Sorry if this has been covered before but can someone please explain the differences between capabilities of Scrivener on an IPad vs MacBook.
Is it necessary to purchase it twice?
Thanks so much
The iOS version can only be purchased through the App store so it must be purchased separately.
The difference? iOS is iOS. You never have the same thing on an iPad. It has all the basic stuff but you can never have lots of windows open at once. You can’t have split screen, binder, inspector and a quick ref panel all visible at the same time.
They are both worth their price. 
Generally, people use iOS for writing drafts and editing documents, and go to the desktop version for project management and compiling (in addition to drafting and editing). There are certainly folks who work exclusively on iOS, but I believe most who work in iOS also have the desktop version, due to iOS limitations.
Here are some specific differences:
The compile function on iOS is extremely stripped down and basic. This is major.
Another is that iOS does not support keywords or custom meta-data or collections. And iOS doesn’t have the desktop version’s automatic backup capabilities.
ETA: Oh, and another major difference is that I can use the iOS version to write a story on my phone, while waiting on line in the grocery store. Can’t do that with the desktop version. 8)
HTH,
Jim
Thank you very much for your responses which were both helpful. I am looking forward to discovering this program