Scrivener vs Plottr

by Gralio Mar 07, 2025

Scrivener and Plottr cater to different writing needs. Scrivener is a comprehensive writing software suited for research-heavy projects, while Plottr specializes in visual planning and outlining. Scrivener offers more features but has a steeper learning curve, while Plottr is easier to learn but has fewer advanced writing features.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 590 reviews and 60 websites, saving 3 hours, 46 minutes of reading.

Scrivener

Website LinkedIn Twitter

Plottr

Website LinkedIn

About

Scrivener is writing software designed for books, articles, and scripts. It helps you organize research, structure your writing with outlines and index cards, and format for different document types. It also provides tools for tracking progress and exporting to popular formats like Microsoft Word and PDF. While it has a learning curve, its many features make it popular for writers who need more than a basic word processor.

Plottr is a software designed for authors to visually plan and organize their books. It allows you to create visual timelines, develop character profiles, and generate outlines. Plottr offers templates based on common storytelling structures and integrates with writing software like Microsoft Word and Scrivener. It is available as a one-time purchase (Plottr) and a subscription service with cloud features (Plottr Pro).

Summary

Main difference

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool best suited for complex, long-form projects requiring extensive organization and research management. Plottr excels at visual plotting and outlining, making it ideal for authors who prefer a visual approach to story planning.

Relative strengths of Scrivener (compared to Plottr)

Superior organization and research management tools for complex projects.
Flexible outlining and "corkboard" feature for arranging scenes.
One-time purchase offers better long-term value.

Relative weaknesses of Scrivener (compared to Plottr)

Steeper learning curve and more complex interface.
Less intuitive for visual plotting and brainstorming.
Exporting can be complex and sometimes lead to formatting issues.

Who should use Scrivener VS. Plottr

Scrivener is writing software ideal for authors, screenwriters, and content creators working on long-form projects. Users praise its organizational tools, flexible project management, and distraction-free writing mode. However, some find the compiling process difficult and the software's many features overwhelming. Despite a learning curve, Scrivener's powerful features make it a popular choice for writers needing more than a basic word processor.

Plottr is a visual planning software for authors. It helps writers create timelines, develop characters, and generate outlines using templates based on common storytelling structures. Users praise its intuitive interface and visual timeline, but some have reported data loss and syncing issues. Plottr offers a lifetime purchase option and subscription-based “Pro” plans.

Ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking long-form writing software.
A good fit for media, education, and professional services.

Ideal for small businesses (1-100 employees), a good fit for medium businesses (101-1000).
Best fit for media & entertainment; not suitable for education, software/IT, or marketing/advertising.

Scrivener and Plottr features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Visual timeline

Partially supported

Scrivener offers manual timeline management using corkboard and custom metadata.

Supported

Plottr offers a visual timeline with drag-and-drop, scene cards, plotlines, and templates.
Story bible

Supported

Scrivener supports story bibles through folders, metadata, and collections.

Supported

Plottr supports organizing characters, places, and notes, including bios, tags, custom attributes, templates, and filtering.
Starter templates

Not supported

Scrivener supports custom templates but does not directly offer templates based on story structures like The Hero's Journey.

Supported

Plottr offers various starter templates, including those based on The Hero's Journey and other story structures, customizable for different genres.
Note taking

Supported

Notes can be organized into folders, subfolders, and virtual index cards.

Supported

Plottr supports notes organized by categories and tags, which can be linked to characters, places, or plot points.
Timeline view

Partially supported

Scrivener does not offer a built-in timeline view but can be integrated with external tools like Aeon Timeline.

Supported

Plottr offers a visual timeline to track plot points, characters, settings, and more.
Storyboard feature

Supported

Scrivener supports visual storyboarding through its corkboard feature, allowing users to arrange index cards.

Not supported

Plottr does not support traditional visual storyboards, but offers visual timelines and scene organization.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

-0.33

Rather negative sentiment
Customer Service

No data

No data
Ease of Use

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

+1

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

No data

-0.33

Rather negative sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

No data
Scalability

No data

No data

Scrivener and Plottr Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive

We couldn't find a pricing page for Scrivener.

Plottr offers a lifetime plan and two subscription-based options: Plottr Pro and Plottr Pro + Community. Plottr Pro is available through monthly or annual subscriptions. All plans include unlimited household licenses.

Plans

User sentiment

Rather negative

-0.33

See full Pricing page

Scrivener and Plottr review insights

516 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Excellent organizational tools for research, outlines, and writing.
Flexible project management with "binder" and "corkboard" views.
Ability to break down writing into manageable chunks (scenes/chapters).
Distraction-free writing mode and customizable interface.
One-time purchase with free updates (unlike subscription models).

Intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Visual timeline feature for easy plotting.
Customizable templates and plotlines.
Helpful resources and tutorials available.

Users dislike

Difficult compiling process, especially for ebooks and specific formats.
Steep learning curve and overwhelming number of features.
Lack of seamless integration with some reference managers.
Occasional bugs and freezing issues reported.
Inconsistent formatting when exporting to other platforms.

Data loss issues reported by some users.
Syncing problems across devices.
Mobile app functionality needs improvement.
Difficulty transferring projects between devices.

Scrivener and Plottr Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(84)
Capterra

4.7/5

(199)

G2

4.8/5

(2)
Capterra

4.9/5

(231)
TrustPilot

4.8/5

(74)

Company health

Employee growth

No change in the last year

40% decrease in the last year

Web traffic

6% increase in the last quarter

No change in the last quarter

Financing

No data

How do Scrivener's organizational tools compare to Plottr's visual timeline?

Scrivener's organizational tools are more diverse than Plottr's visual timeline. While Plottr excels at visual timelines for plotting, Scrivener offers a "binder" system for organizing chapters, a "corkboard" for arranging scenes, and tools for managing research and notes. Plottr's timeline is a strong visual tool for outlining and plotting, but Scrivener's system provides a broader range of organizational options beyond the timeline view.

Which product better integrates with other writing software I use?

Plottr integrates directly with Scrivener, allowing for the transfer of outlines and other organizational elements. While Scrivener can export to common formats like Word and PDF, it doesn't offer direct integration with other writing software mentioned. Therefore, Plottr offers better integration specifically with Scrivener, but Scrivener offers broader compatibility through standard file formats.

What are the advantages of Scrivener?

Scrivener offers robust organizational tools for long-form writing projects, allowing writers to manage research, structure outlines, and break down writing into manageable chunks. It also provides a distraction-free writing mode and flexible formatting options, culminating in diverse export options, including Word and PDF. Unlike subscription-based alternatives, Scrivener benefits from a one-time purchase model.

What are the disadvantages of Scrivener?

Scrivener has a steep learning curve and can be overwhelming for new users due to its extensive features. Some users report difficulties with the compiling process, especially when exporting to specific ebook formats. It also lacks seamless integration with certain reference management tools, which can be a drawback for academic or research-based writing. Occasional bugs and freezing issues have also been reported. Finally, formatting inconsistencies can arise when exporting to other platforms.

Alternatives to Scrivener and Plottr

Pages

Pages is Apple's word processor for creating professional-looking documents. It offers templates, custom color palettes, and collaboration tools. Businesses can use it to create marketing materials, internal documents, and even interactive publications. Pages is known for its user-friendly interface and focus on design, making it a good choice for creating visually appealing documents. It's exclusively available on Apple devices.

Unifire.ai

Unifire.ai is a content repurposing tool that transforms audio and video content like webinars, podcasts, and meetings into various written formats like blog posts, social media updates, and ebooks. It uses AI to transcribe your content and offers templates to quickly generate different content pieces. Unifire.ai is designed for teams and allows collaboration on projects.

Trelby

Trelby is a free screenwriting program available for multiple operating systems. It helps you write scripts with correct formatting, pagination, and auto-completion features. It offers multiple views to suit different writing styles and includes tools like a name database and reports to analyze your script. Trelby can import and export files in various formats, including Final Draft and PDF. Being open-source software, users are welcome to contribute to its development.

Boords

Boords is online storyboarding software that helps video teams plan their projects. It goes beyond basic scriptwriting by providing AI-powered scriptwriting tools, storyboarding features, and the ability to create animatics. This combined functionality streamlines the video creation process, keeping everything in one place. Boords offers a free trial and a subscription-based pricing model.

Xodo Sign

Xodo Sign (formerly eversign) is a cloud-based e-signature service designed for individuals, small and medium businesses, and large enterprises. It allows you to securely sign, send, approve, and manage documents online. Xodo Sign prioritizes data security and offers features like document automation, in-person signing, and integrations with popular platforms like Dropbox and Google Workspace. Its goal is to streamline document workflows, cut down on paper, and help you close deals faster.

Campfire

Campfire is a writing software designed for authors building fictional worlds and stories. It offers various tools like character creation, interactive maps, and plot timelines to organize your ideas. Campfire aims to streamline your writing process with features like note-taking within your manuscript and customizable modules for magic systems and languages. You can try their tools for free, with paid options offering expanded features.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

How are we doing?

Is this information helpful to you? Is there anything we are missing?

Did this help you select your product?

Other issues? Vote & Let us know