Novel.sh
Novel is a web-based WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to provide autocompletions. ...
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What is Novel.sh?
Novel is a Notion-style WYSIWYG editor with AI-powered autocompletions, built on top of Tiptap and the Vercel AI SDK. It is designed to help teams and individual builders add a polished writing experience to their apps without starting from scratch. The editor focuses on structured content creation, with reusable UI components and a modern block-based workflow.
The product is open-source and positioned as a developer-facing toolkit rather than a standalone consumer writing app. Its quickstart emphasizes that the package ships without styles, giving developers flexible control over the final look and feel. That makes it especially useful for apps that want an editor component they can customize deeply.
Novel includes features for composing content with command and bubble menus, and it supports drag-and-drop block movement through documented extensions. The site also highlights markdown support, making it easier to move content between Novel and other writing tools. Its structure suggests it is built to be embedded in product workflows where rich-text editing and AI assistance are both important.
It is best suited for React developers, startups, and product teams that need an embeddable editor with a Notion-like experience. Because it is component-based, it appeals to people who want to assemble their own editor rather than adopt a rigid out-of-the-box writing tool. The documentation also shows community-maintained support for other frameworks, which broadens its potential audience.
Novel.sh pricing
Pricing model: Free
The website and docs do not show a paid pricing page or subscription tiers. Novel appears to be available as an open-source npm package (npm i novel), and the docs describe it as a collection of custom configs and components for Tiptap rather than a hosted SaaS product. Based on the site content, there is no stated free tier versus paid plan breakdown, only package installation and open-source usage details.
Novel.sh pros
- Notion-style editing experience
- AI-powered autocompletions
- Open-source codebase
- Built on Tiptap
- Uses Vercel AI SDK
- Component-based architecture
- Reusable editor primitives
- Quickstart is straightforward
- No bundled styles, high flexibility
- Supports command menu UI
- Supports bubble menu UI
- Drag-and-drop block handling
- Markdown support available
- Good for embedding in apps
- Community support for non-React frameworks
Novel.sh cons
- Not a full standalone writing app
- Requires developer integration
- No built-in styling included
- Primarily geared toward React
- Needs setup before use
- Documentation-oriented rather than turnkey
- AI features depend on external services
- Customization can add implementation work
Frequently asked questions about Novel.sh
What is Novel?
Novel is a Notion-style WYSIWYG editor that adds AI-powered autocompletions to rich-text editing. It is built as a developer tool for embedding into applications, not as a hosted writing platform.
How do you install Novel?
The docs say to install it with npm using npm i novel. After installation, you import its editor components into your app and compose the editor with elements like EditorRoot, EditorContent, EditorCommand, and EditorBubble.
Does Novel include its own styles?
No. The quickstart explicitly says the package does not include styles and is only a collection of custom configs and components for Tiptap. That means developers are expected to style and integrate it within their own application design.
What is Novel built with?
The site and docs describe Novel as built with Tiptap and the Vercel AI SDK. The documentation also says the codebase is open-source and based on technologies including TypeScript, Radix UI, and Cmdk.
Is Novel open source?
Yes. The introduction page describes Novel's codebase as fully open-source. The GitHub repository is also linked from the project and the package is distributed as an npm library.
Who is Novel for?
Novel is aimed at developers, startups, and product teams that want to add a polished rich-text editor to their apps. It is especially relevant for teams that want Notion-like editing with AI assistance and fine-grained control over the interface.
Does Novel support drag and drop?
Yes. The documentation includes a global drag handle extension for moving blocks across the editor, and it recommends an auto-joiner extension for smoother block behavior when neighboring nodes need to merge.
Can content be exported to Markdown?
Yes. The GitHub discussion linked by the project says markdown support was added so content copied from Novel can be transformed into Markdown and pasted elsewhere.
Does Novel work outside React?
The project is primarily built for React, but the repository mentions community-maintained packages for non-React frameworks such as Svelte and Vue. That suggests other frameworks are possible, though they are not the main focus.
Is there pricing information on the site?
The site content provided does not show paid plans, pricing tiers, or a subscription model. It presents Novel as an open-source package with documentation and installation instructions rather than a commercial SaaS offering.