Scrivener Reviews & Product Details

This is a tough one because there is everything to love about it. I'm convinced I only use a fraction of Scrivener's capabilities. The organizational capabilities are beyond phenomenal. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is very little. While the complexity of the program might be a put-off for some users, the support is top-notch, and there is plenty of help to be found online. I'm not sure I've ever found a question I haven't been able to get answered. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about this program is the method it gives me, it shows me a progress bar of the manuscript that goes from red to yellow, until it reaches green, when the writing goal has been reached. This method helps me to maintain a high motivation and it helps me a lot at a time when the only slogan is to keep writing, or when I have a very structured project, with parts that have to have a similar extension Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I dislike is that you cannot change the order of the documents from my iPad. If the project is very large, the navigation will be uncomfortable because the project is accessed through a flat list of documents. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ability to organize all the different elements needed to write a story; character descriptions, world building, summaries, etc. as well as keeping all the chapters and story elements together as a story develops. Inexpensive tool and does not require a subscription like a lot of current software coming out these days. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The interface can be a little less than intuitive at times and requires a bit of a learning curve compared to other writing software and word processing tools. Having to buy the iOS and MacOS apps separately is a little annoying, but they aren't terribly expensive compared to other software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's flexible and can be very useful to those of us who have a wandering or untidy mind. It's a place to store this random 3am thoughts. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I would like to see a phone app from Scrivener that really was a 24/7 plugged in helper for this on the go interactions with the work console. It doesn't have the most glorious design. Sometime the export formatting goes wary. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really appreciate that I can read flip between two parts of my document simultaneously, especially as I am editing my reference list. I also really like how responsive the word count function is. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find saving documents to be a but cumbersome and not very intuitive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I absolutely love the split-screen feature (Editor, I believe?), which allows me to pull up separate documents side-by-side without any hassle. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are so many lovely features, but it is a bit complicated to learn. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love that i can organize projects with multiple drafts, outlines, etc rather than in a huge number of unruly word documents. I also love the full screen distraction free mode and the note cards. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I do wish it could handle footnotes and citations more seamlessly, particularly with zotero. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I've been using Scrivener since 2016 and I can say that it's fully revolutionized the way I write and plan my stories. A necessary upgrade for any working writer. Plus? It's not subscription-based, so you won't be paying endlessly to have edit access to your files. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There's nothing to dislike about Scrivener--it's agile, it's ample, it offers so much more than any other standard writing app out there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Scrivener allows you to organise your writing and make the process smoother. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's a bit confusing and time-consuming to learn how to use Scrivener. It's a bit expensive and if you own a former version or one for a different platform, they offer a discount but you nonetheless have to pay for it. The mobile app is expensive and DISASTROUS, virtually unusable. I paid 20$ on it and had to delete it from my phone nonetheless, it can only be used with Dropbox and crashes all the time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the flexibility of Scrivener -- one of the primary reasons I first purchased it was because its setup would allow me to write in any order, either from beginning to end, or jumping back and forth between chapters if I realize I forgot something or want to cut something out. It also allows me to create labels and use icons to better keep track of the category and status of each file, and the mobile app that coordinates with the Mac/PC versions is much lighter and simpler to use than most mobile word processors when dealing with large documents, which makes it easier for me to write on the go. The fullscreen editing mode and the ability to customize color schemes are also fantastic. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I don't like that there doesn't appear to be any equivalent to Microsoft Word's 'Track Changes' feature. There is a 'Snapshot' feature that allows the user to save a backup version of how the document is at a certain point and revert to it later if necessary, but as for any feature that would allow me to track and review individual changes as I go along, I haven't found anything. I also don't like that there's no way to access Scrivener files in a browser. It's also worth noting that there's a big learning curve in getting to know the ropes of the program, so I'd strongly recommend new users consult the User Manual to ensure they get the most out of this powerful program. (Webinars and groups consisting of people with experience with the program who are willing to answer questions are also helpful.) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Scrivener is an organizers dream come true. I can start writing from any part of the book that I want to write, easily access notes, character descriptions. It automatically compiles the book into whatever format you want it in, including manuscript and paperback. basically making your book completely publisher/agent ready. It's so easy to navigate through it but if you need help, there is clear guidance. It's also very affordable, you just pay once and then you have that version of Scrivener forever. It allows you to choose the type of Novel format you're writing (if it's fiction, non-fiction, something that has parts to it) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

If I were to get a new computer, (switch from mac to windows) then I would have to re-pay for Scrivener, also if they update the current version of it, you have to pay again, which is kind of a bummer, but not a deal breaker at all. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love way it lets me organise my work in sections, use the full screen mode to stay focused, how it displays the different parts of the writing on taggable sections... And it is very easy to use. It also lets you export the projects in sections or as a whole piece of work in any format I can think of. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

At the moment I love everything about it Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

This is the best writing app available. I do mostly academic-style writing, and the ability to have my research, my notes, and everything else I need in one place is just tremendous. The ability to zoom into one part of the article/paper and not see or worry about the rest allows full concentration.

