Saturation.io alternatives for 2026
People looking for a Saturation.io alternative are rarely after the same tool with a different logo — they want a different shape. Budgeting and cost-control software for productions that calls itself the financial operating system for production teams. This page compares features and pricing with sources and shows when switching pays off.
Why look beyond Saturation.io at all?
Saturation.io has clear strengths — anyone switching should know what they are giving up:
- Budget templates for AICP, film and TV with fringes, markups and contingency
- Expense management with cards, purchase orders and multi-step approvals
- Integrations with QuickBooks, Slack, Zapier and an MCP server
Where teams hit limits
The search for an alternative almost always starts at one of these points:
- No shooting schedule, call sheet or shot list module on its feature and pricing pages
- No storyboard or moodboard — visual pre-production happens elsewhere
1. TillyBoard — the Saturation.io alternative that starts from the brief
Saturation tracks what the production costs; TillyBoard plans what gets shot — shot list, schedule and call sheet from the brief.
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.
Saturation.io 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 | Saturation.io | TillyBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Shot list | No — not listed | Yes — runtime per segment |
| Storyboard frames | No — not listed | Yes — AI preview frame per shot |
| AI-generated images | No — not listed | Yes — 10–400 images/month by plan |
| Moodboard / concept board | No — not listed | Yes — concept canvas |
| Screenplay writing | No — not listed | No — treatment document, no screenplay editor |
| Script breakdown | No — not listed | No — shots come from brief and concept |
| Shooting schedule | No — not listed | Yes — day plan with daylight and weather |
| Call sheets | No — not listed | Yes — crew confirms via link, no account |
| Budgeting | Yes — AICP, film and TV templates, cost reports | Partly — Enterprise plan only |
| Video review & approval | No — not listed | Yes — frame-accurate notes, versions |
| Mobile app | Yes — Wallet app for receipts and cards | Yes — iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Free plan | Yes — 1 seat, 1 active project | Yes — 1 project, 1 GB, no card |
As of October 2026. Source: saturation.io · TillyBoard: tillyboard.com
Saturation.io pricing compared
Saturation's plan cards show the annual and its comparison table the monthly prices; the page shows amounts in dollars. Pro and Team come with a 14-day trial.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Saturation.io Creator | $0 | 1 seat, 1 active project, 2 GB |
| Saturation.io Pro | $40/month or $32 billed annually | 1 seat, unlimited projects, cost reports |
| Saturation.io Team | $99/month or $79 billed annually | 3 seats (+$35 each), purchase orders |
| Saturation.io Enterprise | custom | 1 TB, API and webhooks |
| 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: saturation.io/pricing
Is Saturation.io free? Free plan and trial
Yes — the Creator plan is free with 1 seat, 1 active project, 2 GB and 1,000 items, no credit card needed. Pro and Team have a 14-day trial.
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 Saturation.io is the better pick for
Put honestly — here Saturation.io is the stronger choice:
- Producers whose main job is budgets, actuals, cost reports and estimates to complete
- Productions that issue expense cards, purchase orders and multi-step spending approvals
- Teams that sync spending with QuickBooks and their bank
Who TillyBoard is the better pick for
And here TillyBoard is the stronger choice:
- Teams looking for the creative and logistical plan: concept, shot list, schedule, call sheet
- Crews who need the day plan and call sheet on set, offline in the iOS app
- Productions that want client review of cuts in the same project as the plan
Other Saturation.io alternatives
Depending on your bottleneck, these are worth a look — each with a different centre of gravity:
- Movie Magic Budgeting: Productions that must deliver budgets in a studio- or broadcaster-specified format.
- LTX Studio: Creatives who want to visualise or pitch an idea with AI images and AI video before anything is shot.
- Storyboarder: Directors and story artists who want to sketch boards for free on a desktop computer.
- Storyboard That: Teachers, schools and business teams who want storyboards without drawing.
- Krock.io: Agencies and production companies that review videos, images and PDFs with clients and storyboard in the same tool.
- Previs Pro: Directors and cinematographers who want to block shots in 3D with real camera and lens parameters.
Saturation.io in practice: what to weigh
Not a star rating, but the points that follow from Saturation.io's design, pricing model and documentation and that make the difference on real jobs:
- Saturation's free Creator plan is a real starting point for one production: 1 project, 1,000 items.
- Seats matter on Team: three are included, each further one is $35 a month.
- Integrations reach into accounting — QuickBooks, bank sync — and into AI tools through an MCP server.
Switching from Saturation.io to TillyBoard
TillyBoard has no direct import from Saturation.io. The switch runs through an export and a fresh plan — ideally between two jobs, not mid-production:
- Keep budgets and expenses in Saturation; nothing has to move.
- Create a free TillyBoard account (no card) and a project for the production.
- Let Tilly AI draft the shot list from the brief, or enter it by hand at about a minute per shot.
- Build the shoot days and packing list; equipment day rates in the inventory show what the kit costs per day.
- Send the call sheet from TillyBoard and keep the numbers in Saturation.
Frequently asked
What is the best Saturation.io alternative?
It depends on the bottleneck. If the job is turning a brief into a plan that holds, TillyBoard fits; if the job is producers who need live budgets, actuals, purchase orders and expense cards in one place, Saturation.io itself is often already right.
How much does Saturation.io cost?
Saturation Pro costs $40 a month or $32 billed annually; Team costs $99 a month or $79 billed annually for three seats, each further seat $35. TillyBoard starts free; Creator costs €22 a month, plus VAT.
Is there a free version of Saturation.io?
Yes — the Creator plan is free with 1 seat, 1 active project, 2 GB and 1,000 items, no credit card needed. Pro and Team have a 14-day trial.
Can I bring my data from Saturation.io to TillyBoard?
There is nothing to migrate in most cases: Saturation holds the money, TillyBoard the shoot plan. Budgets stay in Saturation; in TillyBoard, budgets are part of the Enterprise plan.
Is TillyBoard a budgeting tool like Saturation?
No. TillyBoard plans the shoot — concept, shot list, schedule, call sheet, packing list; budgets are only part of its Enterprise plan. If budgets, actuals and expense cards are the job, Saturation is the better fit.