Movie Magic Scheduling alternatives for 2026
People looking for a Movie Magic Scheduling alternative are rarely after the same tool with a different logo — they want a different shape. Long-established scheduling application built around the stripboard, a standard in scripted production. This page compares features and pricing with sources and shows when switching pays off.
Why look beyond Movie Magic Scheduling at all?
Movie Magic Scheduling has clear strengths — anyone switching should know what they are giving up:
- The stripboard implementation the industry standardised on
- Handles complex scripted schedules with many elements
- Output is recognised by every experienced 1st AD
Where teams hit limits
The search for an alternative almost always starts at one of these points:
- Desktop-first workflow with licence-bound installation
- The schedule is arranged manually; constraints are not computed for you
1. TillyBoard — the Movie Magic Scheduling alternative that starts from the brief
TillyBoard produces a stripboard too, but derives it from constraints — daylight, travel, crew availability — rather than manual arrangement.
A fit for commercials, brand films, corporate and social work — wherever a brief lands and has to become a plan a crew can shoot from, quickly. Free to start, no credit card.
Movie Magic Scheduling vs TillyBoard: feature comparison
The table only records what each vendor documents on its own site — "Not stated" means we could not evidence it there, not that it is missing.
| Feature | Movie Magic Scheduling | TillyBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Shot list | Not stated | Yes — runtime per segment |
| Storyboard frames | Not stated | Yes — AI preview frame per shot |
| AI-generated images | Not stated | Yes — 10–400 images/month by plan |
| Moodboard / concept board | Not stated | Yes — concept canvas |
| Screenplay writing | Not stated — scripts imported from Final Draft | No — treatment document, no screenplay editor |
| Script breakdown | Yes — breakdown sheets after script import | No — shots come from brief and concept |
| Shooting schedule | Yes — stripboard, units, One-Line, DOOD | Yes — day plan with daylight and weather |
| Call sheets | Not stated | Yes — crew confirms via link, no account |
| Budgeting | Partly — via separate Movie Magic Budgeting | Partly — Enterprise plan only |
| Video review & approval | Not stated | Yes — frame-accurate notes, versions |
| Mobile app | No — desktop app for macOS and Windows | Yes — iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Free plan | Not stated — none shown in the EP store | Yes — 1 project, 1 GB, no card |
As of October 2026. Source: ep.com · TillyBoard: tillyboard.com
Movie Magic Scheduling pricing compared
Movie Magic Scheduling is now sold only as a subscription in the EP store; the old one-time MMS 6 licence no longer appears there. Introductory prices of $29.99 a month and $199.88 a year ran until 15 October 2026. Real-time collaboration needs an active MMS 10 licence for every collaborator.
TillyBoard bills per workspace, not per person: the Studio plan covers up to 25 members, and crew and clients confirm and comment via link without an account. All TillyBoard prices exclude VAT.
| Vendor · plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Movie Magic Scheduling Monthly | $42.99/month | cancel any time; macOS or Windows |
| Movie Magic Scheduling Annual | $299.88/year | 12-month commitment |
| Movie Magic Scheduling Academic | $119.88/year | students and faculty, verified |
| TillyBoard Free | €0 | 1 project, 1 GB, 10 AI images/month |
| TillyBoard Creator | €22/month (€19 billed annually) | unlimited projects, 100 GB |
| TillyBoard Studio | €39/month (€35 billed annually) | 25 workspace members, unlimited projects |
| TillyBoard Team | €109/month (€99 billed annually) | unlimited members, branded exports |
As of October 2026. Prices change — the vendor's pricing page is authoritative: ep.com/ep-store
Is Movie Magic Scheduling free? Free plan and trial
No free plan and no software trial are listed in the EP store; only the EP Academy training course is offered with a free coupon. TillyBoard, by contrast, can be used for free without a card.
TillyBoard has a free-forever plan with no credit card: one own project, 1 GB of storage, Tilly AI on the standard quota and 10 AI images a month. That is enough to plan one real job end to end, from brief to call sheet, before deciding on a paid plan.
Who Movie Magic Scheduling is the better pick for
Put honestly — here Movie Magic Scheduling is the stronger choice:
- Feature films and series scheduled from a screenplay with hundreds of scenes, units and episodes
- ADs and UPMs who need One-Line, DOOD and conflict reports in the industry-standard format
- Productions that continue in Movie Magic Budgeting or EP SmartAccounting
Who TillyBoard is the better pick for
And here TillyBoard is the stronger choice:
- Commercial, corporate and social shoots planned per shot and per day, not per script page
- Teams who want shot list, preview frames, schedule and call sheet in one browser project instead of desktop licences
- Crews who want the day plan on iPhone and call times on Apple Watch
Other Movie Magic Scheduling alternatives
Depending on your bottleneck, these are worth a look — each with a different centre of gravity:
- Gorilla Scheduling: Independent narrative productions on a tight budget.
- Movie Magic Budgeting: Productions that must deliver budgets in a studio- or broadcaster-specified format.
- Filmustage: Teams that need a fast first-pass breakdown of a long script.
- Shot Lister: Directors and ADs who work from a phone or tablet on the floor.
- Boords: Animation and commercial teams whose approval process runs on boards.
- Milanote: The concept phase, before a production system takes over.
Movie Magic Scheduling in practice: what to weigh
Not a star rating, but the points that follow from Movie Magic Scheduling's design, pricing model and documentation and that make the difference on real jobs:
- Every collaborator needs a licence: three people working in one schedule means three subscriptions.
- It installs on macOS 11–15 and Windows 10/11, works offline and syncs cloud schedules when back online.
- Script import expects Final Draft (.fdx or the tagged .sex export); legacy MMS 6 schedules open and save as .mmsx.
Switching from Movie Magic Scheduling to TillyBoard
TillyBoard has no direct import from Movie Magic Scheduling. The switch runs through an export and a fresh plan — ideally between two jobs, not mid-production:
- Export the One-Line and breakdown reports from Movie Magic Scheduling as PDF or .xlsx.
- Create a free TillyBoard account (no card) and set up the next production there.
- Enter the shots per scene — by hand at roughly a minute per shot, or drafted by Tilly AI from the concept.
- Create the shoot days and drag the shots into order; following times, daylight and weather update alongside.
Frequently asked
What is the best Movie Magic Scheduling alternative?
It depends on the bottleneck. If the job is turning a brief into a plan that holds, TillyBoard fits; if the job is scripted features and series where the stripboard is the shared language, Movie Magic Scheduling itself is often already right.
How much does Movie Magic Scheduling cost?
In the EP store, Movie Magic Scheduling costs $42.99 a month or $299.88 a year; students and faculty pay $119.88 a year. TillyBoard starts free; Creator costs €22 a month or €19 billed annually, plus VAT.
Is there a free version of Movie Magic Scheduling?
No free plan and no software trial are listed in the EP store; only the EP Academy training course is offered with a free coupon. TillyBoard, by contrast, can be used for free without a card.
Can I bring my data from Movie Magic Scheduling to TillyBoard?
Movie Magic Scheduling exports the One-Line and breakdown reports as PDF and as Excel (.xlsx). TillyBoard cannot open .mmsx files; the days are rebuilt from the One-Line, by hand or with Tilly AI.
Is there a free alternative to Movie Magic Scheduling?
TillyBoard has a free-forever plan with shot list, shoot-day plan with daylight and weather, and call sheet for one project. It is built around shoot days and shots rather than script pages, so long-form drama with hundreds of scenes is still better served by a stripboard tool.