The outline and index card modes help to formulate long papers and move thoughts about as the needs exist.

Highly recommended! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is little to dislike about Scrivener. Version 3 (Mac only for now) is such a major overhaul that many of the little annoyances have disappeared.

For now, until the Windows version catches up with the Mac version, there is a slight discomfort since I use both platforms. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Beautiful, tons of features. Worth the free trial period too see if you like it. This is kind of a love it or hate it app. Fortunately it has a no obligation trial period so you can see if it's right for you. I mostly like it for its ability to organize smaller parts of your document and handles large documents well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is not the most intuitive program but if you go through the free tutorial that comes with it, it's not that hard to get going. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The ease of editing with a beta reader and proofreader via Dropbox integration as well as comments and edits on a draft is quite great for the most part. Outline format as well as notecards assist in following your plots. Compiling feature for other document extensions is mostly solid. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The UX of this is not intuitive at all. Too pricey unless bought during Camp Nano. Why do I have to pay $19.99 for mobile capabilities when the program itself is $40? Support forums are disorganized and impossible to find answers in. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

This is really comprehensive software that seems infinitely adjustable, and would likely be a great fit for writers across a wide array of industries. It's a powerful tool that does a lot! If there's a feature you want your writing software to have, chances are, this already has it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's not the most user friendly software ever, there's definitely a learning curve. Also it's not for someone looking for a straightforward, no-frills, minimalist word processor. I have had nightmarish experiences with trying to export and have had to do it manually. Likely something I'm doing wrong and I haven't taken the time to contact support about it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ability to keep organized different sections necessary for the preparation of a story Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

No Italian tutorial or instructions. For some tips, it will be important. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I gave Scrivener a trial run during NanoWrimo, and was sold instantly. I'm by nature a disorganized and scattered-brained person. Writing in Scrivener made organizing my writing and ideas easier by orders of magnitude.

Scrivener allows you a lot of flexibility and depth in how you organize your ideas, notes, research, revisions, pages, etc.

The "corkboard" view is an excellent way to get an overall picture of your writing project and essentially summarizes individual documents into easily managed and organizable index-cards.

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The depth and sheer amount of features is daunting at first blush. The best tutorials and tips are to be found outside of the program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Scrivener allows you to place all your documents, images and other reference material into one location so that you no longer have to access muliple locations for notes, webpages or other documents. Writing withine the software is straight-forward and simple to use, as is managing the order that you want your pages to be displayed. Creating a summary for each document (or page) is simple and if you're working to a word count, this is easy to track both by page and by project total. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The formatting options for producing an ebook aren't as clear as they could be, and understanding how they work takes a lot of time and patience. The manual does explain how this section works and what should happen but there doesn't appear to be as much support for when things go wrong. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the formatting features and options Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I dislike the steep learning curve for certain things Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is a toss-up on if I like the cork board feature, or the easy drag-and-drop feature that allows me to move chapters, scenes, etc. around with ease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

If you are writing with Scrivener on a smaller screen then you might have a bit of trouble at first. There is some sort of buggy issue when the software is put on screens smaller than 15 inches (at least in my case). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love that I can use text fragments and keep them in folders together all in one place. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It has a steep learning curve, and can take a while to use comfortably. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I love best about Scrivener is its distraction-free writing environment, its organization tools, and its universal usability.

As an author, ad-writer, web designer, and marketer, there are many apps that I have used for writing over the years. However, Scrivener is by far my favorite. It's not for layout, mind you. The styling tools are very basic, but that's the point. Scrivener is designed for writing everything from books to stories to screenplays and more. Any time you need to crank out a couple thousand words, this app is your best friend.

I use it to write ads, blogs posts, and web copy on a regular basis. I have also written whole books using Scrivener. The organization tools provided allow me to jot down thoughts, logic points, and plot twists on note cards and then organize them in any order. Once I'm satisfied with the flow of what I've written, I simply continue creating. Scrivener allows me to think linearly or skip around and organize later. This is essential when organizing long works or a series of pieces with a specific timeline.

Finally, Scrivener is the most universal writing app I've ever used. I can write on my desktop computer. Then close down and open my laptop to keep going on location somewhere. I can even use it on my tablet in a meeting and then integrate my meeting notes later when I'm back in the office. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

While I love all of Scrivener's functions, It would be nice to give the user interface an update. It sort of looks like a program from the mid 1990s. And also, while I appreciate the way that limited styling options keep me focused on the content, it would be nice to have a few more styling elements to use like more advances color choices and modern project templates for writing web copy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.