Manuskript vs yWriter

Manuskript

• Novelists who outline and plan before drafting
• Writers who want a free planning and drafting tool on Linux or Windows
• People who want their manuscript kept in plain-text files

yWriter

• Novelists who plan and draft scene by scene
• Windows users who want free novel-writing software
• Writers who want their work stored on their own computer

Manuskript

• The download page says Manuskript is still in the early development stages and recommends frequent backups.
• Release 0.17.0 is packaged for Linux and Windows only; on macOS it has to be run from the Python source code.
• Import and export of ePub, OpenDocument and DocX need Pandoc installed separately.
• No web or mobile version is offered.

yWriter

• Only the Windows version is free: the Android app costs $5.49 and the iOS app $14.99 in the US stores.
• The macOS version is an unstable beta, free for now; the site says it will become paid software.
• There is no native Linux version; the site documents running the Windows program under Wine.
• The Android page says Google Drive support is not working, which leaves Dropbox for sharing projects.

Manuskript

Outliner

Arranges chapters, scenes and notes in a hierarchy that can be reordered at any time, showing which parts are written and which characters appear in each scene.

Index cards

Shows notes, scenes and chapters as index cards, as a second way to arrange and review the structure of a book.

Snowflake-method novel assistant

Guides a premise from one sentence to a paragraph and then a full summary, asking questions along the way to develop characters and plots.

Characters, plots and world

Keeps notes on every character, plot, event and place, links plots to characters, and offers a story-line view of the strands running through the text.

Distraction-free mode

A full-screen editor with editable themes, including themes imported from FocusWriter. It can lock the writer in until a word-count or time goal is reached.

Plain-text projects and export

Projects are saved automatically as plain-text files in a folder or a zip. With Pandoc installed, it imports and exports formats such as ePub, OpenDocument and DocX.

yWriter

Chapters and scenes

A project is split into chapters and scenes that can be dragged into a new order, with chapters renumbered automatically. A scene can be marked unused to keep it out of word counts and exports.

Characters, items and locations

Each scene has fields for its viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome, and can be linked to several characters, items and locations.

Storyboard and word counts

A storyboard gives a visual layout of the work. Word counts are shown for every file, and a daily log records words per file and the total.

Snapshot backups

Automatic backups are saved to sequential files at intervals the writer sets, so a scene can be rolled back to an earlier version.

Export

Exports selected chapters to RTF for proofing and re-import, to LaTeX for producing a print-ready PDF, and to Epub and Mobi ebooks.

Mobile apps

Paid Android and iOS apps open the same project files as the desktop program, for editing a novel away from the PC.

Manuskript

• Free$0

  The complete program: .deb and .rpm packages, Flatpak and Snap for Linux, a zip for Windows, and source code for other systems.

yWriter

• yWriter7 for Windows$0

  The full desktop program for Windows 7 SP1 and newer. Optional registration, Silver at $11.95 or Gold at $24.95, supports the developer.

• yWriter for macOS (beta)$0

  Unstable beta for macOS 10.11 and later, free while feedback is gathered. The site says it will be paid software once it is complete.

• yWriter for Android$5.49

  one-time purchase on Google Play

  Mobile app for editing yWriter projects on the go, with projects shared through Dropbox.

• yWriter for iOS$14.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  iPhone and iPad app that shares project files with the desktop versions. Owners can also run it on Macs with Apple silicon.