Story Architect vs Trelby
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Story Architect
Writing app for screenplays, novels, comics and stage plays
Where they differ
- Story Architect starts at $4.17 per month, billed annually. Trelby is free.
- Only Story Architect lists iOS and Android apps.
- Trelby is open source, according to its own site.
- Story Architect also covers mind mapping.
At a glance
| Story Architect | Trelby | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4.17 per month, billed annually | Free |
| Free plan | Unlimited projects and documents, editors for screenplays, comics, audio dramas, stage plays and novels, import and export, and basic character, location and world profiles. No AI credits are included. | The whole program is free software licensed under the GPL. There is no paid edition. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Pro or Creator, available once per new account | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Story Apps | Trelby developers |
| Price read from | starc.app | trelby.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Story Architect
- Screenwriters who want standard script formatting on a free plan
- Writers keeping every episode of a series in one project
- Authors who work across screenplays, comics, plays and novels
Trelby
- Screenwriters who want free software with standard script formatting
- Linux users looking for a desktop screenwriting program
- Writers moving scripts between Final Draft and Fountain files
Worth knowing
Story Architect
- The pricing page shows prices on annual billing only; 1-, 3- and 6-month terms exist, but their prices are not listed there.
- Sync covers desktop apps for now: the pricing page lists mobile sync as in development.
- Corkboard, timeline, mind maps and extended statistics need Pro; collaboration and script breakdown need Creator.
- The software is pre-1.0: the desktop apps are at version 0.8.3 and the mobile apps at 0.2.0, with several features still planned.
Trelby
- Version 2.4 is installed on Windows and macOS through Python's pip; the Windows installer on the download page is for version 2.2.
- Version 2.4 added no new features: it moved the program to Python 3 and updated its packaging.
- Celtx, Adobe Story and Fade In Pro files can be imported but not exported.
- It is a desktop program only; no web or mobile version is listed.
Key features
Story Architect
- Editors for several story formats
- Separate editors for screenplays, comics, audio dramas, stage plays and novels apply industry-standard formatting, with Tab and Enter switching between paragraph types.
- Shared project bible
- Characters, locations and worlds are described once and shared by every story in a project, including all episodes of a series. Pro adds relationship editors, maps and extended profiles.
- Corkboard and timeline
- On Pro, screenplays and novels get a card board and a timeline. Cards can be colour-tagged and grouped by act, and changes show up in the script text and the reverse.
- Mind maps
- A mind map tool for brainstorming and planning is part of the Pro plan, alongside an image gallery and presentations.
- AI Assistant
- Paraphrases, shortens, expands, summarizes, translates and generates text using credits; one credit covers 1,000 words or 10 images. Extra credits start at $10 for 50.
- Sync and collaboration
- Creator adds 5 GB of cloud storage, sync and real-time co-writing. Co-authors can join on any plan, with editing limited to the modules their own plan includes.
Trelby
- Screenplay editor
- Enforces correct script format and pagination as you type, with auto-completion and spell checking.
- Choice of views
- Offers several views of the script, including a draft view, a WYSIWYG mode and fullscreen.
- Reports and script comparison
- Produces scene, location, character and dialogue reports, and compares two scripts to show what changed between versions.
- Import and export
- Imports formatted text, Final Draft XML, Celtx, Fountain, Adobe Story and Fade In Pro files. Exports PDF, formatted text, HTML, RTF, Final Draft XML and Fountain.
- PDF generator
- A built-in, configurable PDF generator can embed a chosen font and add custom watermarks to help track copies of a shared script.
- Name database
- Includes a character name database with over 200,000 names from various countries.
Plans
Story Architect
Free$0
Unlimited projects and documents, every script and novel editor, import and export, basic statistics and basic character, location and world info.
Pro$4.17
per month, billed annually; or $150 lifetime
Adds mind maps, image gallery, presentations, corkboard, timeline, character relations, location and world maps, extended statistics and 5 AI credits a month.
Creator$8.34
per month, billed annually
Everything in Pro plus sync between desktop devices, real-time collaboration, 5 GB of cloud storage, script breakdown, showrunner tools and 10 AI credits a month.
Trelby
Free$0
The complete program. Version 2.4 installs from PyPI on Windows and macOS, and from Fedora, Debian/Ubuntu or Flatpak packages on Linux.
Ways to pay less
Story Architect
- Lifetime license
Pro lifetime license for $150
Pro can be bought with a single $150 payment instead of a subscription, and comes with 120 AI credits. Creator has no lifetime option.
- Education
50% off any plan for students and professors
University students and professors get 50% off the base price of any subscription plan after proving their status by institutional email or an ID card.
Trelby
No public discounts listed.
