Final Draft vs Wavemaker Cards

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.

Wavemaker Cards is free planning and writing software for developing a book from an idea into chapters and scenes. Its planning board holds movable notes that users can turn into a to-do plan for a novel. A searchable research database organizes notes with hashtags, while the Snowflake tool uses cards to help expand an initial idea. Outlining and manuscript formatting are included, and projects can be exported as Text or RTF. The app can be installed as a Progressive Web App and used without an internet connection. The maker says projects are kept in a local database that users can back up and move, or back up to personal Google Drive; device syncing through Google Drive is also supported. Its privacy policy says the most recent app does not store novel information on the maker’s servers and that users retain ownership of their work. Wavemaker runs on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and Mac, subject to browser support for installation. Real-time collaboration is not available. The assistant bot can be connected using an OpenAI API key, and OpenAI may charge for its service.