Boords

Overview

Boords is a web-based production workspace for turning scripts into storyboards and timed animatics. It is strongest for creative teams that need clients to comment on frames and sign off without creating accounts. Solo users can start free, but expanding a team means weighing seat limits and monthly AI-image allowances against the workflow gains.

Key features

Scripts support free-form, audio/visual and screenplay formats, and can be converted into storyboard frames. Those frames can use original artwork, uploaded images or AI-generated images with consistent characters. This flexibility suits teams with existing assets as well as those developing visuals in the tool, though AI use is capped by plan.

Timing boards to voiceover or music turns them into animatics, and export options span PDF, image files and MP4 as well as DOCX, XLSX, Google Slides, Markdown and plain text. Shared review links let clients comment on individual frames, approve them or request changes without an account. That makes Boords a practical fit when client sign-off is part of production, not just a final handoff. Shot annotations and scene layouts add production-oriented tools, while a public API, signed webhooks, Slack notifications, Dropbox and Google Drive provide integration options.

Boords says traffic is protected with HTTPS and 256-bit SSL, while files and backups are encrypted at rest. Its managed AWS and Heroku infrastructure is primarily in Ireland. Customer content is not used to train its AI models, and administrators can disable AI features account-wide. The company is not SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified, a material drawback for teams whose procurement rules require either certification.

Pricing

The free Solo plan costs nothing and includes one user, 250 AI images per month, and unlimited storyboards and scripts. The About page describes the free plan as limited to five active storyboards and up to five team members, so confirm which limits apply to the account before relying on it for ongoing shared work. A free trial is also offered.

Paid plans broaden seats and AI-image capacity. Solo (yearly) is $26 a year, billed yearly, for one user and 250 AI images/month; Solo is $39 a month, billed monthly, with the same allowance and unlimited storyboards. These suit individuals, but the yearly price is stated per year, not per month.

Pro (yearly) is $50 a year for up to five users and 1,000 AI images/month; Pro is $75 a month for the same seat and image limits, with unlimited storyboards. Team (yearly) is $85 a year for up to 10 users, 2,000 AI images/month and advanced team controls; Team is $125 a month with unlimited storyboards as well. Agency (yearly) costs $165 a year for up to 30 users, 3,000 AI images/month and priority support; Agency costs $250 a month and adds unlimited storyboards. Pro and Team offer a route to collaboration at larger seat counts, while Agency is the tier with priority support.

Enterprise uses custom pricing and billing terms, with custom seat counts and AI credit pools, dedicated support and onboarding, and SAML single sign-on. It is the relevant tier for organizations needing tailored access or enterprise support. The published plan terms do not state renewal conditions, so check those before choosing a billing period.

Platforms

Boords runs on the web and offers an API. That works for browser-based production workflows, but it is not a desktop-app option.

Who it's for

Boords is aimed at video and advertising agencies, creative directors, production managers, in-house brand teams and animation studios. Its strongest case is a group moving from script to board to client approval in one place. A solo creator can use it too, but teams that need formal SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Script formats convert into storyboard frames, and boards can progress into timed animatics without leaving the workflow.
• Pros: Clients can review and approve individual frames through a shared link without an account, reducing friction in sign-off.
• Pros: Broad export formats cover both production documents and finished animatics, including MP4, Google Slides and Markdown.
• Cons: AI-image quotas and seat counts vary by plan, so growing teams may need to move up tiers even when their core workflow stays the same.
• Cons: Boords is not SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified, which can rule it out under some security requirements.
• Cons: It is web-based, with no desktop platform stated.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of options, browse Storyboard Software or AI Storyboard Generators.

• Cygnus is worth considering if macOS support matters; its free plan includes 200 credits/month, two projects and watermarked 720p exports.
• Krock.io may suit a reviewer-heavy workflow: its free plan includes unlimited reviewers, though it limits users to one, storage to 2 GB and projects to two.
• Alchemys offers a free starter-credit option for users who want to try AI generation; its 1,000 credits are consumed according to model and workload.
• CinemaScape AI is a lower-cost alternative for screenplay-based storyboarding: its free Starter plan allows two projects and 10 one-time storyboard generations, with PDF export.
• Drawstory is another web-based freemium storyboard option.
• GOGUL may fit occasional use of a one-time credit balance; its free plan restricts boards to eight frames and does not include PDF export.
• LTX Studio is a web and API alternative with a free plan that provides 800 credits once rather than replenishing them.
• Shai offers free access for the first nine storyboard scenes, with AI video reserved for premium use.

Verdict

Choose Boords if your team needs scripts, storyboards, animatics and low-friction client approvals in one web workflow. Its frame-level review links and varied production exports are the clearest reasons to prefer it. Look elsewhere if formal SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification is mandatory, or if seat and AI-image caps do not fit your budget as the team grows.