FADE IN:

Write the story.
Superhit handles the page.

Free writing software for Windows and Mac. Screenplays for film and web series, novels laid out as a book, and clean PDFs with no watermark.

Free · No account · No watermark · Works offline

The Superhit editor: a screenplay page with numbered scene headings, the scene list in the sidebar, and the element toolbar.

Free, for real

For personal and professional writing. No account, no ads, no watermark on your PDFs.

Your files

.superhit files are plain Fountain text, so any Fountain app can read them, today or in twenty years.

Private by default

Your writing, backups and AI analysis stay on your computer. Nothing is uploaded, shared or used for training.

Works offline

Everything, including spelling, the thesaurus and Local AI, works without an internet connection.

INT. THE PAGE · DAY

Everything your story needs.

Write a screenplay or a novel, with nothing in the way. The page takes care of itself, so you can keep your eyes on the story.

Screenplays: formatting that follows you

For a film or a web series. Press Enter and Tab to move between scene heading, action, character, parenthetical, dialogue and transition. No menus while you write.

What's included
  • International screenplay format: Courier 12 pt, correct margins, (MORE) and (CONT'D)
  • Scene numbers and page breaks shown while you type
  • Title page, scene list, and one-click Export PDF
  • Opens Fountain, Superhit and PDF scripts

Novels: written in chapters, laid out as a book

Choose Novel, fill in your book details, and write on a calm book page in real book fonts. Chapters, front matter and word counts sit in the sidebar.

What's included
  • Chapters, parts, scene breaks and block quotes
  • Curly quotes and em dashes as you type
  • A word count for the book and for every chapter
  • Footnotes or endnotes, and private notes that stay out of exports
  • Saved as plain text you can open anywhere
The Superhit novel editor: the sample novel The Last Reel open at Chapter One, The Last Show, set in a book typeface with a drop cap, the chapters and front matter in the sidebar with word counts, and the novel toolbar with Chapter, Paragraph, Break, Quote, Part, Note and Private.

Book Design: 15 ways to open a chapter

Pick how every chapter opens, from Classic and Drop Cap to Modern and Thriller, then choose the fonts, trim size and spacing. Export a print-ready book PDF, or a standard manuscript to send to agents.

What's included
  • 15 chapter-opening templates, shown in your own fonts
  • Six bundled book fonts, embedded in the PDF
  • Trim sizes from 5 × 8 in to 6 × 9 in, and A5
  • Title, copyright, dedication, contents and other front and back matter
  • Page numbers, running heads and an optional watermark
Book Design, Chapters tab: live thumbnails of chapter openings named Classic, Literary, Modern, Minimal, Numeral and Roman.

Sticky notes on the scene

Click the + beside any scene heading to leave yourself a note. Notes live in your file, show in the Outline, and you choose whether they print in the PDF.

What's included
  • Saved inside the script as standard Fountain notes
  • Edit them on the page or in the Outline
  • Leave them out of the PDF with one click

Extracts: the breakdown for the shoot

As you write a screenplay, Superhit lists cast, locations, props, scene lengths, interior and exterior, and time of day. Hand it to your producer or 1st AD as a report or spreadsheet.

What's included
  • Cast and silent cast, places, props by department
  • Scene lengths in eighths of a page, estimated runtime
  • Export a PDF report or CSV
Extracts overview for the sample script The Last Reel: 5 pages, about 5 minutes, 10 scenes, 4 speaking parts, 2 locations and 31 props, with interior and exterior, time of day, dialogue against action, and who has the most lines. The Cast tab: each speaking part with their page count, scenes, speeches, words and first scene, then background and extras. The Props tab: 31 props grouped by department, such as phones and tech, vehicles, and food and drink, each with the scenes it appears in.

The everyday things, done properly

Spelling & grammar

Checked on your computer as you pause. Character names and places are learned automatically.

Thesaurus & word library

Synonyms a click away, plus collections of body language, movement verbs and adjectives.

Outline view

One entry per scene, saved in your file. Export it as PDF, Word or CSV.

