We looked at each tool the way a producer or UPM would when setting up a new project. How does the script get in, and how much of the breakdown is done for you? Does the schedule produce a day out of days? Is there a budget, and does it connect to the schedule? Can the 2nd AD send call sheets from it? And what does it cost a small team for a few months of prep and shoot? Prices come from each company's own pricing page. Where a company doesn't publish a fixed price, we say so.
Last reviewed September 2026.
If scheduling is the only part you care about, our ranking of film scheduling software goes deeper on stripboards.
1. Storiara - script to budget and call sheets in one project
Storiara takes a PDF, Word (.docx), or Final Draft (.fdx) script and splits it into scenes from the headings, with page counts in eighths measured from the PDF layout. AI then extracts characters, locations, props, wardrobe, and music and effects, and each item is checked against a quote from the script. From that one project you work through a drag-and-drop stripboard, a cast Day Out of Days that fills in from the schedule, cast and crew lists with availability requests, a budget calculated from rate tables and your breakdown (top sheet, fringes, contingency, Excel export), a Funding page that matches the project against a built-in list of incentive programs and estimates their value, and per-day call sheets sent by email, now or scheduled, or shared as a link.
It ranks first for independent producers because the same scene data carries from breakdown to schedule to budget to call sheet without re-entry, and the price covers all of it.
Pricing is simple. New accounts get a 7-day free trial, after which a paid plan is needed. Producer is $39.99 a month plus $19.99 a month per extra collaborator. Studio is custom.
Drawbacks: you build the schedule yourself, since there's no automatic scheduling. Call sheet texting needs your own Twilio account. There's no Movie Magic import, and the hand-off to it is a tagged .fdx you import as a script rather than a schedule file. There's no native mobile app, though every page works in the phone browser. Accounting export is a CSV for QuickBooks Online or Xero rather than an API push. See all features and pricing.
2. StudioBinder - the broadest cloud suite for crews
StudioBinder lists screenwriting, AV scripts, script breakdowns, stripboards with automated sorting, script sides, breakdown and DOOD reports, mood boards, shot lists, storyboards, contacts, production calendars, task boards, a media library, and call sheets. Call sheets pull in weather, location, and emergency details and go out by email or SMS with delivery tracking and confirmations. For a commercial or branded content team that lives in shot lists and call sheets, it's hard to beat on breadth.
Pricing: there's a free plan limited to one project. StudioBinder's pricing page loads inside its web app and didn't show plan prices when we checked, so confirm current costs on the pricing page.
Drawbacks: StudioBinder's feature list doesn't include a budgeting module, so you'll need a separate budget tool. See StudioBinder vs. Storiara.
3. Movie Magic - the studio standard for schedules and budgets
Entertainment Partners sells Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting as separate desktop subscriptions. Budgeting has customizable fringes, cutoffs, and globals, lets you compare budgets across locations and estimate incentives, and builds custom reports. Scheduling elements transfer into Budgeting. Studio and union productions still expect these files.
Pricing: Movie Magic Scheduling is listed at an introductory $29.99 a month (regular $39.99). Movie Magic Budgeting is $42.99 a month, with an annual subscription that EP says saves 40%. Both install on Windows or macOS.
Drawbacks: these are two separate products, both desktop, and they take time to learn. Collaboration means sending files. See our Movie Magic comparison.
4. Filmustage - AI breakdown with a free non-AI suite
Filmustage covers script breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, call sheets, storyboards, location management, and team collaboration, with exports to PDF, Excel, and Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting formats. AI features include smart breakdown, AI budgeting, scene synopsis and analysis, VFX breakdown, and smart scheduling.
Pricing: the free plan includes all non-AI tools on one active project, with AI breakdown on 20% of scenes. Director's Cut is $55 a month or $660 a year, with 1,700 coins per cycle for AI features and unlimited active projects. Enterprise and academic pricing are separate.
Drawbacks: AI use is metered in coins, so several scripts in a month can run through the allowance. See Filmustage vs. Storiara.
5. Yamdu - a cloud production office for larger European teams
Yamdu, based in Germany, covers script import and breakdown, shooting and production schedules, DOOD, call sheets, budgeting, time cards, and iOS and Android apps. It imports from Final Draft, Movie Magic, and Fuzzlecheck.
Pricing: Yamdu Flex is $45 a month for one user and one project, plus $22 a month per extra user and $45 per extra project. Yamdu Studio is $265 a month, or $199 a month billed annually, for 10 users and unlimited projects.
Drawbacks: Flex gets expensive fast once several people need logins. See our Yamdu comparison.
