Boords vs Shai

Boords is a web-based video preproduction tool that brings scripts, storyboards, animatics, and client approvals together. Frames can use original artwork, uploaded images, or AI-generated images with consistent characters. Its script editor supports free-form, audio/visual, and screenplay formats, and scripts can be turned into storyboard frames. Clients can use a shared link to comment on frames and approve them or request changes without an account. Storyboards can be timed to voiceover or music; boards export as PDF or image, while animatics export as MP4. Boords also offers a public API and signed webhooks, with Slack notifications, Dropbox, and Google Drive listed as integrations. The free plan is limited to five active storyboards and up to five team members. Paid pricing is listed from $26/user/mo annually. Boords says customer content is not used to train its AI models, and account administrators can disable AI features. It is designed for video and advertising agencies, creative directors, production managers, in-house brand teams, and animation studios.

Shai is an online pre-production tool for film and advertising creatives, from script breakdown and storyboards to AI video generation. Upload a script or creative document to generate a storyboard with AI-made images and production details. Shai can also extract a shot table with timing, cast, locations and other details. Users can upload their own images, edit generated outputs, and adjust the breakdown and planning. A storyboard can become a video animatic where users experiment with actions and camera movements; AI video is for premium users. Shai says it connects with different video-generation models. The free access plan covers the first nine storyboard scenes and includes 200 Shai credits for creating and editing images, with no credit card required. Shot lists can be downloaded as PDF or Excel files. Shai says uploaded material, including storylines, characters and dialogue, is not used to train its models or generate similar narrative content, and its terms say users own content created with the service. The web tool requires no local download, but the terms do not guarantee uninterrupted access.