# Storiara vs Showbiz Budgeting: Script Estimate or Full Ledger?

Source: https://storiara.com/compare/showbiz-budgeting
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> Showbiz Budgeting 10, sold by Media Services, is desktop budgeting software for Mac and Windows with globals, fringe groups, overtime tiers, purchase orders, and actualization from payroll imports, plus an optional cloud subscription. Storiara calculates a first budget from your script breakdown, stripboard, and cast Day Out of Days, but it has no actuals. Use Showbiz to run the budget through wrap; use Storiara to get from script to a defensible first number.

A budget in Showbiz Budgeting is the document the production accountant lives in from prep to the final cost report. A budget in Storiara is the number you get when the breakdown, the board, and the rates meet for the first time. They answer different questions. Showbiz asks you what every line costs and then tracks what you spend. Storiara looks at the script and schedule you've already built and gives you a starting top sheet.

## Who reaches for each one

Showbiz Budgeting 10 is for people whose job title has "budget" or "accountant" in it, or producers who have done enough budgets to want control over every global and fringe. It's sold through the Media Services store (part of Cast & Crew) as desktop software for Mac and Windows, and its templates cover AICP commercial formats, major studio charts of accounts, and independent features.

Storiara is for the producer or director who has a script and needs to answer "can we make this for the money" before hiring a line producer. The budget sits in the same project as the breakdown, the [stripboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/stripboard), and the call sheets, so it moves when the schedule moves.

## Where Showbiz Budgeting is stronger

On budgeting itself, Showbiz is the deeper tool:

- Actuals. You can import payroll from Media Services, CAPS, or Showbiz Timecards, log credit card, check, EFT, and invoice expenses, and pull in petty cash envelopes and purchase orders. Expenses tally against each PO as they come in. Storiara has no actuals at all.
- Globals, sub-groups, and fringes. Change the number of shoot weeks once and every line referencing it updates. Fringe groups apply in one click, and fringe cutoffs can run in date ranges per employee. Storiara's fringes come from tier defaults or a performer's contract, and there are no user-defined globals.
- Overtime. Each detail line has five editable overtime tiers, with a pane that shows straight and overtime rates together.
- Phases and currencies. A budget can be split into phases for shooting in different states or countries, which helps when a film commission asks for qualifying spend by jurisdiction. Currency links let foreign lines use editable exchange rates.
- Reports. Showbiz produces PDF cost reports, calendars, petty cash reports, and PO logs. Storiara prints the budget and exports it to Excel.
- Imports. Showbiz can open Movie Magic budgets, so a budget built elsewhere doesn't start from zero.

## Where Storiara does something Showbiz doesn't

Showbiz doesn't know what's in your script. Every line is what you type. Storiara starts from the breakdown: the cast list comes from the characters it extracted, the props and wardrobe lists from the elements, the locations from the scene headings, and the number of paid cast days from the Day Out of Days.

The link to the schedule is what matters here. Take a fictional 15-day non-union feature, where a supporting actor works Days 3, 4, and 11:

| Board | DOOD codes | Paid days | Wages at $350/day | 13.5% fringe | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As scheduled, gap carried as holds | SW, W, H x 6, WF | 9 | $3,150 | $425.25 | $3,575.25 |
| Day 11 scene moved to Day 5 | SW, W, WF | 3 | $1,050 | $141.75 | $1,191.75 |

Holds count as paid days in Storiara, idle days don't, and the budget recalculates when you sync from story data. In Showbiz you'd get the same answer, but only after you'd worked out the DOOD somewhere else and typed the days in.

Storiara's budget also uses a film-style chart of accounts (1100 Story and Rights through 4900 Titles, with 6500 Publicity and 6700 Insurance) and lets you apply an incentive estimate from its Funding module to show a net total. Treat that estimate as rough; it uses a 60% qualifying spend assumption and ignores caps.

