LM Studio
A friendly desktop app with a model browser and a chat window.
Installer only · One-click app · Free
Write a book or story
Plan chapters, draft scenes and keep characters consistent.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
5 results
Most tools here are free.
Work & Office A step behind Gemma 3 12B, and a clear step ahead of a 3B toy model.
Fits a normal computer
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~5.2 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
Writing 98% of ChatGPT level
A stronger writer when you have the memory
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~20 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
Writing 97% of ChatGPT level
A newer writer that needs about half the memory of a 70B
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~18 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Write a book or story?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsUnpublished work stays on your PC
- Cost: Local winsNo subscription
- Quality: Cloud winsMore polished, consistent long prose
- Ease: Cloud winsWorks in the browser immediately
Local AI
A local model can outline, brainstorm and draft without the manuscript leaving your PC.
- Your manuscript stays private
- No subscription for daily drafting
- You choose what gets draftedA local model can draft topics a cloud chat may refuse. The license and the law still apply.
Where it falls short
- Smaller models lose the thread of a long plot
- Prose is usually less polished than a top cloud model
Cloud & apps
The strongest cloud assistants write smoother prose and hold a longer story in memory.
- CChatGPTCloud AIFreemium
Useful for brainstorms, outlines and a first messy draft.
Best for: IdeasOutlines
The text is sent to OpenAI
- CClaudeCloud AIFreemium
Strong long-form editing and a very long context window.
Best for: Long manuscriptsEditing
The text is sent to Anthropic
- SSudowriteWriting appPaid
Built for fiction: a story bible, scene beats and expansion.
Best for: Novelists
Chapters are uploaded
Our take
Draft privately on your own computer; polish in the cloud only if you are willing to share the text.
Choose local if…
- The manuscript is confidential
- You write every day
Choose cloud if…
- You want the smoothest prose
- The book is very long
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example AnythingLLM, GPT4All or Jan. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Qwen3 8B page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for writing. These are normal links to the maker's site.
Scrivener
A long-form writing desk for drafts, chapters, and research notes.
ScrivenerUlysses
A focused writing app for essays, posts, and books on a Mac.
UlyssesHemingway Editor
An editor that flags long sentences and dense wording.
Hemingway Editor