Notion vs Scrivener: Which is Right For You? [2024]

Nearly 90% of professionals seek tools to boost productivity. If you’re among them, you’ve likely encountered Notion vs Scrivener. These tools cater to different needs, so which one suits you best?

Notion is an all-in-one workspace perfect for businesses, individuals, and students. It excels in task management, project planning, and team collaboration, making it popular among American marketers and creators. With databases, calendars, and task lists, Notion streamlines workflows efficiently, making it one of the best AI writing tools for 2024.

Scrivener, however, is ideal for writers. Designed for long-form writing like novels, screenplays, or research papers, it features a corkboard, outliner, and advanced research management. Perfect for American authors, screenwriters, and researchers, Scrivener is essential for organizing extensive research and writing detailed reports.

Choosing between Notion and Scrivener depends on your needs. Notion excels in project management, while Scrivener is perfect for writing projects.

Notion vs Scrivener: A Close Comparison

When comparing Notion vs Scrivener, the key differences lie in their features and target users. Notion is a versatile workspace for task management, project planning, and collaboration, making it a favorite among businesses and creators. Its flexibility and integration capabilities make it one of the best AI tools in 2024.

Scrivener, on the other hand, is tailored specifically for writers. It provides robust features for managing long-form writing projects, making it an excellent choice for American authors, screenwriters, and researchers.

Comparison Table

Notion vs Scrivener: My Detailed Experience

Having used Notion and Scrivener extensively, each excels in different areas. Notion is perfect for organizing diverse projects, while Scrivener is unmatched for long-form writing.

What is Notion? Your All-in-One Workspace Solution

Notion is a powerful all-in-one workspace that streamlines various aspects of professional and personal organization.

It has become a vital tool for many professionals, from individual creators to large businesses, offering a flexible and comprehensive platform for organizing various aspects of work and personal life.

Notion’s features allow users to manage databases, tables, and lists, creating a dynamic and efficient data management system. It provides integrated to-do lists and Kanban boards for tracking tasks, setting deadlines, and assigning responsibilities, making it perfect for organizing projects.

One standout feature is its calendar integration, which syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, ensuring that all appointments, deadlines, and meetings are consolidated in one place.

Templates are available for various needs, from personal journals to business plans, and are highly customizable to fit specific requirements.

Notion’s real-time collaboration capabilities enable team members to work together on projects simultaneously, leave comments, and provide instant feedback, making it ideal for collaborative efforts.

For writers and developers, Notion supports Markdown, allowing for quick and easy text formatting. The web clipper feature is perfect for researchers and students, enabling users to save web pages directly to Notion with a browser extension, along with the source URL for easy reference.

API integration with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Trello enhances workflow automation and connectivity, streamlining work processes and reducing the time spent switching between different applications.

For a more detailed analysis, check out my Notion AI Review 2024.

What is Scrivener? The Ultimate Tool for Writers

Scrivener is specifically designed for long-form writing projects such as novels, screenplays, and research papers.

This tool has been a game-changer for my writing process, providing advanced features to organize and manage complex documents effectively.

Scrivener’s key features include a corkboard, outliner, and advanced research management, making it ideal for organizing extensive documents.

The full-screen writing mode eliminates distractions and enhances focus, while snapshots allow users to save and revert versions easily.

The scrivenings mode lets users edit multiple documents as a single text, and the compile for export feature supports various formats like PDF, Word, ePub, and Kindle.

For more details, check out my Scrivener Review 2024.

Choosing between Notion and Scrivener ultimately depends on your specific needs. Notion is ideal for project management and collaboration, while Scrivener excels in long-form writing and research organization.

Notion vs Scrivener: Pricing Plans

Finding an affordable and versatile tool can significantly impact your productivity and efficiency. Let’s delve into the pricing plans for Notion and Scrivener to help you make an informed decision.

How Much Does Notion Cost?

Notion offers several pricing plans tailored to different user needs:

Free Plan:

This plan includes a collaborative workspace, integration with Slack, GitHub, and more, basic page analytics, a 7-day page history, and the ability to invite up to 10 guests. This plan is perfect for individuals or small teams just starting out.

Plus Plan:

At $10 per seat per month, this plan includes everything in the Free Plan plus unlimited blocks for teams, unlimited file uploads, a 30-day page history, the ability to invite up to 100 guests, synced databases with third-party apps, and custom websites.

