The Best Scrivener AlternativesTop Novel Authoring & Note-taking Tools like Scrivener

Scrivener is described as 'Ideal for long writing projects with flexibility in structure, Scrivener integrates easy project outlines and allows seamless restructuring with drag and drop' and is a very popular Novel Authoring tool in the news & books category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Scrivener for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Mac, Linux and SaaS apps. The best Scrivener alternative is Manuskript, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Scrivener are yWriter, Zettlr, Quoll Writer and Dendron.

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Scrivener alternatives are mainly Novel Authoring Tools, but if you're looking for Note-taking Tools or Story Writing Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Android, Free, Online, Windows, Open Source and Mac. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Scrivener.
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Alternatives
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Alternatives list

  1. Manuskript icon
     176 likes

    Open-source software offering a hierarchical outliner, distraction-free editor, character management, plot tools, Snowflake method support, section multi-organization, customizable writing workflows, cross-platform availability, and export to standard formats.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Good alternative?
     
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    10
  2. yWriter icon
     70 likes

    yWriter is a writing tool that uses "scenes" as a unit of text and allows you to associate that text with all manner of story elements (characters, locations, items) as well as place it and rearrange it within the context of chapters.

    112 yWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
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    8
  3. Zettlr icon
     267 likes

    Unified writing platform offering note-taking, easy citations with Zotero integration, LaTeX/Word templates, snippets, themes, dark modes, code highlighting, multi-language support, and knowledge management with Zettelkasten for seamless writing from notes to books.

    248 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    Good alternative?
     
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    3
  4. Quoll Writer icon
     43 likes

    Focus on your words not the interface. Quoll Writer is a writing application that helps you focus on your words. Clean and uncluttered. Feature rich. Features are where you would expect them to be.

    108 Quoll Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
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    6
  5. Dendron icon
     72 likes

    Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  6. Rentry.co icon
     57 likes

    Rentry.co is a markdown pastebin and publishing service with preview, custom urls and editing. Fast, simple and free.

    205 Rentry.co alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  7. Ulysses icon
     73 likes

    Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a professional level.

    179 Ulysses alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  8. Roam Research icon
     61 likes

    As easy to use as a word document or bulleted list, and as powerful for finding, collecting, and connecting related ideas as a graph database. Collaborate with others in real time, or store all your data locally.

    205 Roam Research alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  9. A smooth yet powerful writing experience for devoted authors. With only wanted features and native workflow it runs faster than all your previous apps combined.

    71 Story Architect (STARC) alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    • Android
    Good alternative?
     
  10. novelWriter icon
     33 likes

    novelWriter is a Markdown-like text editor designed for writing novels and larger projects of many smaller plain text documents. It uses its own flavor of Markdown that supports a meta data syntax for comments, synopsis and cross-referencing between files.

    101 novelWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Qt
    • Python
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    1
  11. Pinery icon
     12 likes

    Combines Markdown writing, live preview, and powerful design controls with instant exports in ePub, PDF, and HTML formats. Open format Markdown file storage, no vendor lock-in, customizable themes, and full privacy with local or iCloud storage on Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Looking for a suite of tools for writing your book? This is not just a text editor it does so much more. Organise your story using timelines, planning boards and the snowflake tool, all integrated to make writing intuitive and fun.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
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