Slate vs StudioBinder
StudioBinder is a pre-production planning tool — shot lists, storyboards, call sheets, scheduling. Slate is a business-operations tool — projects, clients, invoices, profit. Most working production companies eventually need both.
Production companies running 5+ jobs/month who need to know who they're profitable with, what's outstanding, and how much time went where.
Directors, DPs, and productions deep in pre-production — breakdowns, shot lists, call sheets, script supervision.
| Feature | Slate | StudioBinder |
|---|---|---|
| Phase of production | Production + post + billing | Pre-production + on-set |
| Shot lists & storyboards | No | Yes (core) |
| Call sheets | Basic (project details) | Yes (detailed, industry-standard) |
| Script breakdowns | No | Yes |
| Client invoicing | Yes (built-in) | No |
| P&L / profit per client | Yes | No |
| Crew pay tracking | Yes (hours + rates) | No |
| Mileage + expenses | Yes | No |
| Starting price | Free (10 projects) | Free tier + paid plans |
Pick Slate if…
- ✓You need to know which clients are actually profitable.
- ✓You invoice clients and want that tracked with the project, not in a separate spreadsheet.
- ✓Your crew is paid hourly or per project and you need the numbers tied to individual shoots.
- ✓Shot planning isn't your bottleneck — knowing what you're making is.
Pick StudioBinder if…
- ✓You spend a lot of time in pre-production: shot lists, storyboards, breakdowns.
- ✓You run narrative projects (short films, commercials) where detailed call sheets matter.
- ✓You're a DP/director more than a production company owner.
These tools don't really overlap. StudioBinder is best-in-class for what it does — script-to-screen pre-production planning. Slate handles the business side. If you use StudioBinder for shoot planning, Slate fits alongside it for the client/money/margin side. Most 1-10 person shops need both eventually.
10 projects free — the business side of production.