Today there are more than 50 different screenwriting software tools. We compared the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to write, format and share a screenplay today.
What is the Best Screenwriting Software?
- Final Draft — best of the best
- Scrivener — best for turning an existing story into a script
- WriterDuet — best for collaborative screenwriters
- Trelby — best free option
- Arc Studio Pro — best visual writing experience
- Fade In — best bang for the buck
- Squibler — best for AI-assisted writing
1. Final Draft
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: Starts at $16.99/month
Final Draft is the desktop screenwriting app most film and TV writers already know by name. We think it's the best of the best because it formats and paginates your script to industry standards as you type, lets you plan the story on the Beat Board, and tracks every revision once the notes start coming in.
The Best Part:
Formatting you never think about. Final Draft paginates and formats your script to industry standards on its own, so you write scenes and dialogue while the margins take care of themselves.
The Worst Part:
You pay for the name. The Final Draft 13 license costs $199.99, and it leaves out Final Draft Cloud, the browser editor with cloud storage and sharing, which comes only with the Suite. If you want pro-grade formatting for less, Fade In opens and saves Final Draft files for a fraction of that.
Get it if you want your script in industry-standard format from the first page you type.
I recommend you start the free five-day trial of Final Draft Suite, then stay on it for $16.99/month — the annual plan saves you more if you're in it for the long haul.
(5-day free trial)
Best For
Final Draft is best for film and TV writers who want their scripts formatted to industry standards from day one.
Top Features
Plan the story first. The Beat Board, Outline Editor and Structure Lines let you map out your plot before you write a single scene.
Every revision on record. Tracked revisions and built-in comments show what changed and why, so a rewrite never buries the draft that came before it.
Film, TV and the stage. Final Draft formats scripts for film, television, theater and documentary, and it runs production reports once the shoot gets close.
Write from any browser. The Suite adds Final Draft Cloud, a minimal online editor with secure cloud storage and sharing.
Your drafts save themselves. Automatic version saving keeps earlier drafts on hand, and PDF export gets your script ready to send out.
Pricing
Final Draft offers two pricing plans:
- Final Draft 13: $199.99 one time, for the desktop app on two computers.
- Final Draft Suite: $16.99/month for the desktop app plus Final Draft Cloud.
Annual subscriptions provide a 51% discount.
Try Final Draft today with a free trial.
2. Scrivener
Our Verdict — Best For Turning An Existing Story Into A Script
Price: Starts at $59.99 one time
Scrivener is a writing app for long projects of every kind, with a screenwriting mode built right in. We think it's the best for turning an existing story into a script because you can import your manuscript, rearrange scenes on a virtual corkboard, and save the finished screenplay in Final Draft format with your notes intact.
The Best Part:
Your scenes on index cards. The corkboard turns every chunk of your story into a virtual card, and moving a card rearranges the manuscript — ideal when you reshape a book into a screenplay.
The Worst Part:
A script mode, not a script app. Screenplay formatting is one mode inside a long-form writing tool, and there's no real-time co-writing. For an industry-standard draft, you'll likely export to Final Draft.
Get it if you already have a novel or story and want to turn it into a screenplay.
I recommend you use the free trial, which runs for 30 days of actual use on Mac or Windows, then buy the $59.99 license for your computer.
(30-day free trial)
Best For
Scrivener is best for novelists and storytellers who want to adapt a finished manuscript into a script.
Top Features
Scripts that travel. Save your screenplay in Final Draft format with your script notes intact, so it opens in the industry's standard tool.
Bring the whole story in. Keep your research beside the draft. Scrivener imports Word files, Final Draft scripts, PDFs, images, audio, video and web pages.
Four documents, one window. Adapt a chapter with the original in view — the split editor opens up to four documents side by side.
Rewrite without fear. Snapshots save a copy before you rewrite, and Compare shows you exactly what changed.
Goals that keep you writing. Set word or character targets for the project. Writing History logs your daily output, and you watch a long adaptation grow session by session.
Pricing
Scrivener offers four pricing plans:
- macOS: $59.99 one time, for the standard Mac licence.
- Windows: $59.99 one time, for the standard Windows licence.
- Educational: $50.99 one time, for students and academics, per platform.
- macOS + Windows Bundle: $95.98 one time, for standard licences for both Mac and Windows.
All plans are one-time payments with no auto-renewal.
Try Scrivener today with a 30-day free trial.
