Dabble Writer

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Dabble Writer

A curated collection of the 1 best self hosted alternatives to Dabble Writer.

Cloud-based novel-writing app for planning, drafting and editing manuscripts. Provides plot grid, character profiles, scene and chapter organization, focus mode, goal tracking and live word counts, collaboration, autosave/backups, multi-device sync and export options.

Alternatives List

#1
Storyteller

Storyteller

Self-hosted web app for writing, structuring, and organizing stories with chapters, scenes, and notes.

Storyteller screenshot

Storyteller is a self-hostable web application designed to help writers plan and draft fiction or narrative projects. It focuses on keeping story content, structure, and supporting notes organized in one place.

Key Features

  • Create and manage writing projects with hierarchical structure (e.g., chapters and scenes)
  • Rich text editing for drafting story content
  • Notes and supporting material to keep characters, locations, and ideas organized
  • Project organization features to navigate and revise longer works

Use Cases

  • Planning and drafting novels, short stories, or serial fiction
  • Organizing story outlines, scenes, and reference notes for a writing project
  • Keeping multiple writing projects separated and easy to maintain

Storyteller is a lightweight option for writers who want a focused, self-hosted environment to structure and write narrative content. It is best suited for individual authors or small groups who prioritize organization and drafting over heavyweight publishing workflows.

Why choose an open source alternative?

  • Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running