10 Best Screenwriting Software [Script-Writing Tool]

Look at our top-notch screenwriter software to become the best screenwriter

Choosing the best software for scriptwriting is like having a secret weapon in your pocket.

Are you looking for the best screenwriter software that elevates all the required features on a budget? Well, no worries! To make a script for a TV show or a Movie, you just need a handy software that fulfills all your scriptwriting needs.

However, it is essential to ensure that the software you choose offers efficient features and tools that can be easy to use and professionally accompany you on your creative journey.

Therefore, we have decided to explore the top screenwriting software that will help you figure out which one is best suited to start your career as a screenwriter.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive in:

What is Screenwriting Software?

Screenwriting software is an online platform that helps you do compositions, formatting, editing, or printing scripts for use anywhere, whether television, films, or video games. By using it, you can easily understand the formatting guidelines, correct grammar, spelling, or language, and keep your documents safe as a backup.

The software provides you with automatic formatting options to make your script quality good and meet industry standards. Using its super easy shortcuts, you can also add actions, transitions, character names, dialogues, slug lines, and much more.

Top 10 Screenwriting Software for 2023

1. Celtx

The first screenwriting software we recommend in our list is Celtx, a well-known platform that millions of people trust and rely on. It comes with a high-quality industry-standard interface, making it more reliable and user-friendly for beginners. Its features are specially designed to be useful for writers, directors, and producers working in various formats.

Features:

Celtx is a cloud-based platform that enables you to work on multiple devices easily without lagging and can share with others.

It provides you with a wide range of writing tools in the entire menu and can be beneficial for both newbies and experts.

Moreover, it can also support translation scripts with amazing tools such as breakdown, budgeting, and project catalogs to complete production plans.

You can also have various plans that can be customized according to your needs.

Celtx always supports you in maintaining efficiency while writing scripts and planning film production. It’s great for keeping your creative ideas in check and ensuring your scripts come to life smoothly.

It is a single place where you can plan a production, prepare a screenplay, or compose a story for a movie, TV show, or video game.

In a nutshell, Celtx software is an excellent tool for facilitating the entire creative process, from brainstorming to scripting to editing to pre-production to actual filming.

Pricing:

Celtx comes with three amazing premium plans: Writer costs $13.49, and Writer Pro costs $22. 49 and Team, which can be customized according to your needs. It is super affordable and has monthly and annual subscriptions.

2. Arc Studio Pro

Arc Studio Pro is a professional, well-designed screenwriting software that is rapidly gaining popularity as a new industry standard. However, it is best suited for professional writers such as Arcane (Netflix) but is also beginner-friendly due to its easy-to-use interface design. The best part is that it offers a free plan, which is ideal for those who start from the beginning.

Features:

It comes with various robust tools that enhance your writing experience and surpass other commonly used industry standards techniques.

While using its distraction-free writing feature, you can easily connect your ideas and words without disturbance.

However, it also has story-building tools that can help you imagine your script and develop your creative ideas before using script formation.

It is a cloud-based software that helps to enhance your productivity and gives you a fantastic experience collaborating with your writing partners to create a wonderful script.

It introduced a fantastic writing mode that meets all the industry standard formations to fulfill a reliable framework for proper script requirements.

Pricing

Arc Studio offers a free plan with limited features, but if you go with a paid plan, you will get amazing features in their essential or pro plans, which start from $69 per year to $99 per year.

3. WriterDuet

WriterDuet is a simple-to-use scriptwriting software that comes with a high-quality tool for those who want to work with collaboration in real time. However, it provides text messages and video chat to easily communicate with your team partners.

Features

This software is a cloud-based, easy-to-navigate interface, making it simpler to create, edit, or share content with anyone from any mobile device.

WriterDuet enables you to work or edit the same scripts with multiple users simultaneously without lagging issues.

Also, you can use its premade templates, which can be customized according to your own scripts.

It can also provide several incredible tools to make outlines, such as maps or scene cards, and use cards to take notes and share with your co-writers.

It also includes an auto-translation feature where you can translate any translation and can access both offline and online programs.

Pricing

WriterDuet offers a free version with limited features. However, its cheapest subscription plan starts from $7.99/month with fundamental functions. On the other hand, its premium plan costs $15.99/ month, where you can unlock all the advanced features.

4. Squibler

Squibler is an online software for screenwriting established in 2018 and specially designed to empower writers of all standards, whether they write scripts, novels, or screenplays. However, it also offers more than 30 scriptwriting templates, which will help you choose any and customize it easily.

Features

This software is specially focused on providing main features such as an editor, corkboard, and list features to support, track, or organize to complete your script work quickly.

Squibler gives a distraction-free writing interface where you can focus solely on your content without distractions or clutter.

