Screenwriting can be daunting for novelists, but it's great fun for screenwriters who have studied the craft of writing a screenplay.
For novelists who are adapting a book to a screenplay to possibly enter into a screenplay contest, such as the Page Turner Awards Screenplay Award, the free options on the market can be quite basic and also lack the stylish appearance of paid software. When you look for paid screenwriting software, though, you come across a lot of options.
Check out these screenwriting software solutions that requires a purchase.
Final Draft
Very few lists of the best screenwriting software won’t contain Final Draft, and most will have it at the top. Final Draft has long been heralded as the best screenwriting software that can be found. It is used by most industry professionals and has all the tools that you need. Not to mention, it has been around since 1990.
Some Final Draft features include alternate dialogues, text-to-speech, teleplays, story map, and more.
Movie Magic Screenwriter
The second most popular screenplay software is Movie Magic Screenwriter. Movie Magic was created earlier than Final Draft, but is often not considered to be the leading software. You will still find plenty of features, including over 100 templates on Movie Magic. Like most screenwriting software competitors, Movie Magic Screenwriters can import a variety of document types and reformat them automatically.
Fade In
If you don’t want to spend over $200 to write your next screenplay, then Fade In could be a great choice. Fade In was designed to be a competitor for the major brands of screenwriting software, but at a lower price. You get all the standard features along with more advanced features such as real-time collaboration tools, index cards, script breakdown tools, and more.
WriterDuet
WriterDuet is a web-based platform for screenplay writing and formatting scripts. You will also find an app and a desktop version of the program. There is a free plan, but it is limited in the features that it offers, so some screenwriters may not go with this option due to its limitations. With the premium plan, you get one of the best collaborative experiences powered by the cloud. WriterDuet, by itself, is great, but it is the best option for those looking to work with others.
Celtx
Looking for a solution for the whole film production, not just the screenwriting? Then celtx might be the option you are looking for. This cloud-based screenwriting software has features to manage the complete production, including pre-production. It is all in the celtx name, celtx stands for: Crew, Equipment, Location, Talent, and XML. The downside is that celtx is a monthly subscription software.
Squibler
Squibler is an easy-to-use software available on all of your devices. It is a text editor designed to make writing your screenplays simple. It has 30 templates, collaboration features, a drag and drop interface, and a plot generator. Not only that, but it also syncs with Google Drive and Dropbox.
Paid screenwriting software can be found all around the internet and on app stores for every device. With how many options are out there, it is important to know which are the best.
The options on this list are the ones that we have found to be worth the money. You can also check out our list of free screenwriting software.
