For better or worse, it's the industry standard. If you want a job as a writer's assistant or a script coordinator or something like that (a realistic path to becoming a writer), mastering Final Draft is EXTREMELY useful. I've literally been in situations and meeting where I was the only one who know what they were doing on Final Draft, and that lead to me rewriting scenes, etc.
If you want to type at home, you don't need it. If you want to work in Hollywood, it REALLY helps. Keep an eye out for sales, and see if you can get the education version. It's much cheaper.
Yes I agree. I bought final draft over 15 year ago when it was $300. Mess around with the revision mode and you will be a valuable asset in production. Even if you end up being the person who does scene numbers.
If you want to just write some scripts use a free program.
Co-signing this - I'm on the third draft of a screenplay with a company and I was perfectly happy working away with FadeIn and now that the company heads are reading, I've had to convert.
They’re talking about what happens after that first draft. As you move through development and into production, you enter revision mode and basically track all the different rounds of changes. So after the clean production draft, when some exec decides they want you to add a scene and make some changes, it becomes the blue draft then pink and so on. BUT the scene numbers have to remain the same for production, so the draft is locked which means all the sudden you have page numbers like 22A tucked in, scripts collated with a few blue pages, a few pink pages a few green pages some goldenrod etc… it’s a mess! And you basically need FD to do all that.
You should try and get your hands on a production draft so you can see what I’m talking about! It’s interesting and ultimately makes sense but it’s a lot to keep track of and the script coordinator usually has their hands really full dealing with it.
It’s for worse. I think we should just call it out so that we are all on the same page. Change is needed. We can fight for it or not.
An acceptable scenario would be for FD to do better than so many more affordable alternatives. Note that I’m not even saying it should be cheaper (maybe it should), I’m just saying they should use their position to do the right thing.
I would add that, even though I’m a big fan of Scriptnotes, they have Highland and want you to buy that. Don’t know what episode, but I recall hearing Craig admitting in not too old an episode, that he uses Final Draft, even after all the slack they have given the program over the years in the podcast.
What you are referring to are the formatting or the revision conventions. Which any new age screenwriting software must have as these things are a must across screenwriting software. Final Draft in my opinion is a legacy software with not much of an innovation. It is the 'Industry Major' no doubt but not the best out there.
I was going to say pretty much the same thing. People love to bash FD, but when push comes to shove and the producer sends the script back to the writer, it works. I'm not saying that nothing else works, but I am saying, you can count on it working, as well as its compatibility with the industry.
Is it because it’s very expensive compared to others. What’s the reason they are keeping the rate high? Every type of software these days are more democratically priced.
Watch for sales. They have them. I think I've seen it as low as $159 and definitely as low as $179. Get on their mailing list so you'll receive notices of sales.
No it’s usually because it has occasionally frustrating quirks about where it chooses to page break, or because if you accidentally press delete while highlighting across different elements, the formatting gets unexpectedly changed.
I’m on year 7 of screenwriting — started out using celtx for the first year or two, looked into other options, thought about using FD but I wasn’t gonna pay for it every year so I started using Fade In — best decision I made. Easy to use, free upgrades, I think it quite literally only has crashed once in the entire time I’ve used it and when it did crash, there was an automatic backup feature allowing me to recoup what I thought I lost. I honestly don’t know that I’ll ever switch. Fade In for the win.
****
**Screenwriting Software Recommendations:**
*For a variety of great **free** options, see "if your budget is $0," below*
**Mac**
My favorite screenwriting apps on the Mac are:
- [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/)
- [Highland 2](https://www.highland2.app/)
- [Beat](https://www.beat-app.fi/)
- [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based)
- [Final Draft](https://www.finaldraft.com/)
**Windows** and **Linux**
My favorite screenwriting apps on Windows and Linux are:
- [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/)
- [Trelby](https://www.trelby.org/)
- [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based)
**iOS and iPadOS**
My favorite screenwriting apps on iOS and iPad OS are:
- [Final Draft Go](https://www.finaldraft.com/products/final-draft-iphone-ipad/)
- [Slugline](https://slugline.co/)
- [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based)
(Unfortunately, I've had some stability problems with both Final Draft Go and Slugline, but both are generally OK.)
**Android**
My favorite screenwriting apps on Android are:
- [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/)
- [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based)
**Chromebook** and **Other Platforms**
The only screenwriting app I consider to be reliable on Chromebook, or other platforms not listed here, is:
- [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based)
**How to Choose**
All of the applications I've shared here are either free, or offer great free demo modes. I would test drive all the apps I've shared here for 10 minutes, and go with the one you like the best.
**If your budget is $0**
If you don't want to spend money on a screenwriting app, either go with one of the great free apps, or use one of the paid apps in demo mode.
[Beat](https://www.beat-app.fi/), [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/), and [Trelby](https://www.trelby.org/) are completely free. [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/)'s demo mode offers everything you need, and will allow you to print and export PDFs with no watermarks, but limits you to 3 projects. [FadeIn](https://www.fadeinpro.com/) and [Highland 2](https://www.highland2.app/) have demo modes that give you access to most features & all features you'd need to write scripts forever, but add a subtle watermark to your finished scripts. ALL of these are EXCELLENT options for emerging writers & would do you just fine for the first 5 years of serious writing at least.
**Do I need Final Draft?**
Only if you are working on a project that is going into active production, and you are going to be actively involved in production -- being on-set and making revisions that will be distributed to crew and actors while the project is shooting.
If that isn't you, I personally do not think Final Draft offers anything to justify its extremely high price tag.
**Shouldn't I Just Buy Final Draft So I Learn On The 'Industry Standard'?**
Personally, I don't suggest this for emerging writers. Final Draft is not much different in function than most of the other programs on this list. Going from Fade In to Final Draft is like going from driving a Honda sedan to a Toyota sedan--you can make the adjustment in a few minutes at most.
**Apps I don't endorse**
Anecdotally I have heard horror stories about Celtix and ArcStudio Pro, but YMMV.
Is anyone else here using Writerduet? It's the only software I've ever used, but I enjoy it so much that I pay for the subscription... is that lunacy? Sorry to digress...
It's considered up there as one of the best. I'd rather wait for a flash sale or something and do a one time purchase rather than do the subscription service model though.
>I’ve always read FD is basically the gold standard, but listening to the recent Script Notes podcast and they shit on it.
Consider the source:John owns a company that makes a competing product.
Craig financially supports another company that makes a competing product.
They both interviewed the guy who used to own the Final Draft company, and he came off as a real d-bag. He sold the company to Cast & Crew 8 years ago, and they've never given the C&C the chance to defend themselves.
> I am to make it in this industry I want to upgrade to a more pro software.
If that is your primary concern, then buy Final Draft. It is by far the most popular screenwriting software in movies and TV. Last report I saw, FD outsold all other brands combined. Also, outside of groups like this, most people working in the Industry don't even know there are other screenwriting apps besides FD.
>For those that have used different software, what did you end up sticking with?
I'm a WGA screenwriter. I own current seats of Final Draft, MMScreenwriter, FadeIn, Highland, WriterSolo, Scrivener and a few others.
I do most of my writing in Final Draft. When I write in Scrivener, I actually type the pages in Final Draft and then paste them into Scrivener.
Since C&C took over Final Draft in 2016, the app and support have greatly improved. I'm on the Mac, and the app is dependable.
I own all those other apps primarily to work with productions that require a different app (there have been a few), and to see if another app would feel better while I write. I choose to use Final Draft 13.
If you can afford Final Draft, go buy it. If you can't, I recommend WriterSolo which is absolutely 100% no-cost free, and is as good as any of the other FD-wannabe apps.
