Opening your scripts…

HeatWriter for screenwriters

Free Online Screenwriting Software

Write your screenplay in your browser, formatted the way Final Draft formats it. Everything saves as you type, and your script downloads as a Final Draft file, Fountain or PDF whenever you need it.

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HeatWriter's screenwriting software: a screenplay page in industry-standard format, with the scenes list and the Review and Publish buttons

Screenplay format, handled for you

Scene headings, action, character names, parentheticals, dialogue and transitions land exactly where readers expect them: Courier 12, the standard margins, and page breaks with (MORE) and (CONT'D) placed the way Final Draft places them. Press Enter and Tab the way you would in Final Draft, and the next element is already waiting.

Enter and Tab, like Final Draft

Scene heading, then action; character, then dialogue. Tab turns a line into a character or a parenthetical, and Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+7 switch elements.

Suggestions as you type

Character names, locations, times of day and transitions from your own script, one keystroke away.

Pages you can trust

The page count, (MORE) and (CONT'D) follow Final Draft's rules on US Letter or A4, so your page one is everyone's page one.

Autocorrect that knows it's a screenplay

Typos and missing apostrophes are fixed as you type, and your characters' names are capitalised in every cue. Your own spellings (slang, places, invented names) are left alone, and one Backspace undoes any correction for good.

Never lose a page

Your script is saved to your HeatWriter account a second after you stop typing, earlier versions are kept, and a copy of every unsaved change stays in your browser. Close the tab, lose the connection, restart the computer: your pages are still there.

Opens and downloads Final Draft files

Upload a Final Draft (.fdx) or Fountain script and carry on writing. Download your screenplay as Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain, PDF or plain text at any time. The .fdx opens in Final Draft with its standard screenplay settings.

Switching from Final Draft? See how HeatWriter compares.

An honest AI script review, built in

Press Review for a harsh, objective read of the whole script: an estimated HeatWriter score and specific notes, each quoting the line it is about so you can jump straight to it. Three reviews a month are free.

How the AI script coverage works

Finished? Publish it

Publish straight from the editor: generate or upload a cover, get your screenplay rated on six industry criteria, and see where it ranks on the HeatWriter leaderboard.

Everything else a screenwriter needs

  • Title page
  • Scenes list to jump around
  • Find and replace
  • Bold, italic and underline
  • Script notes
  • Dual dialogue
  • Letter or A4 pages
  • Dark mode
  • Save as New Draft

Frequently asked questions

Is HeatWriter's screenwriting software really free?

Yes. Writing, saving, importing and downloading your scripts are free with a HeatWriter account. The AI script review is free three times a month (30 a month on paid plans). Publishing a script to the leaderboard uses a submission credit.

Do I need Final Draft?

No. HeatWriter formats your screenplay the way Final Draft does and opens and saves Final Draft (.fdx) files, so you can move between the two whenever you like.

Can I import a screenplay I have already written?

Yes. Upload a Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain (.fountain) or plain-text script from the Open dialog and keep writing where you left off.

Is my screenplay private?

Yes. The scripts you write are stored in your HeatWriter account and only you can open them. Nothing is published unless you press Publish.

What happens if my browser crashes?

Nothing is lost. Your script is saved to your account a second after you stop typing, earlier versions are kept, and a copy of any unsaved change is kept in your browser too.

Which computers does it work on?

It runs in the browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, with nothing to install. It is designed for a keyboard, so a laptop or desktop works best.

Write your screenplay today

Free, in your browser, formatted like Final Draft, and saved as you type.

Start Writing FreeRead the Format Guide