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, Mac, Web-based, Linux and iPhone 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 Story Writing Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free + Novel Authoring. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Scrivener.- Novel Authoring Tool
- Paid • Proprietary
109 Manuskript alternativesManuskript is an open-source tool for writers, with outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
France
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Snapcraft
- Flathub
- Flatpak
Top Manuskript Features
Manuskript VS Scrivener
Comments about Manuskript as an Alternative to Scrivener
Top Positive CommentTop Negative Commenttux0rRight now, Manuskript is too unreliable to use. On Windows, it won't even start (on my system). Maybe we should all wait for 1.0.0 before we actually try it.
Most Recent CommentMuch more efficient than Scrivener because it's way easier to use and everything is where you expect it to be. The worldbuilding tool is simple but enough and it incorporates the snowflake method flawlessly. But you can ignore it just as easily if you wish. The only aspect where it's lacking compared to Scrivener is in the compile options, but you can always compile as docx and use a text editor to get the standard manuscript format right.
68 yWriter alternativesyWriter 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.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
Australia
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- Android Tablet
yWriter VS Scrivener
Comments about yWriter as an Alternative to Scrivener
Top Positive Commentrobyellow95For some reason, this reminds me of my high school notebooks: Flipping through pages trying to find crap.
Top Negative CommentI hated it. It kept trying to force me to follow its workflow (invented by the author, I think), and I use a different one. Scrivener suits my workflow, and yWriter does not. It is still on my hard drive, however, just in case.
Most Recent CommentMachiTamagonovel writing and organization software
161 Zettlr alternativesUnified 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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany- EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
Zettlr VS Scrivener
Comments about Zettlr as an Alternative to Scrivener
Most Recent CommentC.A.Doesn't really serve the same purpose in the same way.
RCLeahcarZettlr is more of a general note-taking app, and doesn't have the author-oriented features of Scrivener
Zettlr is a fantastic alternative to Scrivener - give it a go. It's brilliant.
46 bibisco alternativesDesktop 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.
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Italy- EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Electron
- Node.JS
bibisco VS Scrivener
Comments about bibisco as an Alternative to Scrivener
Top Positive CommentcallywIt is actually a better alternative to Scrivener because of its clear, organisation features. I wish I would have discovered this before I purchased Scrivener. Bibisco is much easier to use: You don't need lengthy tutorials to read just to get started. Hands down this is better.
Top Negative CommentBibisco keeps getting in the way. No, dude. I don't want to outline your way. Not only does it insist to make you fill in stuff you don't want to, it doesn't even offer a way to disable it!
Most Recent CommentLapoMelziToo strict in his structure and the same time not thorough enough so that the boxing in would by uselful
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
- Australia
Platforms
- Windows
Top Quoll Writer Features
Quoll Writer VS Scrivener
Comments about Quoll Writer as an Alternative to Scrivener
Top Positive CommentClean interface. No non-sense kind of software that has some of the same features of Scrivener. One particular feature I like is the software's ability to automatically link items, characters, places etc. to scenes, chapters, ideas, etc. so you know where every character, item, and place is. Great for keeping track of things in your novel. Has a few bugs here and there, but the developer is friendly, helpful, and responds back in a timely fashion.
Most Recent CommentshallNo cost. Really solid features for writing novels or short stories. It's what I consider a Scrivener-like program without having the (sometimes obtuse and sometimes odd) interface that plagues Scrivener. Cards (corkboard), character/item tracking, notes, full-screen minimal mode, nice editing features, and no format lock-in make this a must-try. I will say it's not a pretty as Scrivener.
RemovedUserFree; solid; several features; customizable; new versions released quickly and with new features; developer very receptive; great for writing novels.
191 Dendron alternativesDendron 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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
- International
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code
Dendron VS Scrivener
Comments about Dendron as an Alternative to Scrivener
It is not a good Scrivener alternative as it is more focused on development, like Python for example.
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...
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
- Windows
SmartEdit Writer Features
SmartEdit Writer VS Scrivener
Comments about SmartEdit Writer as an Alternative to Scrivener
Most Recent Comment(1) It's free. (2) No nonsense book compile. (3) User-friendly. (4) Less visual clutter. (5) Did I mention it's FREE?
A Scrivener wannabe with a lot less clutter.
It has a tree structure like Scrivener. It's also free. Can keep tabs of documents open and tabs of notes. What makes this stand out above scrivener is the editing functions with fantastic reports you can run. It does lack some of the tools of scrivener, however, but depending on what tools you find necessary, this may be perfect.
Mostly because it's opensource but also because the interface and features are very similar !