JotterPad vs Scrivener

JotterPad

• Writers who draft in Markdown or Fountain across a phone, a tablet and a computer
• Students formatting APA or MLA papers with BibTeX citations
• Screenwriters who need Final Draft (.fdx) export

Scrivener

• Novelists and academics managing book-length projects
• Writers who restructure a draft by moving scenes and chapters around
• People who want to pay once instead of subscribing

JotterPad

• Cloud sync, Fountain and LaTeX files, Word and Final Draft export and blog publishing need a paid plan, and free PDFs carry a watermark.
• No Windows or Linux app is listed: there are apps for Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a web editor for other computers.
• Prices depend on where you buy: the website lists $3.33 a month billed annually, the US App Store $29.99 a year or $6.99 a month.
• The vendor says canceled subscriptions and the lifetime purchase are not refunded.

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.

JotterPad

Markdown, Fountain and LaTeX editing

Documents are written in lightweight markup and shown formatted as you type. LaTeX support is labeled beta, and Fountain files need a paid plan.

Templates for papers, books and scripts

Templates lay a document out as an APA or MLA paper, a novel, a screenplay, a report, a letter or presentation slides when it is printed to PDF.

Cloud sync and offline work

Pro Cloud syncs files with Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, plus iCloud on Mac and iOS. The apps keep working offline and sync once back online.

Citations with BibTeX

Citations are added by uploading Bib files or pasting BibTeX into a Markdown document, then printed as references in APA, MLA, Chicago or AMA style.

Export and blog publishing

Exports to Word, PDF, Final Draft (.fdx), HTML and ePub, and can send a piece to Ghost, WordPress or Tumblr as a draft or a published post.

Plugins and Wizard A.I.

Plugins add mind maps, Mermaid diagrams, music notation and TeX or chemistry equations. Wizard A.I., built on GPT-3, drafts outlines, summaries and paraphrases.

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.

JotterPad

• Free$0

  Limited access: Markdown editing, file import and Unsplash images. PDFs print with a watermark, and cloud sync and Fountain files are not included.

• Pro Cloud (App Store)$29.99

  per year, or $6.99 per month, as an in-app purchase

  The Pro Cloud subscription bought inside the iPhone, iPad and Mac app, at the prices on the US App Store listing.

• Pro Cloud (web)$3.33

  per month, billed annually

  Sold on jotterpad.app. Unlocks the Android, iOS, Mac and web apps with cloud sync, Fountain and LaTeX files, and Word and Final Draft export.

• Pro$24.99 - $49.99

  in-app purchase on the App Store; basis not shown

  Two purchases named Pro on the US App Store listing. The help center describes Pro and Creative as lifetime licenses for one platform, without cloud sync.

• Pro Cloud (Lifetime)$159.99

  one-time purchase

  Pro Cloud without a subscription, sold on jotterpad.app. The vendor says it cannot be canceled or refunded.

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.

JotterPad

• Lifetime license

  Pro Cloud lifetime purchase for $159.99

  The Pro page sells Pro Cloud (Lifetime) as a single $159.99 payment in place of the subscription. It cannot be canceled or refunded.

• Annual discount

  About 64% less with annual billing on the App Store

  The US App Store listing prices Pro Cloud at $29.99 per year or $6.99 per month, which comes to $83.88 over twelve months.

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.