better with Claude than with any other model, especially if you are writing fiction. It doesn't have the same level of flowery language you usually get from GPT-4.

Additionally, it has a 100K token limit, which makes it really good for analyzing your current novel, generating marketing material, creating a wiki, having lengthy instructions, etc.

Where it's not perfect is in its ability to follow orders. If I'm giving it a summary of what I would like it to write in a chapter, for example, it can sometimes get derailed by the time it gets to the end of the story.

ChatGPT seems to have the advantage here, as it is much better at following orders and dealing with anything that requires structure.

But that said, Claude is still my #2 recommendation for fiction authors.

3. ChatGPT Plus

Pricing: $20/month

Pros:

• Virtually limitless word count
• Endless customization options
• Ideal for idea generation and outlining

Cons:

• Necessitates mastering the art of effective prompting
• Inability to modify the generated responses

When it comes to AI writing tools, cost and word count limitations can put a damper on creativity, as is the case with Sudowrite and OpenAI's Playground. In contrast, ChatGPT provides flexibility and versatility, enabling writers to experiment and create without worrying about exceeding word count or incurring additional costs. This freedom allows authors to focus on their writing and push their creative boundaries.

However, to truly harness the power of ChatGPT, it is essential to master prompt engineering. Crafting the right prompts can unlock the tool's potential and lead to more effective and personalized results. 

While Sudowrite and Verb are arguably more user-friendly, their creative potential may be somewhat limited compared to ChatGPT, as they provide a more structured and guided experience, as opposed to the open-endedness of ChatGPT.

It's worth noting that ChatGPT does have content restrictions, making it less suitable for authors who write erotica or incorporate excessive violence into their stories. In such cases, Sudowrite or Verb may be more appropriate alternatives, as they do not impose these limitations. 

Nevertheless, despite these content restrictions, ChatGPT remains a preferred tool for many fiction writers, thanks to its versatility and adaptability.

4. OpenAI Playground

Pricing: Depends on the chosen model, with a pay-as-you-go pricing structure.

Pros:

• Offers all features of ChatGPT
• Highly flexible
• Affordable for many users
• Allows editing of previous responses

Cons:

• Pay-as-you-go pricing model

OpenAI Playground and ChatGPT Plus share a close resemblance, as they are essentially built on the same foundation. However, there are some key differences between these two AI writing tools that make each more appealing to different types of users. 

One notable advantage of Playground is its ability to edit past responses, giving authors more control over their generated text. Nevertheless, there's a limit to how much memory it can retain, so users may need to delete past responses if they reach that threshold.

The pay-as-you-go model of Playground presents another challenge, as it can potentially hinder creativity and experimentation. Since users have to pay for each word the tool generates, there may be a reluctance to try new approaches or iterate extensively on the text. This constraint contrasts with ChatGPT's pricing model, which allows for more freedom in usage.

In addition, the cost of using Playground increases with every word it needs to remember, as processing power is required to analyze and store that information. While this might not be a major concern for infrequent AI users, who may find the tool affordable for their needs, it could pose a financial burden for those who rely heavily on AI assistance in their writing projects.

Despite these drawbacks, OpenAI Playground remains a close candidate for best AI writing program for authors. However, ChatGPT's pricing structure, which offers greater freedom and predictability in terms of cost, ultimately makes it the preferred choice for many authors. The decision between these two tools will largely depend on individual preferences and priorities, such as the importance of editing past responses versus the impact of cost constraints on creativity.

5. Verb

Pricing: Free during open beta

Pros:

• Minimalist user interface
• Streamlined approach to writing
• Recognizes and understands characters
• Analyzes manuscripts for improvement

Cons:

• Limited features compared to competitors
• Lacks capability to generate entire scenes at once

Verb.ai is an AI writing tool that caters to discovery writers with its minimalist design and linear approach. By generating smaller chunks of text (100-200 words), the tool may help authors maintain creativity and stay focused on their writing. However, this aspect might not be ideal for writers who prefer to work with longer scenes or those who follow a non-linear writing process.

One of the standout features of Verb.ai is its character database, which ensures consistency in character interactions, dialogue, and actions throughout the text. 

In addition, Verb.ai has the ability to analyze manuscripts and compare them to best-selling books, providing valuable insights for improvement and helping authors elevate their writing.

It's important to note that, as a relatively new tool, Verb.ai offers fewer features than some of its counterparts, such as Sudowrite. However, as the tool is currently in open beta and available for free, there's no harm in trying it out to see if it aligns with one's writing style and preferences.

Ultimately, the choice between Verb.ai and other AI writing tools like Sudowrite will depend on individual writing style preferences and requirements. For discovery writers who appreciate a minimalist design and linear approach, Verb.ai could be a highly viable option.

The Bottom Line: Which AI Writing Tool Is Best for Fiction?

