I started out loving this program, its extremely generous for being free and I finished my first feature screenplay on it so for that I’m grateful. But man, using it lately has been an absolute nightmare. The amount of glitching and crashing is crazy. I have to restart the app every five minutes or so. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be using it for future projects :/ Its great for a writer starting out though.
This is such a shame, because I absolutely love the WriterDuet desktop version. I’m a professional screenwriter, and WriterDuet is my favorite for how easy it makes formatting and saving my scripts, as well as easily sharing project folders with my writing teams. However, the IOS app is completely unusable on my iPad. It worked maybe once, albeit slowly, but since then I have been unable to log on, and unable to switch between project folders if I can get on. When I was previously logged in I got error messages saying I was offline, not logged in, or not synced even when I was online and logged in, and tapping the icons to try to switch scripts or projects did nothing. When I tried logging off and on again to see if it fixed the issue, it now freezes after I put in my email, failing to load or let me change screens. I can’t access any of my scripts or write for my job, which is a huge hit since I am currently relying on my iPad for writing and work. If this app worked like the desktop version it would be 5 stars, but as-is with these bugs I may as well delete the app for all the good it’s doing. If anyone has experienced the same bugs and knows how to fix it, I’d love to know and be able to access my work again.
I’ve been using this app for nearly a year now. It’s less buggy on windows, but it definitely does need to be optimized better for IOS devices. When writing screenplays, I encounter a bug where some deleted text won’t actually delete and it prevents me from spacing without having to force close the app and refresh. It’s been manageable for some time, but of course that gets annoying when I’m flowing with my work and have to repeat this process. I also use the book format to take notes or to start chapters that I end up publishing in Wattpad or simply transferring to apple pages; when using quotation marks on my IOS device they will show up backwards if the line has no wording which is odd because opening and ending quotations are a thing. I don’t have to refresh, but I do have to perform various steps to finally get the quotations in their proper form. Please fix!
I have been using WriterDuet for three years and up until now it has been the best desktop and mobile screenwriting app I could have asked for. However, recently I have found the mobile and desktop has been updated in a not positive way. Specifically I am referring to changes to inputs. For example, when I wanted to turn a sentence that is in the Action part of the page into the Dialogue part of the page, I used to be able to click anywhere within that sentence that was in Action, then click Dialogue, and it would automatically convert that entire unbroken sentence into Dialogue. Now, if I do this on desktop and especially mobile it only takes the part of the sentence that the cursor is on and puts that part in Dialogue. I have absolutely no idea why this was changed, as typing on mobile is really hard and having to click and drag the cursor to the front of the sentence just to do this is not efficient. WriterDuet used to be the best screenwriting platform but since these recent updates it is almost unusable on mobile. I hope this is updated in the future to make it be the 5/5 star app that it was for two and a half years since I started using it.
I’ve been using Writer Duet for the better part of a year, because of its ease of use and generous free plan. The program itself is pretty decent and you can definitely get some professional-level use out of it. That is if the app even lets you sign in at all. I’ve been having to use writer duet on my computer exclusively, because every time I try to sign in with google,(which my account is linked through) the log-in screen just takes me back to the beginning as if I had cancelled my log in attempt. I’ve tried with different accounts on different devices, even off-app on browsers but nothing seems to work. Forget about trying to write something while on the go. This app seemingly has a problem with you using it.
Update: NO LONGER Busted as hell on iPad Pro 12.9, BUT STILL WITH ISSUES
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.
I've been using writerduet for a few years now and I absolutely love having the ability to move seamlessly between my laptop and iPad. It's intuitive and easy to use from the start.
I use writerduet for desktop and the app. The former is awesome! But the latter (app) crashes so often it’s hard to get into a good writing flow at all. It’s a shame, because aesthetically, it’s a great looking screenwriting app. But logistically? It barely functions at all. It went from crashing once every hour or so, to as often as twice every ten minutes. Intolerable.
