Scrivener for iOS Review

8/19/2016

For this review, I’m assuming you’re familiar with the desktop version of Scrivener. If not, check out my original Scrivener review.

Scrivenites have begged and pleaded for years. Give us a mobile app!

Well, the Literature and Latte powers that be have finally answered our prayers. Scrivener for iOS is here, and it’s exactly what you’d expect. Honestly, this is less of a review than it is an inside the app. Because there isn’t a lot to say about the functionality of the app I haven’t already talked about.

With that said, here are some screenshots to give you an idea of what we’re dealing with.

View all your projects, and tap the + to create a new one—either in your Dropbox or on your iPhone.

The view inside the project is very similar to the desktop version.

Again, the chapter view should look familiar. It's all very intuitive.

Long press to open the inspector (found on the right of the screen in the desktop version). You've also got plenty of options for sharing your project and for viewing it on the screen.

Features

Most obvious are the missing features, at least in the iPhone version. No corkboard. No Quick Reference. Revision mode also appears to be missing, which is a big letdown for me.

But there are a few nifty features I’ve noticed in the iPhone version. You can compile directly in the app, but unless you’re an app-only user (and I’m not sure why you would be), there’s really no reason you wouldn’t wait to compile using the desktop version. I suppose compiling on mobile might be handy if you’re working with several smaller documents, but I’m assuming most of us use Scrivener for larger projects.

The app makes use of the long press to access the inspector. You can pinch to zoom, and the app transitions smoothly between portrait and landscape orientations. Overall, it does a great job converting the functionality of the desktop program to the small touchscreen.

Storage and Syncing

The app syncs with Dropbox, which works out perfectly well for me, since I’m an avid Dropbox user. It’s easy to set up a free account, if you don’t have one already (and really, you should have one anyway—keep your writing safe!). Hopefully, you don’t have more than 2 GB of Scrivener files. Otherwise you’ll need a Pro account, which costs $10/month or $100/year for 1 TB of space.

Okay, you’re all set up with Dropbox. Next step: connecting the Dropbox App to the Scrivener App.

Caveat #1: Your Scrivener files must be in one folder.

You direct the Scrivener app toward an entire folder in your Dropbox, and it will sync the whole thing. Scrivener files and non-Scrivener files alike. It will sync nothing outside of this folder.
Personally, I didn’t care for this because my organization system includes a folder for each of my projects. But in the end, I created a new folder specifically for Scrivener files and used aliases to those files in my old system. No big deal.
(If you need help creating aliases on Mac, let me know.)

Caveat #2: You can only have Scrivener open on one device at a time.

I learned this the hard way. Scrivener is open on my Mac at all times, no exceptions. When I made changes to a file in the Scrivener app while the same project was open on my Mac, the changes were lost. (Thankfully, there were no big changes.) Again, easy fix. It took me about a week, but I’ve trained myself to remember to close Scrivener before I shut my laptop.

Price

One of the biggest downfalls of the app is the price tag. $19.99 seems a bit steep for someone who’s already shelled out $45 for the desktop version. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Scrivener is worth every bit of 45 bucks. But is the iOS version worth 20? I’m not sure. It’s convenient, no doubt. Honestly, I’m paying for the ability to open and edit my files on my phone (because all my novel files are Scrivener), not for the functionality of the app itself.

I’m not an app developer, and I’m sure tons of time and manpower went into developing and creating this thing. So who am I to say what it’s worth? But as a consumer, I’d be happier with something in the $10 range.

Overview

The big question: Is it worth buying?

PROS	CONS
Stable	Price
Functional	No alternative syncing method
Easy transition from desktop	Missing features (especially on iPhone)
Flawless syncing
Offline project creation

Overall Thoughts on Scrivener for iPhone

Would I buy it again? Definitely. It’s easy to use, and the transition from desktop to iOS was seamless. It syncs using my preferred method, and it lets me access my files on the go.

Do I think the price is a bit steep? Yes. Do I feel I’ve been ripped off? No. I purchased a quality product, and I’m completely happy with it. I haven’t encountered any usage issues that weren’t solved by a quick change to my personal habits, and the app is stable and keeps everything synced.

As always, Literature and Latte gets a thumbs-up from me.

Still Need Scrivener for Desktop?

Get Scrivener for Mac here. Or download Scrivener for Windows here.

This post includes affiliate links.

1 Comment

Craig Warhurst

7/23/2018 01:51:16 pm

I use it on my iPad Mini and old iPad 2. It is more useful on the Mini, since that will fit into a jacket pocket. It is so cool to be able to walk around with all my writing in my pocket. That said, I find I don't actually use it that much. One problem, as you mentioned, is that you have to close the project on your other devices first. That's a real pain. And it doesn't have to be that way - just look at OneNote, for example. You can type something into OneNote for iOS and watch it magically appear on your laptop seconds later. That's how syncing should be! The other problem is screen size. Sometimes I wish I had more screen area on my laptop, let alone the iPad. How you can use it on an iPhone I have no idea. I imagine it could look quite decent on the largest iPad Pro, but then you might as well just have a laptop. The best feature for me with the iOS version is the dark mode. But considering I waited so long for the app to appear I'm saddened that I don't use it more. I just live in Scrivener on my laptop. If it synced like OneNote it might be different but it is too much of a brain ache to remember what projects are open on what devices! On the subject of price I disagree with you. I can spend that money on one takeaway. Anyone that writes for a living or even as a hobby should see Scrivener in whatever form as an investment worth making. Would a hairdresser buy bargain store scissors?