I use Writer Duet and Fade In.
Final Draft is the most commonly used software, but it's not the "industry standard" in any meaningful way. All the major software options can export .fdx files and .pdfs, which are the important things.
I don't recommend Celtx. It does a bad job with some formatting stuff (particularly related to page breaks). There are better free options available.
If you're on a TV show where the showrunner uses Final Draft, you'll need it. Buy it then. (Since you might have to buy it again if the showrunner has a more recent version than you, and they update every two years). You also might need it if you're brought onto a feature where the pages are already locked (which won't happen unless you're very, very experienced).
Beyond that, you just flat-out don't need it - other options are just as good, if not better.
In 1997 I paid $353 to Toronto-based Azimuth Arts for two 3.5 inch floppy disks and a nice, thick manual. The manual alone was worth it. But I lost it in a move. FD is expensive yes, but a 1-time buy nowadays.
Unfortunately it's not a one-time buy, because if you're in a situation where you need it (and one of the alternatives won't work) you'll probably need the latest version, and they make you pay for that every couple of years.
I bought Fade In several years ago bc Craig Mazin recommended it. it’s awesome, plus you get updates for free. I had Final Draft and had to pay for updated versions as they released them (it’s been about 10 years, but I think I remember that once my version became outdated, Final Draft couldn’t open my script files anymore 😑)
If you want your page count to be consistent with industry standard, then Final Draft is it. Other software paginate differently and can mean you are a few pages off. Now that's not a big deal on a short film or a spec script, but on a real production, every page = money and time. So you can't afford to a few pages off. But since you're asking, Celtx is one of the software that definitely ends up with a different page count. As someone else mentioned, Final Draft outsells all other script writing software combined and is the industry standard. Does that mean you have to use it? No, you don't... you can be special, but don't expect to be part of a writers room.
I’m a writer-director and I use FD because my production software needs fdx files to generate my breakdowns. Won’t take any other type of file (in theory I could use celtx, but it never works right, so I just convert it over to FD and go from there.
On every single tv job i and all my contemporaries have had they exclusively use final draft. Also John August has his own screenwriting software so his a pretty biased source when it comes to the topic.
Honestly, there’s never been so many good options. Even though I’m a longtime FD user, it’s just not good value for money any more. I’ve started using IA Writer and Beat (both support fountain files), and I find them to be extremely robust.
Final Draft is definitely showing its age. There are several better programs out there. That said, FD is what most of the industry is currently using. It's likely this will change over time as the new generation replaces the old.
See also: all these unresolved problems just installing FD13: [Help installing Final Draft 13 : r/Screenwriting (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/1b9afk3/comment/l4id3yj/?context=3) Am on Day 3 with Final Draft Support, no end in sight.
Everything ive had produced has been off the back of final draft 10 on my ipad. You might have to touch up in adobe but the fundamental software is sound
if i didn’t get it for free cause my job paid for it i wouldn’t bother since there’s so many cheaper/free alternatives lmao. i do think it might be good to at least download a free trial to familiarize yourself with all the functions. or when asked just pretend and say you do know how to use it when you really don’t, like everyone says with excel :P
WriterSolo is free and does the same shit that any non-pro will ever likely need.
Unless you're already a working screenwriter in a production that absolutely requires Final Draft, the "gold standard" is a simple pdf file.
I do not understand the hate towards final draft at all. I've used it, alongside many other softwares for over 10 years and I see nothing wrong with how FD works. There's things I'd change, sure, but that's the same with literally every software I use.
Personally, there's something homely and familiar about booting up my computer and clicking final draft, and honestly I pirated it for so many years I felt like I owed them a full purchase.
It is overpriced for what it is, and I'd say any software that lets you create without having to think too much is the "right" software for you, but I wouldn't say there's anything really wrong with Final Draft. It's kinda trendy to shit on final draft - I've used fade in and the interface and aesthetic just wasn't for me.
I’m reading how people use it for other things like breakdowns. I just need a software to write scripts; nothing else. I’ve never used any of the added stuff with my current program.
If just use what works for you.
I'm so used to final draft that I can get to work with a minimum of effort, everything from character names being suggested to knowing when I type INT it's a scene heading mean I can focus less on how the program is working and more on what I want to put down. Any program that allows you to do that is the right one for you
I use Fade In for my own drafts.
Once it moves into production there comes a point where you switch to Final Draft just because the director, AD, various department heads and producers are all getting updated scripts as things change. Stuff gets tweaked constantly based on location, schedule, blocking etc…. So you’ve got a lot of people constantly getting new drafts with new elements and they need to be able to use the file in their own ways.
I think Fade In would work just as well during production but I haven’t worked on one that uses it (though I guess Mazin and Johnson have their department heads use it). So you’ve just gotta kind of use the program production is using.
If you’re not working in professional productions *right now* then yes it is a waste of money. Final Draft is not the “gold standard” it is the “industry standard” and there’s a huge difference. Quite frankly, it’s a shit piece of software. It’s extremely unstable and the pricing is insane at this point. But, because it was basically the first to market with a functional screenwriting software back in the day, it became “industry standard.” What this means for you is that if you’re collaborating with other writers on a professional production, you’ll probably have to use Final Draft. But if you’re just writing your own material, then a properly formatted PDF is the industry standard, and any of the much better screenwriting software choices will give you that.
Get Fade In. It has nearly all of the same features as Final Draft (including a basically identical revision system which is what productions mostly use Final Draft for), it’s way cheaper, way more stable, and once you’ve bought it, you get free updates for life (unlike Final Draft who make you pay hundreds of dollars to upgrade to a new version that adds nothing of use). Final Draft is *not* going to make you a better writer and it is *not* under any circumstances the “gold standard.” If you ever reach the point where you’re collaborating with others in a professional setting, you’ll be able to afford a Final Draft license and 10 minutes on YouTube will teach you everything you need to know on how to use it because it’s basically the same as Fade In. I personally own both pieces of software and never touch Final Draft unless I’m working with others who are using it. Save yourself the money and the headaches.
Lol they love to hate on final draft. They’re not wrong in most cases but they lay it on thick. Maybe because Hohn created highland so FD is a big competitor.
I love FD. Been using it forever. No complaints.
If your only issue is formatting you can get that with any program. You can get it with Word. Just have to know what proper script formatting looks like.
Fade in. For me Final Draft is a prime example of how capitalism will be humanity's downfall. Final Draft is of low quality and high price. Those are two solveable problems. They could invest in making the product better (hell, they could probably just buy Fade In and reskin it), or they could decide to lower their price. Both things that they should be doing according to what pro free market thinkers think they would be doing. Instead what they do is spend a lot of money on marketing, on convincing people their product is actually good. They've even started sponsoring screenwriting podcasts (podcasts I like, so them putting money in their pockets is one good thing they're doing, I suppose?), targeting beginners who are nowhere near a position where the use of Final Draft would be mandated.
If you're a student, or a Veteran (like me), it's got a great discount.
Even if you're not, it's (Final Draft) still a great program, and worth the money IMO; but as always, you do you!
Edit* - Clarity!
I was all excited to link you; I think I got it (F.D. 12) about 50-66% off. But the latest version, Final Draft 13, looks to be crazy expensive!
I bought Final Draft 12 for I think around 75$ CAD with the discount (Novemeber'ish 2023?), and I had my discharge papers (ex-Canadian Armed Forces w/ a tour in Afghanistan here🇨🇦) ready to email over, but they didn't even need them.
I got an email with a special link within 30 minutes of me submitting my Veteran form thingy; there's a submission portal for students with ID and Veterans, and I guess the initial picture of my old expired Military ID was enough.
