Scrivener vs Final Draft

Struggling to choose between Scrivener and Final Draft? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Scrivener is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like writing, authoring, drafting, outlining.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including 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.

On the other hand, Final Draft is a Office & Productivity product tagged with screenwriting, scriptwriting, formatting, collaboration.

Its standout features include Screenplay formatting and templates, Story Map and Beat Board for outlining, Real-time collaboration, Version tracking and Alternate Dialogue, Index cards for restructuring scenes, Importing scripts from other programs, Customizable interface with dark mode, and it shines with pros like Industry standard for professional screenwriting, Powerful outlining and organization tools, Cloud sync and collaboration features, Extensive format support and templates, Useful for all stages of the writing process.

Feature	Scrivener	Final Draft
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Office & Productivity

Product Overview

Scrivener

Description: 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.

Final Draft

Description: Final Draft is professional screenwriting software used by Hollywood screenwriters, directors, producers, students, and aspiring writers to write movie scripts, television episodics, stageplays, novels, outlines, treatments, querying letters, etc. It includes tools to format scripts to industry standards, create story maps, organize research, track revisions, and share work.

Key Features Comparison

Scrivener Features

• 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

Final Draft Features

• Screenplay formatting and templates
• Story Map and Beat Board for outlining
• Real-time collaboration
• Version tracking and Alternate Dialogue
• Index cards for restructuring scenes
• Importing scripts from other programs
• Customizable interface with dark mode

Pros & Cons Analysis

Scrivener

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

Final Draft

Pros

• Industry standard for professional screenwriting
• Powerful outlining and organization tools
• Cloud sync and collaboration features
• Extensive format support and templates
• Useful for all stages of the writing process

Cons

• Expensive subscription pricing
• Steep learning curve
• Lacks novel writing features
• Mac/Windows only, no mobile or web versions
• Can feel bloated for simple script writing needs

Pricing Comparison

Scrivener

• One-time Purchase

Final Draft

• Subscription-Based