Zettlr vs Scrivener

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

Zettlr is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like markdown, writing, notes, academic, distractionfree.

It boasts features such as Markdown editing, Distraction-free writing mode, Auto-save, Syntax highlighting, Citations and bibliographies, Export to various formats, Tagging and search, Dark mode, Spell checking, Word count and pros including Free and open source, Cross-platform availability, Minimalist and clean interface, Good Markdown support, Useful academic writing 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.

Zettlr

Zettlr

Zettlr is a markdown editor for students, academics and novelists. It features a distraction-free writing mode, auto-save, syntax highlighting for various markup languages, and support for citations and bibliographies.

Categories:
markdown writing notes academic distractionfree

Zettlr Features

  1. Markdown editing
  2. Distraction-free writing mode
  3. Auto-save
  4. Syntax highlighting
  5. Citations and bibliographies
  6. Export to various formats
  7. Tagging and search
  8. Dark mode
  9. Spell checking
  10. Word count

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Cross-platform availability

Minimalist and clean interface

Good Markdown support

Useful academic writing features

Cons

Limited customization options

No collaboration features

Steep learning curve for some 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