Screenplay vs Open Draft Screenwriting
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Screenplay
This app offers a streamlined approach to writing screenplays on Apple devices, featuring automatic industry formatting and powerful navigation tools. It supports seamless syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional AI assistance for enhanced writing speed and quality.
- Automatic industry formatting
- Seamless iCloud sync across devices
- Scene and character indexing
- Beat board and index card planning
- Import and export various script formats
- Optional AI writing assistance
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SCREENPLAY – WRITE AND CREATE YOUR SCRIPT ANYWHERE Screenplay has been featured by Apple in the Apps We Love collection on the App Store. Screenplay is the fast, modern way to write screenplays on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Designed for both new writers and working creators, Screenplay gives you automatic industry formatting, powerful navigation tools, and optional AI assistance to help you write better and faster. Whether you’re drafting a short film, pilot, or feature, Screenplay keeps everything simple, clean, and focused on your story. FEATURES • AUTOMATIC FORMATTING that follows real screenplay standards as you type • WRITE ANYWHERE across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with seamless iCloud sync • SCENE INDEX for fast navigation and instant access to any scene • CHARACTER INDEX with appearance attributes and complete dialog view • MINI-MAP VIEW for a full structural overview (iPad and Mac) • BEAT BOARD MANAGER with visual scene images and beat lists • INDEX CARDS for notes, ideas, and planning • SMART IMPORT for FDX, Fountain, TXT, and PDF with automatic PDF conversion • EASY EXPORT to FDX, Fountain, TXT, and PDF AI ASSISTANT (SUBSCRIPTION) • SCRIPT STARTER generates a 1–10 page screenplay draft from a short idea • ELEMENT PROOFING offers optional rewrites for Action and Dialog lines • SCENE PROOFING reviews an entire scene with suggestions you control • AI BEAT BOARDS create a visual collage and beat summary for any scene Perfect for beginners who need guidance and professionals who want a faster scriptwriting workflow. WHY SCREENPLAY A beautifully simple, writer-first screenwriting app designed to reduce clutter and remove friction. Screenplay adapts to your process, not the other way around. SCREENPLAY IS BACK One of the first screenwriting apps on the App Store returns — fully reimagined for today’s writers. Start your screenplay now. SUBSCRIPTIONS SCREENPLAY offers auto-renewal subscription. Please read the following about the auto-renewable nature of subscriptions: • Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews at the end of your current subscription period unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours prior to end of the current period. • You can manage or turn off auto-renewal in your Apple ID Account Settings any time after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Privacy policy - https://www.blackmanastudios.com/screenplay-privacy-policy/ • Terms of use - https://www.blackmanastudios.com/screenplay-terms-and-conditions/
Open Draft Screenwriting
This free, open-source application offers professional screenplay formatting, real-time collaboration, and visual planning tools. It supports multiple export formats and is available across all major operating systems, providing a privacy-first writing experience.
- Professional screenplay formatting
- Real-time collaboration
- Beat boards and index cards
- Version history tracking
- Character profiles and production tools
- Export to PDF, FDX, Fountain, and TXT
- Cross-platform availability
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OpenDraft is a free, open-source screenwriting application — a modern alternative to Final Draft. PROFESSIONAL SCREENPLAY FORMATTING Write in industry-standard format with automatic element formatting for scene headings, action, character names, dialogue, and parentheticals. What you see is what you export. REAL-TIME COLLABORATION Co-write with your writing partner in real time with live cursors, just like Google Docs. No account required — just share a link and start writing together. BEAT BOARDS & INDEX CARDS Plan your story visually. Drag and drop scene cards, color-code acts, and restructure your screenplay without losing a single word. VERSION HISTORY Every save is tracked with Git-based version control. Compare drafts side by side, see exactly what changed, and restore any previous version instantly. CHARACTER PROFILES & PRODUCTION TOOLS Build character bibles, track dialogue stats, tag scenes for production, and manage your entire project from one place. EXPORT ANYWHERE Export to PDF, Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain, and plain text. Your work is never locked into a proprietary format. WORKS EVERYWHERE Available on macOS, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. Run it as a desktop app or self-host in your browser. WHY OPENDRAFT? - 100% free and open source (MIT license) - No subscription, no cloud lock-in - Works fully offline — no internet required - Privacy-first: no tracking, no analytics - Import from Final Draft, Fountain, and PDF
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Open Draft Screenwriting at 5.0 against Screenplay's 4.1. Open Draft Screenwriting also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). Screenplay's advantage is ratings volume (18 vs 1). On price and device support 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
Both are free to download. Screenplay sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Open Draft Screenwriting asks for nothing beyond the download.
Open Draft Screenwriting holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Screenplay has 18 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Screenplay ships an update every 2 months, Open Draft Screenwriting every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on August 3, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Screenplay | Open Draft Screenwriting |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (18 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 61.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Black Mana Studios Group LLC | Base Information Management Pvt. Ltd. |
Customer experience
Screenplay
Open Draft Screenwriting
In-app purchases
Screenplay
- Standard Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- AI Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
- AI Plus Monthly Subscription$24.991 Month
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- Standard Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
- AI Annual Subscription$129.991 Year
- AI Plus Annual Subscription$249.991 Year
Open Draft Screenwriting
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Screenplay free?
Is Open Draft Screenwriting free?
Which has better reviews, Screenplay or Open Draft Screenwriting?
Do Screenplay or Open Draft Screenwriting have ads?
Which is updated more often, Screenplay or Open Draft Screenwriting?
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