Comparison

Scrivener vs Campfire

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

Campfire

This app streamlines the writing process for books, stories, and RPG campaigns. It offers interconnected tools for worldbuilding, character tracking, and plot organization, allowing for seamless collaboration and easy access to information. Write, edit, and organize your projects anywhere with unlimited storage.

Highlights
  • Custom character sheets
  • Worldbuilding tools (creatures, locations, magic)
  • Timeline plotting and map uploads
  • Write, read, and edit on mobile
  • Collaborate with editors and contributors
  • Export to PDF, DOCX, HTML, RTF
  • Unlimited cloud storage
Features
Read full description

Whether you want to write a book, tabletop RPG campaign, short story, or just create for fun, Campfire’s writing software streamlines the writing process to make beginning your project more efficient and staying on track easier. Campfire’s interconnected tools make for a seamless worldbuilding experience where you can quickly reference information, link story elements together, and collaborate with other users in one place. Whether you’re an author, worldbuilder, game master, or a hobbyist creator—nobody wants to spend half an hour sifting through old notebooks trying to find out what color a character’s eyes are. Get started with Campfire for free—We've already made writing easier for 100,000+ writers to date! MORE THAN A DOZEN MODULES Modules are what we call the writing tools that allow you to worldbuild and stay organized in Campfire. On the mobile app, each one is free to use. Here’s a sample of what they can do: • Keep track of what makes your characters unique with custom character sheets for your novels, short stories, and TTRPGs. • Build worlds with exciting creatures, locations, magic systems, and more. • Plot your story with timeline events and upload maps of your story’s world. Enjoy unlimited use for each module when using the mobile app! WRITE, READ, EDIT, AND ORGANIZE Campfire is more than just a writing app or a simple word processor. Whether at home or on the go, Campfire allows you to: • Write a whole book on your phone (if you really want to). • Read over your notes or review your manuscript chapters. • Edit your notes and stories wherever inspiration strikes. • Organize your notes in the way that works best for you. COLLABORATE WITH ANYONE Campfire allows you to work seamlessly on your projects with editors and contributors. • Invite other Campfire users to join you on mobile or desktop! • Send read-only links to anyone who you want to read your work. • Export files to PDF, DOCX, HTML, or RTF. 100% FREE + UNLIMITED STORAGE That’s right—free. Create as many projects as you like, work without any blocked features, and rest assured knowing that your work is saved on Google’s secure cloud servers: • Campfire’s mobile app is free to download and use. • Write without limits. • No ads (they’re just too distracting). • Unlimited secure storage. • Free updates and bug fixes. Whether your genre is fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or even realistic fiction, Campfire has the tools you need to write better stories faster. It’s perfect for seasoned authors, fledgling writers, and making sure DnD night with your friends runs smoothly. Download Campfire and start writing wherever you go for free. Use the same account on our Desktop App or on campfirewriting.com and you can pick up where you left off from home! Join the Campfire Discord community to stay in touch and chat with other writers like you: https://campsite.bio/campfirewriting

Screenshots

Scrivener4 screens
Campfire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Campfire at Free against Scrivener's $23.99. Campfire also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Scrivener's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 197) and chart position (#12 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, 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

Campfire is free to download; Scrivener costs $23.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Campfire holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrivener has 2.6K ratings behind it against 197, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Scrivener's written reviews are positive against 44% of Campfire's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, Campfire fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Scrivener versus Campfire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrivenerCampfire
Price$23.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (2.6K ratings)4.3 (197 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews — better44.4% of reviews
Number of ratings2.6K — better197
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#12 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiterature & LatteCampfire Technology LLC

Customer experience

Scrivener

All ratings2,595 ratings
Positive77.6%
Neutral6.9%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews722 reviews
Positive45.6%
Neutral16.8%
Negative37.7%

Campfire

All ratings172 ratings
Positive82.6%
Neutral6.4%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews169 reviews
Positive44.4%
Neutral27.8%
Negative27.8%

Bugs and requests

Scrivener

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Campfire

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and getting logged out
  • Inability to delete unwanted elements
  • Attributes and chapters disappearing
  • Inconsistencies between mobile and desktop versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Offline mode for travel
  • Proper iPad/tablet support
  • Word count feature
  • Undo/redo functionality
  • Ability to rearrange elements and panels
Show 1 more
  • More customization options

In-app purchases

None

Scrivener

No in-app purchases

None

Campfire

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scrivener free?
Scrivener costs $23.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Campfire free?
Campfire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scrivener or Campfire?
Campfire is rated higher. Scrivener averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Campfire averages 4.3 from 197 ratings.
Do Scrivener or Campfire have ads?
Neither Scrivener nor Campfire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrivener or Campfire?
Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, and Campfire fortnightly. Most recently, Scrivener was updated on October 29, 2026 and Campfire on October 30, 2026.

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