# Source Viewer XL vs Scrivener

The clearest difference is price: Source Viewer XL at $1.99 against Scrivener's $23.99. Source Viewer XL also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (57% vs 46%). Scrivener's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 28 months) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 3). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Source Viewer XL costs $1.99 and Scrivener $23.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Source Viewer XL holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrivener has 2.6K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Source Viewer XL's written reviews are positive against 46% of Scrivener's.

Source Viewer XL ships an update every 28 months, Scrivener every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Source Viewer XL | Scrivener |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $23.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/source-viewer-xl/id364691406/reviews)** | [4.2 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrivener/id972387337/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **2.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **57.1% of reviews** | 45.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#5** |
| Size | 1 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Piet Jonas](https://appshunter.io/developer/288060167) | [Literature & Latte](https://appshunter.io/developer/418889514) |

## What reviewers say

### Source Viewer XL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/source-viewer-xl/id364691406)

View the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript source code of any website. Highlighted syntax, extracted links, and image galleries make code analysis easy. Save images, bookmarks, and history for later.

**Highlights:** Syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Extracts and follows embedded links, Lists and views all website images, Saves images to photo album, Bookmark and session history management, Copy/paste code functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Scrivener

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrivener/id972387337)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Paid · Productivity, #80 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app is a comprehensive writing tool designed for long-form manuscripts. It allows users to compose text in any order, manage research materials alongside their writing, and export to various formats. It supports flexible outlining and restructuring of content.

**Highlights:** Manuscript composition in sections, Research material integration, Flexible outlining and reorganization, Export to multiple formats, Interactive tutorial, Project-wide search

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Source Viewer XL free?

Source Viewer XL costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Scrivener free?

Scrivener costs $23.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Source Viewer XL or Scrivener?

Source Viewer XL is rated higher. Source Viewer XL averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Scrivener averages 4.2 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do Source Viewer XL or Scrivener have ads?

Neither Source Viewer XL nor Scrivener shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Source Viewer XL or Scrivener?

Source Viewer XL ships an update every 28 months, and Scrivener every 3 months. Most recently, Source Viewer XL was updated on October 3, 2026 and Scrivener on October 18, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*