Final Draft Reviews & Product Details

For over 25 years Final Draft has been the industry standard and market leader in screenwriting software. Used by 95% of film and television productions, Final Draft is the first choice for both professional and aspiring screenwriters, producers, directors, and industry executives. Final Draft was co-founded in 1990 by Marc Madnick and Ben Cahan, who recognized that Hollywood lacked a word-processor capable of automatically formatting a script to the entertainment industry’s stringent standards. This led to the creation of Final Draft, a fully dedicated screenwriting software application that automatically formats your script to Hollywood’s industry standards. Final Draft quickly became an essential tool for the entertainment industry, and in 2013 the program was awarded the prestigious Primetime Emmy Engineering Award. In recent years Final Draft’s mission has extended beyond providing writers with the best screenwriting software on the market. Final Draft also provides free and exclusive educational resources to writers to help them every step of the way on their screenwriting journey. This includes interviews with professional screenwriters, podcasts, tech tips, and how-to articles. Regular live events keep writers connected with industry and each other, and up-to-date on the latest industry trends. Final Draft continues to unearth the best new talent through the Big Break Screenwriting Contest, which every year awards over $100,000 in cash and prizes, and has launched the careers of countless new screenwriters. Final Draft is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The Big Break Contest offers Diversity categories that ensure underrepresented writers come to the attention of industry professionals. Final Draft also provides invaluable resources and connections to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, marginalized and differently abled writers, helping them bring their stories to the world. As the needs of these communities grow and change, Final Draft will be there to meet them. In 2016, Final Draft was acquired by Cast & Crew. Based in Burbank, California, and with offices across the U.S. and in Canada, Cast & Crew is a trusted partner to major and independent film and television studios. Cast & Crew provides clients with a robust portfolio of critical services. These include payroll and residuals processing, the industry-leading PSL production accounting software and other digital solutions, as well as financial services such as production incentive consulting, management and financing. Cast & Crew continues to accelerate its investment in technology, supported by majority shareholder EQT, a leading investment firm with portfolio companies in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., which acquired Cast & Crew in early 2019. Under Cast & Crew Final Draft provides a world-class product with world-class service and will continue to listen and respond to the needs of writers everywhere. Final Draft is proud to continue to work with our industry partners to improve the lives and careers of writers, including Hillman Grad, Start with Hollywood, Women of Color Unite, the Geena Davis Institute, Seed & Spark, CAPE Fellowship, The Disruptors, Women in Film & TV and NALIP. Final Draft – It all starts with the script.

Seller

Final Draft

Discussions

Final Draft Community

Languages Supported

English

Overview by

Alejandro Seri

Pricing

Pricing provided by Final Draft.

Final Draft 13 EDU Site License

Starting at $9.85

1 per month billed annually

Final Draft 13 Studio Site License

Starting at $9.85

1 per month billed annually

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Final Draft Media

Final Draft Demo - NEW! Night & Focus Mode

Night Mode inverts your screen to cut down on eye strain, while Focus Mode eliminates unwanted distractions.

Import a PDF and convert it into a fully editable Final Draft file.

Keep a record of edits to your script, then choose whether to accept or reject them.

Final Draft Demo - Real-Time Collaboration

Collaborate simultaneously with your writing partners IN REAL TIME on both the script and the Beat Board.

Insert images on title pages, in the script or even in the Beat Board to help visualize your story.

Final Draft Demo - Beat Board Collaboration

Collaborators can now access the Beat Board, while the new Spell Check and Find & Replace features make the Beat Board even more user-friendly.

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Josh H.

Co-Founder & CEO

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/13/2018

"Lot's of great features, but overwhelming at the same time"

2.5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

It's great that your script can be tied into soooooo many different tools to help produce the film, not just write. Trying to do all things like breakdowns, shot lists, etc separately would be a nightmare. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

I don't like how complicated it is. I feel like I need to go to college to learn how all the tools like the navigator work and I need to have a dictionary available to know what the labels mean. I'm sure a very experienced writer would get it, but not me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

If you're not super experienced, there are many other writing tools out there that are easier and more simple to use. This has everything, but it's not very useful unless you know the lingo and how to use it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

I'm trying to write a short film/demo. Well, with FinalDraft 9 I haven't realized any really. There are simpler script writing tools out there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Writing and Editing

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

12/11/2018

"Great Screenwriting Software"

5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

This software makes screenwriting a breeze. It walks you through everything and is very collaborative. I’ll only use this industry standard! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

I love everything about Final Draft. It meets all of my screenwriting needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Helen M.