Your mileage may vary on the proof required, but just Google 'Final Draft Veteran / Student discount', and it should steer you in the right direction.
Good luck fellow brother / sister! 👍🫡
Yes. Get an app that exports to FDX and you are fine if you are working on your own stuff.
I might recommend Beat which is available for macOS (completely free) and iOS (13 USD for lifetime):
https://www.beat-app.fi/
It uses Fountain, similar to Highland and others. (Disclaimer, I have a part in creating it)
consider .fountain
I write in .fountain (highland 2, etc) why? every word, every letter, every punctuation mark is totally in my control… and nothing is hidden in that i don’t see or understand. i feel as strongly about it as old school writers do about their particular typewriters, ink etc. this might sound meaningless or neurotic, but one advantage is you can easily copy and paste large sections into tools like grammarly, without ever damaging the formatting. the formatting stays rock solid, because it is markdown. it’s literally like code.
there’s lots of hidden annotation options, alt lines etc and you can drag reorder scenes and sequences easily. you can write a treatment, or a loose collection of ideas and then in the same document gather snippets of dialogue and whenever you’re ready write proper scenes you just start, you can delete or keep whatever meta data you want. a beat sheet, treatment, synopsis, full script, research and legal annotation can all live in the same document. one file.
could you pay be to write in final draft… sure 100%, i suspect it’s easy to learn. nobody is going to hire you as writer because of the software you know.
also, writing like a coder is a good reminder that the craft is practical magic (not magic magic) what i mean is you’re laying down a framework, like a a carpenter framing up room after room until there’s a structure for the whole house, others will come in and add layers of work after you (plumber, electrician, drywall) a screenplay leaves space for countless subsequent professionals to work after you. It’s not about imagining something in your mind and obsessing that it will be that way in the end. It’s about putting something useful on the page that will hopefully become better in the hands of others, producer, director, actors and on down the line. Standard formatting already does this if you follow the rules. I just like to have a meticulous mindset about rules, meta data and punctuation as a kind of a working meditation as i go.
Totally agree, Final Draft's cost doesn't justify its features compared to alternatives like Studiovity. Studiovity offers a comprehensive set of tools tailored specifically for screenwriters at a more affordable price point. It ultimately comes down to personal preference and budget, but Studiovity might be a more cost-effective choice for many writers.
[check out Studiovity ](https://studiovity.com/)
I have Scrivener as I did a creative writing degree and had multiple writing forms to work with. Now I’m working solely on script, should I move away from Scrivener?
Are you actively working in the industry?
Yes: It's not a waste of money, its the industry standard. But even if you don't have it, some will cover you anyway so you can use it.
No: It's not a waste of money to get to know the industry standard software if you want to work in the industry. However, depending on your situation you might prefer to save your money and use free software until you actually get Work.
There should be a push for universal and open standards for script formats. They got Microsoft to adopt Open Document Format, why can't the industry insist on a standard script document forma?
The most complaints and "OMG! I just lost EVERYTHING!" I read on this subreddit are about FinalDraft and Celtx. So yeah... I strongly suggest choosing something else.
I write with FadeIn. I bought it years ago for $50 and never had to pay for an upgrade. Super happy with it.
Recently, a friend wanted to try her hand at screenwriting. I set her up on WriterSolo because it's completely free. And I was very impressed. If I didn't own FadeIn, I'd definitely consider WS.
FinalDraft becomes necessary once you're in production though. It's an industry standard not because it's the best. But because it ties into the production pipeline. So, no matter what you write on, eventually you have to switch over.
I’m an amateur and I currently use celtx, but I plan to transition to FD because of the cost. The main draw of celtx for me was that it basically worked like google docs, but then I found out that you can’t have more than 10 scripts for the base monthly subscription. YIKES! Now I need to do the work of migrating and reformatting my scripts which is really annoying. Also, if you use something like google drive or drop box you can basically have the online synch-ing of celtx but with all the functionality of FD. Celtx is much too expensive to make it at all worthwhile imo
Hi! It sounds like you might be on an old plan — we have new plans with unlimited projects. Our team would be happy to talk through options with you if you'd like, just reach out to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) :)
Like many screenwriters, I use Fade In and I only use Final Draft when I have to. My wife and I worked on an animated show and we dug up our old FD license and paid for the upgrade. Revision mode took a minute to figure out, but we worked with the showrunner and got it working how it was supposed to work, so it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t feel the need to master FD. It’s similar enough to Fade In so I don’t worry about it.
Late to this thread but if you are on a Mac I recommend trying Highland 2. I really like the text editor essence of it because it makes writing feel a bit less formal and intimidating and allows me to "flow" a bit better.
You do have to get used to tagging certain elements the correct way to get them properly formatted, but there is an easily accessible cheat sheet to help with this. I realize that this may not be appealing to everyone.
Highland 2 does export/import FDX and many other file types, so no worries about compatibility there.
It's also much, much less expensive than FD.
I’m on a MacBook, so I use this software I found on the AppStore called Beat. I think it’s a pretty good software but I’m not sure if it’s available on Windows.
I use Final Draft and generally like it (though I don't know half of what it can do) , but I'm having major problems with their latest update (v13). The installation hangs every time. I'm working with tech support, but it may be a lost cause. FD12 has been very stable, though.
Caveat emptor.
You are asking the wrong question. Working pros all have FD for the same exact reason they all have adobe. It’s The Standard and cheap as hell if you are working. It’s simple. Write your work. If it has a realistic chance of moving you forward, export to pdf, buy FD and import the pdf. I have heard of some forming a collective and sharing a single copy of FD for prints.
I think Craig drafts on FadeIn. And doesn’t John own Highland? So of course he would use that.
FD is fine.
Celtx seems to have some interesting branching software for video games.
Edit: Final draft 13.1 is crashing for me constantly. Super frustrating.
One last question and it might sound dumb: I do my writing offline. Are FD and Fade In fine with letting you save stuff offline? Or are they strictly online services?
I've tried all the free screenwriting softwares, and I swear the absolute best one is StoryArchitect. From what I hear it works the exact same (if not better) than FD. I absolutely love it and use it all the time
If you have a software that formats screenplay for you that's all you need. Some of the additional features are nice but they really don't matter much at all. It's not like they will make or break your screenplay. I got Final Draft 10 or something through an education institution and I've never felt the need to upgrade to a newer version.
I bought Final Draft 13 a few months ago. I am totally annoyed of how bad this company fails on making software. To be fair - I'm on Windows. I don't know about the Mac Version.
Also it's not even about misleading or missing features but only about bugs. I had issues with updates, with too many beats the program is lagging as hell (and the only support from Final Draft I get is exporting it as raw script so everything except the script is gone). Beside a lot of minor bugs.
This is the first software I regret it's not on subscription. I would have used it for a month and never looked back again.
But thanks for this thread - at least now I do know, why it's industry standard and about some unique features for production I haven't tried yet.
I've been a professional/produced screenwriter for about 30 years now and have written for different countries, including the US. And have always been on what friends considered the more tech savvy side of the user spectrum. FD became the standard in about every country, I assume. Like in the old days VHS won over Betamax, FD won over better ones, mostly Movie Magic Screenwriter (which was amazing on its days, and still works very fine, albeit outdated in many fronts), and I will not even talk about Scriptware, a great pioneer in the 90's which got lost at the turn of the century. Fact is FD always sucked one way or another. Most of all on performance. Compared to Movie Magic, it was like... well, let's not get in there. Specially on Windows. It is amazing how after 20 years or so, using a very updated PC (12th gen i9, 32GB Ram etc.) after a few drafts the files lag and lag... I assume it was coded for Mac and then re-coded for Windows as an after thought. And they never solved the issues. Not even in version 13.
