Slugline 2 Review

Overview

Slugline 2 is a love letter to the Fountain plain-text format and to the idea that screenwriting software should get out of your way. Created by Stu Maschwitz, a visual effects artist and filmmaker, Slugline strips away every feature that does not directly serve the act of writing a screenplay. There are no Beat Boards, no character databases, no production features. There is just you, your words, and a beautifully minimal interface.

The philosophy is simple: screenplays are text. They should be stored as text, edited as text, and never locked into proprietary formats. Slugline uses Fountain as its native format, which means your scripts are plain text files with simple markup rules. You can open them in any text editor, sync them with any cloud service, and version control them with Git.

Slugline's most distinctive feature is its Timeline visualization, which shows your entire screenplay as a graphical timeline with scene lengths and positions. This gives you a structural overview that is both simpler and more immediately useful than traditional index cards or outliners.

The tradeoffs are clear: Slugline is Mac and iOS only, has no collaboration features, and offers fewer features than most competitors. But for writers who share its philosophy of simplicity and plain-text portability, nothing else feels quite right.

Key Features

Fountain-Native Editing

Slugline is built from the ground up around Fountain. You type in Fountain markup and the editor renders it in real time as a properly formatted screenplay. The experience is remarkably fluid -- you type naturally and the formatting happens automatically based on Fountain's rules.

Timeline Visualization

The Timeline is Slugline's standout feature. It displays your entire screenplay as a horizontal bar with color-coded scene segments proportional to their length. At a glance, you can see your screenplay's structure, identify scenes that are running long, and spot pacing issues. It is simpler than a full outliner but surprisingly effective.

Minimal, Distraction-Free Interface

Slugline's interface is deliberately sparse. There are no toolbars, no floating palettes, no sidebars fighting for attention. The writing area takes up the entire window, and navigation happens through keyboard shortcuts and the sidebar outline. The dark mode is particularly well-executed.

Free Tier for Short Scripts

Slugline offers a free tier that lets you write scripts up to 6 pages. This is enough to evaluate the app's workflow and write short films. The full version at $49.99 removes the page limit.

Pricing Breakdown

Free Tier: Write scripts up to 6 pages with all features available.

Full Version: $49.99 one-time purchase for Mac. No subscription required.

iOS App: Separate purchase on the App Store.

At $49.99, Slugline is reasonably priced for what it offers. It is cheaper than Highland Pro's annual subscription over time, though it offers fewer features. The one-time purchase model is a welcome contrast to the subscription trend.

Pros and Cons

Who Is Slugline For?

Slugline is for Mac screenwriters who believe in the Fountain philosophy and want the simplest possible writing environment. If you are the kind of writer who finds feature-rich tools distracting and prefers to focus on nothing but the words, Slugline is built for you.

It is also a solid choice for writers who want their scripts stored in plain text for maximum portability and longevity. If you need collaboration, production features, or Windows support, Slugline is not the right fit. But if simplicity is your highest value, few tools deliver it as elegantly.

Editorial Verdict

Slugline 2 is a beautiful, opinionated tool that does less than its competitors on purpose. The Timeline visualization is genuinely useful, the Fountain-native approach ensures portability, and the minimal design is among the best in the category. It is not for everyone -- the limited feature set and Apple-only availability narrow the audience considerably. But for writers who share its philosophy, it is a near-perfect match.

Alternatives to Slugline

Frequently Asked Questions