KIT Scenarist vs. Story Architect: why the new app is better

Story Architect is a descendant of another screenwriting software, KIT Scenarist, which was created in 2014, and 9 years later the project was frozen. However, many people still use the outdated software, not realizing that Story Architect already has all the same and even more than KIT. In this article, we’ll explain why you should definitely switch to the new app.

KIT Scenarist: a brief background

In 2013, programmer Dimka Novikov commenced the development of software aimed at assisting screenwriters in crafting movie scripts. This effort culminated in the creation of KIT Scenarist in 2014, which served as the precursor to Story Architect.

Initially, KIT Scenarist focused on facilitating screenplay formatting according to international standards and exporting projects in DOCX format. However, as the application gained popularity, discussions with writers revealed limitations in its architecture, hindering the implementation of necessary functionalities to address the evolving needs of authors in the expanding script market. Subsequently, the concept of Story Architect, envisioned as a next-generation writer's software, emerged from these deliberations.

Key Features of KIT Scenarist

1. Ability to create text documents and import them in different formats;
2. Unlimited number of projects;
3. Project statistics;
4. Basic profiles of characters and locations;
5. Cards corkboard;
6. Mind maps;
7. Image gallery;
8. Cloud storage and synchronization between devices;
9. Ability to work with co-writers in real time.

In summary, KIT Scenarist is an application familiar to many authors with the basic features a screenwriter needs.

Story Architect: a new generation of writing software

Six years of experience with KIT Scenarist has resulted in a new application – Story Architect, with significant technical improvements and many new features. By 2020, Story Architect had completely replaced KIT, meaning it is now able to provide users with exactly the same features – and more. In 2023, support for KIT Scenarist was discontinued and updates stopped. There were 2 main reasons for this:

• The architecture of the program, created 10 years ago, did not provide for such functions as working with multi-part projects, different formats, using the card module. All this load led to serious support problems and increased the complexity of developing new features.
• The popularity of the project led to the need for ongoing involvement and development. Commercialization and licensing revisions were required to sustain the project.

Comparison of KIT Scenarist and Story Architect

1. Unlimited number of documents in a project:

• In KIT, you can only create one script in one project.
• In STARC, you can write a TV series with an infinite number of episodes or add documents in other formats – and they will all be stored in one project.

2. Ability to work on different story formats:

• KIT allows you to work on scripts only.
• In addition to scripts, STARC has templates for writing a novel, comic book, stage play or audio drama.

3. Extended profile and map of locations, characters, worlds:

• KIT offers only a basic profile for characters and locations, and there is no option to describe worlds at all.
• In STARC, you can fully develop a character's backstory by filling out a character profile, and detail locations and worlds by connecting them to each other on a map.

4. Session Statistics:

• KIT has no one session statistics tool.
• STARC offers handy tools for tracking your productivity – session-by-session statistics will show the number of words you've written in a certain amount of time, as well as graph your productivity peaks.

5. Poster Builder:

• KIT does not have any graphic editors.
• In STARC, you can design a poster for a future movie in 5 minutes. You can read instructions on how to do it here.

6. Writer Timer:

• There are no such features in KIT Scenarist.
• When working in STARC, you can set a timer right inside the app. At the end of the session, it will show you how many words you've written and offer to share the result. Read more.

7. Script Breakdown:

• KIT does not have these tools.
• STARC has an extremely handy tool for directors and assistants - script breakdown allows you to add all the necessary elements, locations, make-up, costumes to any desired location in the finished script.

8. AI Assistant:

• KIT does not have AI tools.
• STARC AI helps generate, paraphrase, expand/collapse, translate text, as well as create a synopsis from a screenplay, a screenplay from a novel (and vice versa), complete a character profile, and make a mind map.

As you can see from the comparison, STARC's capabilities are head and shoulders above. More text formats, more features that facilitate the creative process, more professional tools.

Equally important is the fact that KIT Scenarist will no longer be updated. The project is frozen, which means that it will remain only with the set of features and issues it has now. Story Architect, in its turn, is regularly updated, offering more and more convenient features for working with texts and with each release becoming more stable, with a minimum of bugs and errors.

You're certainly already convinced that it's time to switch to Story Architect. But what to do with an unfinished script hanging in KIT? Simply import it into STARC and all the data will be carefully transferred, so that in just 3 minutes after installation you can continue working on your project in the new application. Read more about how to do this correctly here.