Fade In is the indie writer’s tool: $79.95 one-time, runs on Windows / macOS / Linux, ships its own iOS and Android apps, no subscription. It is a serious tool with a quiet cult following. Arqo is the alternative if you want collab, an opt-in assistant, and a tool that travels with you across surfaces in real time.
We’d rather lose the click than lose the trust.
Arqo doesn’t ship a Linux desktop app yet. Today: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and the web. If Linux is your primary platform, Fade In is the right answer for now.
Fade In is fully local-first by default — your script lives on your disk, no required cloud sync. Arqo’s default is cloud-sync (with offline cache); for writers under NDA who literally cannot sync to a vendor, Fade In is the safer default.
Fade In has comments and a basic shared-document mode; it doesn’t ship live multi-cursor with named presence. Arqo lets you and a co-writer see each other’s cursors in real time, the way WriterDuet and Arc do. If you ever co-write on the same scene, this is the difference.
Fade In has no assistant surface. Arqo offers three narrow Arqo Assist routes (Suggest, Inspire, Scene Surgeon) on Pro+, and you can plug in your own Claude/GPT/Gemini key — +$2/mo add-on on Pro, included on Studio. Whether an assistant belongs in screenwriting is a values argument; Arqo offers it on opt-in rails, Fade In doesn’t offer it at all.
Fade In has a free trial with limited save. Arqo Free opens two scripts with full editor and full export. If you want to evaluate before paying, Arqo’s free tier reads more like a usable tool than a demo.
Fade In ships outlining; it does not ship a framework switcher. Arqo’s Beat Boards let you pick Story Circle / Save the Cat / Pixar / Kishōtenketsu / etc. and swap lenses on the same draft.
Fade In’s no-cloud default is a real virtue. Arqo’s sync-by-default is also a real choice — it’s how the phone-and-laptop-and-iPad-same-script promise works. We will not pretend to be local-first; if you need that, Fade In is the right answer.
Recurring revenue funds Arqo Assist, the live collab, the iPhone and Android apps, and the team that keeps them shipping. We won’t pretend $9/mo is $79 one-time; we’re a different shape of business.
A common request from Fade In writers checking out Arqo is "since you have an assistant, can it just write the next page?" No. The published refusal list at /no-list says no, by name.
Full signed list at /no-list.
Free tier opens two scripts. No card. Bring your file, see how it lands.
Yes. Fade In exports FDX and Fountain. Drop either into Arqo’s import; locked scene numbers, dual dialogue, and revision marks survive the round-trip.
Not as a native desktop app today. The web version runs in any modern browser on Linux and keeps working offline. A real Linux desktop app is on the roadmap, not shipped. If Linux is your primary platform, Fade In has a real edge here.
Honest answer: if your script is under a hard NDA that prohibits any cloud transit, Fade In’s local-first model is the safer default. Arqo encrypts in transit and at rest, but the default is cloud sync. Self-hosted Arqo is not a 2026 deliverable.
Fade In Mobile is a separate iOS/Android app sold as a companion. Arqo’s iPhone and iPad apps run the same editor as desktop, on the same script, offline. Different architecture; comparable use case for the writer.
Yes. Arqo Pro+ ships three narrow Arqo Assist routes (Suggest, Inspire, Scene Surgeon), and you can plug in your own Claude/GPT/Gemini key so prompts run through it. Fade In has no assistant surface. We’ve published the things Arqo Assist will not do at /no-list.
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