Beat vs TalkingDraft
Beat
beat-app.fiTalkingDraft
talkingdraft.comSide by side
| Figure | Beat | TalkingDraft |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €12.99/mo | $6.58/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 9 |
| Spec score · Screenwriting Software | 8.8 (#5) | 8.5 (#12) |
| Headquarters | Helsinki, Finland | Los Angeles |
| Outlining | Outline view and scene cards let writers add sections and synopses and rearrange scenes by dragging and dropping. | The free outliner offers story structure guides and a beatsheet calculator, with export of outline text. |
| Support | Users can report bugs through the maker's bug-report page and contact the developer by email or Discord. | The help page offers live chat assistance and step-by-step documentation for outlining, recording and exporting. |
| What it does | Beat is a screenwriting app made for writers, with a distraction-free interface and tools for structuring stories. | TalkingDraft is browser software for screenwriters and playwrights to dictate first drafts and export them to screenwriting applications. |
Plans
TalkingDraft
- FreeFree
- 100 extra premium minutes$3, paid once
- Pay-as-you-pro: 100 extra minutes$3, paid once
- 300 extra premium minutes$6, paid once
- Pay-as-you-pro: 300 extra minutes$6, paid once
- 500 extra premium minutes$8, paid once
- Pay-as-you-pro: 500 extra minutes$8, paid once
- Premium monthly$9.99 a month
- Premium yearly$79 a year
In their own words
Beat
Beat is a screenwriting app for structuring stories and writing in a distraction-free interface. It saves scripts as plain-text Fountain files, which the maker describes as portable and compatible with other editors. Beat imports Final Draft, Highland, Fade In, and Celtx files, then exports to Final Draft and PDF. Outline view and scene cards let writers add sections and synopses and rearrange scenes by dragging. The app recognizes screenplay elements, offers autocomplete, tracks revisions, and highlights changes in exported PDFs. The macOS version supports JavaScript plugins, including official options from a Plugin Library. Beat stores documents on the device, works offline, and says it collects no data. Files can be synchronized between iOS and macOS through iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive, although the maker cautions against opening one file on both devices. Beat is free on macOS; the iOS companion costs €12.99 a month with lifetime ownership after purchase.
TalkingDraft
TalkingDraft is screenwriting dictation software for writers creating a first draft by speaking dialogue and action. During dictation, number keys 1–9 label dialogue speakers and 0 marks action lines. Its free outliner provides story structure guides and a beatsheet calculator, and users can export outlines or transcripts as text files for import into screenwriting software. The maker lists compatibility with Final Draft, Fade In, WriterDuet, Highland, Trelby, ArcStudio, StudioBinder, Squibler, Storyist, and other screenwriting apps. Speech transcription is listed in 21 languages. Standard transcription runs in the user’s browser without sending audio to an external service; premium transcription is handled by a vendor under a contractual data processing opt-out. The maker says writing and audio are not used to train AI, and that data is encrypted in transit and stored in separate isolated systems. The free tier allows up to three stories before a referral link is needed to unlock more. Premium transcription is described as 99% accurate; transitions and parentheticals are left for users to add in another screenwriting or polishing app. A desktop version with local speech-to-text is in development, with a waitlist available.