3. WriterDuet
Our Verdict — Best For Collaborative Screenwriters
Price: Starts at $9.99/month
WriterDuet is a cloud screenwriting app built for writing with other people, on computer and mobile. We think it's the best for collaborative screenwriters because everyone's changes show up instantly, text and video chat live inside the app, and read-only links make feedback easy.
The Best Part:
Co-write in real time. Every collaborator's edit shows up on your screen the moment it happens, with chat built right in.
The Worst Part:
The free plan stops at three. Free caps you at three projects, and real-time co-writing, the desktop app and offline writing all start at Plus. Payments are non-refundable.
Get it if you write with a partner and need to see their changes live.
I recommend you start with the free plan, then upgrade to Plus for $9.99/month.
(free plan)
Best For
WriterDuet is best for writing partners and small teams who want to work on one script at the same time.
Top Features
Write offline, sync later. From Plus up, you can keep writing without internet, and WriterDuet syncs your changes automatically once you're back online.
Feedback without edit access. Send a read-only link and readers can read, listen to and comment on your script without touching a single line.
Outline before you draft. Cards, sequences and a Mind Map let you lay out the whole story before you write a single scene.
Open the files you already have. Bring in PDF, Final Draft, Fountain, Celtx and Word files. WriterDuet exports to PDF, Final Draft, Word and Fountain too, which keeps your old scripts usable.
Hear your script out loud. ReadAloud on the Premium plan gives each character a distinct voice. Clunky dialogue stands out before anyone else reads it.
Pricing
WriterDuet offers four pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for up to three projects.
- Plus: $9.99/month for unlimited projects and real-time co-writing.
- Pro: $11.99/month for revision and production tools.
- Premium: $13.99/month for every WriterDuet tool.
Annual subscriptions provide a 25% discount.
Try WriterDuet today with the free plan.
4. Trelby
Our Verdict — Best Free Option
Price: Free
Trelby is a free, open-source screenwriting program you install on your own computer. We think it's the best free option because it costs nothing, locks no feature behind a license and still formats and paginates your script correctly.
The Best Part:
Correct format as you type. Trelby enforces screenplay format and page breaks while you write, with auto-complete and a spell checker, so your pages look right without manual fixes.
The Worst Part:
No new features since 2012, and the current version installs through pip on Mac and Windows. The latest release only updates the code underneath and has no click-to-install download for Mac or Windows (Linux gets distro packages and Flatpak). There's no cloud, no co-writing and no mobile app.
Get it if you want properly formatted scripts on your own computer without paying a cent.
I recommend you download Trelby free — every feature is included, with nothing to upgrade.
(free forever)
Best For
Trelby is best for budget-minded screenwriters who are fine installing it with pip on Mac or Windows and want a correctly formatted script without paying.
Top Features
Names on tap. Never stall on what to call someone. A built-in bank holds more than 200,000 character names from many countries.
Bring your old scripts. Import Final Draft, Celtx, Fountain, Adobe Story and Fade In files, then export to PDF, HTML, RTF, Final Draft and Fountain.
See what changed. Compare scripts shows the differences between two versions, and reports break down your scenes, locations, characters and dialogue so you spot gaps fast.
Track every copy. Keep your fonts intact when you share a PDF, and add a custom watermark to see which reader got which copy of your script.
Same pages on any system. Trelby runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with identical output, and you can switch between draft, fullscreen and a view of the printed page.
Pricing
Trelby lists this entry offer:
- Trelby: Free forever, for anyone who downloads it.
Try Trelby today for free.
Our Verdict — Best Visual Writing Experience
Price: Starts at $69/year
Arc Studio Pro is a cloud screenwriting app you can use in any browser, with desktop, iPhone and iPad apps on the paid plans. We think it's the best visual writing experience because the page stays clean and distraction-free, and on Pro you can map your story with color-coded notes for each character, storyline and location.
The Best Part:
A page with nothing in the way. Arc Studio Pro keeps the screen clean and handles industry-standard formatting for you, so you stay in the scene instead of fighting margins and menus.
The Worst Part:
You pay for the year up front. There's no monthly plan, so leaving the free tier means paying $69 or $99 for the whole year at once — and refunds are generally not offered.
Get it if you want to see your story before you write it.
I recommend you start with the free 7-day Pro trial, then go with Pro at $99/year to keep the visual outlining tools.
(free plan)
Best For
Arc Studio Pro is best for screenwriters who want a clean, visual workspace, with desktop, iPhone and iPad apps on the paid plans.
