Overview

Story Architect is a writing and planning workspace for screenplays, comics, plays, books and other story forms, with related material organized in a shared project bible. It suits writers juggling several projects or formats who want to work offline as well as develop a story beyond the draft. The unlimited free project and document capacity is a strong starting point; the key limitation is that desktop and mobile projects do not yet sync automatically.

Key features

Free includes basic writing, character, location and world tools, with unlimited projects and unlimited documents per project. That makes it practical for writers who want to keep research and drafts together without worrying about project caps. Pro broadens the planning workspace with mind maps, a corkboard and timeline, character relationship tools, location and world maps, extended statistics, an image gallery and presentations. Those tools suit writers who plan visually or track story structure, but they are reserved for paid plans.

The AI assistant can paraphrase, summarize, expand or shorten text, translate, insert text between paragraphs and generate text from a prompt. Each action uses credits, so AI is a metered aid rather than an unlimited drafting partner. Pro includes five credits per month, while Creator includes ten; additional credit packs never expire.

Creator adds real-time collaboration, 5 GB of cloud storage, screenplay breakdown and showrunner tools. Subscribers can give co-authors access to a project on any subscription tier, although editing abilities depend on each co-author’s plan. Revision tracking is supported. Writers importing an existing project can bring in KIT Scenarist, Final Draft, Celtx, Trelby, TXT, ODT, DOCX and Fountain files; exports include DOCX, PDF, FDX and Fountain.

Offline mode is useful when a connection is unavailable, but it does not remove the cross-device friction: desktop and mobile synchronization is still in development, so moving a project between them requires a manual file transfer. The maker describes the app as open core, with core source code under MIT and some features closed source and commercially licensed. Its user agreement says users own their creations and permits the maker to use content only as needed to provide the service. The privacy policy says it uses physical, electronic and managerial safeguards and does not sell, distribute or lease personal information without permission or a legal requirement.

Pricing

The 30-day trial gives prospective subscribers time to assess paid tools. Free is billed free forever at 0.00 USD per free. It includes unlimited projects and documents per project plus basic writing, character, location and world tools, but no AI credits and none of Pro’s expanded planning suite.

Pro costs 4.17 USD per month billed annually, or $150 lifetime. It includes everything in Free, mind maps, image gallery, presentations, corkboard and timeline, and five AI credits per month (60 per year; 120 lifetime). This is the better fit for solo writers who want the planning tools; the annual allowance is finite, and collaboration is not included. Pro Lifetime is priced at 150.00 USD per month billed lifetime and includes 120 AI credits.

Creator costs 8.34 USD per month billed annually. It includes everything in Pro, real-time collaboration, 5 GB cloud storage, screenplay breakdown and showrunner tools, and ten AI credits per month (120 per year). It is aimed at people often on the move and writers working with co-authors, though mobile and desktop syncing still requires manual transfers.

For more AI capacity, packs cost 10.00 USD per month for 50 credits, 30.00 USD per month for 200, 60.00 USD per month for 500, or 100.00 USD per month for 1000; purchased credits never expire. For help, the pricing FAQ directs users to support@starc.app.

Platforms

Story Architect is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Offline mode supports disconnected work, but the unfinished desktop-mobile sync means it is a less seamless choice for anyone who frequently switches a project between computer and phone or tablet.

Who it's for

Story Architect is a good fit for writers developing several projects, especially those who want one workspace for drafting and story planning or need to work offline. Pro makes sense for solo writers who will use its planning tools; Creator is the relevant tier for real-time co-author work and its additional production tools. It is less suitable for writers who expect projects to follow them automatically across desktop and mobile.

Pros and cons

Pro: Free supports unlimited projects and documents per project, so a large body of work does not hit a stated project cap.
Pro: Import and export support covers several established script and document formats, including Final Draft, DOCX, PDF and Fountain.
Pro: Offline mode and multiple desktop and mobile platforms offer flexibility for where and when to write.
Con: Desktop and mobile synchronization is unfinished, making manual project-file transfers necessary between them.
Con: AI use consumes credits; even paid tiers have defined allowances, so frequent use may require a separate pack.
Con: The expanded planning suite is paid, and real-time collaboration is limited to Creator.

Alternatives

Screenwriting Software and Writing Apps are useful starting points for comparing tools by category.

Choose Celtx if a cloud-based script editor with real-time collaboration on a free plan is a better match; its free studio is limited to one project. Arc Studio Pro is worth considering for screenplay-focused work if a free tier with two scripts and watermarked PDF export is enough. Pick Beat if you want an open-source option for macOS or iOS; its macOS plan is free, while its iOS plan is 12.99 EUR per month.

DubScript suits Android users who want unlimited scripts and scenes with all features free, accepting ads in writing mode and some screens. OpenDraft is a free alternative across mobile, desktop, web and self-hosted platforms, with no account, subscription or feature gating. ScreenWeaver offers a free screenwriter tier with unlimited projects and pages plus PDF and Final Draft export. TalkingDraft is a fit for writers prioritizing transcription: its free plan includes unlimited standard transcription but caps users at three stories before they must share for more. Revision Screenwriter is another free option for screenplay writing.

Verdict

Choose Story Architect if you want a flexible, offline-capable home for multiple story projects and are willing to pay for deeper planning, AI or collaboration tools. Its generous free project limits are the clearest reason to start here; look elsewhere if effortless desktop-mobile continuity is essential.

	Fidus Writer	Story Architect
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	Free	$4.17/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Linux, self-hosted, Web	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Offline mode	—	Yes

Fidus Writer vs Story Architect

Fidus Writer

Story Architect