Movie Magic Alternatives for Screenwriting and Scheduling

Movie Magic is two product lines from two companies. Movie Magic Screenwriter, the script editor, comes from Write Brothers and is still sold: the Write Brothers store lists the Windows and Mac download at US$169, down from US$249.95, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Its Mac build 6.8.0.79, dated August 13, 2026, runs natively on Apple Silicon. Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting come from Entertainment Partners (EP) and are sold as subscriptions.

Writers usually leave Screenwriter for a more modern editor or for collaboration, and producers leave EP for lower prices or browser access. The picks below start with script editors and then move to scheduling and budgeting tools, so jump to the half you need.

Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

Final Draft

Final Draft is the editor most likely to match what a producer or agency wants in their inbox. Version 13 adds Beat Board, an outline editor and structure lines next to tracked revisions, which covers the planning Screenwriter users did with NaviDoc and index cards.

You can buy it outright or subscribe with Final Draft Cloud included. One licence activates two computers at a time, per the Final Draft product page, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best for: Writers sending scripts to studios, agencies and contests.

Pricing:

• One-time: US$249.99
• Subscription with Final Draft Cloud: US$16.99 a month billed monthly, or US$99.99 a year
• 5-day free trial on subscriptions

Watch out for:

• It needs macOS 12 or Windows 11. Linux, iPad and Chromebook are not supported, and Final Draft Go for iPhone and iPad is a separate App Store purchase.

Official site: Final Draft.

Fade In

Screenwriter owners who like paying once will feel at home with Fade In. One payment covers your own computers on Windows, Mac or Linux, and updates are free, per the Fade In purchase page.

It costs less than half of Screenwriter's US$169 price, and its trial version lacks only realtime collaboration. Fade In Access, an optional cloud add-on, brings mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Best for: Writers who want to own the software and work on any desktop system.

Pricing:

• US$79.95 one-time for an individual licence (listed down from US$99.95)
• Free demo with every feature except realtime collaboration
• Fade In Access: optional cloud add-on

Watch out for:

• The demo shows a reminder after 10 pages and watermarks printed scripts, so judge it quickly.

Official site: Fade In.

WriterDuet

Screenwriter was built for one writer at one desk. WriterDuet was built for two or more writers in the same script at the same time, from a browser or its apps.

The free plan holds 3 projects. The desktop app starts on Plus at US$9.99 a month, per the WriterDuet plan guide.

Best for: Writing partners and writers' rooms.

Pricing:

• Free: 3 projects, one document each
• Plus: US$9.99 a month, or US$89.88 a year
• Pro: US$11.99 a month, or US$107.88 a year
• Premium: US$13.99 a month, or US$125.88 a year

Watch out for:

• Each free project holds one document, so outlines and drafts quickly need a paid plan.

Official site: WriterDuet.

Celtx

Celtx is the only pick that sits on both sides of the Movie Magic name. You write the script, then the production add-on turns it into a breakdown, schedule, budget and call sheets, without exporting to a second app.

You can add it to Writer Pro only; Free and Writer lack production tools entirely, per the Celtx pricing page. Team pricing starts at 3 members.

Best for: Indie producers who write and plan the same project.

Pricing:

• Free: 1 project
• Writer: US$14.99 a month
• Writer Pro: US$24.99 a month, or US$18.74 a month billed yearly
• Team: US$59.99 a month for 3 members, or US$44.99 a month billed yearly

Watch out for:

• It runs in the browser only, with no offline desktop app like Screenwriter.

Official site: Celtx. Our listing: Celtx.

StudioBinder

For producers leaving Movie Magic Scheduling, StudioBinder puts stripboards, script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards and call sheets in one browser app. Call sheets go out to cast and crew from the same project, so nobody retypes the schedule.

Paid plans start at US$29 a month for one user. Our StudioBinder alternatives page covers its limits in detail.

Best for: Small productions that want scheduling and call sheets in the browser.

Pricing:

• Free: 1 project
• Starter: US$29 a month, 1 user, billed monthly
• Indie: US$49 a month, 2 users
• Professional: US$99 a month, 4 users
• Agency: US$199 a month; Studio: US$299 a month; Enterprise: custom

Watch out for:

• The free plan allows one project, and free call sheets can be sent only to yourself.
• There is no budgeting module, so Movie Magic Budgeting still needs a replacement.

Official site: StudioBinder.

Gorilla

Gorilla, from Jungle Software, is the closest desktop match for EP's pair. Gorilla Studio 11 handles both scheduling and budgeting, adds a Breakdown Assistant AI and can password-lock schedules and budgets. It installs on two computers, Mac, Windows or one of each.

Scheduling or budgeting alone costs US$20 a month, and the Combo Pack with both costs US$30, per the Gorilla pricing page. Paying yearly is the same total as 12 months and skips the setup fee.

Best for: Line producers who want EP-style desktop scheduling and budgeting for less.

Pricing:

• Scheduling or Budgeting: US$20 a month plus a US$49 setup fee, US$60 a quarter plus US$29, or US$240 a year
• Combo Pack: US$30 a month plus US$49 setup, US$90 a quarter plus US$29, or US$360 a year
• Koala Call Sheets and The Gorilla Ratebook sold separately

Watch out for:

• Monthly and quarterly plans add a one-time setup fee of US$49 or US$29.

Official site: Gorilla.

Yamdu

Yamdu keeps AI breakdown, stripboard, day-out-of-days, call sheets, budgeting and CO2e tracking in one shared system. It is priced and built for a team rather than a lone scheduler.

Flex covers 1 user and 1 project at US$45 a month. Studio, billed yearly, covers 10 users and unlimited projects at US$199 a month, per the Yamdu pricing page.

Best for: Production companies that want every department in one system.

Pricing:

• Flex: US$45 a month, 1 user (+US$22 per extra user), 1 project (+US$45 per extra project), 25 GB
• Studio: US$199 a month billed yearly, 10 users (+US$9 per extra user), unlimited projects, 25 GB
• Signature: price on request
• Free trial; sponsored plan for students

Watch out for:

• Every extra project on Flex adds US$45 a month, so parallel shoots get expensive fast.

Official site: Yamdu.

Filmustage

Filmustage reads a script and builds the breakdown with AI, tagging elements scene by scene. It exports to PDF, Excel and Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting formats, so it can feed EP's apps instead of replacing them.

Its October 2026 release added Movie Magic import. The free plan runs AI breakdown on 20% of scenes in one active project, per the Filmustage pricing page.

Best for: ADs and producers who want the breakdown done before scheduling starts.

Pricing:

• Free: 1 active project, AI breakdown on 20% of scenes, 100 welcome coins
• Director's Cut: from US$49 a month, or US$408 a year billed yearly; 1,000 coins per cycle
• Enterprise and Academic: contact sales

Watch out for:

• Every AI action costs coins, and projects broken down fully by AI open again only while Director's Cut is paid up.

Official site: Filmustage.

How to choose

When to stay with Movie Magic

Stay with Screenwriter if you own it and it does the job: it is still updated, and the 2026 Mac build runs natively on Apple Silicon. Stay with EP's Scheduling and Budgeting if you crew up on union shows, or if your studio or production accountant works in MMS and MMB files. Producers who know MMS 6 should test version 10 first, since an assistant director on EP's Production Lot forum calls it "Nothing like MMS 6".

Frequently asked questions