Script writing software
The apps behind the formats: who makes them, what they save, what they cost, and which ones have died leaving scripts stranded. Every entry links to the formats it uses, so there is always a way out of a file.
Still shipping (26)
- Arc Studio Active
The polished modern collaborative screenwriter.
Saves: cloud projects — exports to industry formats
- Beat Active
The free, fast, Fountain-native Mac screenwriter.
Saves: Fountain (.fountain)
- Celtx Active
Screenwriting plus pre-production, in the browser.
Saves: Celtx (.celtx)
- DramaQueen Active
The German story-development suite with a generous free tier.
Saves: own .dramaqueen format; exports to industry formats
- Dramatify Active
Script-to-broadcast production management from the Nordics.
Saves: cloud production projects — imports Final Draft
- DubScript Active
The long-lived native Android screenwriter, Fountain-first.
Saves: Fountain (.fountain)
- Fade In Active
The professional one-time-purchase alternative to Final Draft.
Saves: Fade In (.fadein)
- Final Draft Active
The industry standard — the app your script gets sent back from.
Saves: Final Draft (.fdx)
The co-writing default — with Fountain shims bolted on.
Saves: cloud docs — exports .docx, .txt, PDF
- Highland Active
The Fountain-native Mac screenwriter from a Fountain creator.
Saves: Highland (.highland)
Where more scripts are actually written than anyone admits.
Saves: Word (.docx)Word 97 (.doc)
- PlotParty Active
AI microdrama and script-to-film tooling.
Saves: cloud projects
- Save the Cat! Active
The beat-sheet methodology, as software.
Saves: own Story Suite projects; exports industry formats
- ScreenWeaver Active
The AI-era screenwriting workspace.
Saves: cloud projects
- Script Studio Active
The outliner that grew into a full editor — by a working screenwriter.
Saves: Script Studio (.ssp)
- Scrite Active
Index-card-first, multilingual screenwriting from India.
Saves: Scrite (.scrite)
- Scrivener Active
The long-form writing workshop with a screenplay mode.
Saves: Scrivener (.scriv)
- Slugline Active
The minimal Fountain editor from the Fountain circle.
Saves: Fountain (.fountain)
- SoCreate Active
The gamified, visual-UI screenwriting experiment.
Saves: cloud projects — Final Draft import/export on paid plans
- Story Architect Active
The ambitious open-source successor to KIT Scenarist.
Saves: Story Architect (.starc)
- Storyist Active
The Mac/iOS novel-and-screenplay hybrid with documented files.
Saves: Storyist (.story)
- StudioBinder Active
Production management that starts at the screenplay.
Saves: cloud production projects — imports .fdx and .fountain
- Trelby Active
The veteran free screenwriter — and the best dead-format importer alive.
Saves: Trelby (.trelby)
- WriterDuet Active
Real-time collaborative screenwriting in the browser.
Saves: cloud projects — export to .fdx, .fountain, PDF and more
- KIT Scenarist Dormant
The beloved free research-heavy screenwriting suite — now frozen.
Saves: KIT Scenarist (.kitsp)
- Movie Magic Screenwriter Dormant
The old guard professional — still sold, barely moving.
Discontinued (7)
Dead software shouldn't mean dead scripts. If an app below saved to a format we support, its scripts can still be rescued — that is the whole point of this site.
- Adobe Story Discontinued
Adobe’s cloud screenwriter — deleted, with everyone’s scripts, in 2019.
Saved: Adobe Story (.astx)
- Hollywood Screenwriter Discontinued
The budget Write Brothers app — dead since 2011, installers still posted.
Saved: own binary format (undocumented)
- Montage Discontinued
The Mac-only contender that outlived its publisher.
Saved: own .montage format (undocumented)
- Page 2 Stage Discontinued
The Windows-era freebie that went open source and then nowhere.
Saved: own format (.p2s commonly cited, unconfirmed)
- ScriptThing Discontinued
Died in name only — it became Movie Magic Screenwriter.
Saved: own binary format (undocumented); exported to word processors
- Scriptware Discontinued
The DOS-era speed demon, gone so quietly nobody noted the year.
Saved: own binary format (undocumented)
- Sophocles Discontinued
The promising indie that vanished mid-beta in 2008.
Saved: Sophocles (.scp)
Choosing?
If you want a straight answer instead of a directory, read the ranking — written by an actor who has been sent scripts in every format on this page.