Trelby vs Scrivener

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

Trelby is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like screenwriting, scriptwriting, formatting, open-source.

It boasts features such as Automatic script formatting, Character name database, Reporting tools, Tools for writing, formatting and navigating screenplays, Lightweight and easy to use, Customizable and pros including Free and open source, Available on Windows, Linux and macOS, Good for all levels of screenwriters, Has essential screenwriting features.

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.

Trelby

Trelby

Trelby is a free, open-source screenwriting program for Windows, Linux and macOS. It provides tools for writing, formatting and navigating screenplays with automatic script formatting, character name database and reporting tools. Trelby is lightweight, customizable and easy to use for all levels of screenwriters.

Categories:
screenwriting scriptwriting formatting open-source

Trelby Features

  1. Automatic script formatting
  2. Character name database
  3. Reporting tools
  4. Tools for writing, formatting and navigating screenplays
  5. Lightweight and easy to use
  6. Customizable

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Available on Windows, Linux and macOS

Good for all levels of screenwriters

Has essential screenwriting features

Cons

Limited features compared to paid options

Basic interface

Lacks collaboration features


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