Galley as a Scrivener alternative
Last reviewed July 2026
The facts first: Scrivener (~$59.99 one-time, licensed per platform; iOS separate) is a local-first drafting application with deep organising and research tools; book output runs through its compile system. Galley (€199 one-time) is a web app where drafting happens directly on a trim-size page and print-interior PDF and EPUB export is a single step. Scrivener is fully offline with local files and stores research material; Galley carries fiction-specific revision tools and publishing exports, and now writes offline too (in beta, syncing when you reconnect).
Scrivener earned its reputation. It's honest software at an honest price.
The gap it leaves is the one Galley was built in: Scrivener treats output as a separate discipline. What your book will physically look like stays abstract until you wrestle the compile settings, and "wrestle" is the operative word for most fiction writers. Galley inverts that: the 6×9 page, the typeface, the scene breaks, and the chapter ornaments are all visible while you draft, and export is a menu, not a project.
| Feature | Galley | Scrivener |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €199 once, all platforms (web) | ~$59.99 once per platform; iOS separate |
| Write on a true trim-size book page | Yes, six trims, 35 book typefaces | No, output is configured at compile |
| Print-interior PDF & EPUB export | Direct, with KDP preflight included | Via the compile system |
| Story bible (characters, places, timeline) | Built in, attached to the book | Research folders (free-form) |
| Revision analytics (overused words, name consistency) | Built in | No |
| Works offline | Writing, in Beta: saves to your device, syncs on reconnect; exports need a connection | Yes, fully, local files |
| Research storage (PDFs, web pages) | Notes only | Excellent |
| Version history | Daily snapshots per chapter | Manual snapshots |
| AI in your prose | Never | Never |
The compile step, in plain terms
Scrivener keeps your draft as a stack of documents in a binder. To get a book out you run Compile: choose an output format, assign a Section Layout to each kind of document, then wrestle separators, page breaks, front matter, and font overrides until it looks right. It's powerful, and it's genuinely hard. The compile pane is the most-asked-about part of Scrivener, and paid courses exist just to explain it.
Galley has no compile step because there's nothing to assemble. The trim, the typeface, the chapter openings, and the scene breaks live on the book and render as you type; export reads what's already on the page and writes the PDF and EPUB. You trade Scrivener's configurability for not having to configure.
Moving a Scrivener project over
Compile once to a plain .docx or Markdown (a manuscript compile, not a styled one) and import that into Galley. Chapters split on your headings and "Chapter N" lines, and you set the book's design once, for the whole book. Your research folders don't travel; if you lean on Scrivener to store PDFs and web pages, that's a fair reason to keep it beside Galley rather than instead of it.
Choose Scrivener if…
- You want your manuscript in local files you control, or fully-offline everything (Galley’s offline writing is new and beta; Scrivener’s is the gold standard)
- Your project is research-heavy: nonfiction, academic work, or fiction with a mountain of source material
- You enjoy configuring your tools and the compile step doesn't scare you
Choose Galley if…
- You write fiction for print or ebook stores and want the formatting step to not exist
- You want to see the actual book (trim, typeface, ornaments) while you draft it
- You want the story bible, revision analytics, and versioning in the same tool as the prose
Common questions
Is Galley easier than Scrivener?
For fiction headed to print or ebook stores, yes: there is no compile step. You write on the finished page (a real trim size like 6×9), and export produces the print PDF and EPUB directly. Scrivener is more flexible, but that flexibility is exactly what makes its compile settings hard to learn.
Can I move a Scrivener project into Galley?
Export your manuscript from Scrivener as .docx or Markdown and import it into Galley. Chapters split automatically on headings and "Chapter N" lines.
Does Galley work offline like Scrivener?
Mostly now, and I mark it beta. Writing works offline: your chapters are saved on your device and sync when you reconnect, and you can install Galley so it opens without a connection. Exports and signing in on a new device still need the internet. Scrivener remains fully offline with local files, and if that end of the spectrum is what you want, it is still the better choice.
Competitor details are from public pricing pages, checked July 2026. They can change, so verify on scrivener.com (Literature & Latte). I've tried to be fair; if I've got something wrong, email me and I'll correct it.
One payment, every feature, and no compile step between you and the printed book.
Launch Galley