Scrivener vs World Anvil
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Scrivener
Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner
World Anvil
Web-based worldbuilding platform for writers and game masters
Where they differ
- World Anvil has a free plan. Scrivener does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Scrivener lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps.
- Only World Anvil lists a web app.
- Scrivener can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Scrivener | World Anvil | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $23.99 one-time (iOS); $59.99 one-time for macOS or Windows | Not published |
| Free plan | None | Free Freeman account with content caps. World Anvil's April 2024 announcement set them at 2 worlds, 42 articles, 2 maps, 2 timelines and 100 MB of images; current limits could not be confirmed. |
| Free trial | Free trial on macOS and Windows that lasts for 30 days of use, not 30 calendar days. No trial of the iOS app. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Literature & Latte | World Anvil |
| Price read from | literatureandlatte.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
World Anvil
- Fantasy and science-fiction writers documenting a setting as linked articles
- Game masters who keep campaign notes, maps and statblocks with their lore
- Worldbuilders who want to present a setting to readers as a themed site
Worth knowing
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.
World Anvil
- Free accounts are capped: the April 2024 announcement listed 2 worlds, 42 articles, 5 drafts, 2 maps with 10 markers and 100 MB of images.
- A free account over its limits can view, export and delete content but cannot edit until it is back under them.
- World Anvil describes Manuscripts and Notebooks as features for paying guild members.
- URL embeds were removed from free accounts in April 2024 and need a paid guild account.
Key features
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.
World Anvil
- Articles and templates
- A world is written as articles built on templates with prompts, such as characters, organizations, languages, plots and prose, then sorted into categories and folders. The Autolinker links articles to each other.
- Interactive maps
- Maps take markers and layers, and the world search covers map markers along with articles, images, timelines and events.
- Timelines and historical events
- Timelines collect dated events from a world's history, and events can be filed in folders with the rest of a world's content.
- Family trees and diplomacy webs
- Family trees are generated from the parents set on character articles. Diplomacy webs chart relations between factions, countries and other organizations.
- Manuscripts
- A paid feature for writing fiction such as a novel. The Plot and Prose article templates, used for outlining and for short stories and scenes, are free.
- Tabletop campaign tools
- RPG campaigns and statblocks are kept in the same account as the worldbuilding. The 2024 free-account limits allow one campaign and 20 statblocks.
Plans
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.
World Anvil
Pricing could not be confirmed. See worldanvil.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
World Anvil
No public discounts listed.
