Scrivener vs FreeWriter

Struggling to choose between Scrivener and FreeWriter? 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, FreeWriter is a Office & Productivity product tagged with writing, text-editing, documents, open-source.

Its standout features include Basic word processing features like font formatting, page layout, spell check, Supports saving documents in .rtf and .txt formats, Lightweight and easy to use interface, Customizable themes and styles, Live word and character count, Export documents as PDF, and it shines with pros like Completely free and open source, Small installation size, Minimal system requirements, Intuitive and easy to use, Active development and updates.

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.

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


FreeWriter

FreeWriter

FreeWriter is a free and open-source word processor software for Windows. It provides basic word processing features like font formatting, page layout, spell check, and more. As it is lightweight and easy to use, FreeWriter is a good alternative for users looking for a simple writing program.

Categories:
writing text-editing documents open-source

FreeWriter Features

  1. Basic word processing features like font formatting, page layout, spell check
  2. Supports saving documents in .rtf and .txt formats
  3. Lightweight and easy to use interface
  4. Customizable themes and styles
  5. Live word and character count
  6. Export documents as PDF

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Completely free and open source

Small installation size

Minimal system requirements

Intuitive and easy to use

Active development and updates

Cons

Limited features compared to full-featured office suites

No collaboration or cloud sync features

Lacks advanced formatting options

No built-in image editing tools

Only available for Windows