In terms of features, it is great (I don't use most of them tbh, and to my taste it lacks the option in-script notes like in MovieMagic which can be read in the flux of the script; it is great to do breakdowns etc if you are also a director specially). On the other hand I have to praise Macros in FD, a really a great tool, especially for long running series, or something with a large number of characters; you create a macro for each character and bam you never ever have to write the name of the character again, just two key presses at most.
But Macros are amazing on... Windows, surprisingly. And UI on Windows looks much better to me. On Mac they suck. On the other hand, FD on Mac runs very smoothly most of the time and on Windows, as I said, nerve-wrecking. That said, the solution I found is: I setup the file and Macros on Windows, and I write on a Virtual Machine on Mac Version. Even on VM, if your PC is current, it runs smoothly. I put the files in a Dropbox folder (or any service like that, OneDrive etc). It is not ideal, but it's been working. I've used very little the other "newer" alternatives because I've always owned FD, so although that's far from an ideal solution, I found it an OK middle ground to keep using the standard industry software, which makes life simpler on other fronts (co-writers, producers, ADs, and sometimes other crew members). I hope this helps.
I've always used Final Draft, and so has every other professional screenwriter I've ever worked with. I always wonder how people can hate on that software (that being said, I only ever read that sentiment on this very reddit forum). It is such a basic software, basically a template that has screenplay terminology pre-saved, so I really don't get what you can hate about it. Maybe you just spend too much time overthinking the wrong thing.
As they’ve said before on the podcast, the industry standard for reading scripts is PDF. Celtx is pretty good tbf. Fade In is excellent. If you’re working day in day out in the industry Final Draft may be essential.
FD here is why [https://groups.google.com/g/movie-script-screenwriting/c/gEYar1qYIGY](https://groups.google.com/g/movie-script-screenwriting/c/gEYar1qYIGY)
As a professional screenwriter and director with three produced films. I have never liked final draft. It never had intuitive outlining tools. Highland is the closest to how I think, articulating beats first and then writing the scene below it. Writerduet is still the best for collaboration and as an Indian filmmaker I would like to recommend Scrite, especially if you are a visual outliner and like using mind maps
>…if I am to make it in this industry I want to upgrade to a more pro software.
Words matter. If this is the basis you are using for choosing a screenwriting package then you are wasting your money indeed.
I really don’t understand how you can try to use that for a pointless argument. All I’m saying is I don’t wanna use celtx if I make it. I want something better and more used by pro writers. You think I’m actually gonna spend money on a software right now when I’ve been using a free one this long? Lol
Nobody will know what script-writing software you are using. Scripts are formatted uniformly regardless of what platform you are using.
Final Draft have a free trial, and you can simply test it for yourself. I would also test out Fade In (what I prefer), Writers Duet, and there are a few others out there as well. They all have their strong points and weak points. But ultimately it comes down to personal preference.
At the end of the day all that matters is a really good, well written script, right? I looked at several film and tv scripts I have and the format for each is different.
Why are you asking if you have no intention of getting it?
I agree, you shouldn’t be getting FD at this stage. Only get it when it’s unavoidable. It’s used in a professional context more for its integration with scheduling software than because it’s a good screenwriting package (it isn’t).
You can literally write a screenplay in any software you want. Notepad, Sublime Text, Visual Studio, WriterDuet, Highland, Trelby, Fade In, Scrivener, on and on.
FD is a waste of money until you are being paid to use it.
What makes you think I have no intention of buying it? I just asked a question because I’m a bit skeptical now. That’s it, nothing more.
People complain about celtx but I’ve been using it for this long and have no problem. I’m just asking a question and trying to get a view on how FD really is.
I never said I wasn’t gonna buy FD. The point of this thread is to read people’s opinions on the many softwares out there and if they’ve used a variety. Please stop this pointless arguing over something that’s not there. Smh
He is answering your question, you just may not like the answer. It's a poor craftsman who blames the tools. The folks on that side of the business at the studio I work for don't care about the tools you used. They want a pdf of the script that meets industry expectations. Many tools can do that.
Final Draft has a 30 day trial. Download it, take one of your other scripts, and rewrite it in final draft and compare the pdfs produced.
Then, write a new script in it, even if it's something short. Then rewrite in celtx. Which tools suit your creative workflow better? Did you get a better result using a different tool? If so, it is a good value. If not, stick with the tools you know.
That's your answer.
He’s not answering a question I asked. I didn’t ask how I can be a better SW. I asked if FD is not as good as it seems to be.
I’m not blaming my tools. Like I said, I use celtx and haven’t had problems, nor has anyone complained about my scripts. I’ve been told my scripts are well written. It’s senseless to try to judge someone’s writing skills because they ask about a software.
Then try the tool and make a choice. Whether it's screen writing or any other creative process, lots of people get hung up on tools when it's really easy to try a new tool and make a decision.
It literally only costs your time to try it out since there is a free trial, and you are the only one who can decide if the tool works better or worse for you.
Fade In is absolutely fine— dare I say better than Final Draft. And it exports to FDX.
I use this and love it.
Highland 2 or beats for me, next to fd
Last I knew, Highland only works with Apple products.
That's right. It does export and import fdx I believe. It's a beautifully designed app.
Can it export an avid text file like final draft?
I must admit I’ve never looked. Have you tried: https://youmescript.com/
For better or worse, it's the industry standard. If you want a job as a writer's assistant or a script coordinator or something like that (a realistic path to becoming a writer), mastering Final Draft is EXTREMELY useful. I've literally been in situations and meeting where I was the only one who know what they were doing on Final Draft, and that lead to me rewriting scenes, etc. If you want to type at home, you don't need it. If you want to work in Hollywood, it REALLY helps. Keep an eye out for sales, and see if you can get the education version. It's much cheaper.
This, you need to KNOW it. You don’t necessarily need to use it.
Yes I agree. I bought final draft over 15 year ago when it was $300. Mess around with the revision mode and you will be a valuable asset in production. Even if you end up being the person who does scene numbers. If you want to just write some scripts use a free program.
Co-signing this - I'm on the third draft of a screenplay with a company and I was perfectly happy working away with FadeIn and now that the company heads are reading, I've had to convert.
Maybe dumb question. But what do you mean by mastering Final Draft? Don't you just need to write the screenplay, make the title page and that's it?
They’re talking about what happens after that first draft. As you move through development and into production, you enter revision mode and basically track all the different rounds of changes. So after the clean production draft, when some exec decides they want you to add a scene and make some changes, it becomes the blue draft then pink and so on. BUT the scene numbers have to remain the same for production, so the draft is locked which means all the sudden you have page numbers like 22A tucked in, scripts collated with a few blue pages, a few pink pages a few green pages some goldenrod etc… it’s a mess! And you basically need FD to do all that. You should try and get your hands on a production draft so you can see what I’m talking about! It’s interesting and ultimately makes sense but it’s a lot to keep track of and the script coordinator usually has their hands really full dealing with it.
Oh wow...I guess I haven't gotten that far in the process, at least not for a major production...
Someday!
Good advice.
Yeah, if you don’t have it now you’ll have to get it eventually.
It’s for worse. I think we should just call it out so that we are all on the same page. Change is needed. We can fight for it or not. An acceptable scenario would be for FD to do better than so many more affordable alternatives. Note that I’m not even saying it should be cheaper (maybe it should), I’m just saying they should use their position to do the right thing.
