Arc Studio Active
The polished modern collaborative screenwriter.
At a glance
- Maker
- Arc Studio
- First release
- —
- Status
- Active — still developed and sold
- Platforms
- Web, Mac, Windows, iOS
- Pricing
- Free plan; Essentials $69/yr, Pro $99/yr
- Native formats
- — cloud projects — exports to industry formats
What it is
Arc Studio is the new-wave contender: a genuinely free core plan, real-time collaboration, and an interface that feels designed this decade. It has topped several independent 2026 roundups.
What people are saying
The good
Praised for a clean, modern interface people repeatedly call nicer to write in than Final Draft, with specific love for the outlining view and beat-level structure tools, and annual pricing that reads as excellent value. Users report the small team responds and improves the product steadily.
The bad
The iOS app is the weak link: copy/paste failures and sync complaints, and some desktop users report crashes in specific views. Cloud sync is occasionally distrusted, and a residual skepticism attaches to its AI-forward positioning among traditional writers.
Paraphrased consensus from user reviews, forums and retrospective coverage across the web.
Where it came from
Appeared around 2019–2020 and has shipped continuously since; positioning is minimalist real-time collaboration against WriterDuet, at a lower price.
Worth knowing
It ships real native Mac and Windows apps alongside the web version, not just a browser wrapper.
Getting scripts in and out
Imports: Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain (.fountain)
Exports: Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain (.fountain), PDF (.pdf)