Business Plan:

Available at $15 per seat per month, this plan includes all features of the Plus Plan, with additional benefits like SAML SSO, private team spaces, bulk PDF export, advanced page analytics, a 90-day page history, and the ability to invite up to 250 guests.

Enterprise Plan:

This plan offers comprehensive features for large organizations, including everything in the Business Plan plus user provisioning (SCIM), advanced security and controls, audit logs, a customer success manager, workspace analytics, and unlimited page history.

Pricing for this plan is available upon request and is tailored to the organization’s specific needs.

Notion provides a free trial for new users and a flexible refund policy to ensure satisfaction.

How Much Does Scrivener Cost?

Each of these plans is designed to fit the varied requirements of writers, whether they prefer the robustness of a desktop environment or the flexibility of mobile writing.

Scrivener’s straightforward pricing structure ensures that writers have access to a comprehensive set of tools without the worry of additional costs later on.

Scrivener for macOS

For macOS users, Scrivener offers a Standard License priced at US$ 59.99. This license provides full access to the Scrivener suite, enabling users to harness the full power of its writing and organizational capabilities on any macOS device running macOS 10.13 or later.

The one-time fee ensures users have complete ownership of the software without the need for recurring subscriptions.

Scrivener for Windows

Windows users can also obtain a Standard License for Scrivener at the same price of US$ 59.99. This version is tailored for the Windows operating system, requiring a 64-bit version of Windows 10 or higher and a minimum display resolution of 1024x768px.

It offers parity with the macOS version in terms of features, allowing for a seamless transition for users who operate across different platforms.

Scrivener for iOS

Scrivener’s iOS version is available for writers on the move for $23.99. This app is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch and requires iOS 11 or later.

While the iOS app is designed for mobile use and necessitates a Dropbox account for sync features, it brings a significant portion of Scrivener’s desktop power to portable devices, allowing for writing and editing on the go.

Scrivener Bundles

Scrivener acknowledges the diverse needs of its users by offering a bundle package. Priced at $95.98, the bundle includes separate licenses for macOS and Windows, catering to users who utilize both operating systems in their workflow.

The bundle offers a discounted rate compared to purchasing each license individually, providing a cost-effective solution for cross-platform compatibility.

Notion vs Scrivener: Key Similarities

Despite their different primary uses, Notion and Scrivener share several key features that make them both valuable tools for productivity and organization. Here are the main similarities:

• Cross-Platform Availability: Both tools are available on multiple platforms, including macOS, Windows, and mobile devices, ensuring users can work from anywhere.
• Rich Text Formatting: Each tool offers robust text formatting options, allowing users to create well-structured and visually appealing documents.
• Custom Templates: Users can create and utilize custom templates to streamline their workflows and maintain project consistency.
• Document Organization: Both tools provide powerful organizational features, such as folders, tags, and nested structures, to manage complex projects.
• Real-Time Collaboration: Notion and Scrivener both support collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously.
• Version Control: Both applications offer version control, enabling users to save and revert to previous versions of their work as needed.
• Research Management: Each tool includes features for managing research materials, such as importing and organizing references, notes, and multimedia content.

These shared features highlight the versatility and power of both Notion and Scrivener, making them excellent choices for professionals looking to enhance their productivity and organization.

Notion vs Scrivener: Key Differences I Found

Exploring the differences between Notion and Scrivener reveals that each tool is designed to cater to distinct needs. Here are seven key differences that set them apart:

#1 Content Quality: Why Scrivener is Ideal for Writers

Notion AI

Notion is versatile, enabling users to create well-organized content, manage tasks, and collaborate seamlessly.

It supports multimedia notes and rich text formatting and integrates databases for comprehensive content management. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses and teams that need a flexible and dynamic workspace.

With Notion, you can embed documents, spreadsheets, and media files, allowing you to gather all relevant information in one place. This integration supports a holistic approach to project management and content creation, ensuring that all aspects of a project are covered within one platform.

By centralizing all project-related information, Notion helps teams stay aligned and enhances overall productivity, making it a powerful tool for any organization.

Imagine being able to draft a report, embed your latest project spreadsheet, and include relevant multimedia resources all within one document. This seamless integration saves time and ensures that your team can access all necessary information in a single, organized location.

Scrivener

It excels in providing tools specifically for writers. Its features, such as the corkboard, outliner, and binder, allow writers to structure their work meticulously.

