Comparison

Screenplay vs Scenarist

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

About

Scenarist

This app provides professional screenwriting tools with smart auto-formatting and on-device speech recognition. It offers unlimited script creation and export options, with an optional Pro upgrade for advanced features like revision tracking and production reports.

Highlights
  • Smart auto-formatting
  • On-device speech recognition
  • Unlimited script creation
  • PDF and Fountain export
  • iCloud sync
  • Revision tracking (Pro)
  • Script statistics (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Scenarist is the screenwriting app built for writers who take their craft seriously. Whether you're drafting your first short film or polishing a feature-length screenplay, Scenarist gives you industry-standard tools in a beautiful, distraction-free interface. WRITE WITH CONFIDENCE Smart formatting automatically applies proper screenplay structure as you type. Scene headings, action, dialogue, parentheticals, transitions — everything lands in the right place without manual formatting. Just write, and Scenarist handles the rest. BUILT FOR FULL-LENGTH SCRIPTS Scenarist stays responsive as your script grows. A hundred-page feature keeps up with your typing, scrolls smoothly, and jumps between scenes instantly. DICTATE YOUR SCRIPT (PRO) Speak your screenplay and watch it format itself. Say "new scene," "character John," or "cut to" and Scenarist builds properly typed elements as you talk — entirely on-device, no account, no cloud. Voice commands recognize English only. FREE FEATURES — NO LIMITS Unlimited scripts with full editor access Smart auto-formatting for all screenplay elements Auto-complete for scene headings and characters Dual dialogue Scene numbering and page breaks PDF and Fountain export iCloud sync across all your devices Find & replace Focus mode for distraction-free writing Notes and bookmarks on any element Dark mode support Keyboard shortcuts for iPad Recently Deleted — restore any script within 30 days Full interface in English, Italian and German SCENARIST PRO — UNLOCK EVERYTHING Upgrade to Pro for the complete professional toolkit: Final Draft (.fdx) export for production workflows Voice to Script — hands-free dictation with spoken formatting commands Teleprompter — full-screen auto-scrolling reader for filming and table reads Revision tracking with industry-standard color coding Script statistics and pacing analysis Character dialogue reports Read aloud — hear your script element by element Script validation for formatting issues Title page editor with contact info Index cards for visual story structure Print-ready script preview Color-coded markers for review FOR CONTENT CREATORS Scenarist isn't only for features. Switch to YouTube or short-form mode and you get element types built for video: hooks, B-roll notes, on-screen text, ad placements, sponsor reads, and timestamps. Pair it with the Pro teleprompter and you can write a script and shoot from it on the same phone. PRO PRICING Choose what fits: a monthly plan, an annual plan that saves you over 60%, or a one-time Lifetime unlock with no subscription at all. Monthly and annual plans start with a 7-day free trial. Prices shown in your local currency below. YOUR SCRIPTS, YOUR DEVICE All scripts are stored on your device and optionally synced through your personal iCloud account. We never see your work. No account required. No data collection. No ads. EXPORT ANYWHERE Share your screenplay in industry-standard formats: PDF — perfectly formatted, ready to print or submit Final Draft (.fdx) — the production standard (Pro) Fountain (.fountain) — plain-text screenplay format Built by a filmmaker, for filmmakers. Terms of use https://scenaristapp.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Screenplay4 screens
Scenarist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Scenarist at every 4 days against Screenplay's every 2 months. Scenarist also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 56%). Screenplay's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 4). On price, rating, 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. Screenplay sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Scenarist sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Screenplay against 4.0 for Scenarist. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Screenplay has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Screenplay's written reviews are positive against 75% of Scenarist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Screenplay ships an update every 2 months, Scenarist every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Screenplay versus Scenarist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreenplayScenarist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (25 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews56.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size469 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBlack Mana Studios Group LLCMykola Viunyk

Customer experience

Screenplay

All ratings25 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative24.0%

Scenarist

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Screenplay

Subscriptions6
  • Standard Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • AI Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
  • AI Plus Monthly Subscription$24.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Standard Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
  • AI Annual Subscription$129.991 Year
  • AI Plus Annual Subscription$249.991 Year
3 purchases

Scenarist

Subscriptions2
  • Name: Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Annual$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Scenarist Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Screenplay free?
Screenplay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Scenarist free?
Scenarist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Screenplay or Scenarist?
Screenplay and Scenarist are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 25 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Screenplay or Scenarist have ads?
Neither Screenplay nor Scenarist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Screenplay or Scenarist?
Screenplay ships an update every 2 months, and Scenarist every 4 days. Most recently, Screenplay was updated on October 15, 2026 and Scenarist on October 6, 2026.

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