back vs Ant CineKit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
back
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From script to finished blocking. back-to-one is the blocking tool for directors and cinematographers. Import your screenplay as FDX and the app builds the project for you: every scene with its slugline, and every character. Instead of starting from scratch, you start where the work begins. SCRIPT IMPORT - Import FDX, TXT or PDF - FDX creates the project, scenes and characters automatically - Pick scenes individually, OMITTED scenes are excluded - Each scene's text laid out in proper screenplay format CANVAS AND STAGING - Top-down canvas, smooth on iPhone, iPad and Mac - Place characters, cameras, lights, walls and props - or drag them straight from the menu onto the stage - Room scan: on LiDAR devices the app captures walls, doors and windows and turns them into a usable floor plan - Import a floor plan as a background image - Scene templates, and save your own - 146 props at true size - furniture, tableware and decor, animals, vehicles, film gear - each drawn in its own material, and the material switches off for plain outlines - Import your own PNG props - Background actor groups as a single object - Copy the walls and openings of one scene into another CAMERAS - Auto-aim: the camera turns with the character it is linked to - Field of view from focal length and sensor format (S35, FF, S16, MFT, ARRI LF, anamorphic) - Six rig types: tripod, Steadicam, handheld, drone, action cam, crane - Camera icon size adjustable, setup number large on the label or in the body - Multi-cam setups, grouped by color - 180-degree line with a crossing-the-line warning - Viewfinder: live image in the project's aspect ratio, focal-length wheel, shutter - the frame lands on the shot of the camera you picked SHOT LIST - Every camera creates a shot, linked both ways with the canvas - Shot numbers by setup (1A/1B) - A storyboard image per shot - drop it on the plan too, tied to its camera - Coverage status: open, shot, cut - also visible on the plan, as a tick or cross on camera and storyboard - Estimated shooting time per shot, with totals - Shoot day per scene, and a shoot-day filter ANIMATION - Timeline with keyframes, play, loop, speed - Characters walk to waypoints, facing direction per keyframe - Camera moves and orbits on smooth curves, dolly track drawn on the plan - Follow: the camera tracks a character LIGHT AND EXTERIORS - Key, fill, back, practical, HMI, Kino, reflector - Watts, dimmer, gel, diffusion, height, color temperature - Real sun position by location, date and time, with golden hour detection SET DOCUMENTS, READY TO HAND OUT - Scene PDF with plan and shot table - also as a compact one-pager per scene - Lighting plot with numbered fixtures and a legend - Project overview as a PDF - Shot list as Excel and CSV - Canvas as an image ON SET - Full-screen presentation mode - Dim, night and red-light modes for a dark set - Works offline: open, edit and save in airplane mode, iCloud catches up when you are back online PROJECTS AND COLLABORATION - iCloud sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac - Share projects through iCloud sharing - Scene-level merge, auto-save, backups, duplicate whole projects - Colour labels per scene, with a filter - shared along with the project YOUR DATA No server of our own, no tracking, no ads. Your content stays on your device and in your iCloud. Available in English and German. For iPhone, iPad and Mac. SUBSCRIPTION Pro is available as an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly, with a 7-day free trial) or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://back-to-one.de/datenschutz.html
Ant CineKit
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Ant CineKit is a 14-in-1 toolkit built for film crews. >>>Camera & Lens Database, Director's viewfinder with AR Sun trail, Sensor & Lens coverage, Data calculator, Depth of field calculator, Dynamic range, Angle of view, Digital slate, Film calculator, Underwater focus, Flicker free, Shutter angle converter, Data Transfer ++ Try Ant CineKit free for 7 days - full access to every tool, no limitations. After your trial, unlock lifetime access with a one-time purchase. ++ Created from more than 10+ year of professional DIT experience. Available in 7 Languages: English, French, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai >>> CAMERA DATABASE 130 cinema camera bodies from ARRI, RED, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, Panasonic, Nikon, Panavision, Phantom, DJI, Freefly, Kinefinity, Z CAM, Sigma and more. Full recording modes, codecs, resolutions, sensor areas, frame-rate limits and media options for each body. >>> LENS DATABASE 273 lens series across 32 brands β ARRI Signature, ARRI Rental (ALFA, Prime DNA, DNA LF, Moviecam), ZEISS, Cooke, AngΓ©nieux, Hawk, Leitz, FUJINON, Canon, Sigma, DZOFilm, SIRUI, Laowa, LOMO, Atlas, Gecko-Cam, NiSi, Vazen and more. Focal lengths, T-stops, close focus, front diameter, weight, coverage and image circle. >>> DIRECTOR'S VIEWFINDER Turn your phone into any camera in the database. Pick a body, recording mode and lens, and the live viewfinder matches that exact field of view. >>> SUN FINDER & AR SUN TRAIL Scout light for any location and any date. Get sun altitude, azimuth, sunrise and sunset, plus golden hour. >>> SENSOR & LENS COVERAGE Compare up to four camera-and-lens combinations side by side. See exactly how sensor formats stack up, whether a lens covers your recording mode, and where vignetting will bite. >>> DEPTH OF FIELD Calculate near focus, far focus, total depth of field, hyperfocal distance, and estimated background blur. Choose strict, normal, soft, or custom circle-of-confusion settings. The visual preview supports frame lines, anamorphic desqueeze, diopters, and metric or imperial distances. >>> ANGLE OF VIEW Horizontal, vertical and diagonal angles, field of view at any distance, and the longest focal length that still fits a known object in frame. >>> DATA CALCULATOR Work out exactly how much storage a shoot needs. Pick camera, codec, resolution and frame rate, then get data rate, storage per hour, total storage and how many cards or drives to bring. Scales across multiple cameras and shoot days. >>> DATA TRANSFER CALCULATOR Estimate transfer time using file sizes in MB, GB, or TB and transfer speeds in MB/s, GB/s, Mbps, or Gbps. Compare drives, card readers, networks, and backup workflows. >>> Dynamic range How many stops of light a camera's sensor can capture from the darkest shadow detail to the brightest highlight detail. >>> ADDITIONAL ON-SET TOOLS β’ Flicker-free shutter recommendations for 50 Hz and 60 Hz lighting β’ Shutter-speed to shutter-angle conversion β’ Flat-port underwater-focus calculation β’ Film length, frame-count, and runtime calculations β’ Digital Slate >>> BUILT FOR SET β’ Full anamorphic support with desqueeze across every tool β’ Favorites and recent gear for fast recall β’ Share and export your calculations β’ iPhone and iPad, with a layout tuned for each β’ Works entirely offline
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: back at 15.0 against Ant CineKit's 18.6. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. back sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Ant CineKit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
back ships an update every 3 days, Ant CineKit every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | back | Ant CineKit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days β better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 β better | 18.6 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ERIK HAFFNER | Piyapong Mahnmark |
In-app purchases
back
- Back-to-One Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Back-to-One Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Back-to-One Pro (Lifetime)$179.99
Ant CineKit
- Pro Lifetime Unlock$19.99









