Final Draft vs Scrivener

Struggling to choose between Final Draft and Scrivener? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Final Draft is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like screenwriting, scriptwriting, formatting, collaboration.

It boasts features such as Screenplay formatting and templates, Story Map and Beat Board for outlining, Real-time collaboration, Version tracking and Alternate Dialogue, Index cards for restructuring scenes, Importing scripts from other programs, Customizable interface with dark mode and pros including Industry standard for professional screenwriting, Powerful outlining and organization tools, Cloud sync and collaboration features, Extensive format support and templates, Useful for all stages of the writing process.

On the other hand, Scrivener is a Office & Productivity product tagged with writing, authoring, drafting, outlining.

Its standout features include Corkboard view to visualize story structure, Outliner to organize scenes and chapters, Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts, Split screen to view multiple documents, Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays, Revision tracking to compare draft changes, Export to common formats like PDF and ePub, and it shines with pros like Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents, Flexible interface to suit different writing styles, Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors, Robust formatting and export options, Helpful for drafting and revising.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Final Draft

Final Draft

Final Draft is professional screenwriting software used by Hollywood screenwriters, directors, producers, students, and aspiring writers to write movie scripts, television episodics, stageplays, novels, outlines, treatments, querying letters, etc. It includes tools to format scripts to industry standards, create story maps, organize research, track revisions, and share work.

Categories:
screenwriting scriptwriting formatting collaboration

Final Draft Features

  1. Screenplay formatting and templates
  2. Story Map and Beat Board for outlining
  3. Real-time collaboration
  4. Version tracking and Alternate Dialogue
  5. Index cards for restructuring scenes
  6. Importing scripts from other programs
  7. Customizable interface with dark mode

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Industry standard for professional screenwriting

Powerful outlining and organization tools

Cloud sync and collaboration features

Extensive format support and templates

Useful for all stages of the writing process

Cons

Expensive subscription pricing

Steep learning curve

Lacks novel writing features

Mac/Windows only, no mobile or web versions

Can feel bloated for simple script writing needs


Scrivener

Scrivener

Scrivener is professional writing software used by authors to plan, organize and write long documents like novels and screenplays. It has features like corkboard, outliner, annotations, and split screen to help write drafts and revisions.

Categories:
writing authoring drafting outlining

Scrivener Features

  1. Corkboard view to visualize story structure
  2. Outliner to organize scenes and chapters
  3. Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts
  4. Split screen to view multiple documents
  5. Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays
  6. Revision tracking to compare draft changes
  7. Export to common formats like PDF and ePub

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents

Flexible interface to suit different writing styles

Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors

Robust formatting and export options

Helpful for drafting and revising

Cons

Steep learning curve

Overwhelming interface for new users

Limited cloud sync and collaboration features

Windows and Mac only, no Linux or mobile versions

Can be slow with very large documents