## What each one leaves out

Showbiz is a desktop program licensed per computer. Two installs cost $399, a third brings it to $548, and real-time collaboration needs the separate Showbiz Cloud subscription on top of a desktop license. Without the cloud plan, sharing means sending files, and whoever has the latest copy wins. It also has nothing to say about scheduling or call sheets; the same store sells ShotLogic and Yamdu for that.

Storiara's budget has gaps a working accountant will notice quickly. There are no saved budget versions or scenarios in the interface, so comparing a 15-day and an 18-day plan means duplicating the story. There's no CSV export, no cash flow schedule, and the union rates built into its tier tables are estimates you should check against current agreements before anyone signs a deal memo.

## Building the first budget for a 15-day feature, both ways

In Showbiz, the line producer opens an independent feature template and sets globals: 15 shoot days, 3 prep weeks, 1 wrap week, and the fringe rates for the payroll company they expect to use. They enter each crew position with a rate and the right global for days or weeks, then enter cast using day counts from a DOOD made in scheduling software. They add contingency, check the top sheet, and save a version to send to the financier. When shooting starts, payroll imports actualize the labor lines.

In Storiara, the producer uploads the script, reviews the breakdown, and boards 15 days. They open Budget and run the setup wizard: production type, union tier, 15 shoot days, prep and post weeks, 10% contingency, and whether to include a completion bond. Storiara fills cast lines from the DOOD and crew, equipment, props, wardrobe, and locations from rates on those records, with tier tables covering gaps. They adjust lines by hand, then export to Excel. Once money starts moving, Storiara has nothing to actualize against, so the budget stays an estimate.

## Moving between them

Storiara's Excel export is the bridge, but Showbiz doesn't list spreadsheet import, so it's a reference for rebuilding rather than a file you open. The account numbers in Storiara are film-style four-digit codes, which map reasonably onto a feature template in Showbiz, though sub-accounts won't line up one to one. Going from Showbiz to Storiara, nothing imports; you'd enter rates on cast and crew records and let the budget sync.

## Picking one

Choose Showbiz Budgeting if you need actuals, POs, cost reports, phases for multi-state shoots, or AICP formatting, and you're comfortable paying for a desktop license. Choose Storiara if you need a first budget that follows your schedule and you also need the breakdown, board, and call sheets. You can also start the number in Storiara and hand the Excel file to an accountant who rebuilds it in dedicated budgeting software once financing closes. The [Showbiz vs Movie Magic Budgeting](https://storiara.com/compare/showbiz-vs-movie-magic-budgeting) comparison and the [compare hub](https://storiara.com/compare) cover the other options, and the [film budget template](https://storiara.com/templates/film-budget) and [film chart of accounts guide](https://storiara.com/blog/film-chart-of-accounts) help whichever you pick.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Storiara track actuals like Showbiz Budgeting?

No. Storiara's budget is an estimate with no actuals, purchase orders, variance tracking, or cost reports. Showbiz Budgeting 10 imports payroll and expense data so you can compare spending against the budget through wrap.

### Does Showbiz Budgeting work on Mac?

Yes. Media Services lists macOS 12 or higher, including macOS 26 Tahoe, and Windows 7 or higher. The cloud collaboration subscription requires buying the desktop version first.

### Can I import a Storiara budget into Showbiz Budgeting?

Not directly. Storiara exports the budget as an Excel file, and Showbiz lists imports for Movie Magic budgets and Point Zero and Powerbid actuals, not spreadsheets. Expect to rebuild the lines in a Showbiz template using the Excel file as a reference.

### Is there a free trial of Showbiz Budgeting?

Yes. Media Services offers a fully functioning five-day trial download with no credit card. Storiara's free Beginner plan includes a 30-day trial for new accounts.

## Sources

- [Showbiz Budgeting 10 product page](https://store.castandcrew.com/product/showbiz-budgeting/)
- [Showbiz Software store](https://www.showbizsoftware.com/)