OpenDraft review
A broad, no-cost screenwriting suite for writing, collaboration, revisions, and production planning.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
OpenDraft is a free, open-source screenwriting application for writers, collaborators, and production-focused teams. It combines an industry-standard screenplay editor with beat boards, drag-and-drop index cards, character profiles, production tagging, revision mode, and track changes. Projects can be stored locally, and desktop use works offline. The product is suited to users who want writing, planning, collaboration, and revision tools in one application without a subscription.
The Free plan includes professional screenplay formatting, beat boards and index cards, real-time collaboration, version history, and production tagging. Version history supports check-in, comparison, and restoration, while live cursors and permissions support shared work. Production breakdown tagging covers cast, props, costumes, VFX, and other elements. Automatic timestamped backups can be saved to user-selected folders, and custom templates and formatting preferences allow writers to adjust their workflow. There are no paid tiers described, so the listed feature set is available under the free model.
Platform coverage is a central strength: OpenDraft supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and self-hosted deployments. It also works with iCloud Drive, Google Drive, and Dropbox, and supports imports and exports for Final Draft, Fountain, Fade In, PDF, Word, Open Screenplay Format, and OpenDraft files. That breadth makes it a practical fit for writers and collaborators moving between devices or exchanging projects in established formats. Users seeking only a focused drafting tool may find its planning, revision, collaboration, and production features unnecessary; OpenDraft is better suited to projects that benefit from a fuller workflow.
OpenDraft pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Professional screenplay formatting with beat boards and index cards
- Real-time collaboration, permissions, version history, and track changes
- Broad platform support with imports, exports, and production tagging
- Where it doesn't
- Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple drafting
- Production tagging is geared toward workflows beyond writing alone
- Self-hosting requires managing the deployment environment
OpenDraft fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update