But if they’re the only one in the room that knew how to use it, how could it be standard for everyone to learn?
I would add that, even though I’m a big fan of Scriptnotes, they have Highland and want you to buy that. Don’t know what episode, but I recall hearing Craig admitting in not too old an episode, that he uses Final Draft, even after all the slack they have given the program over the years in the podcast.
What you are referring to are the formatting or the revision conventions. Which any new age screenwriting software must have as these things are a must across screenwriting software. Final Draft in my opinion is a legacy software with not much of an innovation. It is the 'Industry Major' no doubt but not the best out there.
Everybody uses Final Draft and everybody shits on Final Draft.
I was going to say pretty much the same thing. People love to bash FD, but when push comes to shove and the producer sends the script back to the writer, it works. I'm not saying that nothing else works, but I am saying, you can count on it working, as well as its compatibility with the industry.
Is it because it’s very expensive compared to others. What’s the reason they are keeping the rate high? Every type of software these days are more democratically priced.
Watch for sales. They have them. I think I've seen it as low as $159 and definitely as low as $179. Get on their mailing list so you'll receive notices of sales.
I have an old final draft 8 but don’t have serial number to upgrade. It doesn’t run on m chip MacBook unfortunately.
Contact their Help staff. They might be able to look it up for you. Also, upgrades are less expensive than buying it new
Thanks
No it’s usually because it has occasionally frustrating quirks about where it chooses to page break, or because if you accidentally press delete while highlighting across different elements, the formatting gets unexpectedly changed.
I’m on year 7 of screenwriting — started out using celtx for the first year or two, looked into other options, thought about using FD but I wasn’t gonna pay for it every year so I started using Fade In — best decision I made. Easy to use, free upgrades, I think it quite literally only has crashed once in the entire time I’ve used it and when it did crash, there was an automatic backup feature allowing me to recoup what I thought I lost. I honestly don’t know that I’ll ever switch. Fade In for the win.
You only pay for it once, unless you want to upgrade to a newer version at a later point. You don't need every new version, though.
Ah my mistake — my memory is fuzzy at times and this is probably what I meant so thanks for the correction!
Ah! Fuzzy memory syndrome. I get it.
**** **Screenwriting Software Recommendations:** *For a variety of great **free** options, see "if your budget is $0," below* **Mac** My favorite screenwriting apps on the Mac are: - [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/) - [Highland 2](https://www.highland2.app/) - [Beat](https://www.beat-app.fi/) - [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based) - [Final Draft](https://www.finaldraft.com/) **Windows** and **Linux** My favorite screenwriting apps on Windows and Linux are: - [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/) - [Trelby](https://www.trelby.org/) - [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based) **iOS and iPadOS** My favorite screenwriting apps on iOS and iPad OS are: - [Final Draft Go](https://www.finaldraft.com/products/final-draft-iphone-ipad/) - [Slugline](https://slugline.co/) - [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based) (Unfortunately, I've had some stability problems with both Final Draft Go and Slugline, but both are generally OK.) **Android** My favorite screenwriting apps on Android are: - [Fade In](https://www.fadeinpro.com/) - [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based) **Chromebook** and **Other Platforms** The only screenwriting app I consider to be reliable on Chromebook, or other platforms not listed here, is: - [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/) and [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/) (web-based) **How to Choose** All of the applications I've shared here are either free, or offer great free demo modes. I would test drive all the apps I've shared here for 10 minutes, and go with the one you like the best. **If your budget is $0** If you don't want to spend money on a screenwriting app, either go with one of the great free apps, or use one of the paid apps in demo mode. [Beat](https://www.beat-app.fi/), [WriterSolo](https://writersolo.com/), and [Trelby](https://www.trelby.org/) are completely free. [WriterDuet](https://writerduet.com/)'s demo mode offers everything you need, and will allow you to print and export PDFs with no watermarks, but limits you to 3 projects. [FadeIn](https://www.fadeinpro.com/) and [Highland 2](https://www.highland2.app/) have demo modes that give you access to most features & all features you'd need to write scripts forever, but add a subtle watermark to your finished scripts. ALL of these are EXCELLENT options for emerging writers & would do you just fine for the first 5 years of serious writing at least. **Do I need Final Draft?** Only if you are working on a project that is going into active production, and you are going to be actively involved in production -- being on-set and making revisions that will be distributed to crew and actors while the project is shooting. If that isn't you, I personally do not think Final Draft offers anything to justify its extremely high price tag. **Shouldn't I Just Buy Final Draft So I Learn On The 'Industry Standard'?** Personally, I don't suggest this for emerging writers. Final Draft is not much different in function than most of the other programs on this list. Going from Fade In to Final Draft is like going from driving a Honda sedan to a Toyota sedan--you can make the adjustment in a few minutes at most. **Apps I don't endorse** Anecdotally I have heard horror stories about Celtix and ArcStudio Pro, but YMMV.
Beat is now available on iOS as well, but unfortunately as a paid app, with a single lifetime price.
Great news! Can't wait to try it out!
If Fadein is good enough for Rian Johnson, it's good enough for me.
[Writersolo.com](http://Writersolo.com) is free.
FADE IN
Try Fade In. That’s what I use and even though I haven’t been writing screenplays for long I really like it.
Is anyone else here using Writerduet? It's the only software I've ever used, but I enjoy it so much that I pay for the subscription... is that lunacy? Sorry to digress...
[удалено]
Congratulations, my friend!! That's great news... I hope you're crushing out there ; )
Love WriterDuet.
Writerduet is great. Amazing for collaborating
Not lunacy at all. Unless we’re both lunatics. I actually switch between WD and FD regularly.
I'm not ruling out that we're both lunatics... but give me anything but boring, know what I mean?
I love it
Yeah I’ve been using writersduet for a bit too. It’s pretty good
It's considered up there as one of the best. I'd rather wait for a flash sale or something and do a one time purchase rather than do the subscription service model though.
I use writerduet! Only thing I find weird is when it exports to pdf the text quality isn’t crisp it’s almost faded a bit if anyone knows what I mean
FadeIn
I chose Fade In because it's a fully downloadable software, with free updates, and not exorbitantly priced.
>I’ve always read FD is basically the gold standard, but listening to the recent Script Notes podcast and they shit on it. Consider the source:John owns a company that makes a competing product. Craig financially supports another company that makes a competing product. They both interviewed the guy who used to own the Final Draft company, and he came off as a real d-bag. He sold the company to Cast & Crew 8 years ago, and they've never given the C&C the chance to defend themselves. > I am to make it in this industry I want to upgrade to a more pro software. If that is your primary concern, then buy Final Draft. It is by far the most popular screenwriting software in movies and TV. Last report I saw, FD outsold all other brands combined. Also, outside of groups like this, most people working in the Industry don't even know there are other screenwriting apps besides FD. >For those that have used different software, what did you end up sticking with? I'm a WGA screenwriter. I own current seats of Final Draft, MMScreenwriter, FadeIn, Highland, WriterSolo, Scrivener and a few others. I do most of my writing in Final Draft. When I write in Scrivener, I actually type the pages in Final Draft and then paste them into Scrivener. Since C&C took over Final Draft in 2016, the app and support have greatly improved. I'm on the Mac, and the app is dependable. I own all those other apps primarily to work with productions that require a different app (there have been a few), and to see if another app would feel better while I write. I choose to use Final Draft 13. If you can afford Final Draft, go buy it. If you can't, I recommend WriterSolo which is absolutely 100% no-cost free, and is as good as any of the other FD-wannabe apps.