Actress

Entertainment

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/6/2018

"Best software for creative writing"

5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

The various templates, I have personally used the Stageplay and Screenplay templates the most and can attest that they are industry standard. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

Honestly, nothing. It's a well designed piece of software! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

Well worth the price, perfect for any creative writers, particularly for Scripts, Screenplays and Novels. Well produced tutorial videos allow you to get a basic understand of the software in a matter of minutes, and while it is geared towards creative industry professionals, the ease of use and industry standard formatting are great for someone who is just starting out as a writer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

The templates are all industry standard, so regardless of personal experience my work will at least always look professional! The story map and beats function allows me to write in a non-linear way, but still keep everything organized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Entertainment

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

8/27/2018

"Needs to come into digital age"

4/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

It’s the industry standard so the commonality is important, the outlining feature is easy to use as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

No way to collaborate with other writers other than emailing files back and forth and no typewriter mode. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Entertainment

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/25/2018

"Best screenplay experience"

5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

I can customize the menu, with is needed Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

When I paste the scene, it removes format Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Writing and Editing

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

12/5/2017

"Final Draft Is A Great Scriptwriting Software"

4/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

I love how easy it is to set up dialogue in Final Draft. From outlining to storyboarding and keeping a full array of notes, Final Draft has it all! It is especially important to document all of your pre-production processes and I feel like Final Draft gives you the ability to easily do so. Definitely consider trailing or watching video tutorials of Final Draft before making a decision to purchase a different screenwriting software. I am sure that a thorough vetting of the available screenwriting softwares will give Final Draft the edge. A must use product! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

Final Draft is a bit intricate and takes some time to used to, but ultimately proves to be a great screenwriting software. The fact that Final Draft has a higher learning curve simply proves that its superior to most screenwriting software. It is rich with important information and easy-to-learn keyboard shortcuts. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

I would recommend Final Draft for all upcoming screenwriters who are trying to take their writing game to the next level. This product makes it easy to document your entire outlining process while you continue to write drafts of your script. You can also write specific types of scripts like A/V and film. It's worth taking a deeper look into Final Draft if you are between two different types of screenwriting software. I highly recommend this screenwriting software! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am simply attempting to streamline my entire screenwriting process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Entertainment

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

11/9/2017

"Must have as it is the industry standard for professional screenwriters."

5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

It is very very easy to use. Just open a document and you have the right format to write your screenplay. The correct font, margin and abbreviations are right there. You do not need a tutorial as is very intuitive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

I do not like that I had to buy a new final draft when I got my new computer as the older version wouldn't work. And is a little bit pricey. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

Final Draft is the tool you need if you want to write a script. Like they said you just need to add the words. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

When we started writing scripts we used to use microsoft word because it was the software we had available at that time but the script didn't look professional enough and it took as for ever to make a good template. It was very time consuming and the final product didn't great. Everything changed when we started to used final draft. The process of actually writing the script became much easier, we saved a lot of time and the final product looked much better. We used these software two write 2 scripts two feature films that premiere in theatres in 2007 and 2014 and many shortfilms and scripts that still in development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Leora W.

Project Manager

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/23/2017

"Best Writing Software Out There"

5/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

I like that it's easy to use and every feature I need is accessible and convenient with shortcuts. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

I don't like that it's so expensive to purchase. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

Even though you must pay for it, the features it provides does make it a superior program to other free ones out there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

Benefits include: editing scripts and documents, saving to PDF in a quick and convenient way, and sending documents to other employees easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Automotive

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/24/2017

"It the standard for a reason!"

4/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

Once you get over the slight learning curve it becomes very fluid and natural. I watched a few Youtube videos when I needed help on a few things and from there I've had few issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

I've been lucky not to have any big gripes so far. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

It's the best, spend the $ and get it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

I didn't have this program in my arsenal and now I do, problem solved. If you want your work to be read and out there using this is step one as far as I'm concerned. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Samuel L.

Director Of Marketing & Partnerships

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/12/2016

"Final Draft is the premier screenwriting platform"

4/5

What do you like best about Final Draft?

Final Draft is the leading screenwriting software ... and for good reason. Professionals and novices alike choose Final Draft because of how deep the platform is, and how versatile it can be. It's a great piece of software but does take some time to get used to and to learn how to properly use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Final Draft?

The learning curve for using Final Draft is unlike any other screenwriting software, but is worth it to learn. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Final Draft:

Final Draft is the cornerstone screenwriting software. This is what professionals have and will continue to use for screenplays. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Final Draft solving and how is that benefiting you?

Writing screenplays, stageplays, and television scripts inside of Final Draft has made the process simple. You can draft and produce a professional piece right from your laptop or desktop computer because of how intricate and advanced Final Draft can get. If you're looking for the professional software that other screenwriters use, you'll want to choose Final Draft! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.