Comparison

Scenarist vs Screencake

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

Head to head
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. BRING YOUR SCRIPTS FROM FINAL DRAFT Open Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain files from Files, Mail or AirDrop and keep writing on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Scene headings, dialogue, dual dialogue and the title page come in formatted. 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. SMART KEYS (PRO) Keys above the keyboard that follow the line you're writing: INT./EXT., your locations and DAY/NIGHT on a scene heading; your cast, (V.O.) and (CONT'D) on a character line. In YouTube and Short Form scripts: hook openers, B-roll shots and calls to action. 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 • Up to 3 scripts with full editor access • Smart auto-formatting for all screenplay elements • Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain import • Auto-complete for scene headings and characters • Dual dialogue • Scene numbering and page breaks • PDF and Fountain export • Read Aloud with a narrator voice • 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 on iPad and Mac • Recently Deleted — restore any script within 30 days • In English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian SCENARIST PRO — UNLOCK EVERYTHING Upgrade to Pro for the complete professional toolkit: • Unlimited scripts • Smart Keys • Clean PDF export, without the Scenarist credit line • 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 • Table Read — a voice for every character • Revision tracking with industry-standard color coding • Script statistics and pacing analysis • Character dialogue reports • 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

About

Screencake

Features
Read full description

Screencake is a screenwriting app for film and television. Type and it formats itself: scene headings, action, character, dialogue, parentheticals and transitions land on industry-standard pages, in Courier, with the margins a reader expects. Export to PDF, Final Draft (.fdx) or Fountain; import the same. Writing is free and needs no account. Your scripts stay on this device and never leave it unless you say so. Sign in to keep going on your Mac, your PC or in the browser, with every change synced live. Share a draft with a link; collaborators can read, comment or write with you in real time, and a comment on your script arrives as a notification. Beyond the page: a scene navigator and beat board, an outline with story threads, version history with side-by-side comparison, a table read that speaks the script aloud, breakdown tagging, stripboards, day-out-of-days and call sheets when the script goes into production. Requires iOS 17 or later. Screencake is made by Screencake LLC. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Scenarist4 screens
Screencake4 screens

Verdict

The call

Scenarist and Screencake are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Scenarist sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Screencake sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scenarist ships an update every 2 days, Screencake every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Scenarist versus Screencake: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScenaristScreencake
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMykola ViunykScreencake LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Scenarist

Subscriptions2
  • Name: Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Scenarist Pro Lifetime$89.99
3 purchases

Screencake

Subscriptions2
  • Writers Room$39.991 Year
  • Production$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • 1,000 cloud AI credits$9.99

Questions

Is Scenarist free?
Scenarist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Screencake free?
Screencake is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Scenarist or Screencake have ads?
Neither Scenarist nor Screencake shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scenarist or Screencake?
Scenarist ships an update every 2 days, and Screencake every 3 days. Most recently, Scenarist was updated on November 9, 2026 and Screencake on November 10, 2026.

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