How much does screenplay coverage cost in 2026?
Prices can be surprisingly hard to compare. Two services can both promise "coverage" while offering different readers, report lengths, turnaround times and purposes. Here are real published UK examples, and the questions to ask before you spend anything.
There is no single standard price for screenplay coverage. What matters is whether the service answers the question you actually have about your script.
What are published UK prices?
To make this concrete, we checked public price pages on 24 September 2026. These are examples, not a complete survey, and providers can change their fees. Check each linked page before ordering.
Those examples show why a single "average" is misleading. A short document and a full feature are different assignments. So are a three page overview and an extended report with suggestions for revision.
Why does one service cost more than another?
Human reading and consultation take time. A report can also include a synopsis, a logline, line notes, a live call, an additional reader or a faster turnaround. None of those extras is inherently necessary. Their value depends on what you need at this stage.
For example, a writer preparing to pitch might value an industry reader's judgement and a concise synopsis. Someone midway through a rewrite may need detailed notes on causality and character decisions. A writer seeking a structured diagnostic may prefer category scores explained by screenplay-specific reasoning. These are different purchases, even when websites use the same word for them.
What should you check before paying?
- Who reads the script? Is it a human reader, an automated service, or a combination? Ask plainly.
- What will you receive? Check the sample report. Look for analysis rather than promises about its quality.
- Does the price cover your format and length? Page limits and surcharges can change the final cost.
- What is the purpose? Coverage for a decision-maker is different from developmental notes for the writer.
- What happens next? Check whether a follow-up, revision read or consultation costs extra.
Where does the £35 ScriptAccess evaluation fit?
ScriptAccess charges £35 for a structured, AI-generated evaluation of the submitted work. A human does not read every script. The service uses a format-specific evaluation standard to assess and explain strengths, weaknesses and revision priorities. It is designed to give writers a candid starting point at a lower price than the human reading examples above.
It is not a substitute for a conversation with an experienced reader, an editor's ongoing guidance or a production company's own coverage. If those are what you need, paying more for the appropriate human service may be the better choice.
Before buying ours, read the sample evaluation. Look at the reasoning, its level of detail and whether that kind of report would help you make decisions about your next draft.
What is a sensible budget?
Budget for the decision you need to make, not for the most impressive-looking package. If your draft is still changing fundamentally, it may be too early to pay for an expensive industry-facing assessment. If you need a specific human reader and a conversation about your rewrite, a low-cost automated evaluation will not provide that relationship.
Read a sample, check who does the work, understand the final price and decide what you want to learn. The useful question is not "What does coverage cost?" alone. It is "What will this particular report help me do?"