I recommend a combonation of Sudowrite with a chatbot like Claude or ChatGPT as a suplement (though if I had to pick one, I'd only be Claude). The chatbots are going to be better than Sudowrite on:

• Brainstorming
• Character building
• Outlining
• Various editing tasks

Additionally, ChatGPT Plus and Claude give you, essentially, unlimited words to use, meaning you don’t have to hold yourself back when running through iterations and ideas.

That said, every item on this list is good for one reason or another. Verb is better at getting into a linear flow, Sudowrite is the best at generating actual prose, and OpenAI has almost everything ChatGPT has, with a few differences.

Personally, I use a combination of ChatGPT or Claude for most things, and Sudowrite for the prose of my first drafts.

What Are the 5 Best AI Writing Tools for Nonfiction?

Nonfiction-based AI writing tools are everywhere these days. And it can be really hard to sort through the ocean of new tools popping up every day.

That’s why I’ve narrowed them down to the top 5 that I recommend for most authors of nonfiction:

1. ChatGPT/OpenAI Playground
2. Jasper
3. Copy AI
4. WriteSonic
5. Frase IO

1. ChatGPT/OpenAI Playground (Best Budget/My Recommendation)

Pricing: $20/month for ChatGPT Plus, pay as you go with OpenAI Playground

Pros:

• Virtually limitless word count
• Endless customization options
• Ideal for idea generation and outlining
• Very good at nonfiction

Cons:

• Necessitates mastering the art of effective prompting
• Inability to modify the generated responses
• Does not connect to the Internet

Both ChatGPT and the OpenAI Playground, much as is the case with fiction, is one of the best tools for nonfiction as well.

Firstly, it is one of the most inexpensive tools on the market, due to the fact that OpenAI is not dealing with any middlemen like most other tools do.

Additionally, ChatGPT and OpenAI playground are very open ended, meaning you can produce almost any result that you can think of, as long as you have an effective prompt.

This is something not available in most other tools.

ChatGPT also seems to be better suited for nonfiction than for fiction, as this seems to be the large bulk of material that it was trained on. So despite the fact that we still recommend ChatGPT for fiction, it is even better for nonfiction.

I personally love the price point for the value that he gives. For $20 a month, ChatGPT plus gives you essentially, unlimited words. That, combined with the high quality, makes this my top recommendation for nonfiction authors, just at his it is my top recommendation for certain aspects of the fiction writing process.

2. Jasper (Most Powerful)

Pricing: Sliding scale starting at $29/month, but $99/month for boss mode and 100,000 words, which is the minimum of what you will want.

Pros:

• Excellent selection of templates
• Relatively easy to use
• One of the best long-form writers out there

Cons:

• Extremely expensive
• Output is unpredictable
• Can be overwhelming to learn

Now, despite everything I just said about ChatGPT, one of the most powerful tools on the market is Jasper.

Jasper has been on the scene for a long time, long before ChatGPT blew up in popularity. They use OpenAI's GPT-4 model, but also combine it with multiple other AI models to make a far more robust system.

Jasper also comes with multiple templates, which are like recipes for whatever it is you want to produce, whether that be marketing copy, a blog post, email headlines, etc. Chances are, Jasper has a template for your needs.

The downside to Jasper is primarily the price point. It is one of the most expensive tools on the market. This is compounded by the fact that most features worth having are only available on “boss mode” which is a more expensive plan.

But if price is not an obstacle, it is definitely one you might want to look at, as it does have a few advantages over even ChatGPT.

But for most nonfiction authors, I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the cost.

3. Copy AI (Best User Interface)

Pricing: $35/month for unlimited credits and projects

Pros:

• A lot of great templates
• Good, clean design
• Good at editing text

Cons:

• Not as good of output as ChatGPT or Jasper
• Not great for long-form

Copy AI is a close competitor of Jasper’s, and many would call it equal in power. It has one particular advantage over Jasper, and that is its design. The overall flow of writing and software designed is one of the best in the industry.

Like Jasper, Copy AI has multiple templates that you can use, and utilizes some of the same AI models that Jasper another tools use. In fact, it is not all that different from many other AI tools.

Unlike some tools, it does have a few unique options like a grammar checker, a sentence simple fire, and a verb booster, which are all useful in the writing process. In fact, Copy AI is a really good option for those who want to improve their writing in the editing stage.

It's also priced far more reasonably than Jasper. This is the one we recommend if you want something cheaper than Jasper with similar output.

4. WriteSonic (Best for Marketing Copy)

Pricing: $15/month for 50,000 words, $25/month for 375,000 words, $45/month for unlimited words

Pros:

• Great for short-form social/marketing copy
• Has a long-form assistant
• Affordable

Cons:

• Not the cleanest output
• Not great for longer content
• Not the best layout

WriteSonic is another great AI tool that specializes in marketing copy. If you write a lot of marketing copy for your your job or in your author business, this might be one to look at.

