LivingWriter vs Scrivener

LivingWriter

• Novelists who track characters, settings and plot threads beside the draft
• Writers who move between a computer, a phone and a tablet
• Authors who also write screenplays and want both in one app

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

LivingWriter

• The Free plan covers one manuscript with a limited word count and exports only basic PDF.
• Sharing and collaboration, the full Boards system and the Canva and Google Drive integrations need Pro.
• Manuscript chat, AI outlines, rewrites, analysis and cover images are listed under the $30 Pro + AI plan.
• Quarterly and annual billing exist, but the public pricing page shows only the monthly prices.

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.

LivingWriter

Boards

Manuscript, Planning, Elements and Research boards lay out chapters, scenes, story elements and sources as cards that can be dragged into a new order.

Linked story elements

Characters, settings and objects get reusable profiles with aliases and relations. Auto-completion connects them to the text as you write, and each profile lists where it appears.

Outline templates

Ready-made structures include Story Circle, Hero's Journey, the 27 Chapter Method and Romancing the Beat, along with memoir, biography and PhD thesis outlines.

Screenwriting

A screenplay mode formats scene headings, action, characters, dialogue, parentheticals and transitions automatically, and an AI tool converts prose into a script.

AI writing assistant

Optional tools for outlines, rewriting, summaries, manuscript analysis and a chat that knows the manuscript. LivingWriter says manuscripts are not used to train AI models.

Version history and export

Earlier versions can be viewed, compared and restored. Manuscripts export to DOCX, PDF, EPUB and Amazon KDP formats, and existing documents can be imported.

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.

LivingWriter

• Free$0

  A first book with a limited word count, outlines, notes and to-dos, a taste of the AI tools and basic PDF export.

• Pro$15

  per month, billed monthly; quarterly and annual also offered

  Unlimited manuscripts and screenplays, the full Boards system, sharing and collaboration, pro export formats, and Canva and Google Drive integration.

• Pro + AI$30

  per month; the card itself shows no billing period

  Everything in Pro plus the full AI set: manuscript chat, outlines, rewrites, analysis, manuscript-to-screenplay, and cover and element images.

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.

LivingWriter

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.