Screenwriting apps compared
How Cold Open compares with other screenwriting apps on price, platforms and file formats. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own website, read on 5 November 2026 and linked below. Prices change, and sales come and go, so check each site before you buy.
| App | Price | Runs on | .fdx | Fountain | Source code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Open | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Opens and saves | Opens and saves (its own format) | Open source: GPL-3.0-or-later; format libraries MIT or Apache-2.0 |
| Final Draft 13 [1] | One-time purchase, listed at $249.99 (on sale at $199.99 when read); or a subscription suite with Final Draft Cloud | macOS 12 or later, Windows 11 or later. Linux isn't listed | Its own format | Not stated | Closed |
| Fade In [2] | $79.95 for a license (listed as previously $99.95); free trial | Mac, Windows, Linux; a companion app for iPhone, iPad and Android | Opens and saves | Listed among the formats it supports | Closed |
| WriterDuet [3] | Free plan (three projects); paid plans $9.99 to $13.99 a month | Web and mobile; a desktop app and offline writing on paid plans | Imports and exports | Imports and exports | Closed |
| Highland Pro [4] | Subscription: $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month; 30-day trial | Mac, iPad, iPhone | Not stated on the page read | Not stated on the page read | Closed |
| Trelby [5] | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Imports and exports | Imports and exports | Open source: GPL |
Reading the table
- "Not stated" means the app's own page we read doesn't say, not that the app can't do it.
- Accounts and sign-in. Final Draft's product page says a license is used to sign in, with an internet connection needed for the first sign-in, on up to two computers at once [1]. Cold Open has no account and no sign-in, and runs on as many computers as you like.
- Cold Open is an alpha. The others are mature products with features Cold Open doesn't have yet, such as a spellchecker, index cards and, for some, real-time co-writing. Known limitations lists what's missing.
Where Cold Open is different
- Free and open, for good: no purchase, subscription or account, and source code anyone can read and build.
- A crash journal: every keystroke is saved before it shows on screen, so a crash never costs what you typed.
- .fdx byte for byte: saving an .fdx file back writes it as it came, keeping what Cold Open doesn't use.
- The same pages everywhere: bundled fonts and its own layout, so a script is the same length on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Sources
All read on 5 November 2026.
- Final Draft: pricing and Final Draft 13.
- Fade In: purchase and features.
- WriterDuet: plans and pricing, with its answer on what files it imports and exports.
- Highland Pro: Highland Pro.
- Trelby: trelby.org and its download page.
"Final Draft", "Fade In", "WriterDuet", "Highland" and "Trelby" are their owners' names and trademarks. Cold Open isn't connected with any of them. Spotted something out of date? Tell us, and we'll correct it.