A
ADreamGen vs NovelAI
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
D
Choose DreamGen if…
- you want a free plan to start with
- you want the lower entry price ($7.83/mo vs $10/mo)
- you're in its core audience: role-play enthusiasts, interactive fiction readers
N
Choose NovelAI if…
- you want to trial it before paying
- you're in its core audience: anime artists and fans, fiction writers
Side by side
Feature DreamGen NovelAI
Pricing modelFreemiumFree trial
Starting price$7.83/mo$10/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
PlatformsWebWeb
CategoryStory & Fiction WritingAnime & Art Styles
CompanyDreamGen—
Full feature lists
D DreamGen
- Role-play chat with one or more AI characters
- Prebuilt story worlds and scenarios
- Custom worlds with lore, characters and writing style
- AI story generator for any genre
- Writing prompt generator and prompt search
- Story idea generator
- Choice of basic, premium and third-party models
N NovelAI
- Anime image generation with NovelAI Diffusion V5
- Story generation powered by GLM 4.6
- Separately defined characters for consistency across scenes
- Natural language and tag-based prompting
- Inpainting and Director Tools for clothing, lighting, poses
- Built-in canvas for quick edits
- Encrypted prompts; images not stored unless saved
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
DreamGen · dreamgen.com
NovelAI · novelai.netWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
Work it out for your team
All plans and prices
DreamGen
FreeFree
Starter$7.83/mo ($6.26 first month with 20% off)
Advanced$19.35/mo ($15.48 first month with 20% off)
Pro$48.30/mo ($33.81 first month with 30% off)
NovelAI
SubscriptionFrom $10/mo
On-demand AnlasPay as you go
Price changes we've recorded
We re-read each pricing page every month and log what changed.
DreamGen
No changes since we started tracking.
NovelAI
- Nov 8, 2026New plan: Subscription ($10); New plan: On-demand Anlas (Pay as you go); Plan dropped: Starting subscription
Strengths and limitations
DreamGen
- Free tier includes access to all models and features
- Supports multiple AI characters in one scene
- Pro plan offers up to a 60,000-token context window
- Free prompt and story idea tools
- Starter plan does not include unlimited model access
- Unlimited premium models only on the $48.30 Pro plan
- Starter context window is limited to 5,000 tokens
NovelAI
- One subscription covers both image and text generation
- Prompts are encrypted and images aren't stored unless saved
- No limits on commercial use
- Runs in the browser, mobile included, with no install
- Image generation focused on anime style
- No native desktop or mobile app; browser only
More comparisons
Other options to consider
AA
Freemium
A
AI text adventure game for building and playing open-ended interactive stories
Story & Fiction WritingFree plan
T
TT
Freemium
T
Chat with AI characters from anime, games and fiction, or create your own
Characters & CompanionsFree plan
S
SS
From $10/mo
S
AI writing partner for novelists, from outline to drafted chapters and edits
Story & Fiction Writing
N
NN
From $4/mo
N
Novel planning and writing workspace with a story codex and optional AI
Story & Fiction Writing
S
SS
Free, from $15.83/mo
S
AI writing tool that drafts novels, books and screenplays from an idea
Story & Fiction WritingFree plan
M
MM
From $8/mo
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Nov 8, 2026. Editorial policy