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Scrivener Review: Price, Features and Score

Scrivener at a glance: $59.99 one-time, on Windows, Mac and iOS. Below are its plans, what its own site says it does for an author, its score and the products to compare it with. We did not test it ourselves; the data was checked on October 7, 2026.

Prices and data checked October 7, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for

Scrivener on the BookBird Author Score

Author Score · book writing software · #4 of 16 ·

Best for: Mac or Windows authors who want a one-time licence

BookBird Author Score7.7/10 #4 of 16 book writing software. Worked out from Scrivener’s own pages, its price and US searches for its name, not typed in. Author jobs50 pts43.8/50Each of the 8 author jobs on the book writing software list is worth an equal share of 50 points, and counts only when Scrivener’s own pages confirm it. 7 of 8 confirmed = 43.8 points. A job the vendor does not mention earns nothing.Cost25 pts23.2/25Scrivener costs $20 a year on its cheapest plan. Free earns 25 points; the dearest book writing software product with a US price, Dabble at $228 a year, keeps 5; prices in between fall in a straight line. $20 = 23.2 points.Adoption25 pts10.3/25Searches, 20 points: 720 a month for “scrivener software”, against Google Docs, the most searched in this category (20,400,000), on a log scale = 7.8. Trend, 5 points: up 0% (last three months against the first three of the year) = 2.5; a fall of half or more earns 0, no change 2.5, a rise of half or more 5. 77.3 of 100 points= 7.7 out of 10 The full method, with every product’s points →

Author jobs, from Scrivener’s own pages

  • Yes: Chapters and scenes you can reorder
  • Yes: Word-count goals
  • Yes: Notes beside the manuscript
  • Yes: Version history or snapshots
  • Not stated: Works offline (not stated)
  • Yes: Exports to Word (DOCX)
  • Yes: Exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF)
  • Yes: Syncs across devices

Visit Scrivener

Scrivener pricing

One-time licence. Free trial: 30 days. The plans as Scrivener’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:

  • Standard Licence for macOS: $59.99 one-time
  • Standard Licence for Windows: $59.99 one-time
  • Scrivener 3 for macOS and Windows (bundle): $95.98 one-time
  • Scrivener for iPad and iPhone: $23.99 one-time (shown as US$23.99 on the store iOS tab; sold separately per platform)
  • Educational Licence (macOS / Windows): price in USD not confirmed

macOS/Windows/bundle USD prices from the Paddle price API the store uses (product ids 558657, 558662, 648447, customer_country=US); the store page itself shows PLN to a Polish visitor. Separate licence per platform.

What Scrivener offers

From Scrivener’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:

  • Binder, corkboard and outliner over the same text; moving a card moves the section
  • Research files (PDFs, images, web pages) kept inside the project beside the draft
  • Word or character targets for the manuscript, sections or a session, plus writing history
  • Snapshots of a section before revising, with a compare view
  • Compile to Word, RTF, PDF, ebook, Final Draft or plain text with separate formatting per output
  • Split editor with up to four documents open at once
  • Labels, status and custom metadata on every section
  • Syncs with the iOS app through Dropbox

Runs on: Mac, Windows and iOS. Exports: Word, RTF, OpenOffice, PDF, EPUB, Final Draft and TXT.

Who Scrivener suits, and what its pages do not say

Best for: Mac or Windows authors who want a one-time licence.

Not confirmed on Scrivener’s pages when we checked: works offline. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.

About 720 people a month search Google in the US for “scrivener software”, up 0% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).

Scrivener alternatives

SoftwareScorePrice fromBest for
Novlr8.7Free plan; paid from $8 a month (billed yearly)Writers wanting a free web app with no built-in AI
Google Docs8.3FreeAuthors sharing drafts with editors at no cost
LivingWriter7.8Free plan; paid from $179 a yearPlotters writing on web, desktop and mobile
Ulysses7.6$39.99 a yearApple-only writers who like plain-text markup
Storyist7.5$19 one-timeApple users who want a one-time purchase with ebook export

Compare: All book writing software · All software for authors

Scrivener questions

How much does Scrivener cost?

$59.99 one-time. Scrivener lists 5 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.

What does Scrivener run on?

Mac, Windows and iOS, according to its own site.

Is there a free trial of Scrivener?

Yes, 30 days.

What file formats can Scrivener export?

Word, RTF, OpenOffice, PDF, EPUB, Final Draft and TXT, according to its own site.

How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Scrivener’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.