Celtx vs. StoriesOnBoard

In our experience at Eight Engines, Celtx shines in multi-faceted projects that require extensive pre-production planning. For instance, when working on Transport for Greater Manchester's promotional videos, the software's breakdown features helped us meticulously plan everything from location shoots to talent schedules, ensuring a smooth operation. Similarly, its robust scriptwriting tools were invaluable in our work with the BBC, where nuanced storytelling is key. However, for smaller, quick-turnaround projects, such as social media clips or internal training videos, Celtx can be a bit of an overkill. The platform's comprehensive features may not be fully utilised, making simpler tools or templates sometimes more efficient for these tasks. Additionally, Celtx's pricing model might not be cost-effective for freelancers or smaller teams that only need a scriptwriting tool, without the additional pre-production features. Overall, while Celtx is an excellent all-in-one solution for complex video projects, it might be less appropriate for simpler tasks or smaller teams with budget constraints.

Incentivized

As mentioned earlier, we also use StoriesOnBoard to create other processes (customer and employee journey). We use the swim lanes to differentiate between measures, tools and processes and working with them is very easy and understandable for this purpose.

Less easy is the use of context, i.e. when one part of a story map depends on another story map. This cannot be avoided (at least for us) to avoid creating redundancy (and the risk of creating different stages). At appropriate places, we refer to the other map in the title.

• Scripts
• Call sheets
• Schedules

Incentivized

• User role management
• Jira integration
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Filtering by personas

• Storyboarding
• Modernised UX

Incentivized

• Switching the view to a vertical mode (easier to scroll).
• Better availability of information on user story mapping.
• Possibility to link to activities and steps from other maps (Context).

StoriesOnBoard works really well; all features are well thought through. It could look a bit fresher, although the new updated dashboard is already much better than it was.

We prefer Celtx's user-friendly approach over Final Draft for its intuitive interface and ease of onboarding. Unlike Final Draft, which can have a steeper learning curve, Celtx allows us to dive straight into the creative process without getting bogged down by complex functionalities. This streamlined user experience promotes collaboration, as team members can effortlessly switch between scriptwriting, pre-production planning, and other tasks. In a fast-paced agency setting, Celtx's accessibility is not just a preference but a necessity for efficient work.

Incentivized

The only other competitor we looked at was cardboardit.com. Both had solid functionality, but StoriesOnBoard was more user-friendly and quick to learn and use in our opinion.

• StoriesOnBoard (and story mapping in general) creates a low-cost visual method of aligning on high-level business and technical requirements early in a project and provides an ongoing reference as the project progresses. Having this alignment is critical for the later stages of the project.