Scrivener
Literature & Latte Ltd.'s Scrivener is a long-form writing application for novelists, screenwriters, academics, and other writers, sold as one-time perpetual licenses across macOS, Windows, and iOS platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBath, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Scrivener does
Scrivener, developed by privately-held UK company Literature & Latte Ltd., is a long-form writing application launched in 2007 that combines a typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook metaphor into a unified desktop and mobile writing environment. The core product uses proprietary organizational tools — the Binder metaphor for manuscript navigation, Corkboard for visual section planning, Scrivings mode for editing disjoint sections as a single document, an Outliner for hierarchical restructuring, Snapshots for version control, and a Compile/Export system supporting Word, PDF, RTF, OpenOffice, Final Draft, ePub, and Kindle formats — alongside Dropbox-based cross-device sync and Pandoc/MultiMarkdown support. The technology stack is platform-native across macOS, Windows, and iOS, with no developer-facing API and no documented AI/ML components.
The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with a freemium trial model, monetizing through one-time perpetual licenses sold separately per platform via its own e-commerce storefront and the Apple App Store. It serves primarily novelists, with secondary segments including screenwriters, academics, non-fiction writers, lawyers, journalists, translators, and biographers. A complementary product, Scapple, extends the portfolio with freeform mind-mapping functionality. The company is bootstrapped, has no external funding, no disclosed parent or subsidiary structure, and reports millions of downloads and hundreds of thousands of users since launch, supported by a community forum, blog, affiliate program, and multi-channel social presence.
Scrivener firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scrivener
- Legal name
- Literature & Latte Ltd.
- Website
- https://scrivener.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Literature & Latte Ltd.'s Scrivener is a long-form writing application for novelists, screenwriters, academics, and other writers, sold as one-time perpetual licenses across macOS, Windows, and iOS platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scrivener industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Writing Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)
Keywords
Where Scrivener is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bath
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scrivener business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: Scrivener sells perpetual one-time licenses for its software across three platforms: macOS, Windows, and iOS. Each platform license is sold separately, meaning users who want to use Scrivener on multiple devices must purchase separate licenses for each operating system.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Scrivener product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scrivener is a desktop and mobile writing application that combines a ring-binder interface, corkboard planning, outliner, and scrivenings mode to help writers organize long-form manuscripts such as novels, screenplays, non-fiction books, and academic papers. It is sold as a one-time perpetual license per platform (macOS, Windows, iOS) directly to consumers, with companion product Scapple offering freeform mind-mapping for brainstorming and plot development.
Product overview
Scrivener by Literature & Latte is a single, unified desktop and mobile writing application focused on novel and book writing software. The product portfolio consists of two complementary tools: Scrivener (the core product)—a comprehensive writing environment that integrates typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook functionalities in one application—and Scapple (a companion mind-mapping tool) for freeform brainstorming and idea exploration. Both products are available across macOS, Windows, and iOS platforms, with Dropbox sync enabling cross-device workflow continuity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Scapple: A freeform mind-mapping tool that helps writers brainstorm and connect ideas visually. Perfect for planning a novel's structure and exploring plot and character relationships.
Products and services
- Scrivener Scrivener is a comprehensive novel and book writing application that combines a ring-binder interface, corkboard planning, outliner, and full manuscript management. It enables writers to compose in any order, organize research, track word counts, and export to multiple formats including Word, PDF, Final Draft, Epub, and Kindle. Available as a one-time perpetual license for macOS, Windows, and iOS (separately), targeting novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, and translators.
- Scapple Scapple is a freeform mind-mapping tool that helps writers brainstorm and visually connect ideas. It complements Scrivener by enabling writers to plan a novel's structure, explore plot and character relationships, and organize thoughts before or during writing. Targeted at writers using visual brainstorming alongside manuscript work.
Companies that use Scrivener
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Scrivener technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature12 records
Scrivener partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Scrivener competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Novlr: Novlr is a focused novel-writing SaaS aimed at fiction writers, offering chapter organization, progress tracking, and goal-setting. It targets the same primary use case as Scrivener (novel drafting) but via a cloud-based subscription model — directly challenging Scrivener's positioning.
- Final Draft: Final Draft is the industry-standard screenwriting software and is directly supported by Scrivener's export to Final Draft format. It is a comparable specialized writing tool serving overlapping screenwriter customers, with a deeper domain specialization in script formatting.
- Ulysses: Ulysses is a subscription-based writing app for Mac and iOS targeted at long-form writers, with a similar single-user, distraction-free, manuscript-focused approach. It is the most direct paid competitor to Scrivener in the Mac writing tools category and competes head-to-head for novelists and essayists.
Emerging players
- Notion: Notion is a flexible workspace that many writers use to combine outlines, research, drafting, and project management. While not purpose-built for novel writing, its document model and templates attract users who might otherwise use Scrivener, particularly younger and tech-adjacent writers.
- Sudowrite: Sudowrite is an AI-native fiction writing assistant offering brainstorming, prose generation, and revision tools. It targets the same novelist persona as Scrivener but competes on a fundamentally different axis — generative AI assistance — and represents the most strategically important emerging threat.
- Atticus: Atticus is a newer cross-platform writing and formatting tool that explicitly targets Scrivener users with comparable manuscript organization, formatting, and now AI features. It is a direct emerging competitor in the novel-writing niche with a more modern, subscription-based and AI-enabled offering.
- ProWritingAid: ProWritingAid is a writing analysis and editing tool that complements or replaces a writer's editing workflow. It overlaps with Scrivener at the manuscript-improvement stage and is increasingly bundling AI-assisted suggestions, posing competitive pressure on Scrivener's editing features.
Broad incumbents
- Grammarly: Grammarly is a widely used AI-powered writing assistant integrated across platforms and browsers. It addresses part of the writing-improvement workflow (grammar, style, now generation) and competes with Scrivener's editing and revision features at a much broader scale.
- Microsoft Word: Microsoft Word is the dominant general-purpose word processor and serves as the indirect competitor that most writers consider alongside Scrivener. Despite lacking Scrivener's manuscript organization features, Word's ubiquity, collaboration, and ecosystem make it the default baseline for the writing category.
- Google Docs: Google Docs is the free, cloud-based collaboration default for many writers and competes with Scrivener for long-form drafting, especially among professional and academic users. Its free price point and real-time collaboration present ongoing competitive pressure on Scrivener's consumer model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scrivener social profiles
Digital presenceScrivener financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scrivener leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Scrivener funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scrivener M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Scrivener
What does Scrivener do?
Scrivener is a desktop and mobile writing application that combines a ring-binder interface, corkboard planning, outliner, and scrivenings mode to help writers organize long-form manuscripts such as novels, screenplays, non-fiction books, and academic papers. It is sold as a one-time perpetual license per platform (macOS, Windows, iOS) directly to consumers, with companion product Scapple offering freeform mind-mapping for brainstorming and plot development.
Is Scrivener a public or private company?
Scrivener is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scrivener founded?
Scrivener was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Scrivener based?
Scrivener is headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Scrivener make money?
One revenue line is on record: software Licenses.
Who are Scrivener's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Novlr, Final Draft and Ulysses. Emerging players are Notion, Sudowrite, Atticus and ProWritingAid. Broad incumbents are Grammarly, Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Does Scrivener have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scrivener.
What industry is Scrivener in?
Scrivener's product category is Writing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAI, Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals), with a secondary code of EDAMAJAC, Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.