Afterwriting vs Beat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Beat grades higher than Afterwriting: 3.2 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Afterwriting grades higher on platforms. Beat grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Beat
Free, open-source Fountain screenwriting app for Mac and iOS
Free plan · from $11.99 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Afterwriting if
- Fits if you already write in Fountain and want a clean PDF
- Works for people who want a no-cost script tool with a command line
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a full screenwriting editor, because the editor is basic
- Not for you if you want Fountain explained, since there are no lessons listed
- Watch out: cloud sync with Google Drive and Dropbox works in the online version only
- Watch out: one person maintains it, and the copyright notice reads 2015 to 2020
Pick Beat if
- Fits if you're on a Mac and want a screenwriting app that costs nothing
- Works for writers who plan with index cards and a timeline and want Fountain files other apps open
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you write on Windows, Linux, Android or the web, as it's Apple devices only
- Too light for people who write mainly on an iPad, where the $11.99 app has fewer features and no plugins
- Not for you if your iPhone can't run iOS 18.0, which the iOS app needs
- Watch out: the Mac App Store listing says a paid pro version may come later
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAfterwritingVery good | 3.2GPABeatVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$0 under the MIT licence, for the online, offline and command-line versions. | AThe Mac app is free on the App Store and its listing says the core app will always be free of charge, in a category whose middle plan is $8.33 a month. The iPhone and iPad companion is $11.99 once. No subscription anywhere. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free, with no paid plans listed. | ABeat for macOS is the whole desktop app, free, with the code open source under the GPL. There's no cap here that a screenwriter would reach. Only the iOS companion costs money. |
| Features | CFountain to PDF, script stats, Final Draft import and a basic editor. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller job than a whole screenwriting suite. | BFormatting as you type with autocompleted character names and scene numbers, outline views with index cards and a timeline, revision tracking across generations, a backup vault, statistics, Final Draft import and export, and a JavaScript plugin API. The screenwriting job covered, with no gap in it the listing names. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You need to know Fountain, and the command line is another route in. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it, start typing and it formats the script for you, with autocomplete for character names and scene headings and an option to hide the Fountain markup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, an offline version and a command line, with Google Drive, Dropbox and Final Draft. | COne family of devices: Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no Windows, Linux, Android or web version, and the iOS app needs iOS 18.0 or later. Scripts are at least plain Fountain files any other app can open, and Final Draft files go both ways. |
| Best for | turning Fountain scripts into PDFs | free screenwriting on a Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Afterwriting and Beat. How we grade
Where they differ
- Afterwriting also covers documents.
- Beat also covers long-form writing.
In commonFree planOpen source
At a glance
| Afterwriting | Beat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $11.99 one-time for the iOS app |
| Free plan | The online version, the downloadable offline version and the node.js command line tool are all free; the code is under the MIT license. | Beat for macOS is free on the Mac App Store, and its listing says the core app will always be free of charge. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Piotr Jamróz | Lauri-Matti Parppei |
| Price read from | github.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Afterwriting
- It post-processes Fountain text; the editor is basic compared with full screenwriting software.
- Cloud syncing with Google Drive and Dropbox works only in the online version.
- The project is maintained by an individual; its copyright notice reads 2015-2020.
Beat
- Apple devices only: there is no Windows, Linux, Android or web version.
- The iOS app is a paid companion ($11.99) that supports a limited set of the Mac app's features.
- The iOS app requires iOS 18.0 or later.
- The Mac App Store listing says a paid "pro" version may come later, with the core app staying free.
Key features
Afterwriting
- Fountain to PDF
- Converts Fountain screenplays into formatted PDF files.
- Screenplay information
- Extracts basic details such as the number of pages, action and dialogue time, and locations.
- Script statistics
- Charts location distribution, page balance and dialogue; experimental views include script pulse and primary and secondary characters.
- Final Draft import
- Imports .fdx files from Final Draft so existing scripts can be converted to Fountain.
- Basic editor
- A simple editor with auto-complete for writing Fountain text in the app.
- Google Drive and Dropbox sync
- The online version loads and syncs files with Google Drive and Dropbox.
Beat
- Automatic screenplay formatting
- Formats the script as it is typed, with autocompletion for character names and scene headings, automatic scene numbering and an option to hide Fountain markup.
- Story structure views
- Several outline views with filtering, sections and synopses, including a collapsing list, index cards and a timeline. Scenes can be colour-coded.
- Fountain and Final Draft files
- Scripts are plain-text Fountain files that other apps can open. Beat also imports and exports Final Draft files, including revisions and outline items, and exports PDF.
- Revisions and version control
- Tracks revisions across generations, keeps version control inside the file's metadata and stores copies in a backup vault.
- Statistics
- A statistics view reports line counts per character, inclusivity by gender and scene locations.
- Plugin API
- A JavaScript plugin API lets users write their own extensions for the Mac app. Plugin support is not part of the iOS version.
Plans
Afterwriting
Afterwriting$0
Online and offline versions plus a command line tool, with no paid plans listed.
Beat
Beat for macOS$0
The full desktop app, free on the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 10.13 or later.
Beat for iOS$11.99
one-time purchase on the App Store
Companion app for iPhone and iPad with a more limited feature set and no plugin support. Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Afterwriting or Beat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Afterwriting is free, and Beat starts at $11.99 one-time for the iOS app.
Which has a free plan, Afterwriting or Beat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Afterwriting and Beat have a free plan.
Which platforms do Afterwriting and Beat run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Afterwriting lists a web app and only Beat lists macOS and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.