IBM Lotus Symphony Documents vs Scrivener

Struggling to choose between IBM Lotus Symphony Documents and Scrivener? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

IBM Lotus Symphony Documents is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, free, open-source.

It boasts features such as Word processing, Spreadsheet creation, Presentation software, Basic document creation and editing and pros including Free, Open source, Compatible with Microsoft Office file formats, Clean and intuitive interface.

On the other hand, Scrivener is a Office & Productivity product tagged with writing, authoring, drafting, outlining.

Its standout features include Corkboard view to visualize story structure, Outliner to organize scenes and chapters, Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts, Split screen to view multiple documents, Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays, Revision tracking to compare draft changes, Export to common formats like PDF and ePub, and it shines with pros like Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents, Flexible interface to suit different writing styles, Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors, Robust formatting and export options, Helpful for drafting and revising.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

IBM Lotus Symphony Documents

IBM Lotus Symphony Documents

IBM Lotus Symphony Documents is a free office suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software. It is designed as an alternative to Microsoft Office for basic document creation and editing needs.

Categories:
word-processing spreadsheet presentation free open-source

IBM Lotus Symphony Documents Features

  1. Word processing
  2. Spreadsheet creation
  3. Presentation software
  4. Basic document creation and editing

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free

Open source

Compatible with Microsoft Office file formats

Clean and intuitive interface

Cons

Limited features compared to Microsoft Office

Lack of advanced functionality

No longer actively developed

Small user community


Scrivener

Scrivener

Scrivener is professional writing software used by authors to plan, organize and write long documents like novels and screenplays. It has features like corkboard, outliner, annotations, and split screen to help write drafts and revisions.

Categories:
writing authoring drafting outlining

Scrivener Features

  1. Corkboard view to visualize story structure
  2. Outliner to organize scenes and chapters
  3. Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts
  4. Split screen to view multiple documents
  5. Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays
  6. Revision tracking to compare draft changes
  7. Export to common formats like PDF and ePub

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents

Flexible interface to suit different writing styles

Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors

Robust formatting and export options

Helpful for drafting and revising

Cons

Steep learning curve

Overwhelming interface for new users

Limited cloud sync and collaboration features

Windows and Mac only, no Linux or mobile versions

Can be slow with very large documents