Comparison

Scrivener vs Idea Threads

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

Idea Threads

Capture and organize your creative thoughts on the go using text, audio, or photos. Organize ideas into threads, search, and filter them easily. Sync with Plottr Pro for advanced project management and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Capture ideas via text, audio, or photo
  • Organize ideas into threads
  • Search and filter ideas
  • Sync with Plottr Pro
  • Cloud backup and collaboration
  • View projects on the go
Features
Read full description

If you are a creative person and you get sudden great ideas while you're not at your computer, this app is for you! Designed to quickly capture your ideas on the go, Idea Threads lets you either type out an idea, speak it, or take a picture. It keeps your ideas organized into threads (categories or projects) to find them easily later. You can search, filter by type (audio, picture, or text), zoom in and out to see lots all at once or the details of each. If you're a writer or you use Plottr for your creative projects, you can log into and subscribe to Plottr Pro (subscription required as in-app purchase) to sync your ideas with your projects and easily turn them into new scenes, characters, world building, and more. You'll also be able to view your projects on the go so you can keep the creative juices flowing on the back burner like all us creatives constantly do. All the base features are completely free: - Capture unlimited ideas - Capture them in audio, photo, or text - Organize them into unlimited threads - Search and filter - Ideas are stored on your device Idea Threads is available for free download. Some features require a subscription to Plottr Pro. This also ensures the continuous development of Idea Threads so that new and improved features can be added over time. Subscribe to Plottr Pro and unlock these features: - Ideas saved in the cloud & synced between devices - Read your Plottr Projects on the go - Send and use your ideas within Plottr - Plottr's web app (works on tablets!) - Real-time collaboration - Cloud backups (of ideas and Plottr files) PLOTTR PRO SUBSCRIPTION INFO: - Subscription length: monthly - Payment will be charged to your iCloud Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions auto-renew at the same cost, unless cancelled 24-hours in advance prior to the end of the current period - Subscriptions may be managed by going to your iCloud Account Settings after purchase. - You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Plottr does not collect personal data and the developer does not have access to the ideas you create in Idea Threads, nor your Plottr projects. Idea Threads does not track its users and there are no ads in the app. Privacy Policy: https://plottr.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: https://plottr.com/terms-conditions/

Screenshots

Scrivener4 screens
Idea Threads4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Idea Threads at 100% against Scrivener's 46%. Idea Threads also leads on price (Free vs $23.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.2). Scrivener's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 5). On update cadence, ads and device support 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

Idea Threads is free to download; Scrivener costs $23.99 up front. Idea Threads sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per month. Scrivener asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Idea Threads holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scrivener has 2.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Scrivener's written reviews are positive against 100% of Idea Threads's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, Idea Threads every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Scrivener versus Idea Threads: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScrivenerIdea Threads
Price$23.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (2.6K ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.6K — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#10 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLiterature & LatteFictional Devices LLC

Customer experience

Scrivener

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

Idea Threads

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Scrivener

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Idea Threads

Subscriptions1
  • Plottr Pro$14.991 Month

Questions

Is Scrivener free?
Scrivener costs $23.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Idea Threads free?
Idea Threads is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Scrivener or Idea Threads?
Idea Threads is rated higher. Scrivener averages 4.2 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Idea Threads averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Scrivener or Idea Threads have ads?
Neither Scrivener nor Idea Threads shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scrivener or Idea Threads?
Scrivener ships an update every 3 months, and Idea Threads every 2 months. Most recently, Scrivener was updated on October 15, 2026 and Idea Threads on September 30, 2026.

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