Scrivener vs Story Architect
Scrivener
literatureandlatte.com
Story Architect
starc.appSide by side
| Figure | Scrivener | Story Architect |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $23.99/mo | $4.17/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 13 |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 9.1 (#8) | 9.3 (#5) |
| Real-time collaboration | No | Creator includes real-time collaboration and review mode allows co-authors to comment, reply, resolve and edit notes. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Import formats | Imports include Word, OpenOffice, plain text, Final Draft, images, PDFs, movies, sound files, and web pages. | The help page says STARC supports importing KIT Scenarist, Final Draft, Celtx and Trelby formats, plus TXT, ODT, DOCX and Fountain files. |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | Scrivener is shown for macOS, Windows, and iOS. | The download page lists apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS/iPadOS and Android. |
Plans
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
Story Architect
- FreeFree
- Pro$4.17 a month
- Pro Lifetime$150 a month
- Creator$8.34 a month
- AI credits 50$10 a month
- AI credits 200$30 a month
- AI credits 500$60 a month
- AI credits 1000$100 a month
- AI credits 50$10, paid once
- AI credits 200$30, paid once
In their own words
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.
Story Architect
Story Architect is a writing app for screenplays, comics, plays, books and other story forms, organized around a shared project bible. Its Free plan allows unlimited projects and documents per project, with basic writing, character, location and world tools. Pro adds mind maps, an image gallery, presentations, a corkboard, a timeline and five AI credits per month when billed annually. The AI assistant can paraphrase, summarize, expand or shorten text, translate, insert text between paragraphs, or generate text from a prompt; these actions use credits. Creator adds real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Story Architect supports offline use on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. It imports KIT Scenarist, Final Draft, Celtx, Trelby, TXT, ODT, DOCX and Fountain files, and exports DOCX, PDF, FDX and Fountain. Desktop-to-mobile project synchronization remains in development, with manual file transfer documented instead. Pro costs $4.17 a month billed annually; Creator costs $8.34 a month billed annually.