# Scrivener vs Paper

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 (#8 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scrivener | Paper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $23.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.2 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrivener/id972387337/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | **72.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 27 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Literature & Latte](https://appshunter.io/developer/418889514) | [Mihhail Lapushkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143513743) |

## What reviewers say

### Scrivener

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

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Productivity (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


### Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Features | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Features | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $99.99 | one-time |
| Pro Features | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💗 Fantastic app
- 🎀 Great tool for writers
- 👍 Clean writing app
- 🤩 Awesome app
- 👍 Cute animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 💰 Paywalled features
- 🐛 Lost files and documents
- 🐛 Cursor issues
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable

**Reported bugs**

- Files randomly disappearing
- Cursor issues causing freezes
- Syncing and iCloud integration problems

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scrivener free?

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

### Is Paper free?

Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Scrivener or Paper?

Paper is rated higher. Scrivener averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Paper averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Scrivener or Paper have ads?

Neither Scrivener nor Paper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scrivener or Paper?

Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, and Paper monthly. Most recently, Scrivener was updated on September 23, 2026 and Paper on September 23, 2026.

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