The corkboard feature helps you visualize and rearrange sections of your manuscript, making it easy to see the big picture of your writing project.

The outliner gives a hierarchical view of your document, allowing for detailed planning and organization.

Its focus on long-form writing makes it perfect for authors, screenwriters, and researchers in America who need to manage complex documents efficiently.

Imagine you’re writing a novel. With Scrivener, you can plot out each chapter on the corkboard, see your entire storyline at a glance, and move scenes around as your story evolves.

The binder keeps all your research, notes, and manuscript sections organized, allowing you to focus on writing rather than managing documents.

#2 Ease of Use: Notion’s Intuitive Interface

Notion AI

It offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and utilize its extensive features.

The drag-and-drop functionality, along with customizable templates, ensures that even beginners can quickly get up to speed.

This seamless experience makes Notion ideal for teams and individuals looking for a straightforward yet powerful tool. Its dashboard view and quick access to various sections make task management a breeze.

You can quickly configure your project dashboard with tasks, deadlines, and resources all consolidated in one place. With Notion’s user-friendly interface, you’ll spend more time focusing on your priorities and less time navigating your tools.

Scrivener

Scrivener, while powerful, has a steeper learning curve. Its multitude of features designed for detailed project management and writing can overwhelm new users.

However, once mastered, it provides unparalleled control over writing projects, making it indispensable for professional writers.

Scrivener’s detailed documentation and tutorial videos are extremely helpful for getting started.

Picture diving into a complex writing project with Scrivener’s detailed tutorials guiding you through every step. Once you get the hang of it, Scrivener’s control and flexibility make it an irreplaceable part of your writing process.

#3 Language Support: Notion’s Broad Reach

Notion AI

Notion supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a global audience. This broad language support is particularly beneficial for businesses operating in diverse linguistic environments, allowing teams to collaborate across different regions seamlessly.

The multilingual capabilities of Notion make it an excellent choice for international projects.

Notion’s extensive language support enables seamless collaboration among team members from diverse linguistic backgrounds. This feature ensures effective communication and breaks down language barriers, facilitating smooth project execution.

Scrivener

It offers limited language support compared to Notion. While it caters well to English-speaking users and offers some localization, it may not be as versatile for users needing comprehensive multilingual capabilities.

Scrivener focuses primarily on enhancing the writing experience rather than expanding language support. Its tools are optimised for a writer working primarily in English to provide the best writing experience.

However, you might find Notion’s broader language support more accommodating for multilingual projects.

#4 AI Templates: Notion’s Customizability

Notion AI

Notion provides a wide array of customizable templates that cater to various project needs, from personal journals to business plans.

These templates can be tailored to fit specific requirements, enhancing productivity and organization. The ability to create and share custom templates makes Notion a versatile tool for various tasks.

Access to a comprehensive library of templates streamlines starting a new project. This allows you to quickly find the perfect starting point and begin working efficiently.

Notion’s customizable templates mean you can adapt your workspace to fit your needs.

Scrivener

Scrivener offers templates specifically designed for writing projects, such as novels, screenplays, and research papers.

While not as varied as Notion’s, these templates are highly detailed and tailored to support the writing process, making them invaluable for authors and researchers. 

Scrivener’s templates provide structure and guidance for complex writing projects.

Starting your next novel is made easier with a template that walks you through character development, plot structuring, and scene setting, much like having a detailed roadmap to guide your journey from the first chapter to the last.

Scrivener’s writing templates provide a framework that helps you stay organized and focused on your creative process.

#5 Integrations: Notion’s Extensive Connectivity

Notion AI

Notion integrates with numerous third-party applications, including Slack, Google Drive, Trello, etc.

The Integration Gallery showcases a wide range of integrations, such as Sumo Logic for data analysis, Datadog for threat detection, and Nightfall AI for monitoring sensitive data.

This extensive connectivity allows users to streamline their workflows and maintain all their tools in one place, enhancing productivity and collaboration. Notion’s integrations are designed to unite all aspects of work into a unified platform.

Picture a day where you can manage your tasks in Notion, collaborate with your team on Slack, and store your documents in Google Drive, all seamlessly integrated. Notion’s connectivity ensures that your workflow is smooth and efficient.

Scrivener

It has fewer integrations compared to Notion. While it can export projects to various formats and integrate with some writing tools, its primary focus remains on providing a robust writing environment rather than extensive third-party connectivity.

