InkwellInkwell vs Highland
Highland is the minimalist, plain-text Fountain editor for Mac. Inkwell is a fuller Mac editor with a built-in AI assistant that stays under your control.
| Feature | Inkwell | Highland |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The full editor is free. Pro ($10/month or $100/year) only adds more Quill credits. | Highland 2 free to write ($49.99 one-time export unlock); Highland Pro $4.99–$9.99/mo. |
| Built-in AI assistant | ✓Quill, with an approve/reject diff for every suggestion. | —No built-in AI assistant as of June 2026; Highland is a focused, minimalist plain-text editor. |
| Platforms | Native macOS app. | Mac-only (Apple Silicon native). |
| Approach | Full screenplay editor with an AI assistant alongside. | Minimalist, plain-text Fountain writing. |
| File formats | ✓Fountain and Final Draft (.fdx) import and export. | ✓Fountain (.fountain) native; exports to PDF and Final Draft. |
| Offline writing | ✓Fully offline; internet only needed to ask Quill. | ✓Fully offline. |
Highland 2 is free to write in, with a one-time $49.99 unlock to export without a watermark; the line has consolidated into Highland Pro on the Mac App Store ($4.99/mo billed annually, or $9.99/mo). It's Mac-only (Apple Silicon native) and built on Fountain. Facts current as of June 2026; check quoteunquoteapps.com for the latest.
Choose Highland if
- You want the simplest, most minimalist plain-text Fountain tool.
- You love John August's writing workflow and .fountain files.
- You don't want AI in your editor at all.
Choose Inkwell if
- You want a built-in AI assistant that suggests but never auto-writes.
- You want a fuller editor while staying Mac-native and Fountain-friendly.
- You need clean Final Draft (.fdx) import/export.
- You'd like to start free and only pay when you want more AI.
Highland, from Fountain creator John August's Quote-Unquote Apps, is a Mac-only screenwriting app built around plain-text Fountain. Its appeal is simplicity: distraction-free writing in readable .fountain files, with no proprietary lock-in. Highland Pro carries that approach forward on the Mac App Store.
Inkwell is also Mac-native and Fountain-friendly, and adds Quill, a built-in AI assistant. Quill brainstorms, suggests dialogue, and helps restructure scenes. Every suggestion is a diff you approve or reject. Inkwell imports and exports both Fountain and Final Draft (.fdx) and works fully offline.
If you want the lightest plain-text writing tool, pick Highland. If you want Fountain and the Mac plus an AI assistant, Inkwell is the step up.
Bring a script over and see.
The full editor, unlimited scripts, and Fountain and Final Draft import are free. Move a script over from Highland and see how Quill works.