Autosave & backups

Your work is saved as you type, with a backup every five minutes.

Light & dark

A calm frosted-glass workspace by day, a dark one for late nights.

Clean PDFs

Ready to send to producers, agents and competitions. No watermark, ever.

INT. YOUR COMPUTER · NIGHT

A reader who never leaves the room.

Local AI is optional. Turn it on and it reads your whole screenplay on your own computer, then answers your questions about it. It suggests; it never writes for you. Analysis for novels is on its way.

A finished Local AI analysis of the sample script The Last Reel. Asked what hooks keep the audience watching, it lists the photograph of a man standing where Maya is, the projector as an altar, the father's words about film and family, and the tension between Maya and Raj about the fan, then a table of open questions for each act, each citing its scene.
A real answer from Local AI (Standard size) about our sample script, The Last Reel. Answers vary from run to run.
How Local AI works for you

Your writing never leaves your computer

The AI model runs on your machine, and Superhit can only talk to it there. Nothing is uploaded, and it works offline.

Ask it anything about the story

Structure, character arcs, setups and payoffs, pacing, themes. Answers cite the scenes they come from, and export as PDF, Word or CSV.

Skills for sharper notes

Add story frameworks such as Three-act, Save the Cat, Story Circle, the Hero's Journey and Kishōtenketsu, plus genre and craft guides. See every Skill

Your words, your voice

It won't write or rewrite your scenes, chapters or dialogue. It tells you what's working, and what you might try.

Standard 2.4 GB Fast on most computers. Great at outlines.
Best 8.5 GB Deeper story analysis. For graphics cards with 12 GB+, or Macs with 32 GB.

Not included in the installer. Downloaded once, only if you turn Local AI on, and removable at any time.

Under the hood

llama.cpp, Qwen3, and how it uses your graphics card
Engine
llama.cpp server (release b11580, MIT licence), built into Superhit. Nothing else to install.
Models
Qwen3 4B and Qwen3 14B by the Alibaba Qwen team: open weights, Apache-2.0, 4-bit (Q4_K_M) files from Qwen's official Hugging Face pages.
Windows
Runs on NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics through Vulkan, preferring a dedicated card. Falls back to the processor.
Mac
Runs on the Apple Silicon graphics through Metal; on Intel Macs, on the processor.

Built to be safe

Seven safeguards that keep your writing on your computer
  • This computer only. The engine listens only on 127.0.0.1, so other devices on your network can't reach it.
  • Locked to Superhit. Each time it starts it gets a new random key that only Superhit knows.
  • Checked downloads. The engine and models come from fixed versions at fixed addresses, and each file must match its published SHA-256 fingerprint before it's used.
  • No back door to the internet. Superhit's pages can't make network requests, and its AI calls can only go to the local engine.
  • Off means off. It runs only while Local AI is on, and stops when you turn it off or close Superhit, even after a crash.
  • No account, no tracking. Nothing about you or your script is logged or sent anywhere.
  • Honest limits. AI can be wrong. Answers cite the scenes they come from so you can check them.

INT. THE WRITERS' ROOM · DAY

Skills: the guides you choose.

With Local AI on, add the story frameworks and the genre you're writing in. Analysis reads your screenplay once, then looks at it through every Skill you add, each in its own tab.

Story frameworks · 9

Story frameworks 9

Add the ones you write with. Each gets its own tab, with every beat checked against your pages: landed, taking shape, or room to grow.

  • 8 beats

    Three-act structure

    Classic dramatic structure

    Beginning, middle and end: set up a world, test it with rising trouble, resolve it.

    Set-up · Inciting incident · End of Act One · Rising action · Midpoint · End of Act Two · Climax · Resolution

  • 15 beats

    Save the Cat beats

    After Blake Snyder

    Fifteen beats that keep a commercial story moving, page by page.

    Opening image · Theme stated · Set-up · Catalyst · Debate · Break into Two · B story · Fun and games · Midpoint · Bad guys close in · All is lost · Dark night of the soul · Break into Three · Finale · Final image

  • 8 beats

    Story Circle

    After Dan Harmon

    Eight steps around a circle: comfort, need, a journey out, a price paid, a return changed.