Scrivener’s export capabilities ensure that finished projects can be shared and published easily.

Completing your manuscript in Scrivener allows for seamless exporting to a publication-ready format, providing all the necessary tools to produce and share high-quality content efficiently.

#6 Customer Support: Notion’s Accessibility

Notion AI

It offers comprehensive customer support, including a detailed help centre, tutorials, and a responsive support team. This accessibility ensures users can get help quickly, making navigating and utilising the platform more easily. Notion’s community forums and user guides are valuable resources for troubleshooting and learning.

While working on a complex project, I encountered an issue with task management. Using Notion’s extensive support resources, I quickly found a solution through their detailed help centre and responsive customer support.

This immediate assistance allowed me to swiftly resolve the problem and keep my project on track without significant delays.

Scrivener

It also provides solid customer support, with detailed documentation and tutorials to help users. However, its support is more focused on the specifics of writing and managing large projects, catering primarily to the needs of writers and researchers.

Scrivener’s support materials are designed to help users make the most of its powerful writing tools.

You can confidently complete your complex writing project, knowing that Scrivener’s detailed documentation will guide you through any challenges you encounter. This focused support ensures you can fully leverage Scrivener’s capabilities to produce your best work.

#7 Data Security: Notion’s Robust Protection

Notion AI

It employs advanced security measures to ensure that user data is protected. This includes encryption both in transit and at rest, as well as compliance with industry-standard security protocols such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.

These protocols ensure that Notion adheres to the highest standards of data security and privacy.

For American businesses handling sensitive information, Notion’s robust data security is a significant advantage, providing peace of mind that their data is safe from unauthorized access. The platform also features regular security audits, intrusion detection, and 24/7 monitoring to prevent any potential breaches.

Additionally, Notion offers granular user permissions and single sign-on (SSO) options to enhance security further.

Scrivener

It also takes data security seriously, offering secure storage for all your writing projects. While it doesn’t emphasize enterprise-level security measures as Notion does, it ensures that your manuscripts and research are stored safely on your device and can be backed up securely.

Scrivener provides options for automatic backups, ensuring that your work is not lost in case of device failure.

Although Scrivener’s focus is more on the security of local data, it supports encrypted backups and compatibility with secure cloud storage solutions, allowing writers to safeguard their creative work.

Notion vs Scrivener: Which Should You Choose for Your Business?

When deciding between Notion and Scrivener for your business, consider their strengths and your specific needs. Notion excels in versatility, offering a robust platform for project management, task tracking, and team collaboration.

Its ability to integrate various tools and manage a wide array of tasks makes it ideal for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.

On the other hand, Scrivener is tailored for writers and researchers who need a comprehensive tool for managing long-form writing projects.

Its specialized features, such as the corkboard, outliner, and binder, provide a structured environment for crafting detailed manuscripts, making it perfect for authors, screenwriters, and researchers.

Scrivener is best for those who need a focused writing tool with advanced organizational capabilities.

Why Am I Using Both Notion and Scrivener?

As a professional writer and project manager, I need to use both Notion and Scrivener due to their unique capabilities.

Notion serves as my go-to tool for project management, team collaboration, and organizing diverse content types. Its integration capabilities and user-friendly interface streamline my daily tasks and enhance productivity.

Scrivener, on the other hand, is indispensable for my long-form writing projects. Its specialized features help me structure my manuscripts meticulously, ensuring my writing process is efficient and organized.

By combining the strengths of both tools, I can manage my projects and writing tasks more effectively, leveraging the best features each has to offer.

Choosing between Notion and Scrivener ultimately depends on your specific needs.

If your priority is managing projects and collaborating with teams, Notion is the superior choice. For focused writing projects that require meticulous organization, Scrivener is unmatched.

Using both tools allows you to leverage their unique strengths for maximum productivity and efficiency.

FAQs

Wrapping Up

Choosing between Notion and Scrivener ultimately depends on your specific needs. If your priority is managing projects and collaborating with teams, Notion is the superior choice. Its versatility and integration capabilities make it ideal for various organizational tasks, from project management to content creation and real-time collaboration.

Both tools allow you to leverage their unique strengths for maximum productivity and efficiency. This combined approach ensures that you can effectively handle project management and detailed writing projects, taking advantage of the best features each tool has to offer.