I’ve been using Linux for several months now and haven’t regretted it for a second, but it does come with some drawbacks. When I left Windows behind, I also had to move on from my long-time favorite writing app, Scrivener.
It’s not a perfect writing app, but it comes pretty close. Unfortunately, it isn’t available on Linux. There are workarounds I could have used, like trying to run it through Wine. However, I prefer to stick to native Linux apps for anything important, so I began my search to find a replacement for Scrivener.
I tested out a handful of free, Linux-native writing apps over the course of a week, some of which even resembled Scrivener. While a few seemed like they might be a good fit, the best solution I found was actually a web-based writing app that isn’t dependent on your operating system at all.
I spent a week testing out these writing apps for Linux
They’re good, but weren’t perfect for me
After searching for viable alternatives to Scrivener available on Linux, I narrowed things down to five apps. All of these are free and have native Linux support, although some are also available on Windows and macOS.
LibreOffice Writer (Linux, Windows, macOS)
The go-to word processing app for Linux
If you want to get offline writing done on Linux, LibreOffice Writer is probably the way to go. It’s even installed by default in some Linux distributions. This free, open-source writing app is effectively Microsoft Word for Linux. It’s a fantastic app that’s a must-have for Linux users.
I enjoyed writing on LibreOffice Writer and still use it for quick documents now and then. However, it wasn’t quite perfect for my needs. It’s great for stand-alone documents, but if you’re working on a larger project like a book or a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, LibreOffice Writer can be a bit limited. It doesn’t have the robust organization features I was used to in Scrivener, which allowed me to have multiple, isolated chapters or parts in longer projects.
So, while LibreOffice Writer is great, it wasn’t exactly what I needed.
Manuskript (Linux, Windows)
A Scrivener clone for Linux that gets close, but not quite close enough
Manuskript is the most Scrivener-like writing app for Linux. It almost won me over, but didn’t quite hit the mark. It gets a few key features right, though.
For instance, Manuskript is laid out almost exactly like Scrivener. You can easily arrange projects into parts, chapters, and scenes. You can also view chapters with their summaries on one screen, like Scrivener’s corkboard, and organize your notes into categories like “plot,” “world,” and “characters.” There’s even a full-screen focus mode.
Unfortunately, I didn’t really like the interface on Manuskript. I couldn’t find any way to change the font, and the UI theme automatically changed to match my desktop environment theme, so I had to change my entire PC’s theme if I wanted to switch between light and dark mode. Compiling and exporting projects is also somewhat confusing, which was an issue I had on Scrivener, too. So, despite some good features, I had to pass on Manuskript.
NovelWriter (Linux, Windows, macOS)
A feature-rich markdown writing app that’s almost perfect
NovelWriter is like a blend of a markdown editor and Scrivener. It has the organizational features to support larger projects, but you write and edit in Markdown. I didn’t stick with this one, but there were a few things I really liked about it.
For starters, you can choose from several themes out of the box, including my favorite “Dracula” colorway. You can organize documents and notes into various categories like “novel,” “characters,” “locations,” and “archive.” There’s also a nice focus mode and even a built-in session timer.
NovelWriter isn’t perfect, but I liked it for what it is. The organization sidebar felt a bit too colorful and cluttered to me, though, and I couldn’t quite adapt to writing in Markdown.
Ghostwriter (Linux)
A markdown writing app for Linux with HTML preview features
Ghostwriter is like a slimmed-down version of Obsidian designed for distraction-free text editing. It’s great for a minimalist writing experience, especially if you don’t mind writing in Markdown or want to be able to see a live HTML preview of your text. It has different themes, a dark mode, a focus mode, and even a markdown cheat sheet. Ghostwriter is good at what it does, but it was too barebones for my needs.
Apostrophe (Linux)
A streamlined, mininmalist markdown writing app
Like Ghostwriter, Apostrophe is a Markdown text editor designed for writing. I actually liked it more than I expected, even though I didn’t stick with it. Apostrophe has a really clean interface that makes it easy to focus on my writing. There are also UI buttons for formatting in case you forget the Markdown characters for something. Apostrophe has a few built-in themes, as well, and a simple but effective focus mode.
Overall, I liked this app, but it was, once again, too barebones for my needs. I also couldn’t find any way to zoom or increase the font size, even with the standard keyboard shortcut for it.
The web-based writing app that’s still my favorite
Campfire runs anywhere, including on Linux
If I had limited myself to only using writing apps that I could download and use offline on my Linux PC, I probably would have settled for LibreOffice Writer (despite my organizational issues with it). Luckily, I didn’t stop there. The best solution for me actually ended up being a writing app that isn’t available on Linux, but has a robust web edition: Campfire.
I was using Campfire on and off, even when I was still on Windows, but really leaned into it when I switched to Linux. This writing app has all the features I loved in Scrivener, along with some that were missing. There’s a Windows app, but you can also access all of the same features through the web version of Campfire, which worked perfectly for my needs, especially since it allowed me to easily jump between writing on my desktop and my laptop.
Campfire is designed with large creative projects in mind, whether that’s a book, a TTRPG campaign, or even just world-building and planning for other types of projects. It’s broken down into “modules,” which you can pay for individually, so you only have to buy what you need. Each module offers different tools, like the manuscript module for writing books, the timeline module for mapping out plots or projects, the research module for collecting notes, and many more. You can try out a free trial of every module before buying. Several of the modules are especially helpful for world-building and planning TTRPG campaigns, like the magic items module or the map module, where you can upload and annotate your own world maps.
In addition to the wealth of features, I also love the Campfire dashboard, where you can see your writing stats and history, including hours spent writing, words written, and elements created. It’s a really helpful feature if you like using habit trackers or want to keep an eye on your word count. There are also a handful of pre-made themes for customizing the app, but you can make your own if you want something different than the default options.
The other game-changing feature Campfire offers is automatic cloud saving. These sync between the desktop app, mobile app, and web version, which makes it easy to write on multiple devices. This was a feature I always wished Scrivener had, so it was part of what really won me over to Campfire. None of the Linux writing apps I tested could offer this, either.
Finding the best writing tool on Linux for you
Campfire works great for my needs, but the best writing tool for you is the one that helps you maximize your creativity, which is completely subjective. I suggest trying all five of the offline, Linux-native writing apps I tested to see if they might work well for you. Obsidian is also an option, although it’s more of a general-purpose notes app than a writing-specific app.
It’s also worth mentioning Ellipsus, another web-based writing app I tried out recently. I love Ellipsus, but it’s still in beta and can’t quite replace Campfire for me yet. It could be a great pick if you’re looking for something similar to Google Docs, though.
Depending on your needs, a minimalist offline text editor could do the trick, but if you’re switching to Linux, it’s worth checking out web-based alternatives to Windows apps, too, like Campfire or Ellipsus.