It‘s an intuitive organization tool that helps you to provide outlines, storyboarding features, and note-taking, where you can easily create and manage scenes, characters, or chapters well-structured.

The good part of this software is its collaboration tool, where you can collaborate with other co-writers to edit in real time and take comments and suggestions directly from them.

It can also have exporting and publishing options where you can share your work in multiple formats like Word, PDF, or ebook formats.

Pricing:

Squibler offers a premium subscription starting from $9.99/ month, which can be super affordable for those who have a tight budget; however, you can also get a 14-day free trial offer.

5. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is the most popular screenwriting that everyone can prefer before buying any other screenwriting tool. It is the best screenwriting software for those writers who are just getting started in their careers.

Features:

Microsoft Word has zero learning curve, making it easier. It is a beneficial program for students.

It lets you download screenwriting templates and start your work from scratch and gives you the option to save your documents in OneDrive.

It has a distraction-free mode, which helps to work flawlessly without interruption, and extensions like Grammarly to modify your writing.

It can also create macros to automate the writing process and can autocorrect your misspellings.

Also, you can save your documents in different formats such as PDF and HTML, and it has many formatting options where you can choose any style, whether you want Calibri, Cambria, etc.

The best part is that you can share your file with others and can edit, comment, track changes from others, add images and graphs, etc.

Microsoft Word is a user-friendly platform that can be used on both mobile and computer.

Pricing:

Microsoft Word’s price starts from $ 5.99/monthly for personal use and $69.99/yearly. However, if you want to buy a family plan, it costs $7.99/month, whereas if you want to buy Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for a lifetime, it costs $149.99.

6. KIT Scenarist

If you want to choose regular monthly software, then KIT Scenarist is the best script-writing software free, which gives you up-to-date and advanced technology and incredible experience at every moment.

Features:

Kit Scenarist is an open-source tool that is super easy to customize according to your preference. So, if you are looking for a tool tailored to your specifications, KIT Scenarist is the perfect choice.

It offers a fantastic insight feature where you can easily analyze statistical data and track valuable insights.

It can also be a versatile tool used on any operating system, including Windows, Android, MacOS, etc.

Moreover, it completely supports multiple languages, whether it is coding, javascript, or any other; you can efficiently run your script in this tool.

Additionally, this tool is an excellent option for writers seeking a single hub to store all their notes, creative cues, visuals, and script work.

It’s the perfect place for those who have a small writing team or crew working together on a collaborative project.

Pricing

Kit Scenarist is totally free tool with limited cloud storage. After a month, it will cost $4.99/month of cloud storage fees.

7. Trelby

If you are looking for industry-standard screenwriting software that won’t cost you, then look no further because Trelby is a completely free tool that could be the best option for all your screenwriting needs.

Features:

Unlike other screenplay writing software, it is an open source where you can easily edit, share, and view with anyone.

It comes with a sleek and super easy user interface design, which supports you in a distraction-free environment and unnecessary visual noise; you can focus solely on your writing.

The best thing which we like most is its automated formation. It means you just keep focused on your writing and have no need to worry about the formatting process.

However, it provides you with script comparison features that enable you to keep an eye on comparing other script versions to analyze edits or drafts, which can be beneficial for script development.

It also supports you to export or import your work in various formats, whether it is HTML, PDF, RTF, or others.

You have the freedom to choose your preferred writing mode. Whether you prefer the simplicity of WYSIWYG mode, the immersive experience of full screen, or the flexibility of complete view, just go ahead and write in the way that suits you best.

Pricing:

Trelvy is a completely free scriptwriting tool.

8. Final Draft

Final Draft is a screenplay formatting software that has been a large fan favorite for decades and is widely considered to be among the best writing software of its kind. There are many production companies, including Netflix and Pixar, who recommend this award-winning scriptwriting program for bringing creative ideas.

Features

Final Draft is great for novels, TV shows, plays, and even graphic novels because of its large template collection.

It comes with amazing industry-standard formatting features where it automatically formats your screenplays and scripts according to your needs, whether it needs spacing, characters, dialogues, margins, etc.

However, it can also have collaboration tools that enable you to share your project with other writers and get feedback from your co-writers.

Its scene navigator tool helps you to smoothly navigate your script and find any errors or specific sections that need to be edited. Also, you can easily rearrange or organize your script logically.

Final draft offers a wide range of premade templates for many kinds of scripts, such as TV shows, films, stage plays, etc., and can be customized according to your preference.

It can provide a character management option where you can easily rename characters and revisions and also track the consistency of your script.

The best part is that you can use this software on any mobile, whether it is Android or iOS, and sync your progress easily.