    You · Need · Go · Search · Find · Take · Return · Change

  • 12 beats

    Hero's Journey

    After Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler

    The mythic journey: a call, a threshold, trials, an ordeal and a return with something precious.

    Ordinary world · Call to adventure · Refusal of the call · Meeting the mentor · Crossing the threshold · Tests, allies, enemies · Approach to the inmost cave · The ordeal · Reward · The road back · Resurrection · Return with the elixir

  • 8 beats

    The Paradigm

    After Syd Field

    Set-up, confrontation, resolution, hinged on two plot points, with a midpoint and two pinches holding Act Two together.

    Set-up · Inciting incident · Plot Point I · Pinch I · Midpoint · Pinch II · Plot Point II · Resolution

  • 5 beats · 3 principles

    Story design

    After Robert McKee

    Five parts and one principle: every scene turns a value from positive to negative, or back.

    Inciting incident · Progressive complications · Crisis · Climax · Resolution

  • 7 beats · 1 principle

    Anatomy of story

    After John Truby

    Seven key steps grown from the character, not bolted on: need, desire, opponent, plan, battle, self-revelation, new balance.

    Weakness and need · Desire · Opponent · Plan · Battle · Self-revelation · New equilibrium

  • 8 beats

    Eight-sequence structure

    After Frank Daniel and Paul Gulino

    Eight mini-movies of about 12 to 15 pages, each with its own tension and resolution.

    Status quo and inciting incident · Predicament and lock-in · First obstacle · First culmination · Subplots and rising action · Main culmination · New tension and twist · Resolution

  • 4 beats

    Kishōtenketsu

    Classical East Asian four-part structure

    Introduction, development, twist, reconciliation: drama from contrast rather than conflict.

    Ki · Introduction · Shō · Development · Ten · Twist · Ketsu · Reconciliation

Genres · 15

Genres 15

Pick yours, and Analysis checks the conventions audiences expect.

  • Thriller: Suspense: a threat the audience can feel getting closer.
  • Horror: Fear, and the pleasure of surviving it.
  • Comedy: Laughter from characters who want something badly and go about it wrongly.
  • Romance and rom-com: Two people who belong together, and everything that keeps them apart.
  • Drama: Truth about people under pressure, and the cost of change.
  • Crime and mystery: A puzzle and a pursuit: who did it, how, and will they get away with it?
  • Action and adventure: Spectacle with stakes: physical danger the hero must overcome with skill and nerve.
  • Science fiction: A “what if?” explored through people: the future, or another reality, as a mirror.
  • Fantasy: Wonder: a world with magic or myth, and a journey through it.
  • Coming-of-age: Growing up: the moment someone leaves childhood, or an old self, behind.
  • Family: Warmth, adventure and laughs that work for every age.
  • Biopic and true story: A real life shaped into drama: why this person, and why now.
  • Sports and underdog: The thrill of an unlikely win, and what it takes.
  • War: Ordinary people in extreme danger: courage, cost and moral weight.
  • Musical: Emotion so big that characters have to sing it.
Craft techniques · 25, always on

Craft techniques 25, always on

Nothing to add: Analysis looks for these in every script.

