Southwind Screenplay vs Scenarly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Southwind Screenplay
Read full descriptionHide full description
Southwind is a screenplay editor that gets out of your way. Write the way the greats did — clean pages, Courier type, nothing between you and the story — while the app quietly handles the formatting. JUST WRITE Type INT. and it becomes a scene heading. Type a NAME IN CAPS and press Enter — it's a character cue, and the next line is dialogue. A "(" becomes a parenthetical. "CUT TO:" becomes a transition. You never stop to reach for a menu. GUIDED SCENE HEADINGS Start a slugline and Southwind offers the pieces: INT. / EXT. / I/E., then the locations you've already used in this script, then the time of day — DAY, NIGHT, DAWN, DUSK and more. It reads like it's holding your hand, not slowing you down. NINE ELEMENTS, ONE KEY Act, Scene Heading, Action, Character, Dialogue, Parenthetical, Transition, Shot, Text — switch with Tab or jump straight there. Proper margins, proper case, proper page breaks, automatically. A LIVING CAST & WORLD Every character and location is pulled from your script as you write — with line and scene counts, and day/night tallies. Give anyone a photo and a few notes: who they are, what they want, the contradictions underneath. Your story bible builds itself. YOURS, AND OFFLINE No account. No sign-up. No tracking. Your screenplay lives on your device and nowhere else. Southwind works with no connection at all. OPENS AND SAVES REAL FORMATS Import and export plain-text Fountain — the open screenwriting standard — so your work moves freely between tools. Or save the full .southwind file with your cast and world notes intact. Print or export a clean, industry-standard PDF with a title page. BUILT TO GROW Southwind is the first tool in RATE, a pipeline that carries a story from the page toward the screen. It starts here: the draft. Write like it's 1972. Let the machine keep the margins.
Scenarly
Read full descriptionHide full description
Write screenplays effortlessly with Scenarly® — a modern, elegant, and cross-platform screenwriting app designed for amateur and professional writers who refuse to compromise. ▸ WRITE screenplays in an editor designed for fluid, uninterrupted creative flow that automatically handles all industry-standard formatting as you type. ▸ PLAN your story research with total visual freedom by connecting cards, dropping in voice notes, and grouping images on a flexible canvas. ▸ TWEAK the workspace to make it truly yours by customizing visual themes, multi-language support, and screenplay layouts to match your workflow. ▸ MASTER production-ready scripts with locked scenes, frozen pages, and revision tracking to keep your entire crew aligned through every rewrite. ▸ FIND any scene effortlessly using the built-in sidebar and powerful script-wide search features that let you make updates in seconds. ▸ SYNC your writers' room online by collaborating live with co-writers and backing up every edit safely to the cloud in real time. ——— COMING FROM FINAL DRAFT? ——— ▸ SEAMLESS TRANSITION: Import your existing .fdx, .fadein, or .wdz files instantly and keep writing without breaking your stride. ▸ BUILT FOR TODAY: Enjoy a modern interface, real-time collaboration and full feature parity on every device. ▸ NO ACCOUNTS, NO RESTRICTIONS: Create unlimited projects and export clean, watermark-free scripts without forcing account registration. ▸ SOURCE-AVAILABLE CODE: Complete code transparency and open development vs. opaque legacy software. ▸ FREE TO USE: Professional-grade scriptwriting without steep legacy price tags or costly upgrade cycles. ——————— KEY FEATURES ——————— ▸ CROSS-PLATFORM Access and edit your projects seamlessly on desktop (Windows & macOS), phone (iOS & Android), or directly inside your browser. ▸ OFFLINE-FIRST Work anywhere with complete core functionality without needing an account or active internet connection. ▸ CLOUD SAVE Keep your work seamlessly updated and backed up across all your devices. ▸ REAL-TIME COLLABORATION Invite teammates to co-write, review, and edit documents together simultaneously. ▸ INDUSTRY FORMATTING Maintain professional standards with fully customizable layouts, standard screenplay page breaks, and dual dialogue positioning. ▸ LOCKING & REVISION MODE Prepare scripts for shooting using color-coded revision tracking and strict scene or page locking features. ▸ SCENE MANAGEMENT Organize your project effortlessly using easy outline navigation and drag-and-drop scene reordering. ▸ CHARACTER TRACKING Keep track of every character with custom color highlighting and dedicated profile synopses. ▸ BOARDS Brainstorm and structure your plot visually using flexible story cards, outlines, and recorded voice notes. ▸ FOLDERS Keep your workspace organized using structured folders, revision drafts, and visual mood boards. ▸ SMART EDITOR Speed up your writing flow with context-aware auto-completion and an integrated spellchecker. ▸ CUSTOMIZATION Personalize your editing space using visual color themes and fully custom keybinds. ▸ STATISTICS Gain deep insights into your script with visual charts for dialogue distribution and character frequency. ▸ THE SHELF Keep alternate scenes, dialogue lines, and extra drafts organized without cluttering your active script. ▸ SEARCH & REPLACE Locate and edit specific script elements, names, or terms instantly using advanced filtering tools. ▸ INLINE COMMENTS Collaborate smoothly by leaving inline discussion threads and targeted feedback directly on the text. ▸ TIME TRACKING Build consistent habits and monitor your output using dedicated timed writing sessions. ▸ AND MANY MORE...
Screenshots
Verdict
Southwind Screenplay and Scenarly are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Southwind Screenplay | Scenarly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ahmet Emirhan Korkmaz | Hugo Bois |
In-app purchases
Southwind Screenplay
No in-app purchases
Scenarly
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Southwind Screenplay free?
Is Scenarly free?
Do Southwind Screenplay or Scenarly have ads?
Other comparisons















