Comparison

Scrivener vs MapScribe

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Scrivener

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
Read full description

“The biggest software advance for writers since the word processor.” —Michael Marshall Smith, bestselling author Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Scrivener combines all the writing tools you need to craft your first draft, from nascent notion to final full stop. Tailor-made for creating long manuscripts, Scrivener banishes page fright by allowing you to compose your text in any order, in sections as large or small as you like. Got a great idea but don’t know where it fits? Write when inspiration strikes and find its place later. Grow your manuscript organically, idea by idea. Whether you plan or plunge, Scrivener works your way: meticulously outline every last detail first, or hammer out a complete draft and restructure later. Or do a bit of both. All text sections in Scrivener are fully integrated with its outlining tools, so working with an overview of your manuscript is only ever a tap away, and turning Chapter Four into Chapter One is as simple as drag and drop. Need to refer to research? In Scrivener, your background material is always at hand. Write a description based on a photograph. Reference a video or PDF. Check for consistency with an earlier chapter. On the iPad, open two documents side-by-side; on the iPhone, flip between research and writing with just two taps. Once you’re ready to share your work with the world, simply compile everything into a single document for printing, or export to popular formats such as Word, PDF, Final Draft or plain text. You can even share using different formatting, so that you can write in your favorite font and still keep your editor happy. FEATURES Get Started • Interactive tutorial project • Keep each manuscript and supporting materials in a self-contained project • Import Word, RTF, Final Draft and plain text files • Easily split imported text into separate sections Get Writing • Write your manuscript in sections of any size • View all sections as a single text using the “Draft Navigator” (iPad only) • Quickly navigate sections using the “binder” sidebar • Format with fonts and presets • Comments, footnotes, links and highlights • Simple bullets and lists • Insert images • Pinch-zoom to resize text • Full-screen mode (iPad only) • Typewriter scrolling mode keeps typed text center-screen (iPad only) • Write a screenplay using scriptwriting mode • Live word and character counts • Set word and character count targets • Find and replace • Customizable keyboard row provides quick-access buttons for formatting, navigation and punctuation • Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts for external keyboard users • Dark mode Find Your Structure • Write in any order and reorganize later • Write a synopsis for any text section and see it in the outline • Expand, collapse and drill down into sections of your project • Rearrange sections as index cards on the corkboard (iPad only) • Project-wide search • Track ideas using labels and status • Apply custom icons to your sections Refer to Research • Import research material such as image, PDF and media files • View research files or other sections right alongside your writing (iPad only) • Every section has its own notes area for jotting down ideas • Supports multitasking split screen mode (supported devices only) Share Your Work • Compile to a single document for sharing or printing • Use different formatting in your exported or printed document • Export to Word, RTF, Final Draft, PDF or plain text • Convert rich text to Markdown for sharing with Markdown apps • Create and email zipped backups of your projects Work Anywhere • Use Dropbox to sync between devices and with the macOS and Windows versions of Scrivener* • Copy projects between devices via iTunes * Requires a Dropbox account (not compatible with iCloud). SUPPORT You can contact us at ios.support@literatureandlatte.com, visit our forums at http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum, or find us @scrivenerapp on Twitter.

About

MapScribe

Easily create antique-styled maps on your iPad or iPhone. Utilize a variety of "brushes" to paint features like mountains, trees, and towns. Export your creations in multiple resolutions.

Highlights
  • Draw antique-styled maps
  • Finger swipe and tap interface
  • Variety of map feature "brushes"
  • Multiple map resolutions
  • Selectable fonts for text
  • Color brushes for terrain
Features
Read full description

MapScribe is an IOS App that lets you draw maps on your IPad or IPhone. It has an easy to use interface that lets you quickly "paint" antique styled maps with finger swipes and taps using its map feature "brushes", such as mountains and trees. Are you an author who needs to create a map for your fantasy novel? Perhaps you are a video game designer who needs to create a map for players to use to navigate through your game? Or maybe you are an artist looking to create a unique kind of decor? ...AND You want to do it on your IPad or IPhone Then, MapScribe is for you. --Map Resolutions-- MapScribe let's you create maps as jpg files with the following resolutions both vertically(portrait) and horzontally(landscape) oriented: • 500 x 700 • 800 x 1000 • 850 x 1100 • 900 x 1200 • 1100 x 1400 • 1200 x 1600 --Fonts-- MapScribe let's you write on your maps with the following fonts: • Ariel • Bradley Hand • Noteworthy • Papyrus • Snell Roundhand • Zapfino --Brushes-- These brushes allow you to paint features on your map Mountains Hills Trees Fir Trees Palm Trees Dead Trees Bridge Castle Town House Swamp Dunes Water Compass Sea Monster Volcano 3 Kinds of grasses Roads Tower Shop Classic Building Mine Jail Tavern Mill City Hall Church Townhouse Arena - Color Brushes - Green (for grass) Blue (for water) White (for snow) Snow capped Mountains Green Hills Green Trees Green Fir Trees

Screenshots

Scrivener4 screens
MapScribe2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MapScribe at $2.99 against Scrivener's $23.99. Scrivener's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 46). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Scrivener costs $23.99 and MapScribe $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scrivener holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrivener has 2.6K ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Scrivener's written reviews are positive against 50% of MapScribe's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Scrivener versus MapScribe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrivenerMapScribe
Price$23.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.2 (2.6K ratings) — better3.3 (46 ratings)
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.6K — better46
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#10 — better#185
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better12.1
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiterature & LatteDaniel Eskridge

Customer experience

Scrivener

All ratings2,595 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral6.9%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews711 reviews
Positive45.6%
Neutral17.0%
Negative37.4%

MapScribe

All ratings46 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral17.4%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral21.1%
Negative28.9%

In-app purchases

None

Scrivener

No in-app purchases

None

MapScribe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scrivener free?
Scrivener costs $23.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MapScribe free?
MapScribe costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scrivener or MapScribe?
Scrivener is rated higher. Scrivener averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while MapScribe averages 3.3 from 46 ratings.
Do Scrivener or MapScribe have ads?
Neither Scrivener nor MapScribe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrivener or MapScribe?
Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, and MapScribe every 3 months. Most recently, Scrivener was updated on October 13, 2026 and MapScribe on October 7, 2026.
Which is more popular, Scrivener or MapScribe?
Scrivener currently peaks at #10 in the App Store charts, and MapScribe at #185. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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