Scrivener vs Sudowrite

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

Sudowrite

• Novelists who want AI help drafting and revising fiction
• Planning a book from premise to a chapter-by-chapter outline
• Writers who want to choose between fiction-tuned and general AI models

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.

Sudowrite

• There is no free plan. Without a paid plan the AI features stop, though projects stay accessible and exportable.
• Use is metered in credits rather than words: the docs say 1 million credits may produce anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 AI words.
• Unused credits expire monthly on Hobby & Student and Professional. Only Max rolls them over, for up to 12 months.
• The mobile apps are companions: series management and several other web features are not available in them.

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.

Sudowrite

Write

Reads the characters, tone and plot so far and suggests roughly the next 300 words in the author's voice, with more than one option to pick from.

Story Bible

Works step by step from an idea through synopsis, characters, worldbuilding and outline to chapter beats, then drafts scenes from them in the author's style.

Describe, Expand and Rewrite

Describe adds detail that places the reader in a scene, Expand builds out passages that feel rushed, and Rewrite revises a selection to the direction given.

Feedback

Reads a draft and returns areas to improve. The docs list Feedback, covering developmental edits, line edits and beta reads, as exclusive to Professional and Max.

Chat and plugins

A chat assistant aimed at novelists handles brainstorming, research and edits, and a library of more than 1,000 plugins adds other tasks. Users can build their own plugins.

Mobile companion apps

iOS and Android apps centered on Smart Dictation and chat, with Write and Rewrite included. Projects sync with the web app and credits are shared.

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.

Sudowrite

• Hobby & Student$10

  per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)

  225,000 credits a month with the writing tools, chat and every model, but not Feedback. Unused credits expire each month.

• Professional$22

  per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)

  1,000,000 credits a month (the pricing page also displays 450,000 beside it), plus Feedback: developmental edits, line edits and beta reads.

• Max$44

  per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)

  2,000,000 credits a month, and unused credits roll over for up to 12 months while the subscription stays active.

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.

Sudowrite

• Annual discount

  Up to 50% off with yearly billing

  Paid annually, Hobby & Student is $10 a month against $19 monthly, Professional $22 against $29 and Max $44 against $59. The pricing page labels yearly billing as up to 50% off.