WriterDuet

Second update in a day: Okay, so I know how to make the problem come back. And this app definitely still needs to be optimized for newer devices like the iPad Pro 12.9 and my iPhone X which is a year and a half old now. If I had gotten into this software two months ago, it might not have been as bad—but knowing that I missed a 1/2 price sale on Pro makes the idea of upgrading much more difficult now. Update: I’m pretty gobsmacked. Today I opened up the app, and that egregious glitch has just disappeared. I don’t get it—the app hasn’t been updated, I had already tried restarting my iPad several times, and ultimately resorted to buying Final Draft Mobile. Worked in FD all day yesterday, only to discover this lovely surprise waiting for me today. WriterDuet is excellent on the web, but on my iPad Pro 12.9”, there’s a big, dark gray line across the middle of the app that won’t go away. It almost looks a stray menu bar or something, but it’s just there, covering up your script.

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The one pro here is that the UX and UI are almost perfectly adapted to the desktop version - or, to be more clear, they would be if they worked properly. Way too many issues with coding. 90% of the times I tap on something to start writing, the top toolbar shifts up above the top of my screen so I can’t select dialog, character, etc. I have to close and reopen the app repeatedly to get it to let me write more than a line at a time. Half the time the cursor isn’t visible so you don’t know where your new text will show up. Also about half the time, I open a script and it’s not all there. And sometimes I start typing and the new letters overlap existing letters and I can’t read what I’m writing. Frankly I’m surprised Apple allowed such a poorly-working app into the app store. I keep checking for a fix but there never is one. Fingers crossed one comes soon... Edit: I realize that the app makers are not a charity and they’re looking for revenue. And being a free member, I almost feel like I shouldn’t be complaining. But I’m not in a position to add another subscription right now and I sure wouldn’t pay for an app that barely works. I hope it doesn’t work better for paid users than unpaid. But I’m sure more people would subscribe if the app worked properly and users didn’t need to constantly restart the app and/or their phones in the futile hope it will make the app work.

This app is pretty new so maybe Im just an early adopter... but after a week of working with the desktop version I was sold. Upgraded to Pro for one year, plan to go lifetime if it becomes my go to app for writing over fdx which at this point i think it will. This is google docs for screenwriters, but its a lot more than that. The UI is clean. The format key commands (which mirror fdx) integrate into the on-line script is really intuitive. The digital page itself feels more pulpy to me than final draft somehow, not sure why but I feel more like I am typing onto a real page. So i like the base level interface. But then on top of that its got a bunch of helpful features... Organization. I no longer have to worry about whos working with what version, did I email my collaborator the right file, or accidentally open an earlier saved version of a script that now has some changes in it but is missing others... Communication. Multiple modes for secure messaging, sharing notes, integrating external links for references or research, it all works. Collaboration. I like how it presents any changes made by my collaborator to me in red then lets them fade to black so they integrate into the whole. Thats just one example of how it helps make the collaboration process smoother. Class. From the tone if the developer's emails to the look of the UI, it feels like you're dealing with talented professionals. Well done and please keep up the good work! TJ

I'm a lifetime pro member and have been for about a year and I still can't believe the depth and quality of this software even after more than a year of using the desktop version. Everything just makes sense and the feature set is richer and more consistent and dependable than FD or MovieMagic, which I used to think got a bad rap simply for not being called Final Draft. But this blows that out of the water too, both the desktop of MM, and the Final Draft desktop software and now their app as well (which they charge you separately for!). But it makes no difference anymore, to me this is the only game in town. The support is second to none (once thought I lost something and they were on it immediately), and the probably the best thing I can say is that when you need the software and more complex features, it's all there, and when you don't need them, the software gets out of the way so you can simply write.

I used to be a final draft user (industry standard, sure) But then I tried writerduet because my other writer friend recommended it, and I never switched back. Writerduet is very very intuitive and the interface is a lot more modern and easy than the old final draft. And it supports online and offline and collaborative modes. Final draft was good but it kind of belonged to last generation and this should be the new industry standard. I especially love the ‘notes’ section where I can put a lot of cached thoughts there while working on the pages. I wrote my award winning screenplay entirely on writerduet. It gives me a lot of confidence and it is very easy to use. I wouldn’t even think about using other software now when I start writing a new screenplay. And, another major plus is their customer support. When I run into problems or questions, I email them and their response is always very quick and very effective. Kudos to their team. If you’re a student, try it. The free version can do petty much everything you need to write a full screenplay and the writing experience is the same as the pro version but just with a promotion banner on the corner. And if you’re serious about screenwriting, you should definitely buy the pro version. It’s a great buy. You won’t regret it.