The best screenwriting software for Mac

What to look for when you write on a Mac, and how nine apps measure up, each with what it costs and who it suits.

Checked October 2026. Every fact about another app links to its source.

What matters on a Mac.

Four questions to ask of any app before you move a script into it.

A real Mac app
An app made for macOS works with the rest of your Mac and doesn't live in a browser tab. Some apps here are native, some are cross-platform, one is an iPad app and one runs only in the browser.
Writing offline
Trains, planes and cafés with bad Wi-Fi. Check whether an app writes offline, whether it needs an account first, and whether offline costs extra.
Final Draft files
FDX is what producers and other writers send. An app that opens and saves it both ways keeps you in the conversation.
PDF import
Old drafts and scripts you're sent often exist only as PDFs. Turning one back into a script saves retyping it.

Nine apps for writing on a Mac.

First Page is ours, so it comes first. The others follow in no order of merit.

First Page
Price
$79 onceOr Suite at $9.99 a month or $89 a year. Reading is free
On a Mac
Native, on macOS 14 or later
A native Mac app with a companion web app. First Page One is $79 once, with every 1.x update free, no expiry date and up to five Macs. Suite is $9.99 a month or $89 a year, and Lifetime is $199 once. It opens and saves Final Draft and Fountain files, reads PDFs back into a script on your Mac, scanned pages included, and reads your draft aloud with a voice for every character, free with your Mac's voices. Share a script and write it together in real time, on the Mac and the web. Scripts in its cloud are encrypted end to end, and nothing you write is used for training.
No Windows, iPad or iPhone app, and no scene numbering, dual dialogue, locked pages or omits.
SuitsMac writers who want to own their app, hear the draft read back and keep it private.
What is in First Page
Final Draft
By Cast & Crew
Price
$199.99 onceOr $99.99 a year for Suite, desktop plus Final Draft Cloud
On a Mac
Native on Mac and Windows
The industry's exchange format, native on Mac and Windows, with Final Draft Go on iOS and Final Draft Cloud on the web. Final Draft 13 is $199.99, a new major version is a $99.99 upgrade, and a license covers two computers. Its revisions, locked pages, omits and scene numbering are what a production draft needs. It reads aloud with your computer's voices, one per character, and says it does not use your screenplay for training.
SuitsWriters whose studio, room or production office asks for Final Draft itself.
First Page vs Final Draft
Fade In
By GCC Productions
Price
$79.95 once$89.99 on the Mac App Store
On a Mac
A Mac app, also on Windows and Linux
Fade In is $79.95 once, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux on as many of your own computers as you like, and needs no account. Every upgrade since it launched has been free, versions 4 and 5 included. It opens Final Draft, Fountain, Word and Celtx files, imports PDFs, and reads aloud with your computer's voices. Fade In Access, an optional subscription, adds a cloud and the web, iOS and Android.
SuitsWriters who want to pay once, as little as possible, on any desktop.
First Page vs Fade In
Highland Pro
By Quote-Unquote Apps
Price
$59.99 a yearOr $9.99 a month, free for students
On a Mac
Native on Mac, iPad and iPhone
Highland Pro is a subscription, $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month, and free for students, with native apps for the Mac, iPad and iPhone that sync through iCloud. Your files stay on your devices and in iCloud: in its maker's words, your work never touches its servers. It melts a PDF back into an editable script and has a Revision Mode. It has no read-aloud.
SuitsWriters who move between a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone.
First Page vs Highland Pro
Beat
Price
FreeOpen source. The iOS app is €12.99
On a Mac
Native on the Mac, free
Beat is free and open source, a native Mac app with an iOS version for €12.99. It writes in Fountain, imports Final Draft files and keeps your files on your own devices. It has no PDF import and no read-aloud.
SuitsWriters who like plain-text Fountain and want to pay nothing.
WriterDuet
Price
$9.99 a month$7.49 a month billed yearly. Free for three projects
On a Mac
A desktop app on Plus, and the web
WriterDuet is built for writing together in real time. It is free for three projects, and Plus, $9.99 a month or $7.49 billed yearly, adds unlimited projects, a desktop app and offline writing. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, imports and exports Final Draft, Fountain and PDF, and reads aloud with a distinct voice per character on Premium. It says it does not train on your writing.
SuitsCo-writers and rooms on any device, and anyone who wants a free start.
First Page vs WriterDuet
Arc Studio
Price
$69 a yearPro is $99 a year. The free tier is two watermarked scripts in the browser
On a Mac
A Mac app, with an account
Arc Studio is a yearly subscription, $69 or $99 for Pro, built around real-time collaboration and outlining for writers' rooms, on Mac, Windows, iOS and the web. Its free tier is two watermarked scripts in the browser, and an account is required. It imports PDFs, and its Table Read uses cloud voices bought with credits.
SuitsWriters' rooms that outline and write together.
First Page vs Arc Studio
Studiovity
Price
$3 a monthScreenwriting plan. $18 for a year with its current offer
On a Mac
Its iPad app, on Apple silicon
Studiovity has the lowest monthly price here: its Screenwriting plan is $3 a month, and Productions, at $30 a month, adds storyboards, breakdowns, schedules, call sheets and budgets. It runs on the web, iOS and Android, and on a Mac as its iPad app, on Apple silicon. It imports Final Draft, Fountain and PDF, exports Final Draft and PDF, and offers dialogue help and translation as you write. Its FAQ says private scripts are not used to train its public models.
SuitsWriters on a phone or a budget, and small crews planning a shoot.
First Page vs Studiovity
Celtx
Price
$11.24 a monthWriter, billed yearly. Free for one project
On a Mac
In the browser
Celtx runs in the browser and puts writing beside production planning: breakdowns, schedules, budgets and call sheets come with its Team plan or as add-ons. It is free for one project, with co-writing on the free plan, and Writer is $11.24 a month billed yearly. It imports Final Draft, Fountain, Word and text PDFs, and its Read Through uses automated voices. Offline Mode was retired in September 2023.
SuitsWriters who plan the shoot as well, from any computer with a browser.
First Page vs Celtx

