Final Draft vs Storyist (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Final Draft and Storyist share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features and platforms, where Final Draft grades higher, or value for money, where Storyist does.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Final Draft
Screenwriting software with automatic script formatting
Storyist
Novel and screenplay writing app for Mac and iPhone or iPad
Which one is for you
Pick Final Draft if
- Fits if you write screenplays that have to be in industry-standard format
- Works for productions that run on tracked revisions and production reports
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're starting out: $249.99 to buy, or $99.99 a year or $16.99 a month for the Suite
- Watch out: the trial is 5 days on one computer and turns into a paid subscription by itself
- Skip it if you want Cloud with a bought copy, as Final Draft Cloud comes only with the Suite
- Not for you if you're on Android or a Chromebook, and the iPhone and iPad app, Final Draft Go, is $19.99 a year extra
- Watch out: it needs macOS 12 or Windows 11 or later, and one license signs in on two computers at a time
Pick Storyist if
- Fits if you write on a Mac and would rather buy once than subscribe
- Works for novelists and screenwriters who plan on index cards
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as neither is supported
- Not for you if you want one purchase for all devices, because Mac and iOS are bought separately
- Too light for iOS-only writers who need the book editor, which is described only for the Mac
- Watch out: the trial length isn't stated
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAFinal DraftFair | 2.2GPAStoryistFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe Suite is $99.99 a year, which is $8.33 a month, exactly the middle of this category, and $16.99 if you pay monthly. Buying Final Draft 13 outright is $249.99 and leaves out Cloud, and the iPhone and iPad app is another $19.99 a year. Fade In, on its own list of rivals, is $79.95 once. | A$59 once for the Mac app, $19 once for iOS. Even both together are under a year of the writing category's middle subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan, and the trial is 5 days on one computer, which is shorter than a week, and it turns into a paid subscription by itself when the days run out. Reader Mode is free but only lets invited people read and comment. | DA free trial exists on Mac and iOS, but the length isn't stated and there's no free plan. |
| Features | BScripts formatted and paginated to industry standards as you type, with the Beat Board, Outline Editor and Structure Lines for planning, writing partners in real time, tracked revisions, comments, automatic version saving and production reports. The screenwriting job covered, though Cloud only comes with the Suite. | CStory sheets, index cards, outliner, screenplay and ebook export. The iOS app has a narrower set of tools and the book editor is Mac only. |
| Ease of use | C3.98 on the App Store from 1,691 ratings, which is the middle of our ladder and not a happy score. That one belongs to Final Draft Go, the iPhone and iPad app. On the desktop the formatting is automatic, so layout is never yours to fix. | CNo store rating on record. Story sheets and the corkboard take some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac and Windows on the desktop, a browser editor in Final Draft Cloud and Final Draft Go on iPhone and iPad, with Dropbox, iCloud and Grammarly tie-ins. No Android at all, which is what keeps it off an A, and Cloud and Go are each paid for separately. | CMac and iPhone/iPad only. Syncs through iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive. |
| Best for | screenplays in industry-standard format | a one-time-purchase novel and screenplay app for 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: Final Draft and Storyist. How we grade
Where they differ
- Final Draft also covers templates.
- Storyist also covers documents.
At a glance
| Final Draft | Storyist | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $99.99 per year or $16.99 per month (Suite); $249.99 one-time for Final Draft 13 | $19 one-time (iOS) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 5-day trial of Final Draft Suite on one computer. It turns into a paid subscription automatically after 5 days. | Free trial on Mac and iOS; length not stated |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Final Draft, a Cast & Crew Company | Storyist Software LLC |
| Price read from | web.archive.org (not the vendor's own page) | storyist.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Final Draft
- The one-time Final Draft 13 license does not include Final Draft Cloud, which comes only with the Suite subscription.
- Final Draft 13 needs macOS 12 or later or Windows 11 or later, and is not available on Chromebook.
- The iPhone and iPad app, Final Draft Go, is a separate subscription at $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year.
- A license can be signed in on two computers at once; a third sign-in requires signing out of another.
Storyist
- There is no Windows, Android or web version.
- The Mac and iOS apps are bought separately.
- Orders from the vendor's store are processed by Paddle, the merchant of record.