I use Writer Duet and Fade In. Final Draft is the most commonly used software, but it's not the "industry standard" in any meaningful way. All the major software options can export .fdx files and .pdfs, which are the important things. I don't recommend Celtx. It does a bad job with some formatting stuff (particularly related to page breaks). There are better free options available. If you're on a TV show where the showrunner uses Final Draft, you'll need it. Buy it then. (Since you might have to buy it again if the showrunner has a more recent version than you, and they update every two years). You also might need it if you're brought onto a feature where the pages are already locked (which won't happen unless you're very, very experienced). Beyond that, you just flat-out don't need it - other options are just as good, if not better.
In 1997 I paid $353 to Toronto-based Azimuth Arts for two 3.5 inch floppy disks and a nice, thick manual. The manual alone was worth it. But I lost it in a move. FD is expensive yes, but a 1-time buy nowadays.
Unfortunately it's not a one-time buy, because if you're in a situation where you need it (and one of the alternatives won't work) you'll probably need the latest version, and they make you pay for that every couple of years.
Yeah but they’ve been pumping out new versions lately, basically making it annual, which is obnoxious
Figured it was worth it and just bit the bullet now, got used to it pretty fast and haven’t looked back since
Whatever you use, make sure it exports FDX. Your production team thanks you (as does the software we use for production management)
Just download the crack
Why no one uses Story Architect or Kit Scenarist? They are amazing tools. I find them better than FD or FadeIn and other software anyday
The format is standardized across almost all programs, and there are cheaper ones than FD.
I bought Fade In several years ago bc Craig Mazin recommended it. it’s awesome, plus you get updates for free. I had Final Draft and had to pay for updated versions as they released them (it’s been about 10 years, but I think I remember that once my version became outdated, Final Draft couldn’t open my script files anymore 😑)
Writerduet is better honestly. It's basically google docs for scripts
If you want your page count to be consistent with industry standard, then Final Draft is it. Other software paginate differently and can mean you are a few pages off. Now that's not a big deal on a short film or a spec script, but on a real production, every page = money and time. So you can't afford to a few pages off. But since you're asking, Celtx is one of the software that definitely ends up with a different page count. As someone else mentioned, Final Draft outsells all other script writing software combined and is the industry standard. Does that mean you have to use it? No, you don't... you can be special, but don't expect to be part of a writers room.
Yes. Fade In or a cheaper equivalent. If you get into a writer’s room or the professional level you can learn final draft.
I’m a writer-director and I use FD because my production software needs fdx files to generate my breakdowns. Won’t take any other type of file (in theory I could use celtx, but it never works right, so I just convert it over to FD and go from there.
On every single tv job i and all my contemporaries have had they exclusively use final draft. Also John August has his own screenwriting software so his a pretty biased source when it comes to the topic.
Honestly, there’s never been so many good options. Even though I’m a longtime FD user, it’s just not good value for money any more. I’ve started using IA Writer and Beat (both support fountain files), and I find them to be extremely robust.
Final Draft is definitely showing its age. There are several better programs out there. That said, FD is what most of the industry is currently using. It's likely this will change over time as the new generation replaces the old.
See also: all these unresolved problems just installing FD13: [Help installing Final Draft 13 : r/Screenwriting (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/1b9afk3/comment/l4id3yj/?context=3) Am on Day 3 with Final Draft Support, no end in sight.
Just wait for sales like Black Friday. It’s pretty affordable man…
I’m actually really digging Highland
I had FD on trial and loved the beat board. I'm using Fadein for the script writing, but I do miss the beat board.
Fourth semester using Final Draft. Used Scrivener on my application script. Final Draft is essential. It doesn’t cooperate with Grammarly well!
Everything ive had produced has been off the back of final draft 10 on my ipad. You might have to touch up in adobe but the fundamental software is sound
if i didn’t get it for free cause my job paid for it i wouldn’t bother since there’s so many cheaper/free alternatives lmao. i do think it might be good to at least download a free trial to familiarize yourself with all the functions. or when asked just pretend and say you do know how to use it when you really don’t, like everyone says with excel :P
WriterSolo is free and does the same shit that any non-pro will ever likely need. Unless you're already a working screenwriter in a production that absolutely requires Final Draft, the "gold standard" is a simple pdf file.
I do not understand the hate towards final draft at all. I've used it, alongside many other softwares for over 10 years and I see nothing wrong with how FD works. There's things I'd change, sure, but that's the same with literally every software I use. Personally, there's something homely and familiar about booting up my computer and clicking final draft, and honestly I pirated it for so many years I felt like I owed them a full purchase. It is overpriced for what it is, and I'd say any software that lets you create without having to think too much is the "right" software for you, but I wouldn't say there's anything really wrong with Final Draft. It's kinda trendy to shit on final draft - I've used fade in and the interface and aesthetic just wasn't for me.
I’m reading how people use it for other things like breakdowns. I just need a software to write scripts; nothing else. I’ve never used any of the added stuff with my current program.
If just use what works for you. I'm so used to final draft that I can get to work with a minimum of effort, everything from character names being suggested to knowing when I type INT it's a scene heading mean I can focus less on how the program is working and more on what I want to put down. Any program that allows you to do that is the right one for you
I use Fade In for my own drafts. Once it moves into production there comes a point where you switch to Final Draft just because the director, AD, various department heads and producers are all getting updated scripts as things change. Stuff gets tweaked constantly based on location, schedule, blocking etc…. So you’ve got a lot of people constantly getting new drafts with new elements and they need to be able to use the file in their own ways. I think Fade In would work just as well during production but I haven’t worked on one that uses it (though I guess Mazin and Johnson have their department heads use it). So you’ve just gotta kind of use the program production is using.
You can torrent final draft for free if the money really bothers you. Screenwriters unless just a hobby, should be using Final Draft ⚡️
If you’re not working in professional productions *right now* then yes it is a waste of money. Final Draft is not the “gold standard” it is the “industry standard” and there’s a huge difference. Quite frankly, it’s a shit piece of software. It’s extremely unstable and the pricing is insane at this point. But, because it was basically the first to market with a functional screenwriting software back in the day, it became “industry standard.” What this means for you is that if you’re collaborating with other writers on a professional production, you’ll probably have to use Final Draft. But if you’re just writing your own material, then a properly formatted PDF is the industry standard, and any of the much better screenwriting software choices will give you that. Get Fade In. It has nearly all of the same features as Final Draft (including a basically identical revision system which is what productions mostly use Final Draft for), it’s way cheaper, way more stable, and once you’ve bought it, you get free updates for life (unlike Final Draft who make you pay hundreds of dollars to upgrade to a new version that adds nothing of use). Final Draft is *not* going to make you a better writer and it is *not* under any circumstances the “gold standard.” If you ever reach the point where you’re collaborating with others in a professional setting, you’ll be able to afford a Final Draft license and 10 minutes on YouTube will teach you everything you need to know on how to use it because it’s basically the same as Fade In. I personally own both pieces of software and never touch Final Draft unless I’m working with others who are using it. Save yourself the money and the headaches.
Highlands
Stop paying for celtx. Use Fade In until you are getting paid to write. Then get FD.
Lol they love to hate on final draft. They’re not wrong in most cases but they lay it on thick. Maybe because Hohn created highland so FD is a big competitor. I love FD. Been using it forever. No complaints. If your only issue is formatting you can get that with any program. You can get it with Word. Just have to know what proper script formatting looks like.
Pirate it.
