Plans, the free trial and billing

NovelCanon has three plans: Free, Manuscript ($5 a month billed annually, or $7 monthly) and Pro ($12 a month billed annually, or $15 monthly). Every new account starts with 14 days of Pro, with no card needed. When the trial ends you move to Free unless you subscribe, and nothing you've written is ever deleted.

Plan prices cover the software only. AI runs on your own provider key, and your provider bills you for it directly. See What does the AI cost?

What does each plan include?

	Free	Manuscript	Pro
Projects and chapters	1 project, 3 chapters	Unlimited	Unlimited
Story tools (Story Bible, corkboard, beat sheets)	✓	✓	✓
Consistency checks as you write	✓	✓	✓
Import a manuscript	First 3 chapters	Whole book	Whole book
Story Bible drafted on import, Scan for new entries	—	✓	✓
Reading mode	—	✓	✓
AI writing actions	20 a day	20 a day	Unlimited
Voice matching	—	—	✓
Whole-book Check for contradictions	—	—	✓
Export	Markdown, plain text	Adds DOCX	Adds EPUB, PDF and full backup

The 20 daily AI actions cover the AI panel and AI Chat, and reset at midnight UTC. Background analysis, which reads your scenes for facts, doesn't count toward them. The full comparison is on the pricing page.

How does the 14-day Pro trial work?

The trial starts when you create your account and includes everything in Pro. There's no card to enter and nothing to cancel.

• The top bar shows Pro trial · N days left. In the last two days it turns amber and reads Pro trial ends in N days. Click it to open Billing.
• You also get an email a few days before the trial ends, and another on the day it ends.
• If you subscribe during the trial, your paid plan starts as soon as checkout completes.

What happens when my trial ends or I cancel?

You move to the Free plan. Everything you've written stays in your account; work beyond Free's limits becomes read-only, which means you can open, read and export it but not edit it.

• One project stays editable: the one you chose (see below), otherwise the one you edited most recently. Every other project is marked Read-only on your dashboard.
• In that project, the first three chapters stay editable. If it has more than three, chapter 4 onward is read-only, and chapters and scenes can't be added, deleted or moved until you upgrade.
• Paid features pause: whole-book contradiction checks, voice matching, Story Bible drafting and Scan for new entries, reading mode, and DOCX, EPUB and PDF export.

When you open a read-only scene, a notice above the editor explains why and links to See plans. Upgrading makes everything editable again straight away.

How do I choose which project stays editable?

1. Open your dashboard.
2. On the card of the project you want to work on, click the ⋮ menu.
3. Click Make this my editable project.

The option appears only on read-only projects. You can switch to a different project at any time, and the project you leave becomes read-only, not deleted.

How do I upgrade?

1. Click Billing in the top bar.
2. Click Upgrade.
3. Choose Manuscript or Pro, and Monthly or Annual billing. Annual costs less per month.
4. Click Upgrade to Manuscript or Upgrade to Pro and pay on the secure checkout page.

You return to Billing, where your new plan appears within a few moments. Payments are processed by Polar, our merchant of record, so the charge on your statement comes from Polar.

You'll also see an upgrade window when you reach a plan limit, such as adding a fourth chapter on Free, with the same options.

How do I switch plans or billing period?

Open Billing. If you pay monthly, click Switch to annual. To move between paid plans, click Upgrade to Pro or Switch to Manuscript. Both changes take effect immediately, and what you've already paid for the current period is credited against the new price.

How do I cancel my subscription?

1. Open Billing and click Cancel subscription.
2. Optionally, tell us why you're leaving.
3. Click Yes, cancel.

Your plan keeps working until the end of the period you've paid for, and Billing shows Active until that date. Changed your mind? Click Resume subscription before then. After that date you move to Free, with the same read-only rules as when a trial ends.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. We give a full refund within 14 days of your first purchase, with no questions asked, and look at renewal charges case by case. Our refund policy explains how to request one. AI usage is billed by your AI provider, not by us, so we can't refund it.

Why is my project read-only?

You're on the Free plan, and the project or chapter is outside its limits: it isn't your editable project, or it's chapter 4 or later. Make it your editable project from the dashboard's ⋮ menu, or upgrade to edit everything. Your work is safe either way, and you can export it at any time.