Is there a definitive (L&L) comparison chart between Scrivener for iOS and Scrivener desktop (Mac and Windows, even though I also know there are differences between Mac and Windows)? Has anyone been working on this? I have been compiling a list of differences, but it is spotty. However, glad to contribute to making a list if others are interested.
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
So right now i have been looking into getting an iPad Pro because it would be amazing for art but also i know there is an app for Scrivener for the iPad.
What i wish to ask is what features are in both and what has been removed stripped and not in the iPad app vs pc and mac. Also if it would be worth syncing between pc and iPad when needed through drop box.
iOS Scrivener does not have an Outline view, nor does it support keywords or custom metadata. (If these kinds of metadata are assigned with the desktop versions they will not be lost, but iOS Scrivener can’t display or change them.)
The Compile command is substantially different and more limited in iOS Scrivener.
The interface is less flexible, due to the differences in the underlying operating system.
Though we do have iPad-only users, people more commonly use iOS Scrivener as a “light” companion to one of the desktop versions.
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Producing a list of all the things that aren’t in the iOS version would be very time-consuming, and not worth the effort—it would probably take weeks of combing through the user manuals. I would say it is easier to describe what it is. It is not in any way meant to be a replacement, but a mostly content-focussed tool for on the go. It does have some higher level management, like a sidebar, and on the iPad a very simple take on the corkboard idea, but for me anyway, it’s more about giving you a way to drill down to content easily, as opposed to how the Mac/PC honestly has more features for item management than text editing.
Or to put it in a way that measures how much there is to say about the software: the Scrivener for Windows user manual is 760 pages long, the Mac manual is 910 pages long, while meanwhile Scrivener for iOS doesn’t have a user manual, nor does it need one. It has a short tutorial, and we get hardly any questions about how to use the program itself.
Speaking of the tutorial, it is available from our website in both PDF and .scriv format, and serves as a pretty comprehensive overview of what it is, rather than than what it is not. If you don’t see something mentioned in there, it doesn’t have it (with a few very minor exceptions I think).
See also:
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Making the mobile version as capable as the desktop version
As I note at the bottom of that thread, if you want a more seamless experience while mobile, a Windows tablet will be a much better option for you (just make sure it isn’t ARM). Whether or not that’s a good choice for art, I don’t really know—probably with the more traditional route of drawing with a separate tablet and stylus, rather than directly onto the screen.
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PC vs. iOS scriv: how's the usability on iOS?
This thread has more focus on overall capability between systems, as well as Scrivener. With iPad you are giving up a lot. That’s part of the appeal as I understand it, for some, but this notion of how cut down Scrivener is is something you will see across the board in everything, all the way down to how files are managed, or how text is selected.
If you can do so, it would be worth hanging out in an Apple store for a while to see what it’s really like to write with it and so on. I entirely agree with what someone had to say in that second thread, where the whole system just feels too clunky. Even though the thread is old, I don’t feel much has changed in that regard. Merely positioning the cursor back before the comma I just typed feels like an edge case to Apple, something nobody does so why bother making it easier.
But obviously a lot of people feel otherwise, or they wouldn’t make the huge sacrifice of selecting a device without a keyboard as a writing tool! It must be doing something right, for some. Art… like you say, that makes all kinds of sense.
Syncing: up to you whether it’s worth that or not. There are plenty of ways to get work on and off without it.
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If I buy the desk top (MAC) can I sync all my work from my iPad Pro to the desk top application?
You have to buy both separately.
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Yes. But syncing means different things to different people, so –
If by syncing you mean automatic syncing of changes–that is, your changes sync from device to device without you having to do anything other than giving them time to sync–then you must use Dropbox, as it’s the only supported automatic syncing service for iOS Scriv.
However, if you’re okay with you transferring copies of your entire project from device to device via a syncing service, then there are a few alternatives to Dropbox discussed in this thread.
You may also be interested in looking through the articles in the iOS Scriv Knowledge Base, as well as the Cloud Syncing Knowledge Base .
Best,
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