Comparison

Scrivener vs WriteFreely

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
Currently charting
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

WriteFreely

A minimalist blogging app for seamless web publishing. Write in a distraction-free editor and publish to your blog or any compatible writing community. Supports offline drafting and synchronization with your WriteFreely account.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free editor
  • Offline drafting and editing
  • Sync posts with WriteFreely account
  • Publish to multiple blogs
  • Dark mode option
  • Open source platform
Features
Read full description

WriteFreely for iOS gives you a seamless way to publish your thoughts on the web. Write your thoughts in its clean, distraction-free editor, and then publish to your blog or any writing community powered by the WriteFreely software. WriteFreely for iOS supports Write.as and self-hosted WriteFreely instances. If you're not hosting your own instance, visit https://writefreely.org/instances to find a community to join! # Just Write WriteFreely for iOS includes only what you need to write and publish, so you can focus on your words. It launches straight to the editor, so you can get your thoughts down before they vanish. # Write Offline Draft and edit blog posts offline on your iPhone or iPad, and publish whenever you're ready. If you don't publish a post, it remains safe and private on your device. # Stay Synchronized Log in to any WriteFreely instance you have an account on, and sync posts from your WriteFreely account to your device. # Publish Widely Publish to multiple blogs on your account, and move posts between blogs and Drafts with a few quick taps. # Light Customization Make it your own by choosing a default font for your posts, and whether or not you'd like to write in dark mode. # Freedom The WriteFreely platform is built entirely on open source software, from the server-side to this iOS app. Rest easy knowing you ultimately control your publishing tools, and visit https://writefreely.org/contribute to find out how you can contribute.

Screenshots

Scrivener4 screens
WriteFreely4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WriteFreely at $11.99 against Scrivener's $23.99. Scrivener's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 8) and chart position (#9 vs #199). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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 WriteFreely $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Scrivener against 4.1 for WriteFreely. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrivener has 2.6K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of Scrivener's written reviews are positive against 44% of WriteFreely's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, WriteFreely every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Scrivener versus WriteFreely: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrivenerWriteFreely
Price$23.99$11.99 — better
Rating4.2 (2.6K ratings) — better4.1 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings2.6K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#9 — better#199
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiterature & LatteMusing Studio LLC

Customer experience

Scrivener

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

WriteFreely

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral22.2%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Scrivener

No in-app purchases

None

WriteFreely

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scrivener free?
Scrivener costs $23.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is WriteFreely free?
WriteFreely costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scrivener or WriteFreely?
Scrivener is rated higher. Scrivener averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while WriteFreely averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.
Do Scrivener or WriteFreely have ads?
Neither Scrivener nor WriteFreely shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrivener or WriteFreely?
Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, and WriteFreely every 2 months. Most recently, Scrivener was updated on September 28, 2026 and WriteFreely on August 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Scrivener or WriteFreely?
Scrivener currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and WriteFreely at #199. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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