bibisco helps novelists plan characters, plot, and chapters in a free desktop app. See features, pricing, pros, cons, and FAQs.
bibisco is a desktop novel-writing application created by Italian developer Andrea Feccomandi, who has led the project as founder since around 2012 from Bologna, Italy. It is built specifically for fiction authors who want to plan and write a novel within a single workspace.
Unlike a general word processor, bibisco combines a dedicated planning layer, covering characters, plot structure, and locations, with a writing-focused text editor, so authors can move between outlining and drafting in the same application.
The software runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and, according to its own materials, has been downloaded more than 200,000 times and translated into more than 15 languages.
bibisco's character tools include a structured character interview process meant to help authors develop each character in depth, along with sections for tracking how a character's arc evolves across the story.
For structure, authors organize their novel into parts, chapters, and scenes before writing, and can use bibisco's mind maps to visually map relationships between characters, locations, objects, and groups, which is intended to help catch plot holes and inconsistencies early.
A story analysis feature reports statistics on the novel's length, point-of-view distribution, and how characters and locations are used across the manuscript, while the built-in word processor includes formatting tools, spell check, and dialogue-formatting shortcuts aimed at fiction writers.
bibisco follows a freemium model with two editions. The Community Edition is free and provides a fully functional set of planning and writing tools for an entire novel.
The Supporter Edition costs 23 euros as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, and adds custom themes along with more advanced story analysis features on top of everything in the Community Edition.
Students and educators can receive a 20 percent discount on the Supporter Edition by emailing bibisco with valid enrollment documentation or a school certificate.
Yes. The Community Edition of bibisco is free and provides a fully functional set of tools for planning and writing a novel.
The 23 euro one-time Supporter Edition adds custom themes and more advanced story analysis features on top of the free Community Edition.
Yes. bibisco is a native desktop application that runs offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Yes. bibisco is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
bibisco is designed as a single-user desktop application and does not include built-in real-time collaboration features.
Yes. Students and educators can get a 20 percent discount on the Supporter Edition by emailing bibisco with valid enrollment documentation.
bibisco was created by Italian developer Andrea Feccomandi, who has led the project since around 2012 from Bologna, Italy.
bibisco is free at its core and centers on structured pre-writing planning tools like character interviews and mind maps, while Scrivener is a paid, general-purpose long-document writing tool with a broader feature set.