Celtx vs Fade In

Celtx

• Filmmakers who want the script and pre-production planning in one tool
• Film and media classes, which get seat-based education plans
• Production teams of 3 to 15 people sharing scripts and schedules

Fade In

• Screenwriters who would rather buy once than subscribe
• Writers who work on Linux as well as Windows or Mac
• Productions that need revision colors, locked pages and breakdown reports

Celtx

• The Free plan allows 1 project, with read-only script history and no commenting or collaboration.
• Production planning tools cost extra on Writer and Writer Pro and are only included from the Team plan.
• Team is priced for a group of 3 to 15 members rather than as a single seat.
• The download page links the mobile Celtx Screenplay app on Google Play and the Microsoft Store only, with no iOS App Store link.

Fade In

• Cloud saving and browser editing need Fade In Access, a separate subscription whose price is not shown on the purchase page.
• The Fade In Mobile apps for iOS and Android have been discontinued; phones and tablets use Fade In Access in a browser.
• The demo shows a registration reminder after 10 pages, watermarks printed scripts and leaves out online realtime collaboration.
• The price covers one individual user; site and multiuser licenses are arranged by email.

Celtx

Script editors

Auto-formatting editors for film and TV screenplays, stage plays and two-column A/V scripts are included on every plan, including Free.

Story development tools

A Beat Sheet, a Storyboard, shot lists and talent sides help plan a script. They are included from Writer Pro and sold as an add-on to Writer.

Production planning

Script breakdown, catalog, scheduling, cast and crew, budget, call sheets and production reports are included on Team and are an add-on for the writer plans.

Collaboration and approvals

Comments are anchored to script text with @mentions, presence awareness shows co-writers' cursors and edits in real time, and scripts can be sent for review and approval.

Script history, drafts and read-through

Restore earlier saves from a dated history, keep editable draft copies of a script, and play lines back with text-to-speech voices.

Revision Mode and episodic projects

Revision Mode locks a script for production so scene numbers are preserved through changes. Episodic projects link scripts across the installments of a series.

Fade In

Automatic script formatting

Moves from scene heading to action to dialogue as you type, with standard screenplay styles that can be customized and autocomplete for character names and locations.

Navigator and organization

The Navigator reorders scenes and builds nested sequences. Scenes can be color-coded by plot point, theme or character, and bookmarks and links jump around the script.

Revisions and production tools

Manages revisions, page and scene locking and omitted scenes, shows changed pages in standard revision colors, and generates breakdowns and scene, cast and location reports.

File format support

Opens, edits and saves Final Draft .fdx files, imports and exports Word .docx and RTF, and works with Fountain, Scrivener, Celtx and StudioBinder files. Its own format is the XML-based Open Screenplay Format.

Rewriting tools

The Dialogue Tuner gathers one character's dialogue in one place for editing, and other tools check word-use frequency and compare versions of a script.

Fade In Access

An optional monthly or annual subscription for cloud storage, backup, version history, online editing in a browser, collaboration, sharing and publishing.

Celtx

• Free$0

  1 project with the three script editors, script goals and read-through; read-only script history and limited script settings.

• Writer$11.24

  per month, billed yearly ($134.88); $14.99 billed monthly

  Up to 3 projects, unlimited comments and collaboration, script drafts and custom headers and footers. Story and production tools are optional add-ons.

• Writer Pro$18.74

  per month, billed yearly ($224.88); $24.99 billed monthly

  Unlimited projects, episodic scripts, Revision Mode, watermarking, review and approval, the story development tools and the Adobe Premiere Pro plugin.

• Team$44.99

  per month for 3 members, billed yearly; $59.99 billed monthly

  For 3 to 15 members: everything in Writer Pro plus production planning tools, episodic planning, advanced sharing controls and live chat support.

• Education$600

  per year for 10 seats ($60 a seat), billed yearly

  Classroom plan for 10 to 700 seats with educator admin controls and recyclable student seats; the price per seat falls as seats are added.

• Student$79.99

  per year, billed yearly

  Writer Pro features plus the production planning tools for one student, with a student email required and 3 years of discounted pricing.

Fade In

• Fade In$79.95

  one-time purchase, individual license

  The full desktop version for Windows, Mac and Linux with free updates. Shown against a crossed-out regular price of $99.95.

Celtx

• Annual discount

  Save 25% with yearly billing

  The pricing page advertises 25% off for yearly billing: Writer is $134.88 a year against $14.99 a month, and Writer Pro is $224.88 a year against $24.99 a month.

• Education

  Student plan for $79.99 a year

  Students with a school email get Writer Pro features plus the production planning tools for $79.99 a year, described by Celtx as over 75% off, for up to 3 years.

Fade In

• Education

  Student price of $59.95

  Current students of accredited post-secondary institutions can buy the full desktop version for $59.95 after emailing proof of student status from a school address.