The best storyboard app for iPad: 6 picks compared
For most filmmakers boarding on an iPad with Apple Pencil, the best pick is an iPad-native board app such as Draw Storyboard; for pure illustration, Procreate; for 3D previs, Previs Pro; for camera blocking diagrams, Shot Designer; for teams on the web, Boords; and for free desktop boarding, Storyboarder. The table compares all six on price, Apple Pencil, shot data and export. Full disclosure: we make Draw Storyboard, and it gets the same honest treatment, limits included. New to storyboarding on iPad? Start here.
Storyboard apps for iPad, compared
| App | Runs on | Price | Apple Pencil | Shot data / shot list | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw Storyboard | iPad app | Free; $9.99 one-time Pro | Yes, pressure and tilt | Shot size, lens, move and timing per panel | PDF boards, animatic MP4 |
| Procreate | iPad app | $12.99 one-time | Yes | No — panels built by hand | PDF, GIF, MP4 |
| Previs Pro | iPad, iPhone, Mac apps | Free download; subscription or $359.99 lifetime | Not stated | Camera, lens and aspect ratio per shot | PDF, animatic video, NLE export |
| Shot Designer | iPad, iPhone apps | Free; $19.99 one-time Pro | Not stated | Automatic shot list from camera diagrams | PDF, JPG, Excel (Pro) |
| Boords | Web browser | Free plan; paid subscription | Not stated | Frames with script; spreadsheet shot list (paid) | PDF, MP4 animatic (paid) |
| Storyboarder | Mac, Windows, Linux — no iPad app | Free, open source | No (Wacom tablets) | Dialogue, action, timing and shot type per board | PDF, GIF, Premiere / Final Cut / Avid |
Checked on 6 November 2026 against each app's own page or App Store listing (linked in each section below). "Not stated" means the vendor's page does not say. Prices are US list prices and change.
Best free storyboard app for iPad
There is no fully free iPad storyboard app without limits. The closest options, and what each free version leaves out:
- Draw Storyboard — the whole app is free to use; exports carry a small watermark until the one-time $9.99 Pro unlock.
- Shot Designer — full-featured for free, but saving, exporting and team sync need the $19.99 Pro upgrade.
- Boords — a free web plan with five active storyboards; PDFs are watermarked and the MP4 animatic and spreadsheet shot list are paid.
- Storyboarder — completely free and open source, but desktop only: it does not run on an iPad.
What actually matters
Before comparing apps, know what you are comparing. A board tool worth using on set gives you:
- Drawing built for boards, not painting — layers, onion skin and aspect guides, so sketching a frame is fast and legible.
- Shot metadata on the panel — size, lens, camera move and timing, because a board is a planning document, not just a picture.
- Real export — a shooting-board PDF the crew can read, and ideally a timed animatic for pacing.
- Apple Pencil and offline — pressure-true drawing that works with no signal on a location.
- A price model you can live with — one-time versus subscription.
The six picks
Draw Storyboard — best for boarding a sequence on iPad
Built for one job: drawing storyboards on iPad with Apple Pencil. Sketch and Ink layers, onion skin and aspect guides keep drawing fast; every panel carries its shot size, lens, camera move and timing; and the board exports as a Director's Board, a Shooting Board with shot data, a Contact Sheet, or a timed animatic MP4. It works offline with no account. Limits: iPad only (no iPhone, Mac or web), no real-time team collaboration, 2D drawing rather than 3D previs, and shot data travels on the Shooting Board PDF rather than a spreadsheet. Price: free, with a one-time $9.99 Pro unlock that removes the export watermark (App Store).
Procreate — best for illustration-quality boards
The iPad's best-known painting app, made for Apple Pencil, and its listing explicitly covers storyboards, GIFs and animatics. The drawing is superb. Limits: it has no concept of a panel, a shot or a shot list — you build the board structure by hand. Price: $12.99 one-time, iPad only, iPadOS 16.3 or later (App Store).
Previs Pro — best for 3D previs
Builds 3D storyboards with virtual cameras, lenses and aspect ratios, maps coverage to the script, and exports printable PDFs, animatic video and NLE timelines (Premiere, DaVinci Resolve). Limits: you pose 3D characters rather than sketch, and the full feature set is a subscription. Price: free download; $39.99 a month, $119.99 a year or $359.99 lifetime (App Store).
Shot Designer — best for camera blocking
Camera and blocking diagrams with a director's viewfinder; the shot list builds itself as you work, and storyboard images can be added to the PDF. Limits: it is a blocking tool first, not a drawing app, and save and export are Pro features. Price: free; one-time $19.99 Pro upgrade (App Store).
Boords — best for teams working in the browser
A web storyboard tool with frames, scripts, sharing and review, plus spreadsheet shot lists and MP4 animatics on paid plans (export formats). Limits: it runs in the browser and Boords does not state iPad or Apple Pencil support, so test it on your iPad; paid plans are subscriptions. Price: free plan with five active storyboards and watermarked PDFs; paid plans billed monthly or yearly (pricing).
Storyboarder — best free option on a computer
Free and open source, with board fields for dialogue, action, timing and shot type, PDF and GIF export, and timelines for Premiere, Final Cut and Avid. Limits: it runs on Mac, Windows and Linux only — there is no iPad app — and pen input is via Wacom tablets. Price: free (Wonder Unit).
So, which is best?
If you want to sketch a sequence on an iPad with Apple Pencil and walk away with a shooting board or an animatic — with no subscription — an iPad-native board app is the right shape, and Draw Storyboard is ours. If the drawing itself matters most, Procreate. If you plan in 3D, Previs Pro. If you are blocking cameras rather than drawing, Shot Designer. If a team reviews boards in the browser, Boords. If you board at a desk for free, Storyboarder.
Buy for the shoot, not the demo reel. The best board app is the one that gets a legible sequence out of your head and into the crew's hands the fastest.
Storyboard apps, answered.
What should I look for in a storyboard app for iPad?
Drawing tools built for boards rather than painting (layers, onion skin, aspect guides), shot metadata on each panel (size, lens, move, timing), export to a shooting-board PDF and a timed animatic, Apple Pencil support, and offline use. Speed matters more than fancy brushes.
Can I use Procreate to storyboard?
You can — many people do, because the drawing is excellent. But Procreate is a painting app, so it has no concept of a panel, a shot, a sequence or an animatic; you build those yourself. A dedicated board app handles the structure so you only draw.
Do I need to draw well to storyboard?
No. A board communicates staging, framing and movement, not fine art. Clear beats pretty. Pick a tool that makes fast, legible sketching easy rather than one built for illustration.
Is there a good one-time-purchase storyboard app?
Most web-based board tools are subscriptions. If you prefer to pay once, Draw Storyboard is a one-time purchase on iPad with a free tier and a $9.99 Pro unlock — no subscription.
Draw every shot, the way you'd sketch it on paper.
Draw Storyboard boards a whole sequence with Apple Pencil, hangs the shot, lens and timing on every panel, and exports a shooting-board PDF or a timed animatic. One-time purchase, on the App Store now.