IngramSpark vs Scrivener Comparison 2026
Both cover self-publishing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Print a book into the retail supply chain
A book-length manuscript that stays navigable
At a glance
- Only IngramSpark has a free tier.
Side by side
IngramSpark | Scrivener | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not listed | From $59.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | One-time purchase |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Not stated | One-time purchase |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on (they differ) | Web | macOS, Windows, iOS |
| Covers |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
IngramSpark
Print a book into the retail supply chain
IngramSpark is how an independent author gets a physical book into the catalogue bookshops and libraries actually order from, which Amazon's own printing does not do on the same terms. Setup costs nothing now, print is charged per copy, and the distribution reach is the reason to be here rather than the interface. Returns, discounts and trim sizes are decisions with real money attached, and the site is better at listing them than at explaining them.
Our note
Use the print cost calculator before finalising a page count, because trim size and paper choices move the unit cost enough to decide whether the book is profitable. Most authors list on both IngramSpark and KDP, using one for reach and the other for Amazon margin.
Scrivener
A book-length manuscript that stays navigable
Scrivener treats a manuscript as a stack of pieces rather than one long file, which is why people who have abandoned a novel in a word processor keep coming back to it. Research, notes and drafts live in the same project, scenes reorder by dragging, and the compile step turns the whole thing into an ebook or a print file at the end. The learning curve is real and front-loaded. It is bought once, per platform.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.