Quillit vs Final Draft
Final Draft formatting,
without the download or the price.
Quillit is free screenwriting software that runs in any browser, formats your script as you type, and exports native Final Draft files when you need them.
No credit card. Works in any modern browser.
How they compare, at a glance
| QuillitYou | Final Draft | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · Pro $9.99/mo | ~$200 one-time |
| Free tier | — | |
| Runs in the browser | — | |
| Nothing to install | — | |
| Write on phone & tablet | — | |
| Automatic industry formatting | ||
| Autosave + cloud sync | Desktop files | |
| Final Draft (.fdx) export | Pro | |
| PDF export (watermark-free) | ||
| Fountain import & export | ||
| Revision history | Pro |
Final Draft pricing shown is its typical one-time desktop license. Check finaldraft.com for current pricing.
Why writers keep a tab open instead
Open a tab, start writing
No download, no license key, no installer. Quillit opens in any modern browser on any machine — including the borrowed one at a coffee shop.
The same automatic formatting
Scene headings, character cues, dialogue, and transitions fall into industry-standard layout as you type — the part of Final Draft writers actually rely on, minus the menus.
Stay compatible with .fdx
Quillit Pro exports native Final Draft files, so you can hand a .fdx to any production office or collaborator who lives in Final Draft — without owning it yourself.
A quieter place to write
Focus mode, typewriter scrolling, and dark mode keep the page calm. Quillit is built to disappear so the script is the only thing on screen.
Your work is portable
Export to PDF, Fountain, or .fdx anytime, on any plan. Your scripts are never locked inside one program or one computer.
Free to finish a draft
The full editor is free forever. Upgrade to Pro only when you want unlimited cloud scripts, .fdx export, and revision history — for less than one Final Draft costs, per year.
When Final Draft is still the right call
We’ll be straight with you. Final Draft has been the industry standard for decades, and it earns that in a few places: its beat board and story-mapping tools, production features like scene tagging and reports, and deep round-tripping for teams who all work in .fdx natively. If your production office mandates Final Draft, or you lean on those production tools daily, it’s a reasonable investment.
But most writers spend the overwhelming majority of their time doing one thing: drafting pages in correct format. That’s exactly what Quillit does — free, in any browser, on any device — and when you need to hand off a Final Draft file, Quillit Pro exports one. You can write the whole script in Quillit and still play nicely with a Final Draft world.
Questions, answered.
- Can Quillit open and export Final Draft files?
- Yes. Quillit imports and exports Fountain on every plan, and Quillit Pro exports native Final Draft (.fdx) files that open directly in Final Draft. That keeps you compatible with anyone who uses it.
- Is Quillit really free?
- Yes — the full editor, automatic formatting, unlimited local scripts, and watermark-free PDF export are free forever. Pro is $9.99/month or $79.99/year and adds unlimited cloud scripts, .fdx export, and revision history.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. Quillit runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to download or update, and it works the same on Mac, Windows, Chromebook, and tablets.
- Is Final Draft still worth it?
- Final Draft is the long-standing industry standard and has deep production features like its beat board and tagging. If your workflow depends on those, it earns its place. If you mainly want fast, correct formatting and the freedom to write anywhere, Quillit does that free — and still exports .fdx when you need it.
- Will my formatting be correct for the industry?
- Yes. Quillit lays out scene headings, action, character cues, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions to standard screenplay format automatically, and exports a true one-inch-margin PDF.
Try the free alternative first.
Open Quillit in your browser and write a scene in the next sixty seconds. No account required to start.