Pendraic vs Scrivener
Pendraic
pendraic.comScrivener
literatureandlatte.comSide by side
| Figure | Pendraic | Scrivener |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $14.99/mo | $23.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 8 |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 9.2 (#7) | 9.1 (#8) |
| Collaboration | The Premium pricing page lists co-writing with another person as a feature planned for when it ships. | No |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
Plans
Pendraic
- FreeFree
- Essentials$14.99 a month
- Premium$24.99 a month
- Desktop$99 a month
- Pendraic Desktop$99, paid once
- Pendraic Desktop$99, paid once
Scrivener
- macOS licence$59.99 a month
- Windows licence$59.99 a month
- iOS licence$23.99 a month
- iOS license$23.99, paid once
- Mac license$59.99, paid once
- Windows license$59.99, paid once
- All three platforms$121.93, paid once
- Free trialFree
In their own words
Pendraic
Pendraic is a long-form fiction writing tool for keeping a book's characters, world, voice and story details together. The editor provides prose, outline and arcs views, with optional panels for character lookups, voice consistency, beats and unresolved threads. Planning and revision are organized into eight areas: Promise, Engine, Nexus, Dynamics, Registry, Anchors, Iterations and Closure. Its World Builder links maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines and encyclopedia entries to the prose. Listed AI options include Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and OpenRouter, using either a user's account or a Pendraic Managed AI wallet. When a user starts an AI generation pass, the prompt and needed context go to the chosen provider under that provider's terms. Pendraic says saved files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and that it does not train models on users' writing or sell their content. The Free plan supports up to three active books and includes Word, Markdown and plain-text exports. Pendraic runs on macOS, Windows and the web; paid plans start at $14.99/mo.
Scrivener
Scrivener is a long-form writing app for macOS, Windows, and iOS, built for projects that can be composed in sections of any size. Writers can keep research materials such as PDFs and web pages beside a draft, and import Word, OpenOffice, plain text, Final Draft, images, PDFs, movies, sound files, and web pages. A project window can show up to four documents at once. Screenwriting tools handle script formatting and support printing and Final Draft export. For non-fiction, Scrivener supports footnotes, research libraries, and templates including MLA and APA. Writing History shows how much was written each day. The app also has publishing tools, version history, and offline mode, but not real-time collaboration. A 30-day trial is offered. Single-platform licences cost $59.99 as a one-time purchase for macOS or Windows and $23.99, paid once for iOS; an all-three-platform licence costs $121.93 as a one-time purchase. No recurring payment is required unless a customer chooses another platform or a major update. Scrivener is made by Literature & Latte Ltd., based in Cornwall, UK.