Fade In vs Highland Pro

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

Highland Pro

• Screenwriters on Apple devices who like writing in plain text
• Writers who draft both scripts and novels in one app
• Anyone who needs to turn a script PDF back into an editable document

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.

Highland Pro

• It is listed only for Mac, iPad and iPhone; there is no Windows, Android or web version.
• After the 30-day trial a subscription is required for all features; without one the app still opens, prints and exports documents.
• The App Store listing requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 on mobile devices and macOS 13 or later on a Mac.
• Syncing between devices relies on iCloud.

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.

Highland Pro

Fountain and Markdown writing

Write in plain text and let the app format it. There are 14 templates, including Screenplay, Multi-Cam and Manuscript, and autocomplete for character names and scene headers.

Navigator and Overview

The Navigator maps sections, scenes, synopses and notes, and the Overview shows a whole script or novel in one view with characters and scenes highlighted.

Revision Mode

Tracks changes in different colors with stars in the margin, alongside automatic scene numbering with custom ranges.

Sprints and goals

Timed writing sprints track focused sessions, and goals set milestones for a page, word or character count.

/Lookup

Typing a slash and a question returns quick answers such as definitions, rhymes and world facts without leaving the draft.

Import, export and PDF melting

Imports and exports Fountain, Final Draft .fdx and PDF files. PDF Melting converts Final Draft and Fountain PDFs back into editable text.

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.

Highland Pro

• Yearly$4.99

  per month, billed $59.99 annually

  All Highland Pro features on Mac, iPad and iPhone, billed once a year. Advertised as a 50% saving on the monthly plan.

• Monthly$9.99

  per month, billed monthly

  The same features on a month-to-month subscription.

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.

Highland Pro

• Annual discount

  Save 50% with the yearly plan

  The yearly plan is billed $59.99, which works out to $4.99 a month against $9.99 on the monthly plan, or $119.88 over twelve months.