Scrivener AlternativesOnly Open Source apps categorised as Note-taking Tools

The best open source Note-taking alternative to Scrivener is Manuskript. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Scrivener and 11 are open source Note-taking Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Note-taking Tool alternatives to Scrivener are Zettlr, Quoll Writer, Dendron and novelWriter.

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Scrivener alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Novel Authoring Tools or Text Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Open Source, Linux, Free, Online, Windows and iPad. 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.

    132 Manuskript alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
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    10
  2. Zettlr icon
     259 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.

    206 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    3
  3. 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
  4. 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.

    229 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
     
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    1
  5. 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.

    79 novelWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Qt
    • Python
     
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    1
  6. 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.

    53 Story Architect (STARC) alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • Android
     
  7. Looking for a suite of tools for writing your book? This is not just a text editor it does so much more. Organise your story using timelines, planning boards and the snowflake tool, all integrated to make writing intuitive and fun.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Online
     
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    4
  8. Daino Notes icon
     10 likes

    Offers fast, distraction-free note-taking via a high-performance editor with real-time Markdown, local-first storage, image support, Kanban task boards, intuitive drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts, configurable themes, fast search, and cross-platform access.

    94 Daino Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9. Nulis icon
     15 likes

    Nulis makes the process of outlining your stories, articles, or books easy, fun, and convenient.

    Cost / License

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
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    1
  10. SolidWriting icon
     7 likes

    SolidWriting offers an intuitive interface and powerful features for creating and editing documents. Easily open, edit, and save SWDOC/SWDOC64 and DOCX files. With advanced text formatting, offline AI assistance, and multilingual support, streamline your writing process.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
  11. Outcome icon
     1 like

    Outcome is a desktop writing and creative workspace designed to help writers, researchers, creators, and organizations manage complex content in a structured environment.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
     
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