Skip to content

NovelAI vs SillyTavern

A side-by-side comparison of NovelAI and SillyTavern, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.

Compared from listings verified as of

NovelAI

Writing

Subscription AI storyteller and anime image generator with encrypted stories.

View NovelAI

SillyTavern

Companion

Self-hosted LLM chat frontend for power users, with characters and many backends.

View SillyTavern

At a glance

Feature comparison of NovelAI and SillyTavern
AttributeNovelAISillyTavern
Category (differs)WritingCompanion
Pricing (differs)PAIDBYO KEY
License (differs)ProprietaryOpen source
Deployment (differs)CloudSelf-host
Platforms (differs)WebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Model support (differs)Single model (proprietary)Multi-model
Vendor (differs)AnlatanSillyTavern
Capabilities (differs)
  • Text-to-image
  • Image editing
  • Long-form writing
  • Multi-model access
  • RAG pipeline
  • Roleplay characters
  • Companion chat

The honest brief

NovelAI

Unlimited text generation on every paid tier plus anime-focused image models, with stories stored end-to-end encrypted.

  • Adjustable context sizes
  • Anime image generation included
  • Trains its own storytelling models
  • Purpose-built for fiction, not generic chat
  • No ongoing free tier (trial only)
  • Best text model locked to $25 Opus tier
  • Image gen consumes Anlas credits
  • Image models skew to anime aesthetics

SillyTavern

The most configurable roleplay frontend — lorebooks, extensions, and any backend, where rivals lock you to one model.

  • Free, open-source (AGPL-3.0), no paid tier
  • Deep prompt control, lorebooks, group chats
  • Connects to many backends (cloud or local)
  • Portable PNG character cards
  • Steep learning curve; DIY hosting
  • Pure frontend — you supply the model/backend
  • Dense panels are awkward on mobile
  • No built-in moderation or safety rails

When to pick which

Pick NovelAI if you need Text-to-image, Image editing, and Long-form writing.

  • Text-to-image (primary capability)
  • Image editing (secondary capability)
  • Long-form writing (primary capability)

Pick SillyTavern if you need Multi-model access, RAG pipeline, Roleplay characters, and Companion chat.

  • Multi-model access (primary capability)
  • RAG pipeline (secondary capability)
  • Roleplay characters (primary capability)
  • Companion chat (secondary capability)

They also differ on:

Pricing
PAID · BYO KEY
License
Proprietary · Open source
Deployment
Cloud · Self-host
Platforms
Web · Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Model support
Single model (proprietary) · Multi-model
NovelAI detailsSillyTavern details