Comparison

Storyist 4 vs Arc Studio Screenwriting

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Storyist 4

This app provides a robust writing environment for authors and screenwriters. It allows for detailed story outlining, manuscript creation with rich text editing, and seamless revision on any device. Organize all your writing projects in one place for easy access and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Rich text editor with comments and images
  • Index card outlining and story sheets
  • Manuscript and screenplay formatting
  • Cloud storage and collaboration support
  • Import/export text and images
  • Support for various file formats
Read full description

Storyist is a powerful writing environment that lets you create, review, and revise your work wherever inspiration strikes. “If I could have only one screenwriting app on my iPad, Storyist would be it.” – Taz Goldstein, Hand Held Hollywood. “I'm currently traveling in Europe and am just now putting the finishing touches on the book that will be published in September. I'm using the Storyist app for my iPad Mini and it's sensational... a real godsend.” – Michael Brandman, Bestselling Author. With Storyist, you can: • Produce submission-ready manuscripts and screenplays. Storyist provides a rich text editor with support for comments, images, headers, footers, and style sheets so you can create properly formatted manuscripts and screenplays. And Storyist comes with manuscript and screenplay templates so you can focus on the writing, not the formatting. • Work with your story at a high level. Storyist lets you sketch out a story using index cards and then refine it with customizable plot, character, and setting sheets. When you're ready to put words on the page, Storyist can even display your index cards next to your manuscript as you write. • Review and revise on the go. Have a few minutes? Open Storyist and jot down a note, rewrite a few paragraphs, or annotate your manuscript with ideas for future changes. • Keep all your writing organized and accessible. Storyist organizes your novel manuscripts, screenplays, notes, and other project-related writing so you can access them with just a few taps. And the Files app support lets you store your projects where you want and edit them in place. Features at a Glance • Rich text editor with support for fonts, colors, comments, images, headers, footers, and style sheets. • Files interface with the ability to collaborate with other writers, browse version history, and sync with your favorite cloud storage service. • Automatic manuscript and screenplay formatting with familiar tab and return key shortcuts. • Color-coded index cards. • Customizable story sheets. • Easy import and export of text and images. • Support for Storyist for Mac, RTF, Plain Text, Fountain, and Final Draft FDX files. • Ability to export text files as PDF. • Wireless printing with AirPrint. • Courier Prime font for screenplays. Try Storyist 4 for free for 14 days. After the trial period ends, you can purchase Storyist 4 to continue using the editing features or use the app in reader mode for free. Upgrade pricing is available for customers who purchased Storyist 3 for iOS. No subscription required.

About

Arc Studio Screenwriting

This app streamlines the entire screenwriting process, from initial idea generation to a polished script. It offers automatic professional formatting, advanced outlining tools, and real-time collaborative writing features. Worry-free editing with version history ensures your work is always safe.

Highlights
  • Automatic industry-standard formatting
  • Advanced beat-board for story visualization
  • Real-time collaborative writing
  • Intuitive outlining and story structure tools
  • Version history and worry-free editing
  • Import/export Final Draft, PDF, Fountain
Features
Read full description

