# Scrivener

> Manuscript writing app with a binder, corkboard and outliner

Scrivener is a writing app for long manuscripts such as novels, theses and scripts. A project is split into sections that sit in a binder next to notes and research files, and those sections can be rearranged as index cards on a corkboard or as rows in an outliner before being compiled into one document. It is sold as a one-time license for each platform, with no subscription.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** Literature & Latte (since 2006)
- **Website:** https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Scrivener is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $23.99 one-time (iOS); $59.99 one-time for macOS or Windows.

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **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.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Scrivener before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Educational Licence for students and academics** (Education): 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. Source: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener
- **macOS and Windows bundle** (Other savings): Buying Scrivener for macOS and Windows together costs $95.98, against $119.98 for two separate Standard Licences. Source: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener
- **Discounted upgrades from older versions** (Other savings): Owners of an earlier major version can buy an upgrade license at a discount instead of paying the full price for the new version. Source: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/how-our-licensing-works

## Mac App Store prices by country

"The app", as each country's Mac App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $59.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £59.99 | about $79.31 (32% more) |
| Germany | 69,99 € | about $78.43 (31% more) |
| Canada | $79.99 | about $56.23 (6% less) |
| Australia | $99.99 | about $69.80 (16% more) |
| India | ₹ 5,900 | about $60.99 (about the same) |
| Brazil | R$ 399,90 | about $79.90 (33% more) |
| Mexico | $1,299.00 | about $71.37 (19% more) |
| Turkey | ₺2.999,99 | about $61.01 (about the same) |
| Indonesia | Rp 1,199juta | about $67.06 (12% more) |
| Philippines | ₱ 3,990.00 | about $63.51 (6% more) |
| South Africa | R1,199.99 | about $72.58 (21% more) |

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Dropbox

**Tags:** Long-form writing, One-time purchase, Templates

## Alternatives

- [Ulysses](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ulysses): Markup-based writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/scrivener-vs-ulysses)
- [Dabble](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dabble): Novel writing app with plotting, story notes and sync. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dabble-vs-scrivener)
- [Atticus](https://toolgpa.com/tools/atticus): Book writing and formatting app for ebooks and print. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/atticus-vs-scrivener)
- [LivingWriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/livingwriter): Cloud writing app for books and screenplays with planning boards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/livingwriter-vs-scrivener)
- [Novlr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/novlr): Browser-based novel writing workspace built around writing goals. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/novlr-vs-scrivener)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/download?product=Scrivener
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/how-our-licensing-works
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/about-us
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scrivener-3/id1310686187
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scrivener/id972387337

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/scrivener
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).