SOY ScriptWriter vs Final Draft, Celtx and Arc Studio
Every tool below formats a screenplay correctly. The difference is what happens before and after the page: where the idea comes from, how a series is organised, and how notes get back into the draft.
| Feature | SOY ScriptWriter | Final Draft | Celtx | Arc Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry-standard screenplay formatting | ||||
| Dedicated stage-play formatting (Dramatists Guild style) | Manual | Template | Manual | |
| Export to PDF, DOCX and Final Draft (FDX) | PDF/FDX | PDF/FDX | ||
| Import scripts (FDX, Fountain, DOCX, PDF) | ||||
| AI ideas chat with document uploads | ||||
| Round-trip: chat → script → chat | ||||
| TV series structure (teaser, pilot, episodes) | Manual | Manual | Manual | |
| AI table read with distinct character voices | ||||
| Voice dictation for prompts | ||||
| Live multi-writer co-writing | Team plans | |||
| Inline comments pinned to script lines | ||||
| Beat board / index-card outline | Paid plans | |||
| Revision mode (coloured pages, change marks) | ||||
| Scene, character and location reports | Paid plans | |||
| Keep writing offline, syncs later | Limited | |||
| Production tools: breakdowns, schedules, budgets, call sheets | Paid plans | |||
| Approvals workflow with reviewer decisions | Paid plans | Limited | ||
| Read-only share links with reader feedback | Paid plans | Add-on | ||
| Private draft branches with compare & merge | Paid plans | |||
| @mentions with notifications | ||||
| Story map: scenes, character relationships, structure beats | Paid plans | Partial | ||
| Pitch & marketing hub with 10-slide pitch deck | Paid plans | |||
| Free $0 plan for drafting | Limited | Limited | ||
| Runs in the browser, nothing to install | ||||
| Pay-as-you-go credit top-ups | ||||
| One-time desktop licence |
vs Final Draft
Final Draft remains the studio standard for formatting and revision marks, and it is a one-time purchase you install on a machine. SOY ScriptWriter is browser-based and built around an AI ideas chat that reads your research documents, hands material to the writing studio, and takes finished pages back for notes. Scripts export to .fdx, so a Final Draft collaborator can always open your work.
vs Celtx
Celtx leans into production paperwork — breakdowns, schedules and budgets. SOY ScriptWriter includes those same production tools on its paid plans, for both film and theatre, and adds what Celtx lacks: an AI ideas chat, series structure with teaser, pilot and auto-numbered episodes, and an AI table read that gives each character a distinct voice.
vs Arc Studio
Arc Studio pairs a clean editor with beat boards and real-time co-writing. SOY ScriptWriter matches live co-writing on its Team plans and adds a deeper AI loop and pay-as-you-go credits, so occasional writers are not paying a fixed monthly seat.
Where SOY ScriptWriter is still growing
Live co-writing, inline comments, script import, a beat board, revision mode, production reports, offline writing, production tools, share links with feedback, private draft branches and a story map are all included today. Still on the roadmap: a native mobile app. If that is non-negotiable today, one of the tools above may suit you better.