Scrivener for Linux—how about a fundraiser?

Scrivener Scrivener on Linux (Unofficial)
21

Hi everyone — thanks to the original poster and all contributors for a thoughtful discussion. I’d like to add my two cents from my perspective as a writer who made the switch.

Why the “Windows 10 → 11 upgrade” argument doesn’t really cut it
One user pointed out that if upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 was as straightforward as some make out, we wouldn’t see so many people turning to Linux. I completely agree—and here’s why. Microsoft’s official minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11 include everything from:

  • A compatible 64-bit processor (1 GHz or faster with at least two cores)
  • 4 GB or more of RAM
  • 64 GB or larger storage device
  • UEFI firmware with Secure Boot capability
  • TPM version 2.0
  • Graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 (WDDM 2.0 driver)

So for many older systems:

  • The CPU might technically support Windows 11 but isn’t on Microsoft’s “compatible” list (particularly older Intel generations, early AMD).
  • TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot may not be present or properly supported in firmware.
  • The storage may be small or nearing capacity, making updates harder.
  • Even if you can install Windows 11 via workarounds, you may lose full support or updates.

In short: the hardware constraints make upgrading non-trivial for many, not simply a choice. So yes, switching to Linux becomes a perfectly rational path for users whose hardware is increasingly bottlenecked.

My personal story: a laptop that “just lagged”—and why I moved to Linux
In August 2024 I switched my main machine to Linux. I was using a HP Victus 16-e1060AX—AMD Ryzen 7 6800H / 16 GB RAM / 512 GB SSD / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti.

Despite being barely a year old, I found that each successive Windows update slowed things down: file dialogues, project loads, even editor scrolling—little irritations that added up. So, I pivoted to Linux—and I couldn’t be happier. The system feels snappier, more responsive; writing and editing feel fluid again.

For me, this reinforces the point: older or less-optimised systems may technically run Windows 11 or recent Windows builds, but the day-to-day experience is degraded—not all upgrades are equal.

Crossing to Linux but using Scrivener today
That said—I’m very much in the “first-wave” camp for an official Linux build of Scrivener. If the folks at Literature & Latte decide to roll out a Linux version / fundraiser I’ll be among the first to cross-grade.

In the meantime, I’m using CrossOver on Linux and have been doing so for a year now. Scrivener runs like a charm—launches fast, all features I’ve used (compiling, binder, split view, export) behave exactly as they do on Windows. No major issues. The only “con” is that CrossOver is paid software—but in my view it’s affordable for the value it brings.

Why an official Linux version is very achievable
From a technical perspective, the argument that “we’d need to rewrite everything from scratch for Linux” doesn’t hold up in this case. Scrivener’s Windows edition uses Qt 6, which is an actively maintained, truly cross-platform application framework.
What this means in practical terms:

  • The core UI and logic can remain the same across Windows, macOS and Linux.
  • What the developer would need to focus on for a Linux build:
    1. Compile the existing Qt 6-based codebase targeting Linux (e.g., Linux x86_64)
    2. Package it appropriately (AppImage / DEB / RPM / Flatpak) for mainstream distros
    3. Ensure integration with Linux environments (file dialogs, GTK or Qt styling, global shortcuts, drag-drop, system theme)
    4. Conduct Linux-specific QA: font rendering, multi-monitor support, performance under Wayland/X11, plugin paths, crash-reporting
    5. Maintain feature parity and release updates in line with the Windows version

So it’s not a ground-up rewrite, it’s a targeted effort to enable the existing cross-platform architecture for Linux. In other words: if the business case supports it, this can be a relatively efficient endeavour for the devs.

And there’s proof this can be done:
Take novelWriter for example — it’s a completely open-source Qt-based writing application built and maintained by a single developer, with occasional community contributions. Despite being a solo project, the developer has:

  • Compiled and distributed native builds for Linux, Windows, and macOS using the same Qt codebase.
  • Released regular updates every few months, maintaining excellent stability across platforms.
  • Managed packaging through DEB, Flatpak, and AppImage, with minimal external dependencies.

If one person can achieve that level of cross-platform support with Qt, a dedicated team like Literature & Latte could easily do so too — especially since Scrivener already uses the same technology stack.

Final thought
I’m optimistic. I’ll be ready to purchase a Linux version the moment it’s announced—and in the meantime, using CrossOver fills the gap nicely. If Literature & Latte decides to launch a fundraiser or support Linux officially, count me in as one of the early adopters.

Thanks again for this forum space — great to see a proactive, thoughtful community.

6 Likes
22

I’m also moving slowly to Linux, and now that I have setup my computer to my taste, software is really the last issue for me, with just two programs I love: Affinity and Scrivener.
Linux has become so mainstream that it will have to open to commercial software if it wants to develop, and I feel for smaller editors like L&L there’s a “philosophical” match that could make a splash overall.
As a new non-technical user, I like choice and don’t think everything should be complicated and free on Linux haha.
Also, this shifts has reminded me how much I love scrivener and how it helped me when I wrote my book so Scrivener has my thanks forever, I already keep Dropbox only to sync the iPad version, I can also keep a Windows copy on my laptop just to work on Scrivener haha, but I would definitely re-buy it on Linux.

4 Likes
23

Just wanted to say same, also switched to linux after seeing the stuff they’re going to cram into windows. Been using scrivener since 2018 specifically for it’s ability to sync between my computer and iPhone. I would be more, more, more than happy to pay for an additional license in order to help fund a Linux development effort. I am a developer and I do know it would be expensive, but I think it would also provide great longevity for scrivener as linux does continue to become more mainstream, as insane as that sounds. I don’t think it’s fair to say that linux folks won’t pay for software. I think they will if it’s worth it, particularly if it’s a one time purchase.

2 Likes
24

5 posts were split to a new topic: Incomplete project data after migration to new system

26

You could release whatever Linux code you have into the open source environment. Perhaps this way it could grow into something useful to those that would like to use the program.

What should be noted is that the Linux user base is far bigger now than it was 10, 20 years ago. The code is stable and fully functional. So you are missing out on a sizable market with significant potential sales (such as me).

I hope your team does the right thing and releases a beta version soon.

27

While Scrivener may one day run on Linux, I would warn anybody looking for a place far from the big corporations that it might be based on Qt, and Qt is owned by a multinational company quoted at the stock exchange. It will be nothing like a software developed by some young hackers only going online via the dark web.

28

I think it depends what you’re doing. I’m just starting to transition to Linux on a second computer, but I found alternatives for most programs (libre office for ms office, Krita for photoshop, etc.) - scrivener is the last holdout. I’ll try to get it up and running, but I’ll also make sure everything is backed up in another format in case I need to leave it :pleading_face:

29

Thanks for the information. I’m in the first stages of transitioning to Linux. Tried it out on a super old computer, and could not get scrivener to work in Wine or get Winboat running. Testing live booting on a not quite so old machine. The last holdout is Scrivener.

Like your previous comment, I love scrivener - it matches my mental model - and I’d hate to have to give it up. I would absolutely pay for a Linux version.

2 Likes