I love using this app. It’s got great tools and a great layout. That isn’t without its issues though. 1. I wish multiple documents would not open all at once when I open the app. 2. The keyboard likes to not cooperate with the automatic word fill-in, which is a little frustrating. 3. I would love to be able to share what I’m working on with friends through just the basic version. I think if these were all resolved this could be the best writing app on the market.
I was able to use this app once to write, and I loved how it functioned, but I’ve been unable to use it since on my iPad. It logged me out between sessions, and when I try to log back in it just hangs after typing in my email. Deleting and reinstalling didn’t fix it. Browser version is fine, but I was really hoping to use this app for offline access. Guess not.
New to Writer Duet from Final Draft and the app just works so well on iOS compared to FD. Full suite of capabilities and the page just looks so much better. So far, very stable too.
I sold my car. Stopped going out. I’ve canceled every streaming service that I have. But I would cut off my right arm before I stop subscribing to WriterDuet.
I saved it by sending it to myself, but when I went to work on my script the spacing and pages were an absolute mess. Moving to another program, for sure
Since Cetlx took their app off the AppStore I’ve been looking for a viable alternative and. Since downloading WriterDuet I’ve never even been able to get into the app, I enter my email and nothing happens, how is this a thing? Oh well, on to the next one i suppose.
It’s best to use the website if you have a computer. When I got the app almost a year ago I enjoyed it. I have written my first ever episode from using writer duets app but now I can’t open any project or it just simply won’t load.
App was great when it was usable, but for some reason when I enter my email to sign in, it just freezes at the title screen. Even across different devices it’s been an issue so idk what’s up with that.
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.
Good morning. I recently purchased WriterDuet Pro (lifetime) through the Boing Boing sale this weekend - thank you so much for making this fantastic software affordable. I’ve already started writing a new project and I love being able to seemlessly go between the browser and the app. However, there is a really bad bug that is disrupting my workflow. If I am writing dialogue, I end a sentence, backspace to the end of the sentence, put in a period, and then the last letter of the word that I am punctuating will disappear. Please try to replicate this if you can. I will be happy to change my review score at anytime this bug gets fixed. Thank you for listening and responding.
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.
I discovered WriterDuet years ago and I am still astounded by its remarkable simplicity, sleek design, and intuitive interface, along with countless variations and features. It works smoothly on both desktop and mobile devices and it has made professional screenwriting much less of a hassle and allowed me to concentrate on the writing itself. It has some of the fastest, friendliest customer service and the developers are constantly working on improving WriterDuet and all of its functions. It even downloads for free which is perfect if you’re just starting off although I would recommend professionals upgrade to WriterDuet Pro which adds a few neat features like collaboration and offline writing.
My biggest complaint is that I can’t switch sideways on my iPhone 12 pro 🥲 Otherwise, this is nearly identical to the desktop version and works almost as well. There are a few bugs here and there that require an open and close of the app or reconnecting my profile. I have also not tried collaborative writing while on the phone. My friend uses his old ipad sometimes and it runs like a snail on that. Also worked poorly on my old iphone. Maybe it’s just a little too tough on the older cpu’s. Still, grateful to be able to work on the go and switch to laptop with ease! Thanks WriterDuet team!
Since switching to an iPad to handle most of my productivity tasks, I’m starting to regret having spent the money on WriterDuet’s full version. This app does NOT meet the standards of a ~$100 product. Most of the time, it won’t connect to the internet. When it is connected and I am writing, there are dozens of frustrating little glitches and bugs when doing very simple, basic tasks, like creating new scene headers or switching between dialogue and action text. The bluetooth keyboard support is laughable and horrifically confusing. I want to support WriterDuet, and the desktop version works brilliantly (so I’ll probably use the service on Safari instead though that approach is not without its issues.) But come on, guys.
A buggy program that traps your script behind a paywall.
