Scrivener, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs are the three tools used by the large majority of working novelists, and they are not interchangeable. Each has a distinct set of strengths that maps onto a distinct writing situation. The mistake most authors make is choosing based on reputation rather than use case.
Here's a genuine head-to-head comparison — not which tool is "best," but which tool is right for what you're actually trying to do.
Scrivener: Killer Features
The Binder
Scrivener's core organizational feature is the binder — a hierarchical sidebar where your manuscript lives as a collection of individual scene and chapter documents rather than one continuous file. You can collapse and expand sections, add sub-folders for acts, drag scenes into different order, and see your entire manuscript structure at a glance. This is genuinely transformative for complex novels. When you need to move a scene from Chapter 4 to Chapter 12, it's a drag-and-drop rather than a cut-and-paste across a 100,000-word document.
Split View
Scrivener's split view lets you write in one pane while viewing another document in the second pane — your outline, your research notes, a previous chapter you need to reference, your character sheet. This removes the need to switch windows constantly while writing. For any book with extensive research or cross-referenced details, it's a significant quality-of-life improvement.
Corkboard and Outline View
Scrivener offers two non-writing views of your manuscript: corkboard (virtual index cards, one per scene, with a synopsis and any custom metadata you've assigned) and outline view (a hierarchical list of scenes with word count, status labels, and synopsis). Both let you see the structure of your story without reading it, which is invaluable during planning and revision.
Metadata and Labels
Each document in Scrivener can be tagged with a status (Draft, First Draft, Revised Draft, Final), a label (you can use these for POV character, location, timeline arc — anything you need), and a word count target. The ability to see, at a glance, which scenes are "First Draft" and which are "Final" makes revision tracking far simpler than any manual system.
Compile
Compile is Scrivener's export function, and it's where the tool is most intimidating for new users. Compile can produce a Word document, PDF, ebook (EPUB/MOBI), or a range of other formats from your binder, applying consistent formatting across all scenes. For self-publishing authors who want consistent interior formatting, a well-configured compile saves hours. For authors submitting to agents, a basic compile to Word .docx with standard manuscript format works — there are pre-built templates for this. The learning curve on compile is real; budget an hour to configure it correctly the first time.
Cross-Platform Note
Scrivener exists on Mac, Windows, and iOS. The desktop versions are fully featured. The iOS app is capable but syncing is managed via Dropbox and has historically been finicky — particularly if you try to edit on both iPad and desktop in the same session without properly closing the project. Many Scrivener users work on one primary device and treat mobile as read-only to avoid sync issues.
Microsoft Word: Killer Features
Track Changes
Track Changes is how professional editing happens in the publishing industry. When a developmental editor, copy editor, or agent sends editorial notes, they come as a Word document with tracked changes and comments. If you don't know how to work with Track Changes — accepting and rejecting individual edits, responding to comments, comparing document versions — you're at a disadvantage in any professional editing relationship. There is no widely-used alternative to Track Changes in traditional publishing workflows.
Styles and Formatting
Word's Styles system — Heading 1, Heading 2, Normal, Block Quote, and so on — controls the structural formatting of your document. Applied correctly, styles make it trivial to reformat an entire manuscript consistently, or to generate a table of contents automatically. Most new users ignore styles entirely and apply formatting manually, which is how you end up with inconsistent spacing, headers that look different in different chapters, and a document that breaks when you try to export it. Taking 30 minutes to learn Styles is the single highest-return investment for any Word user.
Universal Compatibility
.docx is the universal document format. Every agent accepts it. Every publisher uses it. Every formatter can open it. If you write in Google Docs, you export to .docx. If you write in Scrivener, you compile to .docx. Word is the universal endpoint of the document pipeline. Starting there removes a conversion step.
Version History
With OneDrive, Word maintains automatic version history. You can restore any previous version of your document. This isn't quite as granular as Google Docs' version history (which tracks every keystroke), but it's sufficient for draft management — you can always go back to "what I had three weeks ago before I rewrote Chapter 7."
Google Docs: Killer Features
Real-Time Collaboration
Google Docs' collaboration features are still the best available for document co-editing. Multiple users can edit simultaneously, seeing each other's cursors and changes in real time. Suggestion mode (the equivalent of Word's Track Changes) is clean and easy to use. Comments thread in the sidebar and can be resolved. For authors working with a writing partner, a co-author, or a developmental editor who works in Google Docs, the experience is genuinely superior to emailing Word documents back and forth.
Granular Version History
Google Docs records every change ever made to a document, named by time and author. You can restore any previous state with a click. For writers who are anxious about losing work or who want to track their drafting progress, this is reassuring. You can also name versions — "First Draft Complete," "Post-Beta Revision" — making it easy to navigate.
Free and Everywhere
Google Docs is free with a Google account and accessible from any device with a browser. There's no software to install, no license to manage, no sync issues between devices. If you write across multiple computers, tablets, or phones, Google Docs is simply the most friction-free option available. Offline mode is available in Chrome, though it's less reliable than native desktop apps.
What Google Docs Doesn't Do
Google Docs is a single continuous document. There's no binder, no scene management, no corkboard. For a 20,000-word novella, this is fine. For a 120,000-word epic fantasy with 40 characters and three interleaved timelines, you'll wish you had more organizational structure than the document outline panel provides. Many writers manage this by keeping separate Google Docs for each chapter and a master "index" document — workable, but manual.
Use-Case Recommendations
"I'm writing my first novel and don't want to spend money yet."
Google Docs. Free, familiar, auto-saves, works everywhere. Upgrade to Scrivener if you find yourself wanting more organizational control once you've finished the manuscript.
"I'm a plotter writing a complex novel with a large cast and multiple timelines."
Scrivener. The binder, corkboard, and metadata features exist precisely for this situation. Budget a week to learn it properly before you start.
"I'm submitting to literary agents."
Word. Format your manuscript to standard submission format (double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, header with name/title/page number) and submit as .docx. If you wrote in Google Docs or Scrivener, export to .docx and spend 20 minutes verifying the formatting before you send.
"I'm self-publishing and need to format my book."
Write in Scrivener or Word, then format in Atticus or Vellum. Neither Google Docs nor Word produces professional book interiors without significant manual work. Dedicated formatters do the job in a fraction of the time.
"I work with a co-author or developmental editor in real-time."
Google Docs for the collaborative drafting and editing relationship. Export to Word for any submission or formatting stage.
Cost Summary
- Google Docs: Free
- Scrivener: $59 one-time (Mac or Windows), $23.99 iOS
- Microsoft Word: $99.99/year (Microsoft 365) or ~$159 for perpetual license (Word only)
Most authors end up using two of these three at different stages — typically Google Docs or Scrivener for drafting, and Word for submission and professional editing. That's a rational approach: use the right tool for each stage rather than forcing one tool to do everything.
Whichever tool you're in, when your draft is ready for professional eyes, EditRoast accepts manuscripts in any format and delivers chapter-by-chapter editorial notes in 24–48 hours.