Final Draft 13.5.0 — macOS

Screenplays follow a format that's been around since the silent era. Final Draft 13.4.0 for Mac stays true to that standard while fixing a few small bugs from the previous release.

Writing a film script

The app handles character names, dialogue, scene headings, and transitions automatically as you type. You focus on the story; the software keeps the formatting industry-correct.

Structuring a TV episode

Built-in templates for half-hour and hour-long episodes speed up the setup. The outline view lets you rearrange scenes without cutting and pasting.

Saves time for deadline-driven professionals and film students alike

Professional screenwriters working to a deadline are the obvious fit — the automatic formatting saves time when every page has to match industry expectations. But I've seen it used by film students who want their spec scripts to look right when they submit to competitions, and by playwrights who need a clean stage-play format without fighting a word processor's defaults. TV writers working on series bibles or individual episode outlines also benefit from the template system. If you write more than a couple of scripts a year, the time saved on formatting adds up fast.

For someone who only drafts a screenplay once every few years, a basic word processor with a style guide might do the job. But for anyone who regularly revises and sends out scripts, Final Draft removes a layer of busywork that has nothing to do with story.

Dual dialogue tool aligns two characters speaking at once

Final Draft includes a few features that aren't flashy but make daily use smoother. The dual dialogue tool lets two characters speak at the same time on the page — a small thing, but if you've ever tried to align two speech columns manually in a word processor, you appreciate it immediately. The smart type function automatically inserts new scene headings and character names as you start a new paragraph, so you rarely need to reach for the mouse.

The script comparison feature highlights differences between two drafts, which helps when a producer sends back a revised version and you need to see exactly what changed. Revision tracking adds colored marks on the page for each pass, so everyone on the production side knows which lines are new. The index card view, available in the navigator panel, gives you a bird's-eye look at your story structure — you can reorder scenes by dragging cards, then see the changes reflected in the script instantly.

The program also includes a beat board for plotting story points and a dialogue tuner that flags overused words or phrases. None of these are features you'd notice in a five-minute test drive, but they're the kind of tools that save time over a six-month writing project.

More established than Fade In but heavier to run

Final Draft is the most established screenwriting application on the Mac, but it's not the only one. Fade In offers a similar feature set — automatic formatting, outline view, revision tracking — in a package that some writers find lighter and faster. Fade In also opens Final Draft files (.fdx) natively, so moving between the two is possible, though formatting quirks can appear on complex documents. Where Final Draft pulls ahead is in its integration with production tools; many script supervisors, scheduling programs, and budgeting software expect Final Draft files as their starting point.

WriterSolo is a free alternative that handles basic screenplay formatting well. It lacks the advanced revision tracking, beat board, and script comparison tools. For a student or a hobbyist, it may be enough. But if you plan to work with a production team or a writing partner who uses Final Draft, sticking with the same format avoids conversion headaches.

Highland 2 takes a different approach: it uses plain text files with a simple markup language, then formats the output on the fly. It's excellent for writers who want to avoid any software lock-in, but it doesn't include the production-oriented features like revision tracking or script comparison that Final Draft has built in. Each tool has its place. Final Draft is the one I'd recommend if your scripts will leave your computer and enter a production pipeline.

Exports to PDF and .fdx for cross-device sharing

Final Draft exports to several formats that matter in the real world. You can save a script as a PDF for reading on any device, or as a Final Draft file (.fdx) that opens in other screenwriting software. It also exports to rich text format (.rtf) if you need to bring the text into a word processor for notes or collaboration. The program supports importing from Fountain, Celtx, and plain text files, so you're not locked into one format when you start a project.

On macOS, Final Draft works with the operating system's standard text services. You can use the built-in dictionary, text replacements, and system-level spell check. The program also supports macOS dark mode, which is welcome if you spend long hours writing at night. Because it's a native Mac application, it plays well with Mission Control and full-screen mode — I keep the script in one space and research materials in another, then swipe between them.

The iOS companion app, Final Draft Go, lets you make notes or write scenes on an iPad or iPhone and sync them back to the Mac. It's not a full writing environment, but it's useful for capturing ideas when you're away from your desk.

If you use Scrivener for project management, the latest version of Final Draft integrates with it directly. You can move a script between the two programs, using Scrivener for research and outlining and Final Draft for the final script formatting. This is the workflow I recommend to writers who like Scrivener's binder and corkboard but need Final Draft's formatting for submission-ready scripts.

Initial sign-in trip-up for offline Macs

One of the first things that trips people up is the initial sign-in requirement. Final Draft 13 needs an active internet connection the first time you open it after installation. If you're working on a Mac that stays offline, you'll need to connect briefly to get past this step. After that, the program works fine without a connection.

Another common issue: forgetting to set the right template before you start writing. If you begin a document with the default film template and then realize you're writing a TV episode, you can switch templates later — go to the Document menu and select Change Template. It's easier to pick the right one at the start, but it's not a disaster if you forget.

Some users run into trouble when they try to open a script created in an older version of Final Draft. The program generally handles backward compatibility well, but if you see odd formatting after opening an older file, check the paragraph styles. Occasionally, a custom style from an earlier version doesn't map perfectly to version 13.4.0. The fix is to reapply the correct style from the Format menu.

If you're collaborating with a writer who uses a different screenwriting app, stick to the .fdx format for exchange. Most other programs can export to Final Draft format, and Final Draft can import from several others. Avoid copying and pasting text between applications — formatting almost always gets mangled. Export and import the file properly instead.

One last thing: Final Draft runs on Intel Macs natively. If you're on an Apple Silicon Mac, it runs under Rosetta 2, which works fine for this kind of application. I haven't seen any performance issues in normal use, but if you're running the script comparison or revision tracking on a very long document, give it a moment to process.

Stage scripts have their own layout rules. Final Draft applies the right margin, character cue, and parenthetical formatting for theater, not film.

• Minor bug fixes.

• macOS 12 Monterey or later
• Intel processor (runs via Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon)
• Active internet connection required for initial sign-in
• Interface language: English