# A free Final Draft alternative for screenwriters

> Write screenplays in standard format for free in your browser. Compare Final Draft and Missa Docs, and open or save .fdx files without buying a license.

Canonical: https://www.usemissa.com/guides/free-final-draft-alternative
Last updated: 2026-11-11

By Adedayo Agarau, Founder, Missa.

## Short answer

Missa Docs is a free Final Draft alternative that runs in any browser. It formats screenplays, TV and stage scripts as you type, opens Final Draft, Fountain, Fade In, Highland and Celtx files, and saves an .fdx or a PDF. Final Draft 13 costs US$249.99 and runs only on Mac and Windows.

- Producers and contests usually ask for a PDF, and sometimes an .fdx file.
- Missa Docs opens and saves .fdx files for free, in a browser.
- Final Draft runs on Mac and Windows, not on Chromebooks or phones.

> [!NOTE]
> Missa publishes this guide, and Missa Docs is one of the tools in it. We checked each price on the maker’s own page on 11 November 2026. Final Draft was running a sale that week, so we give its usual prices too.

Final Draft is a desktop screenwriting app, and many producers and contests ask for its `.fdx` file. It isn’t cheap, and it only runs on a Mac or a Windows computer. If you want industry-standard script formatting for free, in a browser, here’s what to check and how the options compare.

## What a script needs from any screenwriting app

A script reader cares about the page, not the app. Whatever you write in, check that it can do these five things:

- Format scene headings, action, character names, dialogue, parentheticals and transitions as you type, in 12-point Courier.
- Give you a Final Draft file (`.fdx`) and a PDF, because that’s what producers, contests and coverage services ask for.
- Open the scripts you already have, from Final Draft, Fountain or another app.
- Keep scene numbers and revisions straight once a script goes into production.
- Let you plan scenes and beats away from the page.

## Final Draft alternatives compared

| Tool | Price | Where it runs | Opens | Saves as | AI writing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Missa Docs | Free on every Missa plan | Any browser, including phones | Final Draft, Fountain, Fade In, Highland, Celtx, PDF, Word, text | Final Draft (.fdx), Fountain, PDF through print | None |
| Final Draft 13 | US$249.99 one-time (on sale for US$199.99), or the Suite from US$99.99 a year | macOS 12+ and Windows 11+ | PDF, text, RTF, Final Draft files | .fdx, PDF, RTF, text and more | None |
| Google Docs | Free with a Google Account | Browser, plus phone apps | Word, PDF | Word, PDF, EPUB | Gemini on paid plans |

Final Draft’s [product page](https://www.finaldraft.com/products/final-draft/) lists Final Draft 13 for Mac and Windows and says it isn’t available on Chromebook. Its help center says Final Draft [can’t open Fountain files](https://kb.finaldraft.com/hc/en-us/articles/15575076862228-Can-Final-Draft-import-a-file-written-in-a-Fountain-based-screenwriting-program). It also says Final Draft [doesn’t use your screenplay for AI](https://kb.finaldraft.com/hc/en-us/articles/17310471936148-Does-Final-Draft-access-use-or-sell-my-screenplay-data-for-purposes-relating-to-Artificial-Intelligence-AI-training).

Google Docs has no screenplay format of its own. Writers who use it add a formatter from the Workspace Marketplace, and the result is usually a Word file, not an `.fdx`.

## Write a screenplay in Missa Docs

Open **New document** and choose **Screenplay**, or another script format. Missa Docs sets the page in Courier Prime at 12 points, with standard margins, and moves you to the next element as you type: Enter after a scene heading gives you action, Tab gives you a character name, and Enter after a character name gives you dialogue.

![A new screenplay in Missa Docs: the writer types a scene heading, an action line and two lines of dialogue, and each one takes screenplay format as it is typed](/media/guides/free-final-draft-alternative/01-write-a-screenplay.webp "Type the scene heading in lower case and it comes out in capitals. Enter and Tab move you between elements.")

It has nine script formats:

- Feature screenplay
- TV, single-camera and multi-camera
- Animation
- Stage play, US and UK layouts
- Audio drama
- Comic script
- Two-column script, with picture and sound side by side

The Plan panel holds a card for every scene, so you can reorder scenes away from the page.

![The scene board in Missa Docs for a short script: the writer opens the card for INT. DEPOT CAFE - LATER, adds a line about what happens, saves it and moves the scene earlier](/media/guides/free-final-draft-alternative/02-scene-cards.webp "Open Plan to see a card for every scene. Move a card and the scene moves in the script.")

Cast and Places list every character and location with their scenes. Once a script is locked, Revisions keeps scene numbers like 12A, marks changed lines with stars and lets you print sides for a day’s shoot.

Read aloud plays the script with a different voice for each character. It’s the one feature that sends text out of your browser, and only when you press play.

## Move your scripts out of Final Draft

You can keep every script you wrote in Final Draft.

1. In Missa Docs, choose **Import**.
2. Drop in a `.fdx` file. Fountain, Fade In, Highland, Celtx and PDF scripts come in the same way.
3. Check the first pages: scene headings, a dual-dialogue scene and the title page.
4. When you send the script out, open the **More** menu (⋯), choose **Export…**, then **Download Final Draft** for an `.fdx`, or **Print / PDF**.

![Importing a Final Draft file called Last Stop into Missa Docs: the script opens with its scene headings, character names, dialogue, a parenthetical and a CUT TO transition in place](/media/guides/free-final-draft-alternative/03-import-a-final-draft-file.webp "Choose Import, then pick the .fdx file. The script opens in standard format.")

![The Export panel for a script in Missa Docs, with Download Final Draft and Download Fountain next to DOCX, EPUB, text and Print / PDF; the writer chooses Download Final Draft](/media/guides/free-final-draft-alternative/04-download-final-draft.webp "Download Final Draft gives you an .fdx to send. Download Fountain and Print / PDF sit beside it.")

Scene numbers, revision marks and dual dialogue go back out to Final Draft with the file. Keep your original `.fdx` until you’ve checked a round trip.

## When Final Draft is still the right choice

Buy Final Draft if your show or studio asks for it by name. Some productions want the whole writers’ room in the same app, and some scheduling tools read Final Draft’s own formats. If you only need to hand in an `.fdx` and a PDF, a free app that writes both covers you.

Whatever you use, send a PDF unless someone asks for another format. A PDF looks the same on every computer.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a free alternative to Final Draft?

Yes. Missa Docs writes screenplays in standard format for free, in a browser. It opens and saves Final Draft (`.fdx`) files, so you can send a producer the file they ask for.

### Can I open a Final Draft file without Final Draft?

Yes. Import the `.fdx` into Missa Docs. Scene numbers, dual dialogue and the title page come with it.

### Does Missa Docs work on a Chromebook or a phone?

Yes. It runs in any modern browser. On a phone, the script elements sit in a row above the keyboard.

### Will a contest accept a script written in Missa Docs?

Contests judge the PDF, not the app. Check the contest’s own rules for page count and format, then send a PDF in standard screenplay format.

## Related

- [A Scrivener alternative that works in your browser](https://www.usemissa.com/guides/scrivener-alternative)
- [A Google Docs alternative made for writers](https://www.usemissa.com/guides/google-docs-alternative-for-writers)
- [How to keep a submission tracker and find literary magazines](https://www.usemissa.com/guides/submission-tracker)