Bring your video and film projects to life with an engaging storyboard. Choosing the right storyboarding tool makes it easy to visualize scenes, arrange shots, and convey creative ideas to clients.
In this article, we’ll review the top 11 tools for crafting stunning storyboards with the option to access and customize free templates. Read on to transform your pre-production planning!
Why Use Storyboard Tools?
Before jumping into the solutions, let’s briefly cover the basics – what is storyboarding and why is it such an essential process?
A storyboard visually outlines key scenes and sequences in a video production. Storyboards use a series of drawings, images, text descriptions or a combination of all three to depict the various camera angles and shots planned for filming.
Here are some of the main benefits storyboarding brings to your video projects:
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Pre-visualize scenes – Instantly view how your shots will flow together. Identify any potential issues with continuity, pacing or transitions.
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Align projects stakeholders – Easily communicate your creative vision to clients, team members and stakeholders.
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Simplify filming – Make shooting days more organized and efficient by having a clear shot list to follow.
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Save money – Catch flaws in the early planning process instead of having to reshoot scenes after filming is completed and resources have been spent.
But crafting engaging storyboards by hand with basic tools like paper and sticky notes can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
That’s where online storyboard creators come in handy! The top tools outlined below make it simple to quickly lay out your visual narrative from start to finish.
Top 11 Storyboard Tools & Software
Based on core features, versatility, and user reviews, we’ve selected the 11 best online apps and platforms for storyboarding videos of all types and sizes.
1. Plot
Plot is an intuitive browser-based tool purpose built for easily turning your ideas into a storyboard.
With Plot’s simple drag-and-drop interface, you can take the script from your head and visually map out scenes on an unlimited canvas. Arrange shots, draw stick figure sketches, add detailed descriptions and export your board for sharing in a few clicks.
Key features:
- Browser-based – work on any device
- Unrestricted canvas space
- Drag-and-drop shot ordering
- Drawing capabilities
- Notes/descriptions for each panel
- Export PDF or image file
Best for: Students, video bloggers, nonprofit organizations, and bootstrapped video teams.
The basic plan is free making this a great entry-level option. Paid tiers provide additional cloud storage and team management features.
2. Canva
Chances are you’re already familiar with Canva – the hugely popular free graphic design platform. But did you know Canva also lets you create storyboards?
Canva makes stunning visuals in minutes thanks to its huge library of templates, fonts, customizable elements and intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
Follow these simple steps to build your video storyboard:
- Select a pre-made storyboard template or any blank template
- Upload images/videos or choose from Canva’s media library
- Arrange panels and add text
- Download and share
Key features:
- Massive media library – 1 million+ images, videos & audio clips
- Animated elements
- Customizable templates
- Resize images/frames
- Export PDF, JPG, PNG
Best for: Individual video producers, vloggers, marketers and entrepreneurs.
Like all core Canva features, the storyboarding function is completely free. Paid plans add more templates, tools and storage.
3. Boords
Boords brings professional storyboarding capabilities right to your web browser. Simply sign up for a free account to start building detailed, animated boards.
Inline editing tools allow you to sketch custom artwork, drag-and-drop images, add captions/audio and animate panels. View your sequences come to life!
Share online or export your polished storyboards as an MP4 video file.
Key features:
- Animation effects
- Audio embedding
- Drawing capabilities
- Multi-page support
- Shot list generation
- File exporting (PDF, MP4)
Best for: Filmmakers, advertising agencies, businesses needing polished video pitch decks.
Boords starts with a forever free plan allowing unlimited boards with basic functionality. Upgrade to paid plans for additional features.
4. Wonder Unit
Wonder Unit‘s open source Storyboarder tool brings professional-grade VFX and animation storyboarding to the masses.
Whether you’re on Windows, Mac or Linux, Storyboarder’s infinite canvas and intuitive interface make it easy to visualize scenes just the way you imagine. Rough sketches, drawings, text and exporting is fast and fluid.
Review your sequences on-the-fly with the new VR Viewer for immersive shot previews. Sweet!
Key features:
- Multi-OS desktop support
- Pen/drawing-based
- VR viewer
- Layer-based panels
- Camera visibility toggles
- onion skinning
Best for: VFX artists, animators, illustration heavy video projects
Storyboarder is 100% free and open source. For more robust project management and asset sharing capabilities, production studios should look at Toon Boom Storyboard Pro.
5. StudioBinder
StudioBinder brings complete production tracking together with intuitive storyboarding.
Easily build boards while also managing your scripts, schedules, shot lists and other pre-production tasks in one integrated environment. Crew collaboration is smooth and simple.
Leverage a multitude of view options like columns, rows, grid and fullscreen to customize your workspace. Rapidly arrange shots, draw panels and take advantage of automatic scene, sequence and album creation.
Key features:
- Integrated production management
- Real-time collaboration
- Multiple panel views
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Animatic editor
- Shot generator integration
Best for: Filmmakers, video production teams, creative agencies
StudioBinder offers a forever free version supporting unlimited users. Paid plans unlock more cloud storage, HD video exports and production tracking features.
6. MakeStoryboard
As the name implies, MakeStoryboard makes crafting simple or complex storyboards a breeze.
Leverage MakeStoryboard’s flexible web-based toolkit to arrange sketches, images, text descriptions, notes and other media into dynamic sequences.
