Pressbooks vs Scrivener (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Pressbooks if

• Fits if you publish a book or textbook online and export files
• Works for one author who accepts paying per book

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you write several books, since each needs its own subscription
• Watch out: editing stops if the subscription lapses
• Watch out: there are no sales tools, and ISBNs are on you
• Tight if you add video, as media storage is 250 MB on Single Author
• Not for you if you want to run it yourself without managing a server

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

Pressbooks

• Each book needs its own subscription, and editing stops if the subscription lapses, though openly licensed books stay hosted.
• Media storage is 250 MB on Single Author and 1 GB on Collaboration, with large video expected to be embedded from elsewhere.
• There are no sales or monetization tools: you export files and sell them yourself, and ISBNs are your responsibility.
• Whole-organization use is sold separately as Enterprise Networks; hosting the open-source software yourself means managing a server and its updates.

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.

Pressbooks

Write, import and clone

Write original content, import from sources such as Google Docs, or clone and adapt openly licensed books.

Export formats

Produces digital and print-ready PDFs, EPUB, XML, XHTML and Common Cartridge files.

Web publishing

Make all or part of a book public on the web and list it in the Pressbooks Directory.

Accessibility

The vendor says books can be published as fully accessible (WCAG 2.2 compliant) digital books.

H5P and annotation

Embed H5P quizzes and interactive activities on the Collaboration plan, and allow social annotation through Hypothes.is.

Themes and custom CSS

Choose from 20+ themes and add custom CSS to change how the web book, EPUB and PDF look.

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.

Pressbooks

• Single Author$12

  per book / month, or $120 per year

  One author, 250 MB of media storage, EPUB and PDF exports without watermarks, 20+ themes and custom CSS.

• Collaboration$40

  per book / month, or $400 per year

  Unlimited collaborators, 1 GB of media storage, plus H5P quizzes and interactive activities.

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.

Pressbooks

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing: $120 or $400 a year

  The plans page lists Single Author at $12 a month or $120 a year, and Collaboration at $40 a month or $400 a year.

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.