Top Features
See your whole story at a glance. On Pro, visual outlining tools let you lay out your plot and tag notes and colors by character, storyline and location before you write a page.
Write with a partner in real time. Invite a writing partner into the same script on the Pro plan. You can keep writing when your connection drops.
Your drafts are backed up. Every plan syncs to the cloud with automatic backups, so a dead laptop won't take your synced drafts with it. Comments come with every plan too.
Move your scripts freely. Import and export Final Draft and Fountain files, so you can bring an old script in or send a new one out.
Keep track of every rewrite. Pro adds history and revision management, so you can look back at earlier drafts and keep your rewrites organized.
Pricing
Arc Studio Pro offers three pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for up to two scripts, with watermarked PDF exports.
- Essentials: $69/year for unlimited scripts and advanced formatting.
- Pro: $99/year for outlining, revision history and real-time co-writing.
You can get started with a 7-day free trial.
Try Arc Studio Pro today with the free plan.
6. Fade In
Our Verdict — Best Bang For The Buck
Price: Starts at $79.95 one time
Fade In is a desktop screenwriting program you buy once and run on Windows, Mac and Linux. It earns the best bang for the buck slot because a single $79.95 license gets you pro-level formatting, production reports and Final Draft file support, and updates are free.
The Best Part:
Pay once, keep writing. One license covers Windows, Mac and Linux, and every update is free — no monthly bill just to keep working on your script.
The Worst Part:
The cloud costs extra. Cloud storage, syncing, web access and online collaboration run through Fade In Access, an optional subscription at $9.95/month on top of the license.
Get it if you want pro-grade screenwriting software without a monthly bill.
I recommend you try the free demo (it watermarks printed and PDF scripts), then buy the Fade In license for $79.95.
(free demo)
Best For
Fade In is best for screenwriters who want professional tools they pay for once and keep updated for free.
Top Features
Formatting that keeps up. Fade In formats as you type, moving from scene heading to action to dialogue, and autocompletes character names and locations.
Open any Final Draft file. Fade In opens, edits and saves .fdx files and imports Fountain, Scrivener and Celtx. Your old scripts come with you.
Hear each character clearly. The Dialogue Tuner puts all of one character's lines in one place, so you can sharpen a voice in a single pass.
Rewrites stay organized. Keep page and scene numbers steady during rewrites, mark the scenes you cut, and use colored pages to show your team what changed.
Reports ready for production. Fade In builds breakdowns of scenes, cast and locations, then exports them to HTML or CSV for your team.
Pricing
Fade In lists this entry offer:
- Fade In: $79.95 one time, for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Try Fade In today with the free demo.
7. Squibler
Our Verdict — Best For AI-Assisted Writing
Price: Starts at $29.99/month
Squibler is an AI writer that drafts whole books and screenplays from a chat. We think it's the best for AI-assisted writing because it builds a complete screenplay with formatted scenes, dialogue and structure, plus the outline behind it.
The Best Part:
A full draft from a chat. You describe your story and Squibler hands back a complete screenplay draft, so you start rewriting pages instead of staring at a blank one.
The Worst Part:
Not a script editor anymore. Squibler now runs as an AI generator on monthly credits, and it lists no revision tracking, production reports or Final Draft export. If you want to write every line yourself, pick one of the tools above.
Get it if you want AI to hand you a first draft you can rewrite into your own.
I recommend you start on the Free plan, then move to Plus for $29.99/month once you need more credits.
(free plan)
Best For
Squibler is best for writers who want AI to draft a full screenplay they can shape into their own.
Top Features
Full screenplays on demand. Squibler turns your idea into a complete first draft, with scene headings and dialogue already in place.
Outline before you write. Plan what happens in each scene and how your characters change before you start writing.
Edits you approve. The AI Smart Writer proposes revisions to your pages, and you accept, reject or refine each one, so the final call stays with you.
Characters that stay consistent. Elements store your characters, settings and story details, and the AI checks them as it writes so names and facts don't drift.
See your scenes. Visuals turns a passage into images or short videos, a quick way to storyboard a key moment.
Pricing
Squibler offers three pricing plans:
- Free: Free forever, for 1,000 AI credits a month.
- Plus: $29.99/month for 10,000 AI credits a month.
- Pro: $89.99/month for unlimited AI credits.
Annual subscriptions provide up to a 47% discount.
Try Squibler today with the free plan.