Easily invite teammates and clients to provide feedback right within your boards in real-time. Adjustments based on reviews can be done on-the-fly.
Key features:
- Real-time collaboration
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Drawing/sketching tools
- Comments/annotations
- Asset libraries
- PDF exporting
Best for: Video producers, indie filmmakers, design teams
MakeStoryboard offers a free plan providing unlimited personal boards with 2 collaborators per board. Paid tiers enable more team members and advanced features.
7. Storyboard That
Add some extra creativity into your storyboards with Storyboard That. Their web/mobile platform empowers anyone to easily create gorgeous, engaging visual sequences.
Leverage a massive library of art, characters, backgrounds and props to illustrate your shots. Customize scenes by tweaking facial expressions, poses and more.
Key features:
- 10,000+ art assets
- Custom character/scene creator
- Multi-page support
- Reusable elements
- Video exporting
- Drawing capabilities
Best for: Educators, students, illustrators, indie creators
Storyboard That is free to try and test out. Ongoing access starts at $3/month for Individual plans which include unlimited personal boards and basic asset libraries.
8. Miro
Miro provides an infinitely flexible online canvas for brainstorming and collaborating on storyboards in real-time.
Leverage a wealth of drag-and-drop shapes, sticky notes, images and text elements to capture your creative flow. Draw panels, group scenes into sequences, align shots and more with their intuitive editing toolkit.
Smooth onboarding, commenting and asset libraries make it easy for remote teams to progress projects together.
Key features:
- Real-time co-editing
- Robust shape and element libraries
- Comments/chats
- Drawing toolset
- Frame linking & grouping
- Videoembed support
Best for: Remote teams, creative agencies, animators
Miro offers 5 forever free boards for small teams. From there, paid plans unlock unlimited boards and enhanced functionality for optimal team collaboration.
9. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro
For large-scale animation and VFX studios, Toon Boom Storyboard Pro delivers enterprise-grade production management alongside robust storyboarding capabilities.
Visually plan projects shot-for-shot while also tracking tasks, assets and team workflows. Scripting, cameras, 3D environments, and animatics help pre-visualize complex sequences with ease.
Review productions via virtual camera moves for incredibly realistic pre-visualization. Professional exports and asset handoff ensure smooth transition from pre-prod to animation.
Key features:
- Integrated production tracking
- 3D scene planning
- Animatics with transitions
- Multi-user support
- Animation layouts
- Professional exports
Best for: Animation studios, visual effects teams, large video departments
Toon Boom offers 30-day trials of Storyboard Pro. Contact their sales team for custom pricing.
10. Milanote
Milanote brings simplicity to creative collaboration. Their flexible canvas and card-based system make light work of building storyboards and sharing via a sharable link or presentation-ready PDF.
Jot down quick sketches and notes, crystalize ideas into well-formed shots, then drag-and-drop to arrange your visual narrative. Image uploads, color coding, tags and due dates streamline organization.
Key features:
- Web/mobile versatility
- Upload images & files
- Drag-and-drop sequencing
- Sketching capabilities
- Tagging & color coding
- Task assignments
- PDF/Present exporting
Best for: Marketing teams, creative agencies, product design teams
Milanote offers a forever free version supporting 2 team members with 100 personal items. Paid plans enable more users, items and features.
11. Visme
Our last pick, Visme, provides a quick, simple web tool for making engaging storyboards in a few clicks.
Select from dozens of professionally designed storyboard templates or start with a blank canvas. Upload your own visuals and icons or choose from thousands of free photos, graphics, and illustrations.
Visme’s simple drag-and-drop editor makes it fast and intuitive to compose eye-catching sequences optimized to present online or download for offline use.
Key features:
- Professionally designed templates
- Massive media library
- Animated elements
- Drag-and-drop sequencer
- Notes and text fields
- On-demand cloud hosting
- Social sharing integrations
Best for: Marketing teams, entrepreneurs, educators, NGOs
Visme offers a free version supporting basic storyboards. Paid plans unlock more capabilities for creating high impact storyboards.
Get Storyboarding Today!
The options above provide versatile storyboarding solutions for all types of video productions and budgets.
For quick simplicity, check out Plot, Canva and Boords to start building your video narrative right in your web browser. Add MakeStoryboard, Milanote or Miro as you scale up production and enable client/team collaboration.
For studios and agencies managing animation, VFX or large video projects, explore the enhanced production tracking in ToonBoom Storyboard Pro and StudioBinder.
Remember, investing the time upfront to meticulously plan out your filming with a well-crafted storyboard pays dividends in the long run helping your actual video shoot and edit go much smoother!
Access Free Storyboard Templates
Don’t want to start your storyboard completely from scratch? Many of the tools above offer free customizable templates to speed up the process.
Here are a few standout options:
Canva – Canva provides hundreds of free storyboard layouts in different sizes, ratios and styles as a starting point. Their templates are fully customizable.
Boords – Boords offers a treasure trove of free printable PDF templates including storyboards formatted for video, film, animation, PowerPoint & more.
StudioBinder – StudioBinder features a handy multipurpose storyboard template available for free download in PDF, PSD and Word formats. Customize to your project‘s needs!
Check out the template libraries in your chosen tools above to kickstart your storyboarding process. Focus efforts on arranging the narrative rather than format and layout.
Now get out there, and start storyboarding your next video project! Let us know in the comments if you have any favorite storyboard tools we should check out.