- The iOS app lists a narrower set of formats and tools than the Mac app, and the book editor is described only for the Mac.
Key features
Final Draft
- Automatic script formatting
- Paginates and formats a script to entertainment-industry standards for film, TV, theater and other media, so layout does not have to be set by hand.
- Story planning tools
- The Beat Board, Outline Editor and Structure Lines are used to brainstorm and outline a story inside the script file, alone or with writing partners in real time.
- Revisions and production reports
- Tracked revisions, built-in commenting and automatic version saving support rewrites, and production reports can be run from the script.
- Final Draft Cloud
- Part of the Suite: an online editor called Final Draft Writer, a Vault for storing and sharing files, ScriptNotes comments and asynchronous collaboration.
- Reader Mode
- People invited to a script in Final Draft Cloud can view and comment on it free of charge, with no credit card, but cannot edit it.
- Writing goals and focus modes
- Final Draft 13 includes Writing Goals and Productivity Stats along with Midnight and Typewriter modes.
Storyist
- Story sheets
- Editable forms for plot, character, setting and section, which can be customized to hold the details you track.
- Index cards and corkboard
- Scenes appear as color-coded index cards that can be arranged, and shown beside the manuscript while you write.
- Manuscript and screenplay formatting
- Stylesheets and templates for manuscripts and screenplays, with quick keys for changing screenplay elements.
- Book editor and ebook export
- On the Mac, builds print-ready PDFs with trim size, margins and bleed set, and creates ePub and Kindle editions.
- Import and export formats
- Handles Word, RTF, OpenDocument, Scrivener, Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain files.
- Outliner and word-count goals
- An outliner gives a high-level view of a manuscript, and daily and project word-count goals are tracked.
Plans
Final Draft
Final Draft Go$3.99
per month, or $19.99 per year, in the App Store
A separate subscription app for writing, editing and reading Final Draft scripts on iPhone and iPad.
Final Draft Suite$99.99
per year, or $16.99 per month
Final Draft 13 for desktop plus Final Draft Cloud, the online workspace with cloud storage, sharing and collaboration.
Final Draft 13 Educational$129.99
one-time purchase
All the features of Final Draft 13 for students and teachers. Verification is required to buy.
Final Draft 13 Upgrade$129.99
one-time purchase
For owners of any previous desktop version, who must give a registered customer number or email.
Final Draft 13$249.99
one-time purchase
The desktop app for Mac and Windows, with activation on two computers. Does not include Final Draft Cloud.
Volume licensingCustom
Multi-user licenses for studios, production companies, schools and nonprofits, arranged with the sales team.
Storyist
Storyist 4 for iOS$19
one-time
iPhone and iPad version with index cards, outline and screenplay template; needs iOS 17 or later.
Storyist 4 for macOS$59
one-time
Mac version with story sheets, outliner, book editor and ePub and Kindle export; also sold on the Mac App Store.
Ways to pay less
Final Draft
- Other savings
Sale price of $199.99 on Final Draft 13
The US store listed Final Draft 13 at $199.99 against its regular $249.99 when the page was captured on 2026-09-29.
- Annual discount
Annual Suite plan costs about half of monthly
Final Draft Suite is $99.99 a year, against $203.88 for twelve payments on the $16.99 monthly plan.
- Education
Educational edition for students and teachers
Final Draft 13 Educational has a regular price of $129.99, against $249.99 for the standard license, and was on sale at $99.99 on 2026-08-30. Verification is required.
- Other savings
Military and first responder price of $129.99
Members of the military, veterans and first responders can buy Final Draft 13 for $129.99 instead of the regular $249.99.
- Other savings
Upgrade pricing for existing owners
Owners of any earlier desktop version can move to Final Draft 13 for a regular price of $129.99; the upgrade was on sale at $99.99 on 2026-09-22.
Storyist
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Final Draft or Storyist?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Final Draft starts at $99.99 per year or $16.99 per month (Suite); $249.99 one-time for Final Draft 13, and Storyist starts at $19 one-time (iOS).
Which has a free plan, Final Draft or Storyist?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Final Draft nor Storyist has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Final Draft and Storyist run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Final Draft lists a web app and a Windows app. Both list 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.