Scrivener app icon

Scrivener

A writing app for novels, scripts and theses

MaciPhoneiPad$59.99 once

The verdict

If you are writing a novel, screenplay or thesis in 1 unwieldy document, Scrivener splits it into sections you shuffle like index cards, with research beside the draft. Word targets, snapshots and EPUB export round it out, but for blog posts and short essays it is far more app than you need. It is $59.99 once on the Mac, and the iPhone and iPad app costs $23.99 more and syncs only through Dropbox.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You are writing a book, script or thesis and 1 long document has become hard to steer.

Skip it if

You write blog posts and emails, where Pages or a plain Markdown editor gets you there faster.

Screenshots 4

What it helps you do

  • Break a long manuscript into movable sections
  • Keep research notes next to your draft
  • Hit a daily word count target
  • Export a finished book as EPUB or Word

Plans and prices

  • Mac

    $59.99

    $59.99 once, direct or on the Mac App Store

  • Mac + Windows

    $95.98

    $95.98 once, with a separate license for each platform

  • iPhone and iPad

    $23.99

    $23.99 once, sold separately; sync needs a Dropbox account

What changed

  1. Version 3.5.2

    Worked around a bug that causes the outline and page view footer bars to be covered by a white strip whenever a horizontal scroller is visible. · Fixed bug whereby Insert Bibliography/Citations… was available in the main menu even when no citations manager was set in Settings, resulting in a nonsensical warning message when you tried to use it. · Fixed issue whereby Writing Tools no longer appeared in the editor…

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Pick something else if

All 7 Scrivener alternatives

Scrivener head to head

The details

Runs on
Mac, iPhone, iPad
Requires
macOS 11 or later
Version
3.5.2
Size
100 MB
Made by
Literature & Latte
Free trial
Try the paid version first
Family Sharing
1 purchase for the family
Privacy
Collects no data, per its App Store label

Developer's websiteSpot a wrong price or fact?