Draft2Digital vs Scrivener (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Scrivener: it is third in our ranking of writing tools, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Scrivener grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Draft2Digital
Ebook formatting and distribution to online retailers and libraries
Scrivener
Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner
Which one is for you
Pick Draft2Digital if
- Fits if you want one upload to reach several ebook stores
- Works for an author who wants print on demand next to the ebook
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to publish for free: the activation fee is $20 and non-refundable
- Watch out: it keeps about 10% of each sale
- Tight if you sell little: accounts earning under $100 a year pay $12 a year
- Not for you if you need Amazon ebook pre-orders
- Watch out: a tax interview must be done before you can publish
Pick Scrivener if
- Fits if you're managing a novel or a thesis and want to write it in small pieces
- Works for writers who restructure a lot and would rather pay once than subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you write on Android, Linux or in a browser, as none of those is listed
- Pricey if you want it on Mac, Windows and iPhone, because each one is a separate license
- Not for you if you don't want Dropbox, since that's how the iOS app syncs with the desktop
- Watch out: a license doesn't cover major versions, so a future Scrivener 4 means paying for an upgrade
- Watch out: there's no trial of the $23.99 iOS app, only of the Mac and Windows versions
How we grade them
| 2.0GPADraft2DigitalFair | 2.8GPAScrivenerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$20 once to publish, plus about 10% of retail price on each sale. Under $100 a year in sales also brings a $12 yearly maintenance fee. | A$59.99 once for macOS or Windows, covering every computer in your household on that platform. That's seven months of this category's $8.33-a-month middle, paid once and done. You do pay per platform: iOS is $23.99, the Mac and Windows bundle $95.98, and a major upgrade costs again. |
| Free plan and trial | CSign-up, formatting tools and an ebook preview are free. Publishing to stores needs the $20 fee, and no trial is listed. | CNo free plan. The Mac and Windows versions have a free trial that counts 30 days of use, not 30 calendar days. There's no trial of the iOS app at all. |
| Features | CConversion, wide distribution, print on demand, royalty reports, pre-orders and payment splitting. The listing says Amazon does not take ebook pre-orders through it. | BIt covers the whole job and nothing in its own notes flags a gap in the writing: a binder for sections, notes and research, a corkboard and outliner where moving a card reorders the book, snapshots before a rewrite, word targets, a scriptwriting mode, and Compile for Word, PDF, Final Draft or ePub. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up an account, a tax interview and your book details first. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a big app with a lot of furniture: a binder to organise, a corkboard to lay out, and Compile's formatting to work out before the manuscript comes out the way you want. Syncing the iOS app means a Dropbox account too. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, though it reaches many stores. No app is listed. | BmacOS, Windows, iPhone and iPad, each bought separately, so computer and phone are both covered. No Android, Linux or web version is listed, and Dropbox is the one integration, being how the iOS app syncs with the desktop. |
| Best for | publishing an ebook to many stores | long manuscripts you keep rearranging |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Draft2Digital and Scrivener. How we grade
Where they differ
- Scrivener can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Draft2Digital also covers reports, digital downloads and print on demand.
- Scrivener also covers templates.
At a glance
| Draft2Digital | Scrivener | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $0 to sign up; $20 one-time activation fee to publish | $23.99 one-time (iOS); $59.99 one-time for macOS or Windows |
| Free plan | Account signup, book formatting tools and ebook file preview are free; publishing to stores needs the one-time activation fee. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial on macOS and Windows that lasts for 30 days of use, not 30 calendar days. No trial of the iOS app. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Draft2Digital | Literature & Latte |
| Price read from | draft2digital.com | literatureandlatte.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Draft2Digital
- Draft2Digital keeps about 10% of the retail price of each sale as commission.
- Publishing needs a $20 non-refundable activation fee and a completed tax interview.
- A $12 yearly maintenance fee applies to accounts earning under $100 a year in sales.
- Ebook pre-orders are not supported through Amazon.
Scrivener
- Each platform needs its own license: the macOS, Windows and iOS versions are bought separately.
- The store sells versions for macOS, Windows and iOS only; no Android, Linux or web version is listed.
- Sync between the iOS app and the desktop versions runs through Dropbox and needs a Dropbox account.
- A license does not cover major version updates; moving from Scrivener 3 to a future Scrivener 4 means buying a discounted upgrade.
Key features
Draft2Digital
- Manuscript conversion
- Upload a Word, RTF, OTF or TXT file and the service builds an ebook or print book using genre-based layout templates.
- Wide ebook distribution
- Choose which online storefronts and library platforms receive the ebook; each store is opt-in and can be dropped later.
- Print on demand
- D2D Print makes paperbacks available through Amazon and the channels served by Ingram, including Barnes and Noble.
- Sales and royalty reports
- Charts show which storefronts sell your books, units sold and projected royalties, with customizable views.
- Pre-orders and pricing
- Schedule ebook or print pre-orders up to a year ahead and change prices at any time; ebooks can be priced free at most stores.
- Payment splitting and account sharing
- Collaborative tools let royalties be split between co-authors and an account be shared with others.
Scrivener
- Binder
- Keeps manuscript sections, notes and reference material in one sidebar, so a long text is written and navigated in small pieces.
- Corkboard and outliner
- Every section has an index card with a synopsis. Moving cards on the corkboard or rows in the outliner reorders the manuscript itself.
- Compile
- Exports the assembled manuscript to formats including Microsoft Word, RTF, PDF, Final Draft and ePub, with formatting applied at export.
- Snapshots
- Saves a copy of a section before a rewrite, so the earlier version can be compared with the new one or restored.
- Research alongside the draft
- Imports PDFs, images, web pages, and sound and movie files into the project and shows them next to the text being written.
- Targets and scriptwriting
- Word or character targets with live counters and a writing history, plus a scriptwriting mode that handles screenplay and stage-play formatting.
Plans
Draft2Digital
Account$0
Free signup with formatting and conversion tools; no charge until you activate the account to publish.
Activation$20
one-time, non-refundable, per account
Required to publish. A $12 annual maintenance fee applies only to accounts earning under $100 a year in sales.
Scrivener
Scrivener for iOS & iPadOS$23.99
one-time purchase
The iPhone and iPad app. There is no trial, and a Dropbox account is required for sync.
Educational Licence$50.99
one-time purchase, per platform
The macOS or Windows version for students and academics. Requires an institutional affiliation.
Standard Licence$59.99
one-time purchase, per platform
The full macOS or Windows version, licensed for every computer in a household that runs that platform.
macOS + Windows bundle$95.98
one-time purchase
A separate license for each of macOS and Windows, sold together at a lower combined price.
Ways to pay less
Draft2Digital
No public discounts listed.
Scrivener
- Education
Educational Licence for students and academics
The macOS and Windows versions are sold to students and academics with an institutional affiliation for $50.99, against $59.99 for a Standard Licence.
- Other savings
macOS and Windows bundle
Buying Scrivener for macOS and Windows together costs $95.98, against $119.98 for two separate Standard Licences.
- Other savings
Discounted upgrades from older versions
Owners of an earlier major version can buy an upgrade license at a discount instead of paying the full price for the new version.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Draft2Digital or Scrivener?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Draft2Digital starts at $0 to sign up; $20 one-time activation fee to publish, and Scrivener starts at $23.99 one-time (iOS); $59.99 one-time for macOS or Windows.
Which has a free plan, Draft2Digital or Scrivener?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Draft2Digital has a free plan. Scrivener does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Draft2Digital and Scrivener run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Draft2Digital lists a web app and only Scrivener lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.