Final Draft vs LivingWriter

Final Draft is screenwriting software that automatically formats scripts and supports planning, drafting and production workflows. Beat Board, Outline Editor and Structure Lines help writers brainstorm, outline and navigate drafts. SmartType completes common character names and locations, and writers can store multiple dialogue versions. The software includes templates, customizable workflows, autosave, sprint timers and writing statistics. Production tools cover revision, location tracking, casting, scheduling, budgeting, production tagging and reporting. Real-time collaboration works on scripts and the Beat Board; Final Draft Cloud adds asynchronous collaboration, Vault storage, project folders, ScriptNotes, sharing and optional desktop-to-cloud syncing. Final Draft is available for macOS, Windows, web and iOS, but the numbered desktop versions do not run on iPad or iPhone; Final Draft Go is separate. Desktop requirements are macOS 12 Monterey or later, or Windows 10 or later with an Intel or AMD processor; Chromebook is not supported. Suite plans include Final Draft 13 and Cloud: $99.99 a year or $16.99 a month, each with a 5-day trial.

LivingWriter is writing software for drafting and organizing manuscripts, with an editor that supports chapters and subchapters. Its Free plan costs nothing and allows one manuscript of up to 25,000 words. The plan includes PDF export and three AI requests per month. LivingWriter runs on web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and mobile apps are available. Publishing tools, real-time collaboration, and version history are listed features, but there is no offline mode. The Pro plan offers unlimited manuscripts and word count, Word import, DOCX and print export, goals, Stash, and Research Board tools, as well as Canva and Google Drive integration, sharing, collaboration, and 25 AI requests per month. Pro + AI includes Pro features and unlimited AI requests across its features, plus AI tools for outlines, element generation, rewriting, analysis, summaries, screenplay conversion, chat, and image creation. The maker, LivingWriter, is headquartered in Albany, New York, United States.