Scrivener vs Paper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Manuscript composition in sections
- Research material integration
- Flexible outlining and reorganization
- Export to multiple formats
- Interactive tutorial
- Project-wide search
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“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.
Paper
This app offers a clean and configurable writing environment for various creative projects. It supports Markdown and plain text, syncs with iCloud, and integrates with other tools. Users can publish drafts to popular blogging platforms and export documents in multiple formats.
- Gorgeous writing space
- Silky-smooth typing
- Deep personalization (Pro)
- Markdown or Plain Text support
- iCloud sync
- Publish to Medium, WordPress, Ghost
- Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, ePub
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“This is a super-clean writing space with a lot of configurability that stays out of sight when you don’t need it.” App Store Review 2020 # STORY Read it here → paper.pro/story # HIGHLIGHTS · Gorgeous writing space · Silky-smooth typing · Deep personalization (Pro) · Markdown or Plain Text · Syncs with iCloud · Integrates with TextExpander · Publishes drafts to Medium, WordPress, Ghost, or Micro.blog · Exports to PDF, HTML, RTF, DOCX, ePub, image, or clipboard · Works seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac # PRO FEATURES Basic adjustments like text size are free in Paper. More advanced personalization can be purchased with Pro Features. You will not be buying anything blindly, though. The trial period for Pro Features is untimed, so you can take your time to decide if they are a worthy investment. While trialing Pro Features, you might occasionally see a popup. Simply press Reset in the popup to get rid of it completely. Pro Features are either a subscription or a one-time purchase. Both the subscription and the one-time purchase unlock Pro Features on all your iPhones and iPads that share the same Apple ID. This subscription (or one-time purchase) applies only to iPhones and iPads. Macs require a separate subscription (or one-time purchase). The one-time purchase is hidden by default. To enable it, go to the Settings app → Apps → Paper → Purchases → toggle "Show Lifetime Option". If you want to upgrade from a Monthly subscription to a Yearly one (or to a Lifetime license), go to Paper’s page in the App Store and press the rounded button with the price next to the Yearly subscription option (or next to the Lifetime in-app purchase). # BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS & ORGANIZATIONS Businesses, schools, and organizations can use one of the following methods to purchase the Pro version of the app: · Apple Business Manager · Apple School Manager · Volume Purchasing The Pro version of the app can be accessed from this link → paper.pro/get # MARKDOWN FORMATTING SYNTAX # Heading 1 ## Heading 2 ### Heading 3 #### Heading 4 ##### Heading 5 ###### Heading 6 **Bold** __Bold__ *Italic* _Italic_ ~Underline~ ~~Strikethrough~~ ==Highlight== ::Highlight:: `Inline Code` ``` Code Block ``` [Link Text](http://paper.pro)  - Bulleted List - Bulleted List - Nested Bulleted List * Bulleted List * Bulleted List * Nested Bulleted List 1. Numbered List 2. Numbered List 3. Numbered List 1. Nested Numbered List - [ ] Task List - [x] Task List > Blockquote >> Nested Blockquote >>> 2x Nested Blockquote Text that needs a footnote[^Footnote description] ++ Inline comment ++ /* Inline comment */ %% Comment block | Col 1 | Col 2 | | ------ | ------ | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | | Cell 3 | Cell 4 | --- ← Horizontal Rule \_ ← Markdown Escape ° ← HTML Escape # FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ## How do I share my document? · On the main screen with documents: Tap and hold the document. Select "Share" from the menu. · In the document editor: Tap the title of the document in the top bar, then tap the round "Share" button in the popup. ## How do I print my document? · On the main screen with documents: Tap and hold the document. Select "Print" from the menu. · In the document editor: Tap the title of the document in the top bar. Select "Print" from the menu. ## Can I draw in the app? No. Paper is purely a plain-text editor. ## Can I add pictures? You can only link to public images on the Web. ## Can I password-protect my notes? No. ## Paper changes the font when I switch between alphabetic and non-alphabetic keyboards. How do I prevent it? · Change the keyboard to a non-alphabetic one (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc.). · Tap the "Settings" button in the top right corner. · Under the "Font" submenu, toggle "Keep for ABC Keyboards". ## Need more help? You can reach me via the in-app chat → "Settings" button in the corner → "Chat with the Maker" # TERMS OF USE paper.pro/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Paper at Free against Scrivener's $23.99. Paper also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (72% vs 46%). Scrivener's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#12 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Paper is free to download; Scrivener costs $23.99 up front. Paper sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Scrivener asks for nothing beyond the download.
Paper holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.6K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Scrivener's written reviews are positive against 72% of Paper's.
Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, Paper monthly. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Scrivener | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $23.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (2.6K ratings) | 4.7 (1.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.6K — better | 1.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #12 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Literature & Latte | Mihhail Lapushkin |
Customer experience
Scrivener
Paper
Bugs and requests
Scrivener
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Paper
Reported bugs
3 issues- Files randomly disappearing
- Cursor issues causing freezes
- Syncing and iCloud integration problems
Requested features
5 requests- Add image support
- Improve file management and recovery
- Expand font and customization options
- Implement team/collaborative writing features
- Add text formatting options like italics and bold
In-app purchases
Scrivener
No in-app purchases
Paper
- Pro Features — Discounted$14.991 Month
- Pro Features$29.991 Month
- Pro Features — Discounted$49.991 Year
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- Pro Features$99.991 Year
- Pro Features — Discounted$99.99
- Pro Features$199.99







