# Scrivener vs WriteFreely

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.

Scrivener costs $23.99 and WriteFreely $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scrivener | WriteFreely |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $23.99 | **$11.99** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrivener/id972387337/reviews)** | [4.1 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | **45.6% of reviews** | 44.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | #199 |
| Size | 27 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Literature & Latte](https://appshunter.io/developer/418889514) | [Musing Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1000755152) |

## What reviewers say

### Scrivener

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

**Currently charting:** #9 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


### WriteFreely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


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