Our Top Three Picks
Here's a quick summary of our top three picks:
- Final Draft — best of the best
- Scrivener — best for turning an existing story into a script
- WriterDuet — best for collaborative screenwriters
Here's a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
Final Draft | 5-day free trial | Starts at $16.99/mo |
Scrivener | 30-day free trial | Starts at $59.99 one time |
WriterDuet | Free plan | Starts at $9.99/mo |
Trelby | Free forever | Free |
Arc Studio Pro | Free plan | Starts at $69/yr |
Fade In | Free demo | Starts at $79.95 one time |
Squibler | Free plan | Starts at $29.99/mo |
Here are the top 50 screenwriting software tools we considered in this review:
- Final Draft
- Scrivener
- WriterDuet
- Trelby
- Arc Studio Pro
- Fade In
- Squibler
- Story Architect
- Movie Magic Screenwriter
- Celtx Studio
- StudioBinder
- Syd Field Scriptor
- Highland Pro
- Stratword
- Screenplay by Black Mana
- Logline
- Script Studio (formerly Movie Outline)
- Causality
- ScriptBuddy
- EpicDraft
- Slugline
- Fountain: Easy Screenwriting
- Studiovity
- Revision Screenwriter
- ForgePad
- InteriorDay
- OpenDraft
- Storyist
- Nellie Screenplay Formatter
- LivingWriter
- Beat
- Scrite
- Script Lab
- FinalBit
- SoCreate
- ScreenWeaver
- Inkwell
- Script Pro
- Southwind Screenplay
- Screenplay Writer: Zen Writer
- Wonder Script
- Afterwriting
- Saga
- Scriptmatix
- JotterPad
- AI Screenwriter
- Clapperbie
- Save the Cat! Story Suite
- DubScript
- Laper
Frequently Asked Questions About Screenwriting Software
What is screenwriting software?
Screenwriting software is a writing app built for scripts. It formats your screenplay to industry standards as you type — scene headings, action and dialogue land in the right place — so you can focus on the story. The better tools add outlining, revision tracking, co-writing and export to PDF and Final Draft, and newer ones use AI to draft pages for you.
What is the best screenwriting software?
Final Draft is our top pick overall. It formats and paginates your script to industry standards, helps you plan the story with Beat Board and the Outline Editor, and adds tracked revisions and production reports for real shoots.
Is there free screenwriting software?
Yes. Trelby is free and open source, and it's our pick for a free option — every feature is unlocked, from auto-formatting to PDF export. WriterDuet (three projects), Arc Studio Pro (two scripts) and Squibler (a set number of AI credits) also have free plans.
Which screenwriting software do professionals use?
Professionals reach for Final Draft, the industry standard for film and TV scripts. It tracks revisions, runs production reports and formats every page the way a production expects. Fade In is the pro-grade alternative that costs less and includes free updates.
Which screenwriting software is best for collaboration?
WriterDuet is our pick for co-writing. You and your partners see every change instantly, talk in built-in text and video chat, and share read-only links so others can comment.
What is the best screenwriting software for turning a novel or long-form story into a script?
Scrivener is our pick. You organize chapters, rearrange scenes on virtual index cards and keep your outline beside the draft, a built-in script mode handles the formatting, and you export the finished screenplay to Final Draft.
Can I try screenwriting software before buying it?
Yes. Final Draft and Scrivener offer free trials, Arc Studio Pro gives every account a free Pro trial on top of its free plan, Fade In has a free demo that watermarks printed and PDF scripts until you buy, WriterDuet has a free plan for up to three projects, and Squibler's free plan has no time limit. Test the workflow on a real scene before you pay, and check whether the trial renews into a paid plan on its own.
What should I look for when choosing screenwriting software?
Start with formatting: if your script is headed to a production, the tool should handle industry-standard layout and export to PDF and Final Draft. Then match it to how you work — real-time co-writing, outlining, offline access and the devices you write on. Finally, decide whether you'd rather buy the software outright or pay for it as a subscription.
Final Draft vs Scrivener: which one should I choose?
Final Draft is our best overall pick, while Scrivener is the one to reach for when you're shaping a long story or adapting one. Go with Final Draft for film and TV scripts, and Scrivener for the writing behind them.
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best screenwriting software tools to try this year:
- Final Draft — best of the best
- Scrivener — best for turning an existing story into a script
- WriterDuet — best for collaborative screenwriters
- Trelby — best free option
- Arc Studio Pro — best visual writing experience
- Fade In — best bang for the buck
- Squibler — best for AI-assisted writing