Comparison

ScriptBuilder vs Storyist 4

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ScriptBuilder

Capture and develop screenplay ideas on the go. This app guides you through clarifying your movie concept, structuring your story arc with act builders, and fleshing out characters and scenes with targeted questions. Prepare to write compelling stories with a solid foundation.

Highlights
  • Idea clarification questions
  • Story arc structure (Act 1, 2, 3)
  • Character development prompts
  • Scene building guidance
  • On-the-go idea capture
Features
Read full description

Welcome to ScriptBuilder! ScriptBuilder was made to capture and build screenplay ideas on the go. Before you face the dreaded blank page, build up your screenplay idea with ScriptBuilder! Features: • The Idea section helps you clarify your movie idea by answering specific questions, getting to the heart of your story • Structure your story arc with Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3 builders. All three act sections contain Act Beat questions to facilitate new ideas and notes which will prepare you when you're ready to build scenes • The "Character Builder" feature prompts you to answer questions about your characters to help you get to know your characters better and to discover their arcs. Getting to know your characters will make writing your scenes with these characters smoother. (Access through in-app purchase) • The "Scene Builder" feature provides useful questions that when answered help bring clarity to what the scene does to move your story and characters forward. (Access through in-app purchase) Unlimited Access: All Access (1 Month) $5.99 All Access (1 Year) $49.99 -------------------------------- I originally built this app because I found myself coming up with ideas for screenplays but didn't have a dedicated place to capture them. I also wanted a tool that would help me flesh out the story, characters, and scenes before I sat down in front of my computer to write. I want to continue to iterate on ScriptBuilder with new features to make it even better. If you have any feature requests, questions or comments, please go to the support url and send me an email :) I hope ScriptBuilder helps you along your path in creating compelling stories in both feature films and television. If it does help, please share ScriptBuilder with your family and friends. Thank you! -------------------------------- Privacy Policy: https://www.scriptbuilderapp.com/_files/ugd/b622d0_f5722cd213394590bbd181559a0af540.pdf Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Storyist 4

This app provides a robust writing environment for authors and screenwriters. It allows for detailed story outlining, manuscript creation with rich text editing, and seamless revision on any device. Organize all your writing projects in one place for easy access and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Rich text editor with comments and images
  • Index card outlining and story sheets
  • Manuscript and screenplay formatting
  • Cloud storage and collaboration support
  • Import/export text and images
  • Support for various file formats
Read full description

Storyist is a powerful writing environment that lets you create, review, and revise your work wherever inspiration strikes. “If I could have only one screenwriting app on my iPad, Storyist would be it.” – Taz Goldstein, Hand Held Hollywood. “I'm currently traveling in Europe and am just now putting the finishing touches on the book that will be published in September. I'm using the Storyist app for my iPad Mini and it's sensational... a real godsend.” – Michael Brandman, Bestselling Author. With Storyist, you can: • Produce submission-ready manuscripts and screenplays. Storyist provides a rich text editor with support for comments, images, headers, footers, and style sheets so you can create properly formatted manuscripts and screenplays. And Storyist comes with manuscript and screenplay templates so you can focus on the writing, not the formatting. • Work with your story at a high level. Storyist lets you sketch out a story using index cards and then refine it with customizable plot, character, and setting sheets. When you're ready to put words on the page, Storyist can even display your index cards next to your manuscript as you write. • Review and revise on the go. Have a few minutes? Open Storyist and jot down a note, rewrite a few paragraphs, or annotate your manuscript with ideas for future changes. • Keep all your writing organized and accessible. Storyist organizes your novel manuscripts, screenplays, notes, and other project-related writing so you can access them with just a few taps. And the Files app support lets you store your projects where you want and edit them in place. Features at a Glance • Rich text editor with support for fonts, colors, comments, images, headers, footers, and style sheets. • Files interface with the ability to collaborate with other writers, browse version history, and sync with your favorite cloud storage service. • Automatic manuscript and screenplay formatting with familiar tab and return key shortcuts. • Color-coded index cards. • Customizable story sheets. • Easy import and export of text and images. • Support for Storyist for Mac, RTF, Plain Text, Fountain, and Final Draft FDX files. • Ability to export text files as PDF. • Wireless printing with AirPrint. • Courier Prime font for screenplays. Try Storyist 4 for free for 14 days. After the trial period ends, you can purchase Storyist 4 to continue using the editing features or use the app in reader mode for free. Upgrade pricing is available for customers who purchased Storyist 3 for iOS. No subscription required.

Screenshots

ScriptBuilder4 screens
Storyist 44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ScriptBuilder at every 2 weeks against Storyist 4's every 4 months. ScriptBuilder also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Storyist 4's advantage is ratings volume (384 vs 7) and review sentiment (44% vs 36%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ScriptBuilder sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Storyist 4 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ScriptBuilder holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Storyist 4 has 384 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of ScriptBuilder's written reviews are positive against 44% of Storyist 4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScriptBuilder ships an update every 2 weeks, Storyist 4 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ScriptBuilder versus Storyist 4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScriptBuilderStoryist 4
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7 ratings) — better4.3 (384 ratings)
Positive reviews35.7% of reviews44.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7384 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerpatrick riddStoryist Software

Customer experience

ScriptBuilder

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral23.2%
Negative41.1%

Storyist 4

All ratings384 ratings
Positive82.8%
Neutral3.9%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive44.3%
Neutral10.0%
Negative45.7%

Bugs and requests

ScriptBuilder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Storyist 4

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Files and projects mysteriously disappear
  • App crashes when opening manuscripts
  • Freezing during typing sessions
  • Auto-capitalization in middle of sentences
  • Spell-check suggestions showing duplicate words
Show 8 more
  • Index cards losing color after updates
  • Styles vanishing when edited on iOS
  • Text disappearing from documents while outline remains
  • Dropbox connection failures and blank file displays
  • Split-screen zoom focusing on wrong area
  • Font selection list not loading
  • Restore Purchases prompt appearing repeatedly
  • Export formatting issues with dark theme

Requested features

11 requests
  • Footnotes and endnotes support
  • Word and Pages format export compatibility
  • Better backup system with cloud storage
  • Folder tree navigation on mobile
  • Non-fiction templates with query tracking
Show 6 more
  • Improved dark mode customization
  • Cursor support for iPad
  • Section-level export functionality
  • German language localization
  • Extended keyboard shortcuts preservation
  • Better page number formatting options

In-app purchases

6 purchases

ScriptBuilder

Subscriptions2
  • All Access (1 Month)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • All Access (1 year)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • Character Builder$0.99
  • Scene Builder$0.99
  • No Ads$1.99
Show 1 more
  • All Access (Lifetime)$69.99
3 purchases

Storyist 4

One-time3
  • Free TrialFree
  • Storyist 4 Upgrade$9.99
  • Storyist 4$19.99

Questions

Is ScriptBuilder free?
ScriptBuilder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Storyist 4 free?
Storyist 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScriptBuilder or Storyist 4?
ScriptBuilder is rated higher. ScriptBuilder averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Storyist 4 averages 4.3 from 384 ratings.
Do ScriptBuilder or Storyist 4 have ads?
Neither ScriptBuilder nor Storyist 4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScriptBuilder or Storyist 4?
ScriptBuilder ships an update every 2 weeks, and Storyist 4 every 4 months. Most recently, ScriptBuilder was updated on September 29, 2026 and Storyist 4 on September 28, 2026.

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