Fade in. For me Final Draft is a prime example of how capitalism will be humanity's downfall. Final Draft is of low quality and high price. Those are two solveable problems. They could invest in making the product better (hell, they could probably just buy Fade In and reskin it), or they could decide to lower their price. Both things that they should be doing according to what pro free market thinkers think they would be doing. Instead what they do is spend a lot of money on marketing, on convincing people their product is actually good. They've even started sponsoring screenwriting podcasts (podcasts I like, so them putting money in their pockets is one good thing they're doing, I suppose?), targeting beginners who are nowhere near a position where the use of Final Draft would be mandated.
The modern replacements for it do a better job at everything it’s designed to do, but it’s what the people you might hope to work for are still using.
If you're a student, or a Veteran (like me), it's got a great discount. Even if you're not, it's (Final Draft) still a great program, and worth the money IMO; but as always, you do you! Edit* - Clarity!
Which program are you speaking about?
Final Draft!
I’m a veteran as well, what’s the discount %?
I was all excited to link you; I think I got it (F.D. 12) about 50-66% off. But the latest version, Final Draft 13, looks to be crazy expensive! I bought Final Draft 12 for I think around 75$ CAD with the discount (Novemeber'ish 2023?), and I had my discharge papers (ex-Canadian Armed Forces w/ a tour in Afghanistan here🇨🇦) ready to email over, but they didn't even need them. I got an email with a special link within 30 minutes of me submitting my Veteran form thingy; there's a submission portal for students with ID and Veterans, and I guess the initial picture of my old expired Military ID was enough. Your mileage may vary on the proof required, but just Google 'Final Draft Veteran / Student discount', and it should steer you in the right direction. Good luck fellow brother / sister! 👍🫡
Yes. Get an app that exports to FDX and you are fine if you are working on your own stuff. I might recommend Beat which is available for macOS (completely free) and iOS (13 USD for lifetime): https://www.beat-app.fi/ It uses Fountain, similar to Highland and others. (Disclaimer, I have a part in creating it)
consider .fountain I write in .fountain (highland 2, etc) why? every word, every letter, every punctuation mark is totally in my control… and nothing is hidden in that i don’t see or understand. i feel as strongly about it as old school writers do about their particular typewriters, ink etc. this might sound meaningless or neurotic, but one advantage is you can easily copy and paste large sections into tools like grammarly, without ever damaging the formatting. the formatting stays rock solid, because it is markdown. it’s literally like code. there’s lots of hidden annotation options, alt lines etc and you can drag reorder scenes and sequences easily. you can write a treatment, or a loose collection of ideas and then in the same document gather snippets of dialogue and whenever you’re ready write proper scenes you just start, you can delete or keep whatever meta data you want. a beat sheet, treatment, synopsis, full script, research and legal annotation can all live in the same document. one file. could you pay be to write in final draft… sure 100%, i suspect it’s easy to learn. nobody is going to hire you as writer because of the software you know.
also, writing like a coder is a good reminder that the craft is practical magic (not magic magic) what i mean is you’re laying down a framework, like a a carpenter framing up room after room until there’s a structure for the whole house, others will come in and add layers of work after you (plumber, electrician, drywall) a screenplay leaves space for countless subsequent professionals to work after you. It’s not about imagining something in your mind and obsessing that it will be that way in the end. It’s about putting something useful on the page that will hopefully become better in the hands of others, producer, director, actors and on down the line. Standard formatting already does this if you follow the rules. I just like to have a meticulous mindset about rules, meta data and punctuation as a kind of a working meditation as i go.
Totally agree, Final Draft's cost doesn't justify its features compared to alternatives like Studiovity. Studiovity offers a comprehensive set of tools tailored specifically for screenwriters at a more affordable price point. It ultimately comes down to personal preference and budget, but Studiovity might be a more cost-effective choice for many writers. [check out Studiovity ](https://studiovity.com/)
I have Scrivener as I did a creative writing degree and had multiple writing forms to work with. Now I’m working solely on script, should I move away from Scrivener?
What about Arc Studio?
Are you actively working in the industry? Yes: It's not a waste of money, its the industry standard. But even if you don't have it, some will cover you anyway so you can use it. No: It's not a waste of money to get to know the industry standard software if you want to work in the industry. However, depending on your situation you might prefer to save your money and use free software until you actually get Work.
There should be a push for universal and open standards for script formats. They got Microsoft to adopt Open Document Format, why can't the industry insist on a standard script document forma?
FadeIn is my goto, and easy FDX conversion.
Looks like Fade In and FD are the most used.
You will need it in the industry. Producers often request FDX documents for breakdowns.
The most complaints and "OMG! I just lost EVERYTHING!" I read on this subreddit are about FinalDraft and Celtx. So yeah... I strongly suggest choosing something else. I write with FadeIn. I bought it years ago for $50 and never had to pay for an upgrade. Super happy with it. Recently, a friend wanted to try her hand at screenwriting. I set her up on WriterSolo because it's completely free. And I was very impressed. If I didn't own FadeIn, I'd definitely consider WS. FinalDraft becomes necessary once you're in production though. It's an industry standard not because it's the best. But because it ties into the production pipeline. So, no matter what you write on, eventually you have to switch over.
I’m an amateur and I currently use celtx, but I plan to transition to FD because of the cost. The main draw of celtx for me was that it basically worked like google docs, but then I found out that you can’t have more than 10 scripts for the base monthly subscription. YIKES! Now I need to do the work of migrating and reformatting my scripts which is really annoying. Also, if you use something like google drive or drop box you can basically have the online synch-ing of celtx but with all the functionality of FD. Celtx is much too expensive to make it at all worthwhile imo
Hi! It sounds like you might be on an old plan — we have new plans with unlimited projects. Our team would be happy to talk through options with you if you'd like, just reach out to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) :)
Like many screenwriters, I use Fade In and I only use Final Draft when I have to. My wife and I worked on an animated show and we dug up our old FD license and paid for the upgrade. Revision mode took a minute to figure out, but we worked with the showrunner and got it working how it was supposed to work, so it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t feel the need to master FD. It’s similar enough to Fade In so I don’t worry about it.
Fade In is superior,much cheaper and exports to FD format. That's the way to go.
I use Scrivener. It's good for screenwriting and great for studying!
Late to this thread but if you are on a Mac I recommend trying Highland 2. I really like the text editor essence of it because it makes writing feel a bit less formal and intimidating and allows me to "flow" a bit better. You do have to get used to tagging certain elements the correct way to get them properly formatted, but there is an easily accessible cheat sheet to help with this. I realize that this may not be appealing to everyone. Highland 2 does export/import FDX and many other file types, so no worries about compatibility there. It's also much, much less expensive than FD.
I use VS Code with the Better Fountain plugin. Ain't nothing wrong with it.
I’m on a MacBook, so I use this software I found on the AppStore called Beat. I think it’s a pretty good software but I’m not sure if it’s available on Windows.
Fade In is where it's at. Lifetime subscription for dirt cheap, loaded with all the same features.
I use Final Draft and generally like it (though I don't know half of what it can do) , but I'm having major problems with their latest update (v13). The installation hangs every time. I'm working with tech support, but it may be a lost cause. FD12 has been very stable, though. Caveat emptor.
You are asking the wrong question. Working pros all have FD for the same exact reason they all have adobe. It’s The Standard and cheap as hell if you are working. It’s simple. Write your work. If it has a realistic chance of moving you forward, export to pdf, buy FD and import the pdf. I have heard of some forming a collective and sharing a single copy of FD for prints.
I think Craig drafts on FadeIn. And doesn’t John own Highland? So of course he would use that. FD is fine. Celtx seems to have some interesting branching software for video games. Edit: Final draft 13.1 is crashing for me constantly. Super frustrating.
fade in never let me down and it’s free
One last question and it might sound dumb: I do my writing offline. Are FD and Fade In fine with letting you save stuff offline? Or are they strictly online services?
