The best screenwriting software depends on how you work. Final Draft is still the industry standard if you write for film and TV productions. WriterDuet is the best for co-writing in real time, Fade In for a one-time price, Highland for Mac and iPad, and Arc Studio for a modern free plan. For AI help, Laper and Ziztu's AI Script Writer, which we make, so read that entry with that in mind. Every price below was read on each official page on 11 October 2026.
What we compared
Every app here formats a screenplay correctly. The differences are elsewhere:
- Price model: a subscription, a yearly plan or a one-time purchase.
- Free start: a free plan, a trial or nothing.
- Collaboration: writing together, comments and revision tracking.
- Files: Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain and PDF in and out.
- AI help: none, notes on your draft, or tools that write with you.
The list
1. Final Draft 13: the industry standard
Final Draft is the format most film and TV productions exchange, which is its biggest advantage.
- Price: a one-time purchase of $199.99 on 11 October 2026 (list price $249.99), or the Final Draft Suite subscription from $8.33 a month billed yearly.
- Free: a 5 day Suite trial.
- Platforms: Mac and Windows.
- Limits: the highest one-time price here; AI features are not its focus.
2. WriterDuet: best for writing together
WriterDuet was built for real-time co-writing in the browser, with desktop apps and offline writing that syncs.
- Plans: Free with 3 projects; Plus $9.99 a month (unlimited projects and real-time collaboration); Pro $11.99 (colored revisions and production tools); Premium $13.99 (line history, script narration and translation). Students and educators get 50% off.
- Limits: the free plan caps projects at three.
3. Fade In: best one-time price
Fade In is a professional screenwriting app sold as a license rather than a subscription, for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Price: $79.95 for an individual license on the purchase page on 11 October 2026.
- Free: a free trial version to download first.
- Limits: a classic desktop app; collaboration is lighter than in browser tools.
4. Highland Pro: best for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Highland is a native Apple app with writing sprints, a distraction-free mode and automatic iCloud sync.
- Price: $59.99 a year ($4.99 a month billed yearly) or $9.99 a month.
- Free: a 30 day trial.
- Limits: Apple devices only.
5. Arc Studio: best modern free plan
Arc Studio is a clean, cloud-based editor with real-time co-writing, outlining and Final Draft import and export.
- Plans: Free; Essentials $69 a year (desktop and mobile apps, unlimited scripts); Pro $99 a year.
- Free: the free plan, plus a 7 day Pro trial on every account.
- Limits: some features are bought with credits on top of the subscription.
6. Celtx: best for production planning
Celtx goes beyond the script into story development and production planning, with team plans.
- Plans: Free with 1 project; Writer $11.24 a month billed yearly (up to 3 projects); Writer Pro $18.74 a month billed yearly; Team from $44.99 a month billed yearly.
- Limits: the most useful features sit on the paid tiers.
7. Laper: best AI screenwriting workspace
Laper is an AI-first screenwriting and pre-production workspace: a screenplay editor, an assistant that works inside it, script doctoring, storyboards and film projects, with Final Draft import and export.
- Plans: Senior $20 a month (500 AI chats, 600 generation credits); Elite $60; Master $100 with unlimited chats; Legend $400.
- Free: the Junior plan with 10 AI chats a month and 2 screenplay projects.
8. Ziztu AI Script Writer: best for turning a script into an animated film
The AI Script Writer is a screenplay editor inside every Ziztu project. It writes in the standard format, imports and exports Fountain, Final Draft and PDF, and keeps versions and comments. The AI Script Doctor gives a few strong notes with the exact fix and why it works, and Script chat proposes changes you accept or reject. When a scene is ready, script to film turns it into a shot plan, and the shots become clips in the same project.
- Price: writing, formatting, versions, comments and import and export are part of the studio; the AI notes, chat and shot plans cost credits, shown before you run them. Plans start at $12 a month for 1,000 credits, and new accounts get 40 free credits.
- Free tools: the screenplay formatter and the Fountain to FDX converter run in your browser with no account.
- Limits: newer than the classics; no production reports or scheduling like Celtx; the PDF does not yet print Chinese, Japanese, Korean or right to left scripts.
9. Trelby: best free open source option
Trelby is free software under the GPL that runs on several platforms.
- Price: free.
- Limits: a desktop app with fewer features than the paid tools.
Side by side
| App | Best for | Free start | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Draft 13 | Industry standard | 5 day Suite trial | $199.99 one-time (list $249.99) or Suite from $8.33 a month yearly |
| WriterDuet | Co-writing | Free, 3 projects | From $9.99 a month |
| Fade In | One-time price | Trial version | $79.95 one-time |
| Highland Pro | Mac and iPad | 30 day trial | $59.99 a year |
| Arc Studio | Modern free plan | Free plan | $69 or $99 a year |
| Celtx | Production planning | Free, 1 project | From $11.24 a month yearly |
| Laper | AI screenwriting | Junior plan | From $20 a month |
| Ziztu AI Script Writer | Script to animated film | 40 credits | $12 a month |
| Trelby | Free and open source | Free | Free |
How to choose
- You are, or want to be, in a writers' room: Final Draft, because productions exchange .fdx files.
- You write with a partner: WriterDuet or Arc Studio.
- You hate subscriptions: Fade In.
- You live on a Mac and an iPad: Highland.
- You want AI notes on your draft: Laper or Ziztu's AI Script Doctor.
- You want to see your script as a film: Ziztu, where scenes become shot plans and clips. Our guide on how to make anime with AI shows that road from idea to finished episode, and the best AI storyboard generators cover the step in between.
Try it
Paste a page of plain text into the free screenplay formatter to see it in the standard format, or open the AI Script Writer to write, get notes and turn a scene into shots.