bibisco Community Edition
The free edition keeps projects, storylines, characters, chapters, scenes, backups and export; outline, timeline and search are paid.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopmobileone-click install
- Installation
- Windows installer/portable ZIP, native macOS or Linux package, or free iOS/Android app
- Operational Setup
- The free download is delivered through a Lemon Squeezy order flow that requires an email, and users must choose and preserve the correct projects directory
- Where Your Data Lives
- Desktop projects live in a user-chosen local directory: each project has a JSON project file and an images folder, with .bibisco2 backup archives; optional third-party drive folders can sync those local files
- The Catch / Trade-off
- The free edition omits the outline, timeline, search and several planning views, and it lacks Dabble's automatic cloud sync and seamless browser-to-mobile workspace.
Replaces 3 paid apps
up to $34/mo ($408/yr) in subscriptions
bibisco Community Edition FAQ
Common questions
Is bibisco Community Edition free and open source?+
bibisco Community Edition is a free tool that runs on local. The free edition keeps projects, storylines, characters, chapters, scenes, backups and export; outline, timeline and search are paid.
What paid software does bibisco Community Edition replace?+
bibisco Community Edition serves as a free replacement for 3 paid SaaS applications: Dabble, LivingWriter, Novelcrafter, saving up to $34/month ($408/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up bibisco Community Edition?+
Installation: Windows installer/portable ZIP, native macOS or Linux package, or free iOS/Android app. Setup notes: The free download is delivered through a Lemon Squeezy order flow that requires an email, and users must choose and preserve the correct projects directory
What is the catch or trade-off with bibisco Community Edition?+
The free edition omits the outline, timeline, search and several planning views, and it lacks Dabble's automatic cloud sync and seamless browser-to-mobile workspace.