InkwellInkwell vs Beat
Beat is a free, open-source Fountain editor for Mac. Inkwell adds the thing Beat leaves out on purpose: an AI assistant that suggests and never writes for you.
| Feature | Inkwell | Beat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The full editor is free, like Beat. Pro ($10/month or $100/year) only adds more Quill credits. | Free and open source on macOS; iOS app has a one-time lifetime fee. |
| Built-in AI assistant | ✓Quill, with an approve/reject diff for every suggestion. | —No built-in AI assistant as of July 2026. |
| Platforms | Native macOS app. | macOS and iOS. |
| File formats | ✓Fountain and Final Draft (.fdx) import and export. | ✓Fountain (.fountain) native; imports and exports Final Draft (.fdx). |
| Offline writing | ✓Fully offline; internet only needed to ask Quill. | ✓Fully offline. |
| Extensibility | —Focused, built-in feature set. | ✓JavaScript plugin system with a plugin library. |
Beat is free and open source on macOS, and its developer states it will remain so. The iOS app is distributed with a one-time lifetime fee (or can be compiled from source). It's built on plain-text Fountain and extensible with JavaScript plugins. Facts current as of July 2026; check beat-app.fi for the latest.
Choose Beat if
- You want a completely free, open-source screenwriting tool.
- You don't want AI in your editor at all.
- You like extending your tools with plugins or hacking on the source.
- You want to write on iOS for a one-time fee.
Choose Inkwell if
- You want a built-in AI assistant that suggests but never auto-writes.
- You want brainstorming, dialogue suggestions, and scene restructuring in the editor.
- You need clean Final Draft (.fdx) interop alongside Fountain.
- You'd like to start free and only pay when you want more AI.
Beat, by screenwriter Lauri-Matti Parppei, is a free and open-source screenwriting app for macOS built on plain-text Fountain. It's a strong tool: structure views with sections and synopses, index cards, a timeline, per-character statistics, and JavaScript plugins. The macOS app is free and its developer says it will stay that way. The iOS version costs a one-time fee, or you can compile it yourself.
Inkwell is also Mac-native and Fountain-first. The difference is Quill, an AI assistant built into the editor. Quill brainstorms, suggests dialogue, and helps restructure scenes. Every suggestion is a diff you approve or reject; nothing is generated into your script. Inkwell imports and exports both Fountain and Final Draft (.fdx) and works fully offline.
If you want a free, open-source tool with no AI anywhere near your script, use Beat. If you want the same Mac-and-Fountain foundation plus an AI assistant you control, Inkwell's editor is also free; you pay only for extra Quill credits.
Bring a script over and see.
The full editor, unlimited scripts, and Fountain and Final Draft import are free. Move a script over from Beat and see how Quill works.