The Best Scrivener AlternativesTop Novel Authoring & Note-taking Tools like Scrivener

Scrivener is described as 'Ideal for long writing projects with flexibility in structure, Scrivener integrates easy project outlines and allows seamless restructuring with drag and drop' and is a very popular Novel Authoring tool in the news & books category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Scrivener for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Mac, Linux and SaaS apps. The best Scrivener alternative is Manuskript, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Scrivener are yWriter, Zettlr, bibisco and Quoll Writer.

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Scrivener alternatives are mainly Novel Authoring Tools, but if you're looking for Note-taking Tools or Word Processors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, Online, Open Source, Windows, iPad and Mac + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Scrivener.
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Alternatives list

  1. Manuskript icon
     171 likes

    Open-source software offering a hierarchical outliner, distraction-free editor, character management, plot tools, Snowflake method support, section multi-organization, customizable writing workflows, cross-platform availability, and export to standard formats.

    131 Manuskript alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
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    10
  2. yWriter icon
     69 likes

    yWriter is a writing tool that uses "scenes" as a unit of text and allows you to associate that text with all manner of story elements (characters, locations, items) as well as place it and rearrange it within the context of chapters.

    87 yWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
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    8
  3. Zettlr icon
     254 likes

    Unified writing platform offering note-taking, easy citations with Zotero integration, LaTeX/Word templates, snippets, themes, dark modes, code highlighting, multi-language support, and knowledge management with Zettelkasten for seamless writing from notes to books.

    202 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    3
  4. bibisco icon
     86 likes

    Desktop application for novel structuring, offering chapter and scene management, distraction-free text editing, detailed timeline, character interviews, multilingual support, export to publishing formats, revision history, relationship diagrams, and writing goal tracking.

    63 bibisco alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron
    • Node.JS
     
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    7
  5. Quoll Writer icon
     41 likes

    Focus on your words not the interface. Quoll Writer is a writing application that helps you focus on your words. Clean and uncluttered. Feature rich. Features are where you would expect them to be.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
     
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    5
  6. Dendron icon
     71 likes

    Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.

    218 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
     
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    1
  7. SmartEdit Writer (formerly Atomic Scribbler) is a project management and writing environment for novelists and short story writers working on Windows PCs. Writers use the software to plan their novels, prepare and maintain research material, and then write that novel chapter by...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    4
  8. Ulysses icon
     70 likes

    Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a professional level.

    144 Ulysses alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
     
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    1
  9. novelWriter icon
     29 likes

    novelWriter is a Markdown-like text editor designed for writing novels and larger projects of many smaller plain text documents. It uses its own flavor of Markdown that supports a meta data syntax for comments, synopsis and cross-referencing between files.

    78 novelWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Qt
    • Python
     
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    1
  10. A smooth yet powerful writing experience for devoted authors. With only wanted features and native workflow it runs faster than all your previous apps combined.

    52 Story Architect (STARC) alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • Android
     
  11. Rentry.co icon
     55 likes

    Rentry.co is a markdown pastebin and publishing service with preview, custom urls and editing. Fast, simple and free.

    189 Rentry.co alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
     
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    1
  12. Pinery icon
     12 likes

    Combines Markdown writing, live preview, and powerful design controls with instant exports in ePub, PDF, and HTML formats. Open format Markdown file storage, no vendor lock-in, customizable themes, and full privacy with local or iCloud storage on Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
12 of 139 Scrivener alternatives