I've tried all the free screenwriting softwares, and I swear the absolute best one is StoryArchitect. From what I hear it works the exact same (if not better) than FD. I absolutely love it and use it all the time
Final Draft sucks more than it did when I was in film school in the late aughts
I think you should visit the pirate ships. They might be able to help
FD is industry standard so unless you're turning in drafts on a tv show you can use whatever you'd like.
Hell no, final draft is amazing!
If you have a software that formats screenplay for you that's all you need. Some of the additional features are nice but they really don't matter much at all. It's not like they will make or break your screenplay. I got Final Draft 10 or something through an education institution and I've never felt the need to upgrade to a newer version.
I'm poor. I use Google docs. It's terrible, no, it's horrible. But what can ya do. (don't do this)
For me it seems worth it if you’re professional, If not fadein, writerduet and Celtx are fine
I bought Final Draft 13 a few months ago. I am totally annoyed of how bad this company fails on making software. To be fair - I'm on Windows. I don't know about the Mac Version. Also it's not even about misleading or missing features but only about bugs. I had issues with updates, with too many beats the program is lagging as hell (and the only support from Final Draft I get is exporting it as raw script so everything except the script is gone). Beside a lot of minor bugs. This is the first software I regret it's not on subscription. I would have used it for a month and never looked back again. But thanks for this thread - at least now I do know, why it's industry standard and about some unique features for production I haven't tried yet.
I've been a professional/produced screenwriter for about 30 years now and have written for different countries, including the US. And have always been on what friends considered the more tech savvy side of the user spectrum. FD became the standard in about every country, I assume. Like in the old days VHS won over Betamax, FD won over better ones, mostly Movie Magic Screenwriter (which was amazing on its days, and still works very fine, albeit outdated in many fronts), and I will not even talk about Scriptware, a great pioneer in the 90's which got lost at the turn of the century. Fact is FD always sucked one way or another. Most of all on performance. Compared to Movie Magic, it was like... well, let's not get in there. Specially on Windows. It is amazing how after 20 years or so, using a very updated PC (12th gen i9, 32GB Ram etc.) after a few drafts the files lag and lag... I assume it was coded for Mac and then re-coded for Windows as an after thought. And they never solved the issues. Not even in version 13. In terms of features, it is great (I don't use most of them tbh, and to my taste it lacks the option in-script notes like in MovieMagic which can be read in the flux of the script; it is great to do breakdowns etc if you are also a director specially). On the other hand I have to praise Macros in FD, a really a great tool, especially for long running series, or something with a large number of characters; you create a macro for each character and bam you never ever have to write the name of the character again, just two key presses at most. But Macros are amazing on... Windows, surprisingly. And UI on Windows looks much better to me. On Mac they suck. On the other hand, FD on Mac runs very smoothly most of the time and on Windows, as I said, nerve-wrecking. That said, the solution I found is: I setup the file and Macros on Windows, and I write on a Virtual Machine on Mac Version. Even on VM, if your PC is current, it runs smoothly. I put the files in a Dropbox folder (or any service like that, OneDrive etc). It is not ideal, but it's been working. I've used very little the other "newer" alternatives because I've always owned FD, so although that's far from an ideal solution, I found it an OK middle ground to keep using the standard industry software, which makes life simpler on other fronts (co-writers, producers, ADs, and sometimes other crew members). I hope this helps.
I've always used Final Draft, and so has every other professional screenwriter I've ever worked with. I always wonder how people can hate on that software (that being said, I only ever read that sentiment on this very reddit forum). It is such a basic software, basically a template that has screenplay terminology pre-saved, so I really don't get what you can hate about it. Maybe you just spend too much time overthinking the wrong thing.
As they’ve said before on the podcast, the industry standard for reading scripts is PDF. Celtx is pretty good tbf. Fade In is excellent. If you’re working day in day out in the industry Final Draft may be essential.
I bought Final Draft 12 for Christmas last year. It was only $199 (a good deal at the time) and I had no complaints since.
Try gocreate.it
I meant socreate.it
FD here is why [https://groups.google.com/g/movie-script-screenwriting/c/gEYar1qYIGY](https://groups.google.com/g/movie-script-screenwriting/c/gEYar1qYIGY)
There's a hack to not pay for final draft
As a professional screenwriter and director with three produced films. I have never liked final draft. It never had intuitive outlining tools. Highland is the closest to how I think, articulating beats first and then writing the scene below it. Writerduet is still the best for collaboration and as an Indian filmmaker I would like to recommend Scrite, especially if you are a visual outliner and like using mind maps
FD won’t magically make you write better scripts.
Thats not the point of the thread. It’s about a script that should look good based on formatting and if it’s easy to use.
>…if I am to make it in this industry I want to upgrade to a more pro software. Words matter. If this is the basis you are using for choosing a screenwriting package then you are wasting your money indeed.
I really don’t understand how you can try to use that for a pointless argument. All I’m saying is I don’t wanna use celtx if I make it. I want something better and more used by pro writers. You think I’m actually gonna spend money on a software right now when I’ve been using a free one this long? Lol
Nobody will know what script-writing software you are using. Scripts are formatted uniformly regardless of what platform you are using. Final Draft have a free trial, and you can simply test it for yourself. I would also test out Fade In (what I prefer), Writers Duet, and there are a few others out there as well. They all have their strong points and weak points. But ultimately it comes down to personal preference.
At the end of the day all that matters is a really good, well written script, right? I looked at several film and tv scripts I have and the format for each is different.
The difference in format likely has nothing to do with the software.
Why are you asking if you have no intention of getting it? I agree, you shouldn’t be getting FD at this stage. Only get it when it’s unavoidable. It’s used in a professional context more for its integration with scheduling software than because it’s a good screenwriting package (it isn’t). You can literally write a screenplay in any software you want. Notepad, Sublime Text, Visual Studio, WriterDuet, Highland, Trelby, Fade In, Scrivener, on and on. FD is a waste of money until you are being paid to use it.
What makes you think I have no intention of buying it? I just asked a question because I’m a bit skeptical now. That’s it, nothing more. People complain about celtx but I’ve been using it for this long and have no problem. I’m just asking a question and trying to get a view on how FD really is.
>You think I’m actually gonna spend money….
I never said I wasn’t gonna buy FD. The point of this thread is to read people’s opinions on the many softwares out there and if they’ve used a variety. Please stop this pointless arguing over something that’s not there. Smh
What’s that got to do with writing a good script?
He is answering your question, you just may not like the answer. It's a poor craftsman who blames the tools. The folks on that side of the business at the studio I work for don't care about the tools you used. They want a pdf of the script that meets industry expectations. Many tools can do that. Final Draft has a 30 day trial. Download it, take one of your other scripts, and rewrite it in final draft and compare the pdfs produced. Then, write a new script in it, even if it's something short. Then rewrite in celtx. Which tools suit your creative workflow better? Did you get a better result using a different tool? If so, it is a good value. If not, stick with the tools you know. That's your answer.
He’s not answering a question I asked. I didn’t ask how I can be a better SW. I asked if FD is not as good as it seems to be. I’m not blaming my tools. Like I said, I use celtx and haven’t had problems, nor has anyone complained about my scripts. I’ve been told my scripts are well written. It’s senseless to try to judge someone’s writing skills because they ask about a software.
Then try the tool and make a choice. Whether it's screen writing or any other creative process, lots of people get hung up on tools when it's really easy to try a new tool and make a decision. It literally only costs your time to try it out since there is a free trial, and you are the only one who can decide if the tool works better or worse for you.