Arc Studio Pro supports your screenwriting process from idea to finished script: * Format your script according to professional industry standards without even thinking about it * Write with flow, thanks to distraction-free, thoughtful design * From idea to story: Outline and visualize your story-structure with the most advanced beat-board available * Collaborate: Write with others in real-time, receive feedback and margin notes directly in your script PROFESSIONAL FORMATTING Arc Studio Pro automatically formats your screenplay to industry standards, even if you don’t know what they are. It’s super-easy to use for beginners and fully-customizable for pros. * Fully automatic, industry standard page layout and text formatting * Import and export Final Draft, PDF, and Fountain * Use intuitive shortcuts to format your text perfectly and effortlessly * The most advanced autocompletion on the market: Character names and sluglines automatically completed for you, for faster typing and consistent naming. * Elements are chosen for you based on what's most likely, and can be configured. KEEP IT FLOWING Stay focused thanks to state of the art design. Write with ease and only think about your story, not the page margins or when you saved the last time. * Intuitive interface * Autosave and automatic backups for worry-free writing * Super-pretty night mode CRAFT YOUR STORY Arc Studio Pro takes you beyond just formatting, and helps you build your story with the most powerful outlining features on the market. * Build your story from basic elements: plots, characters, and locations * Add beats and organize them in acts or sequences * Rearrange your story with intuitive drag & drop * Tag your beats with plots and characters, for intuitive color coding * Highlight certain storylines and characters to see their arcs at a glance TEAM WORK Arc Studio Pro is the screenwriting app that focuses most on collaboration. Screenwriting is often teamwork, so we want to make it as easy as possible for you to work together - that’s why we offer the most sophisticated collaborative writing tools on the market. * Write at the same time in the same document in real-time * Invite collaborators with one click via email * Comment directly on the script * Request reviews and send read-only excerpts WORRY-FREE EDITING Tying to find a certain scene or deleted dialogue? Miss a bit of text? Arc Studio Pro keeps track of all your edits and makes it easy for you and your collaborators to recover previous versions. Never search through piles of papers, different documents or endless emails again. * Search and manage your history with ease * Track your own changes * See who what others changed – who and when * Delete and recover whole scenes thanks to sophisticated history features PAY-AS-YOU-GO Arc Studio on iOS and iPadOS requires an annual Pro subscription. A 7-day free trial is included. PRIVACY AND TERMS Privacy policy: https://www.arcstudiopro.com/privacy Terms and Conditions: https://www.arcstudiopro.com/terms

Screenshots

Storyist 44 screens
Arc Studio Screenwriting4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Storyist 4 at 4.3 against Arc Studio Screenwriting's 3.4. Storyist 4 also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (395 vs 85). Arc Studio Screenwriting's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Storyist 4 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Arc Studio Screenwriting sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $99.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Storyist 4 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 395 and 85 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Storyist 4's written reviews are positive against 39% of Arc Studio Screenwriting's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, Arc Studio Screenwriting every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Storyist 4 versus Arc Studio Screenwriting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStoryist 4Arc Studio Screenwriting
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (395 ratings) — better3.4 (85 ratings)
Positive reviews44.3% of reviews — better39.4% of reviews
Number of ratings395 — better85
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStoryist SoftwareArc Studio Labs, Inc.

Customer experience

Storyist 4

All ratings394 ratings
Positive83.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive44.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative45.7%

Arc Studio Screenwriting

All ratings85 ratings
Positive52.9%
Neutral8.2%
Negative38.8%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive39.4%
Neutral6.1%
Negative54.5%

Bugs and requests

Storyist 4

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Files and projects mysteriously disappear
  • App crashes when opening manuscripts
  • Freezing during typing sessions
  • Auto-capitalization in middle of sentences
  • Spell-check suggestions showing duplicate words
Show 8 more
  • Index cards losing color after updates
  • Styles vanishing when edited on iOS
  • Text disappearing from documents while outline remains
  • Dropbox connection failures and blank file displays
  • Split-screen zoom focusing on wrong area
  • Font selection list not loading
  • Restore Purchases prompt appearing repeatedly
  • Export formatting issues with dark theme

Requested features

11 requests
  • Footnotes and endnotes support
  • Word and Pages format export compatibility
  • Better backup system with cloud storage
  • Folder tree navigation on mobile
  • Non-fiction templates with query tracking
Show 6 more
  • Improved dark mode customization
  • Cursor support for iPad
  • Section-level export functionality
  • German language localization
  • Extended keyboard shortcuts preservation
  • Better page number formatting options

Arc Studio Screenwriting

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Storyist 4

One-time3
  • Free TrialFree
  • Storyist 4 Upgrade$9.99
  • Storyist 4$19.99
1 purchases

Arc Studio Screenwriting

Subscriptions1
  • Pro$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Storyist 4 free?
Storyist 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arc Studio Screenwriting free?
Arc Studio Screenwriting is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Storyist 4 or Arc Studio Screenwriting?
Storyist 4 is rated higher. Storyist 4 averages 4.3 out of 5 from 395 ratings, while Arc Studio Screenwriting averages 3.4 from 85 ratings.
Do Storyist 4 or Arc Studio Screenwriting have ads?
Neither Storyist 4 nor Arc Studio Screenwriting shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Storyist 4 or Arc Studio Screenwriting?
Storyist 4 ships an update every 4 months, and Arc Studio Screenwriting every 3 weeks. Most recently, Storyist 4 was updated on November 2, 2026 and Arc Studio Screenwriting on November 3, 2026.

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