Fade In vs Trelby
We give Fade In a 3.2 GPA and Trelby a 3.4, out of 4.0. Fade In grades higher on ease of use. Trelby grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fade In
One-time-purchase screenwriting software for Windows, Mac and Linux
Free trial · from $79.95 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAFade InVery good | 3.4GPATrelbyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$79.95 once for the full desktop version on Windows, Mac and Linux, with free updates. That's less than a year of a typical $10 a month writing tool. Students pay $59.95. | AFree software under the GPL, kept going by volunteers. There's no paid edition, so there's nothing to buy. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free plan, but the demo is a free download with no stated time limit. It reminds you to register after 10 pages, watermarks printed and PDF scripts, and leaves out online realtime collaboration. | AThe complete program is free, with every feature in it. No paid edition exists to hold anything back. |
| Features | AFormatting as you type, a Navigator for reordering scenes, revision colours, page and scene locking, breakdowns and cast and location reports. It opens and saves Final Draft .fdx files and works with Fountain, Scrivener and Celtx files too. | AIt does one job, screenplays, and covers it properly. The editor enforces format and pagination, with auto-completion and spell checking. Then come scene, location, character and dialogue reports, script comparison, a PDF generator with watermarks, and Final Draft and Fountain import and export. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It's a desktop app you download, and it moves from scene heading to action to dialogue as you type, with autocomplete for character names and locations. | CThere's no App Store rating on record, and getting it running takes a command line: version 2.4 installs on Windows and macOS through Python's pip. The Windows installer on the download page is for the older version 2.2. Linux gets ordinary packages. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac and Linux from one purchase. Editing in a browser exists, but it needs the separate Fade In Access subscription. The iOS and Android apps have been discontinued, and the listing shows no integrations. | BWindows, Mac and Linux, and it trades files with Final Draft, Fountain, Celtx, Fade In and Adobe Story. It's a desktop program only, with no web or mobile version listed. |
| Best for | screenwriting software you buy once | free screenwriting on Windows, Mac or Linux |
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: Fade In and Trelby. How we grade
Where they differ
- Fade In starts at $79.95 one-time. Trelby is free.
- Trelby has a free plan. Fade In does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Fade In lists a web app.
- Fade In can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Trelby is open source, according to its own site.
- Fade In also covers templates.
In commonWindowsmacOSLinuxLong-form writing
At a glance
| Fade In | Trelby | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $79.95 one-time | Free |
| Free plan | None | The whole program is free software licensed under the GPL. There is no paid edition. |
| Free trial | Free demo with no stated time limit: registration reminder after 10 pages and a watermark on printed and PDF output | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | GCC Productions Inc. | Trelby developers |
| Price read from | fadeinpro.com | trelby.org |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Trelby
- Screenwriters who want free software with standard script formatting
- Linux users looking for a desktop screenwriting program
- Writers moving scripts between Final Draft and Fountain files
Worth knowing
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.
Trelby
- Version 2.4 is installed on Windows and macOS through Python's pip; the Windows installer on the download page is for version 2.2.
- Version 2.4 added no new features: it moved the program to Python 3 and updated its packaging.
- Celtx, Adobe Story and Fade In Pro files can be imported but not exported.
- It is a desktop program only; no web or mobile version is listed.
Key features
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.
Trelby
- Screenplay editor
- Enforces correct script format and pagination as you type, with auto-completion and spell checking.
- Choice of views
- Offers several views of the script, including a draft view, a WYSIWYG mode and fullscreen.
- Reports and script comparison
- Produces scene, location, character and dialogue reports, and compares two scripts to show what changed between versions.
- Import and export
- Imports formatted text, Final Draft XML, Celtx, Fountain, Adobe Story and Fade In Pro files. Exports PDF, formatted text, HTML, RTF, Final Draft XML and Fountain.
- PDF generator
- A built-in, configurable PDF generator can embed a chosen font and add custom watermarks to help track copies of a shared script.
- Name database
- Includes a character name database with over 200,000 names from various countries.
Plans
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.
Trelby
Free$0
The complete program. Version 2.4 installs from PyPI on Windows and macOS, and from Fedora, Debian/Ubuntu or Flatpak packages on Linux.
Ways to pay less
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.
Trelby
No public discounts listed.
