Final Draft vs Pendraic
Final Draft
finaldraft.com
Pendraic
pendraic.comSide by side
| Figure | Final Draft | Pendraic |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.69/mo | $14.99/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 12 | 6 |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 9.2 (#6) | 9.2 (#7) |
| Collaboration | Final Draft supports real-time collaboration on the script and Beat Board, while Final Draft Cloud provides asynchronous collaboration. | The Premium pricing page lists co-writing with another person as a feature planned for when it ships. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Security | Final Draft says encrypted cloud storage protects scripts from AI scraping and describes its collaboration and sharing as enterprise-secure. | Pendraic says stored files and connections are encrypted and API keys are encrypted at rest with row-level security. |
| Support | Final Draft provides a knowledge base, self-service activation, installers and manuals, and registered-customer support resources. | Premium includes priority support, and Pendraic lists [email protected] for questions. |
| What it does | Final Draft is screenwriting software that automatically formats scripts to Hollywood’s industry standards. | Pendraic is a long-form fiction writing workspace that keeps manuscript text, story facts, worldbuilding, voice and plot threads together. |
Plans
Final Draft
- Final Draft Suite Annual$99.99 a year
- Final Draft Suite Monthly$16.99 a month
- Final Draft 13$249.99 a month
- Final Draft Suite annual$8.33 a year
- Final Draft Suite$16.99 a month
- Upgrade to Final Draft 13$79.99, paid once
- Educational Edition$99.99, paid once
- Final Draft 13 Student$99.99, paid once
- Final Draft 13 Personal$199.99, paid once
- Final Draft 13 Educators & Non-profitsPriced on request
Pendraic
- FreeFree
- Essentials$14.99 a month
- Premium$24.99 a month
- Desktop$99 a month
- Pendraic Desktop$99, paid once
- Pendraic Desktop$99, paid once
In their own words
Final Draft
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.
Pendraic
Pendraic is a long-form fiction writing tool for keeping a book's characters, world, voice and story details together. The editor provides prose, outline and arcs views, with optional panels for character lookups, voice consistency, beats and unresolved threads. Planning and revision are organized into eight areas: Promise, Engine, Nexus, Dynamics, Registry, Anchors, Iterations and Closure. Its World Builder links maps, family trees, calendars, languages, timelines and encyclopedia entries to the prose. Listed AI options include Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and OpenRouter, using either a user's account or a Pendraic Managed AI wallet. When a user starts an AI generation pass, the prompt and needed context go to the chosen provider under that provider's terms. Pendraic says saved files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and that it does not train models on users' writing or sell their content. The Free plan supports up to three active books and includes Word, Markdown and plain-text exports. Pendraic runs on macOS, Windows and the web; paid plans start at $14.99/mo.