  • Chekhov's gun: Everything given weight early should matter later; anything shown with emphasis makes a promise.
  • Setup and payoff: Plant information, an object or a line early so that a later moment lands with extra force.
  • Foreshadowing: Hints of what is coming, so the ending feels both surprising and inevitable.
  • Red herring: A false clue that leads the audience (and often the hero) toward the wrong conclusion.
  • Dramatic irony: The audience knows something a character doesn't, turning scenes into suspense or comedy.
  • Ticking clock: A deadline that compresses time and raises pressure.
  • MacGuffin: The thing everyone chases; what matters is how they chase it.
  • Reversal: A situation flips to its opposite, often because of the hero's own action.
  • Recognition: A character discovers a truth that changes everything they thought they knew.
  • Callback: A line, image or gag that returns later with new meaning.
  • Rule of three: Establish, reinforce, then twist: three beats make a pattern the audience can enjoy.
  • Bookends and mirror scenes: Opening and closing moments (or paired scenes) that reflect each other to show change.
  • Motif and symbol: A recurring image, sound or object that gathers meaning each time it appears.
  • Subtext: Characters rarely say what they mean; the real conversation runs underneath.
  • Escalating stakes: What can be won or lost keeps growing: personal, then wider, then irreversible.
  • False victory or false defeat: The hero seems to win (or lose) at the midpoint, but the truth is the opposite.
  • Hooks and scene buttons: End scenes and sequences on a question, a reveal or a strong image that pulls us forward.
  • Cold open and in medias res: Start in the middle of action or with a striking moment to hook the audience at once.
  • Want versus need: What the hero chases is not what they need; the gap between the two is the arc.
  • Wound or ghost: A past hurt that explains the hero's flaw and still haunts their choices.
  • Foil characters: A character whose contrast throws the hero's traits into relief.
  • Moments of warmth: A small act of kindness (or cruelty) that tells us whom to root for, or fear.
  • Exposition as ammunition: Information delivered through conflict, when a character needs it, not as a lecture.
  • Reincorporation: Earlier elements return to solve the ending, so it feels earned rather than convenient.
  • Twist: A surprise that is set up fairly and makes the audience see the story anew.

Every description is Superhit's own wording. Frameworks are named after the people who described them; Superhit isn't affiliated with any of them.

EXT. THE WORLD · DAY

Download Superhit

Version 1.0 Beta · free for personal and commercial writing

Windows

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

Download for Windows 15.4 MB
  • Installs for your user only. No administrator rights needed.
  • Windows may say “Windows protected your PC” because the beta isn't code-signed yet. Click More info, then Run anyway.
SHA-256 checksum 671BD05533E850E42B1CCF0EC7B22D534CBDB43A0CF471D3F2C8DB82059AC757

Mac

macOS 11 or later · Apple Silicon and Intel

Download for Mac 34.6 MB
  • One download for every Mac, Apple Silicon and Intel. Open it and drag Superhit Writer into Applications.
  • The first time, macOS may say it can't check the developer, because the beta isn't notarised yet. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
SHA-256 checksum 2A2B21C2203A7498742F6432E78FAF0925D4CF556EFA97D24CB6026983C53342

By downloading you agree to the Superhit licence. Superhit includes open-source components listed in the third-party notices.

INT. Q&A · CONTINUOUS

Questions

Is Superhit really free?

Yes. Download it, install it and use it at no cost, for personal or commercial writing. There's no account, no subscription, no ads, and no watermark on your PDFs.

Can I write a novel?

Yes. Choose Novel when you start something new, fill in your book details and write in chapters. Pick one of 15 chapter-opening designs, then export a print-ready book PDF or a standard submission manuscript. Autosave, backups, spelling and the thesaurus work just as they do for screenplays. Local AI Analysis for novels is coming.

Is it open source?

No. Superhit is free to use, but the software itself belongs to Crosskode. The licence explains what you can and can't do.

Where is my writing stored?

On your computer. Superhit autosaves as you type and keeps a backup every five minutes. Use Save to keep a .superhit file you can move, share or back up anywhere.

Can I open scripts from other apps?

Superhit opens Fountain (.fountain), Superhit (.superhit) and PDF scripts. A .superhit file is plain Fountain text, so other Fountain apps can open it too.

Will the AI write for me?

No, by design. Local AI reads and analyses your screenplay and suggests what could change and why. It won't write or rewrite your scenes, chapters or dialogue.

Do I need Local AI, or a powerful computer?

No. Everything except Analysis and the Outline works without it. If you turn it on, the Standard size runs on most computers; a graphics card makes it faster.

Why does Windows (or macOS) warn me when I install it?

The beta isn't code-signed yet, so your computer can't confirm the publisher. On Windows click More info → Run anyway. On a Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. Download Superhit only from this site.