Final Draft vs Scrivener
Final Draft
finaldraft.com
Scrivener
literatureandlatte.comSide by side
| Figure | Final Draft | Scrivener |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.69/mo | $23.99/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 12 | 8 |
| Spec score · Text App | 9.1 (#1) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 9.2 (#6) | 9.1 (#8) |
| Collaboration | Final Draft supports real-time collaboration on the script and Beat Board, while Final Draft Cloud provides asynchronous collaboration. | No |
| Export formats | extensive | It can export to Word, PDF, Final Draft, and plain text. |
| Founded | 1990 | 2006 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California | Cornwall, UK |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes |
| Publishing tools | Yes | Yes |
| Version history | Yes | Yes |
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
Scrivener
- macOS licence$59.99 a month
- Windows licence$59.99 a month
- iOS licence$23.99 a month
- iOS license$23.99, paid once
- Mac license$59.99, paid once
- Windows license$59.99, paid once
- All three platforms$121.93, paid once
- Free trialFree
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.
Scrivener
Scrivener is a long-form writing app for macOS, Windows, and iOS, built for projects that can be composed in sections of any size. Writers can keep research materials such as PDFs and web pages beside a draft, and import Word, OpenOffice, plain text, Final Draft, images, PDFs, movies, sound files, and web pages. A project window can show up to four documents at once. Screenwriting tools handle script formatting and support printing and Final Draft export. For non-fiction, Scrivener supports footnotes, research libraries, and templates including MLA and APA. Writing History shows how much was written each day. The app also has publishing tools, version history, and offline mode, but not real-time collaboration. A 30-day trial is offered. Single-platform licences cost $59.99 as a one-time purchase for macOS or Windows and $23.99, paid once for iOS; an all-three-platform licence costs $121.93 as a one-time purchase. No recurring payment is required unless a customer chooses another platform or a major update. Scrivener is made by Literature & Latte Ltd., based in Cornwall, UK.