Pricing:

Final Draft provides you with a one-time payment, which is for a lifetime offer that costs $199.99.

9. Highland

Highland is also the best program to write scripts for Mac users. Due to its user-friendly interface, it allows you to start your writing journey smoothly. However, it may not offer a wide range of features like other screenwriters, but it can be effective in achieving your goal.

Features:

It comes with a simple and clean text editor that can help you create or edit your scripts effortlessly.

One of the best parts is the aspects of the highland because it has no learning curve.

By using this software, you will enjoy your writing experience without any distractions because of its clutter-free features.

It also offers you multiple templates over 10 that you can choose from and can customize according to your needs.

HighLand also contains a revolutionary revision mode, which helps you to track changes efficiently.

The new goal-setting features are specially designed to keep you motivated, and its scratchpad tool helps you to take notes.

You can also easily analyze words and gender by using this software, while its auto-suggest feature enables you to write scripts more quickly.

This software also provides you with various formats such as PDF, FDX, and much more.

Pricing

Highland is a free screenwriting script tool; however, if you want a premium account, it will cost $49.99.

10. Movie Magic Screenwriter

Movie Magic Screenwriter is a well-known and trusted screenplay format software that is preferred by Hollywood screenwriters. No matter if you are a pro screenwriter, a leading writer, or a screenwriter, this software provides your script stories on the big screen. It also helps you to create professional and polished scripts, making it ideal for the movie industry or at a professional level.

Features

Movie Magic Screenwriter contains various tutorials and guides in support to help you how you can use this tool.

It has strong outlining features, which come with scenes, characters, acts, sequences, and much more.

You can also get benefits from its pre-made templates, which are more than 100, including TV and instructional templates.

However, its note-taking feature allows you to categorize and organize notes effortlessly.

It also contains a NaviDoc feature, which provides you with a quick navigation option between scenes, chapters, or sections.

It also provides your optimal writing view to customize your writing, including full screen, no distractions, etc.

The best part is that you can import files from other programs in whatever format you’d like and easily communicate with other programs, such as Outline 4D.

Although, you can use this software on both Mac and Windows.

Pricing

Movie Magic Screenwriter is a desktop tool for Mac and Windows users that costs $169. However, it also offers a demo version before buying its license.

How To Select The Best Screenwriting Software That Meets Your Needs?

Well, there are many online screenwriting programs available in the market that are affordable and have advanced features. But before choosing any script writing software, ensure some essential factors you need to consider:

Budget:

Always make a budget that can not be a burden on your pocket before buying any script-writing tool because it plays an important role in selecting the right software that is budget-friendly.

Device Preference:

After that, you need to find which device you prefer for screenwriting, whether it would be a PC, tablet, or phone. Ensure that the software is completely compatible and easy to use on your chosen device.

Storage Preference:

The next thing you need to consider is its storage because it is also essential to choose whether you want to store your scripts on a cloud or hard drive and enable backup options or not.

Collaboration:

Always keep in mind that you want to write alone or with a team because some software gives you collaboration options; otherwise, it will only come with some.

Overall Writing Goals:

Ensure that your main writing goal is about creating professional scripts, which may influence your choice of software, as some programs offer more advanced features tailored to specific needs.

Considering these factors may help you expand your screenplay writing skills. Maybe you will not use all the functions yet, but you will need a complete list of characters and locations later. So, before investing in any screenwriting software, try out some free or cheap screenwriting tools to see whether they suit you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Which is the best screenwriting software to use?

There are many best screenwriting software, including Celtx, Squibler, or Final Draft, that can be suitable for you according to your needs, but it is advised that before choosing any, do keen research and then make a decision.

Q. What software do scriptwriters use?

Most scriptwriters usually use Microsoft Word, Celtx studio, Squibler, and Movie Magic Screenwriter as the best scripting software, which is simple to use and can smoothly write scripts.

Q. Can you write a script in Microsoft Word?

Yes, but many people don’t prefer Microsoft Word because of the lack of script formatting and wasting your precious time. That’s why we suggest you go for the other one that offers specialized tools.

Q. What are the benefits of a paid version compared to a free version?

Well, if we compare the paid version to the free version, they will be more secure and offer advanced features, including customer support. However, some free software is a bit risky of malware or harmful viruses, which may destroy something in your devices.

Bottom Line

Well, there is a wide range of best screenwriting software available in the online market, each with its own set of capabilities and price. Before deciding on any software, try some free version until you find something you like.

If you’re a Pro writer and write a lot, it’s recommended that you get a paid version of any of the best software for script writing that lets you an unlimited amount of scripts. Make sure it will also allow you to collaborate with your co-writers. Don’t rush things; it is a good choice, and the resources provided here should help you make the right one.