Scrivener vs Substack

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.

Substack is a publishing platform for writers, creators, and subscribers, bringing posts, newsletters, podcasts, video, live streams, and pages into one publishing flow. Its editor supports scheduling, autosaved drafts, version history, templates, SEO metadata, and headline A/B testing. Creators can offer free or paid posts, subscriptions, trials, gifts, and group plans. Discovery tools include recommendations, Notes, leaderboards, referrals, and search; audience segmentation and email automation are also available. Podcast episodes can be distributed automatically to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, while video can go automatically to YouTube and LinkedIn. Publishing is free. When creators enable paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and Stripe charges payment processing fees. Creators own their intellectual property and mailing list and can export their data. Substack serves writers, journalists, podcasters, video creators, experts, educators, and media companies. It is available on the web, Android, and iOS. Substack directs users to its Help Center and handles subscriber support questions on behalf of writers.