For example, they have templates for a variety of purposes, anything from ad copy for Facebook, to an Instagram description, to the text of a LinkedIn profile. If it's social media or marketing related, they probably have a template for it.

The downsides that I found when working with WriteSonic are mostly due to the interface, which is not as clean as copy AI or Jasper. And while it does have a longform assistant for writing longer articles or books, I found it to be less than ideal compared to Jasper or ChatGPT.

So if you have the specific need around marketing, this is want to look at, otherwise I would use a different option.

5. Frase IO (Best for SEO)

Pricing: $14.99/month for 1 article/week, $44.99/month for 30 articles/month, $114.99/month for Unlimited articles. All three plans give you 4000 AI words per month.

Pros:

• Great for SEO research
• All-in-one content creation
• Amazing optimization features

Cons:

• Expensive
• Clumsy interface
• Tries to do too much

Frase IO is a little bit different, because it is not primarily a writing program. Instead, Frase IO is a program to help Internet marketers with Seo.

As someone who does a lot of Seo writing himself, I highly appreciate this. Frase IO will scan the top search results of Google, and give you an AI -assisted analysis of those top results. This helps you identify topics that you should discuss in your article, makes sure you have all the right keywords you need, that your article is long enough, etc.

Frase IO is not the first software tool to do this, but it is one of the most effective because of its use of AI.

And while AI writing is not its focus, it does have some AI writing capabilities to help optimize an article.

Overall, this is a solid tool for Internet marketers, especially if you write content for websites that you want to rank on Google. It's just not going to do the writing for you.

The Bottom Line: Which AI Writing Tool is Best for Nonfiction

For most authors of nonfiction, my primary recommendation will be ChatGPT Plus, as it is the most flexible, and the most affordable. For the average author, there is little to be gained by one or more of the other programs.

That said, someone who writes a lot with AI might consider Jasper, and WriteSonic and Frase IO are great additions for marketing copy and SEO optimization, respectively. But if you don’t have these special needs, ChatGPT is absolutely fine to be getting on with.

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Honorable Mentions

In addition to the above, there are a few other AI programs that I should mention. None of these are that much worse, honestly, because most use the same models as the others (usually GPT 3.5/4). But for one reason or another, they didn’t really excel or rise to the top.

• Rytr: Rytr is an affordable and compact AI writing software that supports multiple languages, has features such as document editing, GPT-3 integration, over 30 use cases, and SEMRush integration, although it may be confusing at first and not as visually appealing as competitors. It’s a great budget option, but seems unnecessary when compared to the price of ChatGPT Plus.
• ContentBox.AI: ContentBox AI offers basic tools for AI content generation and great content optimization tools with over 12 templates, browser extensions, and multi-language support, although it is a bit pricey compared to the market average.
• GrowthBar: GrowthBar is an AI assistant focused on SEO with keyword and competitor research tools, content optimization tools, and an AI writing tool, all with an intuitive interface and affordable pricing, although its SEO features are barebones and the AI writing tool can be a hit or miss.
• Article Forge: Article Forge is an affordable AI writing tool with a comprehensive tool stack for bulk content generation, innovative features to improve editing workflow, multi-language support, and SEO integrations, although the AI content is not always top-notch and it can take a while to generate content.
• PepperType AI: PepperType AI is a simple and lightweight AI writing tool that is focused on speed in content delivery with over 30 templates, quick AI content generation, a simple process for AI writing, and a straightforward interface, although it lacks special features and its grammar is not top-notch.
• Anyword: Anyword is an AI writing software with a focus on engaging the target audience, featuring special tools for audience engagement, but with a high price tag.
• Outranking.io: Outranking.io is an AI writing tool that focuses on a data-driven approach and includes features like topic and keyword research, content optimization, and AI writing assistance, although its AI writing function is not the best, and its interface can get cluttered.
• Longshot AI: Longshot AI is an AI writing tool that focuses on fact-checking and has research capabilities, along with a robust AI writing system, but has limited interface customization and style and tone options.
• Lyne AI: Lyne AI is an outreach tool that generates AI content for outreach messages and ice breakers, with advanced research and LinkedIn integration, however, it can be hard to get started with and has no customization options for content output.
• Nyle AI: Nyle AI is an AI writing tool built for eCommerce businesses, featuring a variety of tools, templates, and AI-generated content, although it can be challenging for beginners and limited in style and tone options.

There are TONS of AI tools out there, and more are cropping up every day. Keep checking back to this article to see any updates, as this market is shifting constantly, and more AI tools are likely to rise and fall in the future. And if you're into AI, don't forget to check out our article on AI art for authors as well.