There is no option to export to PDF without upgrading to pro, so your only option is to convince those you want to share it with to download the buggy app as well. I then decided to see the price of the pro version (apparently you can save $40 so this already doesn’t bode well), oh look at this, I can’t do that at this time...so how can I share the screenplay I just spent time writing? Why select all, copy and paste into a better program of course, then spend time reformatting that block of text. And that’s after writing in a program that tries to auto-correct ‘tall’ to ‘y’all’ yet doesn’t catch obvious spelling mistakes. Don’t get this program there are better ones by established developers who know what they’re doing.
I love WriterDuet on the PC, in fact I’ve bought premium before. I recently got an iPad and was hoping to be able to access my scripts on the go, even on shoots. Seems to be working fine so far, however there is a big grey bar in the middle of the app. Kind of like it should be a footer like the header with all the scenes/apps/dialogue, but right in the middle of the page. Kind of distracting and hard to read as it covers up image. If anyone knows how to fix it, that would be great!
I needed this for a class assignment in which we started on computers and would have to finish on our own time. The website worked perfectly on the computer and I figured that it was work better on the app than a mobile version of the website so I downloaded it. I was horribly mistaken. It took me so much longer to get what I needed to mainly because the app kept bugging out and wouldn’t format anything correctly. And on top of that it then deleted half of my work and it is pretty much impossible to retrieve it without manually retyping it due to the formatting issues. I would recommend the website on a desktop not this app and If you can just avoid it all together.
This is seriously the best screenwriting software on the market (and I've tried, and own, them all). I don't care if Final Draft is the industry standard. WriterDuet is so much more intuitive and a joy to use if collaborating or even just using multiple machines/devices. And, it can import and export Final Draft files, so they've got you covered. I'll never go back. I wish this team behind this wonderful software many, many years of success. They deserve it!
Am excited to use to write with co-writers. Am quite disappointed that there hasn’t been an update in 10mo considering the reviews show bugs are there. In addition, the iPhone X has been out for going on 2 years and this app still isn’t optimized for it? It feels like they may be putting their efforts elsewhere, but I’d be much more likely to upgrade to Pro if I could see this app getting a little more attention since I use the Apple ecosystem. Would re-assess the review if this could change and we could see more frequent updates and optimization with newer technologies.
Some of the reviews are so unfair to this app. I just subscribed to it after testing it out for months. By far this is the best app hands down. They have the best interface If you decide to write in right to left languages and it integrates well with left to right writing. I have the experience with losing work in the past and this in not an issue here and it save automatically.
If I’ve got to be connected to servers to use the service, why can’t all the templates be available? I have the membership so that my writing partner could collaborate with me on the comic script we’re writing, and the desktop version works fine, but why is there not a Graphic Novel template for the App. It makes it difficult to sync projects, proof the formatting, or work on the go, which makes the app totally worthless. I’d happily change my mind if the app were updated to include that template, especially since the desktop version suits my needs.
I switched from Final Draft to WD a few months ago and will never look back. The desktop and web apps work great for me and I like having easy phone/iPad access to all my scripts. But you need to be careful when editing in the mobile app. The autocorrect is extremely screwy and can mangle your words. I wrote “him” and it turned it to “h I’m”. Just watch out for that and don’t use this version of the app as your main writing tool and it’s fine.
This app is almost perfect. First it needs updated to take advantage of the iPhone X display. Also, the layout could be more mobile friendly rather than just copying the web interface. However, this apps functionality is beyond others when working with a partner and exports seamlessly to other programs. Hoping to give it 5 stars soon.
Constant crashes, trouble loading scripts, and moments of panic where everything seems to be deleted only to reappear 3 reloads later. The little I’m able to accomplish on this app does not make up for the constant frustration and anxiety of not being able to get words reliably on the document. 2 stars only because the website software is great and this app isn’t so bad that I’ll switch to Final Draft.
I can’t use this app to write as all pages appear incredibly narrow on my iPad. I’ve tried changing document format, page settings and margins, I’ve tried deleting and reinstalling the app. This occurs with existing scripts and even if I create a new screenplay. The page width looks to be about as narrow as a phone screen. I can’t rely on this to replace Final Draft for me if pages aren’t even the width/format of regular pages. Also, enter/tab behavior still isn’t recognized when using an Apple Smart Keyboard. Hitting tab does nothing. This slows down writing flow.