6. Gorilla - desktop scheduling and budgeting at a lower price
Jungle Software's Gorilla imports Final Draft or PDF scripts into breakdown sheets and produces stripboards, one-liners, DOOD, and SAG Exhibit G reports, and it can export to Movie Magic Scheduling. The Combo Pack adds Gorilla Budgeting. There's also a browser version, Gorilla Online.
Pricing: Gorilla Scheduling Desktop is $24.99 a month, $64.99 a quarter, or $199 a year. The scheduling and budgeting Combo Pack is $39.99 a month or $369 a year. Gorilla Online is sold separately.
Drawbacks: the desktop interface is dated, and some reports are desktop only. See Gorilla compared with Storiara.
7. Celtx - planning tools attached to a script editor
Celtx connects its screenwriting editor to production planning tools: breakdown, catalog, cast and crew, schedule, budget, call sheets, and production reports. It works well for writer-producers who already draft in Celtx and want planning in the same file.
Pricing: Team, which includes the production planning tools, is $44.99 a month billed yearly for up to three members. Writer Pro is $18.74 a month billed yearly with the planning tools as an optional add-on, and Student is $79.99 a year.
Drawbacks: Celtx's schedule page doesn't list a DOOD report, and scheduling depth is lighter than in the dedicated tools above. See Celtx vs. Storiara.
8. Dramatify - built for TV drama and non-fiction teams
Dramatify is a Swedish platform for TV drama, entertainment, and branded content. Every plan includes cast and crew management, script breakdown, a production calendar and planner, and shooting scheduling, with unlimited read-only cast and crew. Fiction Standard adds budgeting, auto script sides, and call sheets. The Professional plan adds non-fiction rundowns and teleprompter exports.
Pricing: Fiction Standard is $13 a seat a month billed annually with a five-seat minimum, so from $65 a month. Fiction Starter is $10 a seat with three seats minimum, and monthly billing costs more per seat. There's a 30-day free trial.
Drawbacks: seat minimums make it poor value for a two-person indie team. See Dramatify compared.
9. Saturation - budgets and actuals for the money side
Saturation doesn't do breakdowns or schedules. It's on this list because it handles the part most planning tools skip: budgeting with actuals, cost reports, estimate-at-completion tracking, expense management through Saturation Pay, and QuickBooks and Slack integrations. The Team plan adds purchase orders and role-based approvals.
Pricing: Creator is free for one project and one seat. Pro is $32 a month or $384 a year. Team is $79 a month or $948 a year with three seats. Enterprise is custom. Paid plans have a 14-day trial.
Drawbacks: you'll need another tool for breakdown, scheduling, and call sheets. See Saturation vs. Storiara.
10. SetHero - call sheets and nothing else
SetHero is a call sheet tool. It publishes call sheets individually to cast and crew by email and SMS and tracks who has received, opened, and confirmed them. It also manages contacts. For a 2nd AD who already has a schedule in another program, it's quick to set up.
Pricing: SetHero prices each project by crew size and length rather than by a flat subscription. Its pricing calculator gives a one-time cost for short projects and a weekly rate for long ones, with texting and custom branding included, so there's no single starting price to quote.
Drawbacks: no breakdown, schedule, or budget. See SetHero vs. Storiara.
Side by side
| Tool | Starting price (September 2026) | Breakdown | Schedule and DOOD | Budget | Call sheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storiara | 7-day free trial; Producer $39.99/month | AI extraction | Yes (cast DOOD) | Estimate, XLSX export | Email and link |
| StudioBinder | Free (1 project); paid prices not shown publicly | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Email and SMS |
| Movie Magic | Scheduling $29.99/month intro; Budgeting $42.99/month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Filmustage | Free; Director's Cut $55/month | AI | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yamdu | Flex $45/month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gorilla | Desktop $24.99/month; Combo $39.99/month | Yes | Yes | Combo Pack | Not listed |
| Celtx | Team $44.99/month billed yearly | Yes | Schedule, DOOD not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Dramatify | Fiction Standard from $65/month (5 seats, annual) | Yes | Yes | Fiction Standard | Fiction Standard |
| Saturation | Free; Pro $32/month | No | No | Budget and actuals | No |
| SetHero | Priced per project | No | No | No | Email and SMS |
How to choose
If a studio or bond company will ask for Movie Magic files, plan in whatever you like but make sure your tool exports to them, or buy Movie Magic. If you're an indie producer and want the breakdown, schedule, budget, and call sheets in one place at a fixed monthly price, start with Storiara, Filmustage, or StudioBinder and run your own script through each. Add Saturation if you need to track actual spend, or SetHero if text-message call sheets with confirmations matter more to you than the rest.