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Publishing · head to head

Pressbooks vs Scrivener

Pressbooks logo

Pressbooks

Publishing

Open source book production built on WordPress, and the default tool for open textbooks

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scrivener logo

Scrivener

Publishing

Long-form writing and manuscript organisation software sold as a one-time purchase per platform, with no subscription at any tier

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pressbooks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Pressbooks self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.; Scrivener each platform (Mac, Windows, iOS) is a separate purchase, so a writer working across a Mac desktop and an iPad or Windows laptop pays multiple times, even with the cross-grade discount applied.
  • They diverge on capability: Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Scrivener covers Binder and corkboard.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pressbooks and Scrivener actually diverge.

Attributes where Pressbooks and Scrivener differ
AttributePressbooksScrivener
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedmacOS, Windows, iOS

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Pressbooks

  • Single source, three outputs
  • Cloning and adaptation
  • H5P interactive content
  • LMS integration
  • Open source under the GPL
  • Accessibility tooling

Only in Scrivener

  • Binder and corkboard
  • Compile
  • Full-screen composition mode
  • Research and reference storage
  • Snapshots and version history
  • Cross-platform licensing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Pressbooks

  • A university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new onenot Scrivener
  • A course team that wants readings delivered inside Canvas or Moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static PDFnot Scrivener
  • A research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an EPUB and a printable document without maintaining three filesnot Scrivener
  • A consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titlesnot Scrivener

Scrivener

  • A novelist wanting scene-level reordering and a corkboard view rather than one continuous linear documentnot Pressbooks
  • A screenwriter needing industry-standard script formatting alongside manuscript organisationnot Pressbooks
  • An academic writer wanting research references and citations stored alongside the manuscript being draftednot Pressbooks
  • A writer who specifically wants to avoid an ongoing subscription for writing software and prefers a one-time purchasenot Pressbooks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Pressbooks

  • Self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.
  • Professional print PDF output depends on a commercial rendering engine that is licensed separately, so the genuinely free self-hosted route produces web and EPUB output but not press-quality print.
  • Design control is limited to the supplied themes unless someone writes custom CSS, so books tend to look recognisably like Pressbooks books.
  • There is no distribution, no ISBN service and no retail channel, so it produces files and web pages but plays no part in selling anything.
  • The editing experience inherits WordPress conventions, and authors working on long or heavily structured manuscripts find it slower than a dedicated writing application.

Scrivener

  • Each platform (Mac, Windows, iOS) is a separate purchase, so a writer working across a Mac desktop and an iPad or Windows laptop pays multiple times, even with the cross-grade discount applied.
  • Real-time collaborative editing is not a strength of the product, which is built around single-author, offline-first writing rather than concurrent multi-editor workflows common in modern cloud writing tools.
  • It is a writing and organisation tool only, not a distribution or publishing platform, so authors still need separate software (Atticus, Draft2Digital, IngramSpark) to get a finished book onto retail stores.
  • The learning curve for the binder, corkboard and Compile system is real, and writers coming from a simple word processor often need real time to learn the structural model before it pays off.
  • One-time pricing means no ongoing revenue relationship, which is part of why major feature updates and new-platform releases have historically arrived less frequently than in subscription-funded competitors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pressbooks

Free
  • PressbooksFree
    • GPL licensed, self-hostable with no software fee
    • WordPress multisite administration is your responsibility
    • Print PDF export depends on a separately licensed rendering engine

Scrivener

On request
  • Scrivener for macOS/Windows$59.99/one-time
    • Standard licence, one-time purchase per platform
    • Educational licence $50.99 for students and academics
  • Scrivener for iOS$23.99/one-time
    • Separate purchase from desktop versions, cross-grade discount available
  • All platforms bundle$121.93/one-time
    • macOS, Windows and iOS combined

Which should you pick?

Choose Pressbooks if

  • You need single source, three outputs.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want cloning and adaptation.
Pressbooks review

Choose Scrivener if

  • You need binder and corkboard.
  • You work on macOS, Windows, iOS.
  • You also want compile.
Scrivener review

Questions people ask

Is Pressbooks or Scrivener better?
Neither clearly leads. Pressbooks starts at Free and Scrivener at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pressbooks or Scrivener?
Pressbooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Pressbooks and On request for Scrivener.
Does Pressbooks or Scrivener run on more platforms?
Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted. Scrivener runs on macOS, Windows, iOS.
Can I use Pressbooks for free?
Yes. Pressbooks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Scrivener starts at On request.
What is Pressbooks best used for?
Pressbooks is most often used for a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one, a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf, a research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an epub and a printable document without maintaining three files, a consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titles. Of those, a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one and a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf are not what Scrivener is typically brought in for.
What can Pressbooks do that Scrivener cannot?
Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration. Scrivener covers Binder and corkboard, Compile, Full-screen composition mode, Research and reference storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pressbooks: Is Pressbooks really free?

The software is GPL licensed and free to self-host. The hosted service is priced, and professional print PDF output requires a commercially licensed renderer, so budget accordingly.

Scrivener: Is Scrivener a subscription?

No. It is a one-time purchase per platform: $59.99 for macOS or Windows, $23.99 for iOS, with cross-grade discounts if you already own one version.

Pressbooks: Can I sell a book made in Pressbooks?

You can sell the EPUB or the printed book through any distributor, but Pressbooks itself provides no ISBN, no storefront and no distribution.

Scrivener: Does Scrivener publish or distribute my book?

No. It organises and formats the manuscript; you still need a separate distribution tool such as Draft2Digital or IngramSpark to publish to retail.

Pressbooks: Why do universities use it for open textbooks?

Because an openly licensed book can be cloned into another institution network and adapted for a different course, which turns a finished textbook into a starting point rather than a fixed artefact.

Scrivener: Can I use one purchase across Mac, Windows and iOS?

No, each platform is licensed and purchased separately, though a discounted cross-grade price applies if you already own another platform version.

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