App doesn’t function in multi-task mode on the Ipad. (IPad Pro in my case) meaning I can’t have a notepad or a website open in split screen next to my script. It only works in floating window mode which covers the script itself. This along with its buggy interface, selecting text is glitchy and runs away from you. Love the web version. This app though is just… bleh
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to write on this app. I’m not a huge fan of the new website updates as the portfolio itself is a pain to deal with, but it’s much more user friendly than auto correct fighting with the app. It’s just irritating when you pay one of their monthly subscriptions and the keyboard is just not functional.
While I really like the desktop and browser version of this software. This app is complete garbage and literally doesn’t operate past the login screen. I assumed this issue would get resolved after a few months but nobody at Writer Duet seems to be acknowledging this problem since review after review is saying the same thing. Fix your app if you’re going to keep charging us the subscription fee.
Beyond Disappointed in What is a Very Promising App
It gives me great sadness to have to dump WriterDuet after finding out issues regarding incompatibilities with the iPad pro. I just lost 80 pages of a substantial rewrite because of the company’s lack of communication regarding known issues and I can’t trust this software with things I pour my heart and soul into. Free or not, it’s just not worth the heartbreak. Extremely sad for the company and all my hard work. Unfortunately I will have to switch back to Final Draft because Fade In doesn’t have an ipad version.
I have a paid subscription and find that the website is the only thing that works with relatively few issues for me. Both the desktop app and the mobile app (I’m on an iPad) just don’t load. I can’t connect to the internet (so I can’t open any projects), it’s very frustrating as I know my connection is fine. I’ll probably switch to a different writing software once my subscription ends, I like WriterDuet but it’s not reliable.
I haven’t even used it but it’s a lot like Scrivner BUT FOR FREE! I didn’t want to pay money and this is going to be perfect since I’m planning on doing Minecraft Single Roleplays, plus a book! This is gonna be the best thing I’ve ever installed!
When this app crashes (which is all the time) it continues to operate in the background in some loop that causes all other apps to break and constantly restart. On iPhones with less ram to spare like the 6 and 7, this basically causes performance to implode and you have to restart it to regain functionality. This app deserves zero starts. Literally broken. The web version is fine though.
A simple and intuitive interface lets you dive into writing instantly on the go or as you lay in bed and stare at your phone screen (check out dark editor if that's you). While we've focused on ease of use for mobile, we also haven't restricted you from taking advantage of all of the power that WriterDuet has to offer on other platforms. So go wild! Industry-standard, secure, and intuitive screenwriting software. Features: • Real-time collaboration between users and devices • Smart line types and one-touch icons • Auto-save • Card outliner • Export from any point in history • Offline mode • Filter by line type or with custom tags • Scene & Location, Character Reports • Automatic statistics • Revision Drafts and Auto-Snapshots Testimonials: "WriterDuet is the most intuitive, most user-friendly scriptwriting software I’ve ever used.” – Ed Solomon (Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) “WriterDuet helped me escape Final Draft. Being web-based gives me the flexibility to write anywhere on any system. And I never have to worry about crashes and lost hours of work ever again. ... I recommend it to every other screenwriter I meet.” – Christopher Ford (SpiderMan: Homecoming, Robot & Frank) “The app saves my whole thought process for me. On top of that, these guys are iterating the app so fast, they're running circles around the industry leader. WriterDuet definitely feels like the future.” – Andy Bobrow (Community, Malcolm in the Middle, Last Man On Earth) "WriterDuet combines instinct and user-friendliness for a unique and exhilarating way for writers to collaborate, whether in real-time or in non-synchronized work. It has features that are vital for teamwork in scriptwriting. It's a meticulously-created gem, and a must-have for collaborations" - Jim Uhls (Fight Club) “Do yourself a favor and use WriterDuet.” – Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (Nicholl Fellowship 2014 winners, White Girl Problems)
