Best Drawing Software for Storyboarding (2026): 5 Top Picks
 | Storyboard ProTop choice | Professional storyboards and animatics | $776 /year | See price |
 | Clip Studio PaintRunner up | Storyboards with line art tools | $63 one-time | See price |
 | KritaBest free | Free painting and frame-by-frame boards | Free | See price |
 | StoryboarderBest for quick boards | Free, quick storyboards for film | Free | See price |
The best drawing software for storyboarding is Storyboard Pro for professional work, Clip Studio Paint for fast drawing and Krita or Storyboarder if you want free tools. Storyboard Pro is the program studios ask for most, while Photoshop appears in many posts as a supporting tool.
This guide compares five programs for storyboarding, with prices checked in November 2026 on each official page, and ArtBlast's own count of the tools named in 39 real storyboard job posts from 2026.
The Short Answer: Best Storyboarding Software at a Glance
| Software | Best for | Price (US, Nov 2026) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storyboard Pro | Professional storyboarding and animatics | $90/month | Windows and macOS |
| Clip Studio Paint | Line art, comics, manga, illustration and animation | PRO $63 once, or from $4.49/month | Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone and Android |
| Krita | Free digital painting, concept art and illustration | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android |
| Storyboarder | Free, quick storyboards for film and video | Free | Windows, macOS and Linux |
| Adobe Photoshop | Painting, photo editing, concept art and studio work | $22.99/month | Windows, macOS and iPad |
Sources for every price are listed at the end of this guide.
What Storyboard Software Needs
- Fast drawing. Boards are rough and quick, so a responsive canvas and simple brushes matter more than painterly tools.
- A timeline. Animatics need timing, camera moves and sound, which only dedicated tools like Storyboard Pro or Storyboarder offer.
- Panels and export. Look for panel layout, PDF export for pitches and movie export for animatics.
What Studios Ask For: ArtBlast Job Data
ArtBlast counted the tools named in 39 distinct storyboard job posts from 27 employers (March to August 2026).
| Named in the job post | Posts (of 39) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Toon Boom Storyboard Pro | 25 | 64% |
| Adobe Photoshop | 20 | 51% |
| Other Toon Boom products | 4 | 10% |
| Storyboarder | 1 | 3% |
| Clip Studio Paint, Krita | 0 | 0% |
The takeaway: 64% of storyboard posts name Storyboard Pro and 51% name Photoshop, while the free tools hardly appear. The sample is small (39 posts), so treat it as a direction: if you want a paid storyboard job, learn Storyboard Pro first. A mention means the employer lists the tool as a skill, not that every artist must own it.
Browse current work: storyboard artist jobs, remote storyboard artist jobs and freelance storyboard artist jobs, and read what the job pays in the storyboard artist salary guide.
1. Storyboard Pro
Toon Boom's Storyboard Pro is the industry's dedicated storyboard program. It combines drawing tools with a timeline for camera moves, sound and animatics, and it exports to the formats production pipelines use.
Price: USD 90 a month or USD 776 billed annually, with a 14-day free trial.
- Pros: the studio standard for boards and animatics, timeline and camera tools, deep production features.
- Cons: expensive for hobbyists and a learning curve for beginners.
2. Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is built around drawing: stabilized, pressure-sensitive pens, vector layers, rulers and perspective guides, 3D reference models, and a large library of free and paid brushes. It is the favorite of comic and line artists, and it also supports frame-by-frame animation.
Price: PRO $63 and EX $277 as one-time purchases, or plans from $4.49 a month for PRO and $8.99 a month for EX (single device), with a free trial.
- Pros: superb pens and line stabilization, strong comic tools, a one-time purchase option, large asset library.
- Cons: a busy interface at first and a smaller job market than Photoshop.
Try Clip Studio Paint (free trial available).
3. Krita
Krita is a free, open-source painting program made by artists. It offers customizable brushes, brush stabilizers, layers and masks, animation tools and a clean interface, and it works well with pen tablets.
Price: Free (open source).
- Pros: free with no limits, excellent brushes, great for beginners and professionals alike.
- Cons: no iPad version, and employers rarely name it.
4. Storyboarder
Storyboarder is a free, open-source tool for sketching boards fast, with a simple drawing surface, shot properties, animatic export and links to other programs.
Price: Free (open source).
- Pros: free, quick to learn and made for boards.
- Cons: simple drawing tools and limited animation.
5. Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is the studio standard for raster painting and photo work. Its brush engine, layers, masks, adjustment layers and smart objects cover everything from sketches to final paintings, and the PSD file is what studios and clients expect.
Price: $22.99 a month for the single app (annual commitment, billed monthly), with a free trial. Students and teachers can get Creative Cloud Pro at $19.99 a month in the first year, then $39.99.
- Pros: the strongest painting and editing toolset, studio-standard files, huge brush and tutorial ecosystem.
- Cons: subscription only, a steep learning curve and heavy on computer resources.
Try Photoshop on Adobe (free trial available).
How to Choose
- You want a storyboard job: Storyboard Pro.
- You draw fast boards and comics: Clip Studio Paint.
- You want free tools: Storyboarder or Krita.
Related reading: what a storyboard artist does, the storyboard artist salary guide and best drawing software for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best software for storyboarding?
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro is the industry standard and the tool most storyboard job posts name. Clip Studio Paint is a popular drawing choice, and Storyboarder is a free option for quick boards.
Is there free storyboarding software?
Yes. Storyboarder is free and open source, and Krita is free for drawing panels.
Do storyboard artists use Photoshop?
Many do, especially for finishing boards. Photoshop is named in about half of the storyboard posts ArtBlast tracked in 2026.
How much does Storyboard Pro cost?
Toon Boom lists Storyboard Pro at USD 90 a month or USD 776 billed annually, with a 14-day free trial.
Can I storyboard on an iPad?
Yes, with drawing apps such as Procreate or Clip Studio Paint for iPad, though dedicated animatic tools run on Windows and macOS.
Sources and Price Checks
All prices and versions were checked in November 2026 on the official pages below. Prices change often and sales are frequent, so confirm the figure on the official page before you buy.
- Storyboard Pro: official page, USD 90 a month or USD 776 billed annually
- Clip Studio Paint: official page, PRO $63 and EX $277 as one-time purchases, or plans from $4.49 a month for PRO and $8.99 a month for EX
- Krita: official page, Free
- Storyboarder: official page, Free
- Adobe Photoshop: official page, $22.99 a month for the single app
Job data: ArtBlast job tracking, March 13 to August 12 2026, distinct posts (one per employer and title) with a full description. Storyboard cohort: 39 distinct posts and 27 employers. Using these figures? Please cite ArtBlast and link to this page.