Comparison

EpicDraft vs Manuscript Writer

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

Head to head
About

EpicDraft

Features
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EpicDraft is a screenwriting app for writing, formatting and organizing screenplays. It handles industry-standard Fountain, Final Draft and PDF formats, keeps scenes, characters and locations linked to the script, and works offline. Write anywhere. The same screenplay on your phone, your tablet, your computer, or in any web browser. Start a scene on the bus and finish it at your desk. Formatting that stays out of the way. Industry-standard screenplay formatting, applied as you type. Autocomplete for characters and locations, keyboard shortcuts for every element, and a distraction-free mode for when you want the page and nothing else. A Library beside the script. Your project's wiki: loglines, synopses, treatments, characters, locations, storyboards and scenes in the same place as the screenplay instead of in another app, each one linked to the pages it appears on. Character and location pages grow into full sheets with reference lookbooks, and storyboard panels anchor to the scenes they belong to. Import and export. Open Fountain, Final Draft and PDF files, including scanned PDFs through built-in OCR. Export and print watermark-free PDF and Final Draft files. Coverage, built in. When a draft is ready for notes, EpicDraft Pro lets you share a secure read-only link and collect script coverage: structured, page-by-page feedback from your readers, gathered into one dashboard. Readers open the script in their browser and review it free, without installing anything. Real-time collaboration, per-script roles and team chat keep a whole writers room on the same pages. A full AI toolkit, on your terms. EpicDraft Pro adds a writing assistant for chat, research, loglines and in-place rewrites that knows your whole story, plus image generation for storyboards and concept art. Turn it loose on the whole project for an autonomous coverage report or consistency check. It runs on local models by default, so your pages never leave your machine. Bring your own account with a hosted model provider only if you choose, and give the assistant extra tools by plugging in your own MCP servers. Your files, on your hardware. Screenplays are stored locally by default and are never mined or used to train AI models. Cloud sync is there when you want it and stays switched off until you turn it on, and Pro can keep your own devices in sync peer to peer, with no cloud in between. Free to use. The editor, unlimited screenplays, import and export, 29 interface languages and every platform are free, with no watermarks and no quotas. EpicDraft Pro adds the AI writing assistant and image generation, script coverage reports, device sync, real-time collaboration, team chat, file history with restorable checkpoints, and file encryption.

About

Manuscript Writer

Features
Read full description

Manuscript Writer is a calm, focused home for your novel. WRITE A distraction-free Markdown editor with typewriter scrolling, focus mode, and live word counts. Set a word target and watch your progress grow. OUTLINE Keep chapters, scenes, and research in folders. See your whole book as cards at a glance, with word counts on every note. SYNC Your library syncs privately through your own iCloud. The developer has no server, no analytics, and no way to read your writing. IMPORT Bring an existing desktop writing project into the app with folders and chapter text intact. Export your work anytime for backup or for finishing on your computer. One-time purchase. No subscription, no account, no lock-in.

Screenshots

EpicDraft4 screens
Manuscript Writer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Manuscript Writer at daily against EpicDraft's every 3 weeks. EpicDraft's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. EpicDraft sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per 3 months and Manuscript Writer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EpicDraft ships an update every 3 weeks, Manuscript Writer daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
EpicDraft versus Manuscript Writer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEpicDraftManuscript Writer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better16.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size28 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEpicDraft, Co.่ˆช ่‘›

In-app purchases

3 purchases

EpicDraft

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Quarterly$19.993 Months
  • Pro Annual$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$99.99
1 purchases

Manuscript Writer

One-time1
  • Manuscript Full$9.99

Questions

Is EpicDraft free?
EpicDraft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Manuscript Writer free?
Manuscript Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do EpicDraft or Manuscript Writer have ads?
Neither EpicDraft nor Manuscript Writer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EpicDraft or Manuscript Writer?
EpicDraft ships an update every 3 weeks, and Manuscript Writer daily. Most recently, EpicDraft was updated on November 5, 2026 and Manuscript Writer on November 6, 2026.

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