Boords

Boords is a web-based video preproduction workspace for scripts, storyboards, animatics and client sign-off. It suits agencies and production teams that need clients to review frames without joining the service. Its connected workflow is the draw; growing teams should weigh seat caps and monthly AI-image allowances before choosing a plan.

Overview

Boords brings several steps of preproduction into one place, from script drafting through timed animatics and approvals. That continuity is useful when a project needs both visual planning and client feedback, rather than a storyboard tool alone. Its free plan is constrained to five active storyboards and five team members, so it is better for trying the workflow or small projects than for maintaining a larger ongoing board library.

Key features

The script editor supports free-form, audio/visual and screenplay formats, and scripts can be turned into storyboard frames. Teams can base frames on their own artwork, uploaded images or AI-generated images with consistent characters. This mix suits productions with established visual assets as well as those developing imagery in the tool, but the AI allowance ranges from 250 to 3,000 images a month across paid tiers.

Boards can be timed to voiceover or music and exported as MP4 animatics. Storyboards can be exported as PDF or image files, with additional formats including DOCX, XLSX, Google Slides, Markdown and plain text. Shared review links let clients comment on individual frames and approve or request changes without an account, keeping sign-off accessible to external stakeholders. Shot annotations, scene layouts and team collaboration add useful structure for production work.

A public API and signed webhooks give teams integration options; Boords also lists Slack notifications, Dropbox and Google Drive. Its traffic uses HTTPS with 256-bit SSL, and files and backups are encrypted at rest. The infrastructure is primarily in Ireland, and Boords says customer content is not used to train its AI models; administrators can disable AI features. It is not SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified, which may rule it out for organizations requiring either certification.

Pricing

The free Solo plan costs nothing and includes one user, 250 AI images per month, and unlimited storyboards and scripts. Despite the five-active-board and five-member cap described for the free plan, the Solo plan summary says unlimited storyboards; the active-board cap is the practical constraint to check before relying on it for continuing work.

Solo costs $26 a year when billed yearly, or $39 a month when billed monthly. Both are for one user and include 250 AI images per month and unlimited storyboards. The annual price is the lower-cost route for an individual; monthly billing costs more but avoids committing to a yearly term.

Pro costs $50 a year when billed yearly, or $75 a month. It supports up to five users and 1,000 AI images per month; the monthly option also explicitly includes unlimited storyboards. This is the first tier suited to a small shared team, though its five-seat ceiling may be tight for agency groups.

Team costs $85 a year when billed yearly, or $125 a month. It allows up to ten users, 2,000 AI images per month and advanced team controls; the monthly plan also includes unlimited storyboards. Agency costs $165 a year when billed yearly, or $250 a month, for up to 30 users and 3,000 AI images per month, with priority support and unlimited storyboards on the monthly plan. Those higher tiers suit larger production groups that need more seats and, for Agency, faster support.

Enterprise has custom pricing, custom seat counts and AI credit pools, dedicated support and onboarding, and SAML single sign-on. A free trial is available. The listed annual plan amounts are given as yearly billing, while monthly options cost more; confirm the billing term when comparing tiers.

Platforms

Boords runs on the web and also supports API access. It is a fit for teams working across devices through a browser-based workflow, rather than those seeking a dedicated desktop app.

Who it's for

Boords is aimed at video and advertising agencies, creative directors, production managers, in-house brand teams and animation studios. It is strongest for teams that need scripts, frames, animatics and client approvals to stay connected. A solo user can start on Solo, while larger teams should match seat capacity and image volume to their production needs. Organizations that require SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Script formats convert into storyboard frames, reducing friction between writing and visual planning.
• Pros: Account-free client review links support frame-level comments and approval without asking clients to create accounts.
• Pros: Timed MP4 animatics and a broad set of board export formats support both presentation and handoff needs.
• Pros: Administrators can disable AI features, and Boords says customer content is not used to train its AI models.
• Cons: The free plan's five-active-board and five-member limits constrain sustained use, even though the Solo summary describes unlimited storyboards.
• Cons: AI-image quotas and user caps vary by tier, so teams may need to upgrade as collaborators or image production increase.
• Cons: It is not SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified, a barrier for some security procurement requirements.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, compare AI Storyboard Generators and Storyboard Software. Drawstory is another freemium web option with a free plan and trial. GOGUL has a free tier with a one-time 100-credit balance, eight frames per storyboard, one character and no PDF export, so it is a more constrained starting point. LTX Studio offers a free web/API tier with 800 credits once, rather than Boords' monthly AI-image allowance. StoryBirdie starts free with 20 credits, one project, two screenplays and PDF, XLSX and CSV exports. Story2Board gives a free 300-credit balance that never expires. Cygnus is available on macOS and web, with its free tier limited to 200 monthly credits, two projects and watermarked 720p exports. CinemaScape AI offers a free starter tier with two projects, ten one-time storyboard generations and PDF export. StoryboardCanvas AI is another freemium web option.

Verdict

Choose Boords if your team wants scripts, storyboard frames, animatics and client approvals in a single web workflow, especially when external reviewers should not need accounts. Its chief trade-offs are plan-dependent seats and AI-image quotas, plus the absence of SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification. For agencies and production teams that can work within those limits, it is a focused preproduction choice; for solo experimentation, a free alternative with a larger or differently structured credit allowance may fit better.