Best Scrivener Alternatives
Scrivener is described as 'Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Scrivener combines everything you need to craft your first draft, from nascent notion to final full stop' and is a very popular Novel Authoring tool in the news & books category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Scrivener for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and iPhone apps. The best Scrivener alternative is Manuskript, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Scrivener are Zettlr, Microsoft Word, yWriter and Dendron.
Scrivener alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools but may also be Novel Authoring Tools or Text Editors. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Scrivener.Manuskript
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Note-taking Tool
- Novel Authoring Tool
100 Manuskript alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
Manuskript is an open-source tool for writers, with outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc.
- - Manuskript is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Scrivener.
- - Manuskript is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Scrivener.
Manuskript Features
Comments about Manuskript as a Alternative to Scrivener
DarkRedmanMostly because it's opensource but also because the interface and features are very similar !
5KB_TidwellI own Scrivener for Windows and iOS, but my favorite writing machine is a Linux laptop, so here I am. I like that Manuskript closely parallels Scrivener features, throws in a good timeline function that Scrivener doesn't have, but is a lighter, less feature-congested utility. I'm having a great time writing with Manuskript.
1tux0rRight 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.
0Much 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.
1It's a very efficient alternative to Scrivener. It does not require long, lengthy tutorials. If there's one thing I don't like, it's that it's pretty slow. It lags a lot. Another is that it's not an app. And it's hard to look for it if you forgot where you stored it. The third is you can't add images and it's not very customizable like Scrivener is. Those are probably the only three things I don't like. Otherwise, it's extremely easy to use :)
2Zettlr
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Note-taking Tool
- Text Editor
- File Organizer
145 Zettlr alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Zettlr is a one-stop publication workbench that combines many writing features and collects them in one application. It aims at speeding up your workflow and help you write without any interruptions.
Zettlr Features
Comments about Zettlr as a Alternative to Scrivener
RCLeahcarZettlr is more of a general note-taking app, and doesn't have the author-oriented features of Scrivener
3C.A.Doesn't really serve the same purpose in the same way.
0Zettlr is a fantastic alternative to Scrivener - give it a go. It's brilliant.
-3Microsoft Word
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Paid • Proprietary
- Word Processor
92 Microsoft Word alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
Microsoft Word, part of the Microsoft 365 (Office) but also sold as a standalone application, is Microsoft's word processor. Its proprietary (but open-specification) DOC format is considered a de-facto standard, although from 2007 and...
- - Microsoft Word is the most popular Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Scrivener.
- - Microsoft Word is the most popular commercial alternative to Scrivener.
Microsoft Word Features
Comments about Microsoft Word as a Alternative to Scrivener
Word has none of the benefits Scrivener brings for organisation, research, collecting and so forth. They couldn't be much more different really.
3MS Word is a word processor, not an authoring tool. It has no knowledge of scenes, let alone characters or locations or items. It has very limited ability to handle text that is about the document but not part of the document and attaches to no specific point, or multiple specific points, in the document.
13Scrivener is not a word processor. Microsoft Word is nothing but.
2MS Word is a nice text editor, but it really doesn't have the ability to make ebooks that stand out like Scrivener does. Scrivener is a complete author's workshop.
0yWriter
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Proprietary
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Word Processor
56 yWriter alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- Android Tablet
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.
yWriter Features
Comments about yWriter as a Alternative to Scrivener
MachiTamagonovel writing and organization software
0robyellow95For some reason, this reminds me of my high school notebooks: Flipping through pages trying to find crap.
1I 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.
1Written and maintained by a novellist/software developer, yWriter is free to use, has a no-frills UI, supports cloud saving/device sync via Dropbox and Google Drive, takes automatic backups, and has an Android app (my main dealbreaker with Scrivener).
0Free, reliable, logical layout. It also has a phone app that can sync with the desktop app if you use a cloud drive. Lots of other great features.
0Dendron
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Note-taking Tool
195 Dendron alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code
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.
Dendron Features
Roam Research
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Paid • Proprietary
- Note-taking Tool
- Todo List Manager
- Pomodoro Timer
122 Roam Research alternatives- Online
- Android
- iPhone
As easy to use as a word document or bulleted list, and as powerful for finding, collecting, and connecting related ideas as a graph database. Collaborate with others in real time, or store all your data locally.
- - Roam Research is the most popular Web-based alternative to Scrivener.
Roam Research Features
Quoll Writer
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo53 Quoll Writer alternatives- Free • Open Source
- Novel Authoring Tool
- Windows
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.
Quoll Writer Features
Comments about Quoll Writer as a Alternative to Scrivener
Clean 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.
4shallNo 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.
0RemovedUserFree; solid; several features; customizable; new versions released quickly and with new features; developer very receptive; great for writing novels.
1- free -clean, uncluttered interface
- easy and intuitive to use
2Shares many features, but little of the clutter.
1