Fountain vs FDX comes down to one thing: Fountain is a plain text screenplay format you can type in any editor, and FDX is the Final Draft file format that productions exchange. Write in Fountain when you want work that opens anywhere and lives well in version control. Use FDX when a production asks for a Final Draft file or you want its exact formatting. You do not have to choose forever, because you can convert between the two in seconds. This guide explains what each format is, when to use it, and how to convert free in your browser.
Fountain vs FDX in one line
- Fountain (.fountain): plain text, readable anywhere, free and open. Best for drafting, archiving and version control.
- FDX (.fdx): Final Draft's tagged XML file. Best for productions that run on Final Draft and for exact, portable formatting.
Both describe the same screenplay. The difference is how the file stores it, and that decides what each one is good for.
What Fountain is
Fountain is a plain text markup for screenplays. The official site calls it "a simple markup syntax for writing, editing and sharing screenplays in plain, human-readable text." You write the way a script looks, and a few rules tell an app what each line is:
- A line that starts with INT. or EXT. is a scene heading.
- A name in capitals with a blank line above it starts a speech.
- Text (in parentheses) under a cue is a parenthetical.
- A line in capitals ending in TO: is a transition.
- Emphasis uses
**bold**,*italic*and_underline_.
Because the file is only text, it opens in any editor, travels well in email, and can be tracked line by line in git. The format is free and open source, made by John August and Stu Maschwitz, and many writing apps read it. Its own site calls plain text "portable and future-proof," which is the real reason writers reach for it.
What FDX is
FDX is the file format of the Final Draft app, and the one many productions ask for. It is XML: every paragraph carries a tag that says what it is, such as Scene Heading, Action, Character, Parenthetical, Dialogue, Transition or Shot. That tagging is the point. When the file moves between a writer, a producer and a script coordinator, the formatting stays exact because each line already knows what it is.
One caution from Final Draft's own help: a .fdx produced by another program may not be genuine Final Draft XML, and such a file "may not format or behave as expected." So if you need a file that opens cleanly in Final Draft, convert with a tool that writes true Final Draft paragraph types rather than a rough export. Final Draft 13 can open files from older versions and save back to them, so once the XML is right, version differences are not a problem.
Fountain vs FDX, side by side
| Fountain (.fountain) | FDX (.fdx) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Plain text with a few marks | Tagged XML that Final Draft opens |
| Opens in | Any text editor | Final Draft and apps that import .fdx |
| Readable by a person | Yes, directly | Only through an app |
| Version control (git) | Clean line by line diffs | Hard, it is one long XML file |
| Keeps exact formatting | The app decides on open | Yes, each line is tagged |
| Emphasis | **bold**, *italic*, _underline_ | Styled text runs |
| Dual dialogue | A caret after the second cue | A dual dialogue block |
| Sections and synopses | #, ## and = lines | Outline elements, not printed |
| Notes | [[double brackets]] | Kept, not printed |
| Cost | Free and open | Needs Final Draft or a compatible app |
When to use each
Pick the format that fits how you work, not a rule about which is "professional."
Use Fountain when:
- You like writing in a plain, distraction free editor.
- You want the script readable and openable far into the future.
- You keep drafts in git or share them as text.
- You are drafting, and no one has asked for an .fdx yet.
Use FDX when:
- A production, agent or writers' room exchanges Final Draft files.
- You want the formatting to stay exact as the file passes between people.
- You rely on Final Draft features such as revision colors and production tools.
Most writers end up using both: draft in Fountain, then convert to .fdx when a production needs it. That is the workflow the next section covers.
How to convert between Fountain and FDX
You do not need Final Draft to make an .fdx, and you do not need to retype anything. The free Fountain to FDX converter does both directions in your browser.
- Open the converter. It runs on your device. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored after you close the tab.
- Add your script. Drop a
.fountain,.fdxor plain text file on the box, or paste the screenplay as Fountain text. It reads the file and tells you what it found: pages, scenes and characters. - Choose the output. A Fountain file becomes a Final Draft
.fdxwith real paragraph types. A Final Draft file becomes clean Fountain text. - Download a PDF if you need one. It uses 12 point Courier, standard margins, page numbers, a title page, and (MORE) and (CONT'D) where a speech breaks across a page.
If a line is read the wrong way when you convert from plain text, add the Fountain mark that forces it: a period before a scene heading, an exclamation mark before action, an at sign before a character cue.
What converting keeps, and what it drops
An honest converter is clear about its limits. Here is what survives the round trip and what does not.
Kept both ways: scene headings, action, character cues, parentheticals, dialogue, transitions, dual dialogue, emphasis (bold, italic, underline), and the title page.
Handled with a convention: Fountain has no shot element, so a shot is written as a capitalized line that begins with a camera phrase, such as ANGLE ON MAYA. Those lines become shot elements in Final Draft, and come back the same way.
Not printed: sections and synopses (the # and = lines) become outline elements, and notes in [[double brackets]] are kept in the file but stay off the printed page. That is by design, since they are planning notes, not script.
The one thing to watch is the caution above: open the converted .fdx in Final Draft once to confirm it reads as genuine Final Draft XML before you send it to a production.
The cheapest way to work with both
You can cover the whole Fountain and FDX workflow without paying for anything:
- Writing in Fountain: free, in any text editor.
- Converting Fountain to FDX, or FDX to Fountain: free in the Fountain to FDX converter, with a PDF included.
- Formatting plain text into a screenplay: free in the screenplay formatter.
Final Draft itself is paid software, and it earns its place when the people you work with exchange .fdx files. For the file conversion alone, the free tools above do the job. Our roundup of the best screenwriting software compares the paid apps on price and features if you want a dedicated editor.
Where Ziztu adds more than conversion is turning a finished script into a film. The AI Script Writer imports Fountain and Final Draft, the AI Script Doctor gives a few strong notes with the exact fix, and script to film turns a scene into a shot plan and then into clips. Writing, formatting and import and export are part of the studio; the AI notes 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.
Try it
Have a script in one format and need the other? Open the free Fountain to FDX converter, drop in your file, and download the .fdx, Fountain or a print ready PDF in seconds. Then take the scene into the AI Script Writer when you are ready to turn it into a film.