Which one, in a line.

Start from what matters most to you.

A native Mac app you own, with read-aloud free: First Page
The industry's own format and production tools: Final Draft
Pay once, on Mac, Windows or Linux: Fade In
Native apps on the Mac, iPad and iPhone: Highland Pro
Free, in plain-text Fountain: Beat
Write together in real time: First Page WriterDuet Arc Studio

The four questions, answered.

Every app with a full comparison, row by row. Beat is in the list above.

Screenwriting apps for Mac compared on platforms, offline writing, Final Draft files, PDF import and price, as of October 2026
As of October 2026	First Page	Final DraftCast & Crew	Fade InGCC Productions	Highland ProQuote-Unquote Apps	WriterDuet	Arc Studio	Studiovity	Celtx
Platforms	Mac, plus a web appNative on macOS 14 or later. The web app is free for up to 3 scripts	Mac and WindowsNative on both, plus Final Draft Go on iOS and Cloud on the web	Mac, Windows and LinuxAccess adds web, iOS and Android	Mac, iPad and iPhoneNative on all three, with iCloud sync	Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android	Mac, Windows, iOS and web	Web, iOS and AndroidIts iPad app also runs on Apple silicon Macs	In the browser
Offline writing and accounts	Offline once activatedWriting needs an account. Reading needs none	After a first sign-inInternet is needed for the first sign-in	YesNo account needed	Not confirmed	On paid plansPlus adds offline writing. WriterSolo is free and local	NoAn account is required	Not confirmed	NoOffline Mode was retired in September 2023
FDX import and export	Yes, both waysFountain too, and Word import	YesFDX is Final Draft's own format	YesAlong with Fountain, Word, RTF and Celtx	Not confirmed	Yes, both waysFountain, Celtx and Word too	Not confirmed	Yes, both waysFountain and PDF import too	ImportWe found no FDX export
PDF import	Yes, on your MacScanned pages too, read without uploading	YesSince Final Draft 12	Yes	YesMelts a PDF back into a script	Yes	Yes	YesPDF export too	Text PDFsScanned pages need OCR first
Entry price	$79 onceOr Suite at $9.99 a month or $89 a year. Reading is free	$199.99 onceOr $99.99 a year for Suite, desktop plus Final Draft Cloud	$79.95 once$89.99 on the Mac App Store	$59.99 a yearOr $9.99 a month, free for students	$9.99 a month$7.49 a month billed yearly. Free for three projects	$69 a yearPro is $99 a year. The free tier is two watermarked scripts in the browser	$3 a monthScreenwriting plan. $18 for a year with its current offer	$11.24 a monthWriter, billed yearly. Free for one project
Read-aloud	Your Mac's voices, freeA voice per character, plus a narrator. Studio voices with Suite or credits	Your computer's voicesSpeech Control, a voice per character	Your computer's voicesTable Read	None	Computer voicesA distinct voice per character, on Premium	Cloud voices on creditsTable Read with ElevenLabs or Murf, paid for separately	Not confirmed	Read ThroughAutomated voices, or collaborators reading roles
Where scripts are kept	On your MacOptional encrypted AutoSave to the cloud with Suite and Lifetime	On your computer, or Final Draft CloudCloud files are deleted 30 days after a Cloud subscription lapses	On your computerOptional cloud with Fade In Access	Your devices and iCloud“Your work never touches our servers”	WriterDuet's cloudSaved as you type, with backups to Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud	Not confirmed	Studiovity's cloudSynced across mobile and web, on Amazon Web Services	Celtx's cloudEncrypted in transit. No statement on encryption at rest

Sources

Facts about each app come from its maker’s own pages and app listings, checked in October 2026 on the date beside each. Prices are US list prices and change, so follow the links for today’s. “Not confirmed” means the pages we checked did not say either way.

Final DraftChecked October 8, 2026

Fade InChecked October 8, 2026

Highland ProChecked October 8, 2026

BeatChecked October 8, 2026

Beat

WriterDuetChecked October 29, 2026

Arc StudioChecked October 8, 2026

StudiovityChecked October 29, 2026

CeltxChecked October 23, 2026

First Page

Try it on your own script.

Download First Page for your Mac and read any script free, with no account.

Download for MacSee pricing

macOS 14 or newer, on Apple silicon and Intel.