Storyboarder alternative

Storyboard without drawing,straight from your script.

Storyboarder is a free, open source drawing app, great if you draw. ScreenWeaver starts from the screenplay: each scene becomes shots and frames, with the same characters from shot to shot.
Storyboard my scriptCompare the two
  • No drawing needed
  • Framing, angle, movement, duration
  • Writing stays free
The ScreenWeaver storyboard of The Yellow Umbrella: shot S3 with the character sheets and the screenplay beside it
Storyboarder · blank boardScreenWeaver

Why filmmakers try it

Three reasons to board here.

  1. The ScreenWeaver screenplay editor with acts, sequences and beats above a scene
    01

    It starts from your screenplay

    Write in a real screenplay editor for $0. No drawing required: the frames come from the scenes, characters and locations you wrote.

  2. Storyboard of shot S3 in ScreenWeaver, with the character sheets and the script beside it
    02

    Every shot, broken down for you

    ScreenWeaver splits each scene into shots and generates a frame for each one. You set framing, angle, movement and duration. Storyboard Beta costs $9.99 a month.

  3. The ScreenWeaver production canvas with shots S3 and S4 linked to their storyboard panels
    03

    The board leads to the film

    Every frame stays linked to its scene. Shots, characters and references carry into production, in the same project, in any browser.

Side by side

ScreenWeaver vs Storyboarder

Plans and features as each company lists them. Storyboarder is made by Wonder Unit.
ScreenWeaverStoryboarder
PriceStoryboard Beta, $9.99/moFree
Free optionFree writing plan, no expiryFree download
Open source
PlatformsBrowser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPadDesktop app for Mac, Windows, Linux
How frames are madeGenerated from the screenplayDrawn by you, 6 drawing tools
Shot breakdownAutomatic, scene by sceneBoards added by hand
Link to the scriptFrames linked to scenes and beatsFountain or Final Draft, by scene
Shot dataFraming, angle, movement, durationDialogue, action, timing, shot type
Animatics and previsAI previsualization, Filmmaker planTimeline with audio
ExportsScript to PDF and Final Draft (.fdx)Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, PDF, GIF

Competitor information as of September 2026, from wonderunit.com. Check their site for the latest.

Fair is fair

What Storyboarder does well

Storyboarder, by Wonder Unit, is free and open source. It is made for people who think with a pencil, and it stays out of the way.

  • Six drawing tools, from light pencil to brush, with pen pressure on most Wacom tablets
  • Shot Generator: type a shot description, get a reference to draw over
  • Paper worksheets: print, draw, then import the page from a photo
  • Exports to Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, PDF and animated GIF, with a round trip to Photoshop

Storyboarder is still a good fit if you draw, you want a free desktop app, and your boards are sketches you make yourself. Storyboarder is built for that.

Our verdict

Direct your storyboard instead of drawing it.

Storyboarder is a great free tool if you love to draw every board. If you would rather direct than draw, ScreenWeaver generates the boards from your screenplay, with consistent characters and control of every shot.

  • Professional writing, free and unlimited, with PDF and Final Draft export
  • A storyboard generated from your screenplay, shot by shot
  • Production connected to the same project, characters kept consistent
Storyboard my script

Switching

From script to storyboard in three steps.

Start from the screenplay, not from a blank board.
  1. 1

    Bring your screenplay

    Write it in ScreenWeaver for free, or attach a PDF, Final Draft (.fdx) or plain text file to the assistant and ask it to import the script.

  2. 2

    Generate the storyboard

    ScreenWeaver breaks each scene into shots and generates a frame for each one, linked to the scene it comes from.

  3. 3

    Direct every shot

    The AI drafts, you decide. Each shot has its own settings:

    • Framing
    • Angle
    • Movement
    • Duration
The storyboard of The Yellow Umbrella in ScreenWeaver: shot S3 beside the character sheets and the script
Shot S3, linked to its scene

Script import runs through the assistant, which comes with a paid plan. Writing and PDF or Final Draft export stay free.

Read more

Storyboard guides and tools

FAQ

Questions Storyboarder users ask

Is Storyboarder free?
Yes. Wonder Unit offers Storyboarder as a free download for Mac, Windows and Linux, and its code is open source. Check their site for the latest version.
Is there a Storyboarder alternative that doesn't require drawing?
Yes. ScreenWeaver generates the storyboard from your screenplay: it breaks each scene into shots and generates a frame for each one, with your characters and locations. Storyboard Beta costs $9.99 a month during the beta.
What is the difference between Storyboarder and ScreenWeaver?
Storyboarder is a drawing tool: you add boards and draw them, and it can tie them to the scenes of a Fountain or Final Draft script. ScreenWeaver is script-first: you write the screenplay in the app, and the shot breakdown and the frames come out of it.
Do characters look the same from shot to shot?
In ScreenWeaver, yes. Character sheets feed every frame a character appears in, and locations and references carry from shot to shot, so the storyboard reads like one film.
Can I still control each shot?
Yes. Every shot has manual controls for framing, angle, movement and duration. The AI gives you a first draft, and the decisions stay yours.
Does ScreenWeaver run on my computer?
It runs in the browser on Mac, Windows, Linux and iPad. Install it like an app, write offline, and it syncs when you reconnect. Storyboarder is a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Is writing the screenplay free?
Yes. The Screenwriter plan costs $0 and does not expire: unlimited projects and pages, industry-standard formatting, and PDF and Final Draft export. You pay only for the storyboard, $9.99 a month during the beta.

Storyboarder and Wonder Unit are trademarks of their respective owner. ScreenWeaver is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Wonder Unit. Product names are used only to identify the products compared.

Write the scene. The board follows.

Writing is free. Generate the storyboard for $9.99 a month when you're ready.
Storyboard my scriptHow the pipeline works