A Screenwriter's Toolkit: Trelby vs. STARC

Writing a screenplay is a challenging endeavor, and having the right tools can make a significant difference in the creative process. In this article, we'll take a look at the features of the Trelby app and tell you where Story Architect surpasses it, as well as what additional features you can get while using it.

Trelby: A Brief Introduction

Trelby, a screenwriting program originally called Blyte, was created by Oscu Salerma in 2003-2006. It was a commercial program sold by a company he founded. However, sales were not high enough to justify the development costs. Therefore, the program became open source and free in 2006.

For five years, Blyte didn't attract much attention until Anil Gulecha discovered it in late 2011 and decided to take on its development with Oscu. They eventually decided to rename the program to Trelby. This software gained some popularity among screenwriters and lasted until 2012, after which it stopped being updated.

Key Features of Trelby

1. Free and Open-Source:

Trelby is entirely free, which makes it an attractive choice for budget-conscious writers.

2. Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Trelby is available for Windows and Linux, but it's important to note that it isn't supported on macOS, limiting its accessibility.

3. Intuitive Interface:

Trelby offers a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it easy for writers to jump right into their creative work.

4. Auto-Formatting:

It automatically formats your screenplay according to industry standards, allowing you to focus on writing without worrying about formatting rules.

5. Reports:

Ability to generate statistical reports by script, characters and locations

6. Import & Export

Text import and export in various formats.

Story Architect: An Innovative Contender

STARC, an up-and-coming screenwriting software, is designed to be a game-changer in the industry. It combines powerful features and a sleek interface to enhance the screenwriting experience.

Comparing Trelby and Story Architect

1. User Interface and Modernity:

• Trelby's interface, while user-friendly, can appear somewhat dated. It lacks the modern aesthetics and user experience that STARC offers. It also doesn’t have a dark mode and configurable UI colors.
• STARC boasts a sleek and modern interface, resembling popular word processors, making it easy for authors to adapt to.

2. Cross-Platform Accessibility:

• Trelby is limited to Windows and Linux, which can be a drawback for macOS users.
• STARC offers cross-platform accessibility, supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that no writer is left behind.

3. Regular Updates and Support:

• Trelby has been unsupported for a staggering 11 years, meaning it lacks the necessary updates and support to keep up with evolving industry needs.
• In contrast, STARC is consistently updated every two weeks, ensuring that users receive ongoing support and the latest features.

4. Card Module:

• Trelby does not have a card module;
• The card module in STARC is well developed and available for screenplays and novels. You can organize them, combine by acts and sequences, customize colors, add tags, and switch instantly to and from the script text.

5. Collaborative Features:

• Trelby doesn't provide built-in collaborative features, which can be a drawback for teams working on scripts together.
• STARC excels in this department, offering real-time collaborative features. Writers can work on the same script simultaneously, share comments, and track changes effortlessly.

6. AI Assistance:

• Trelby lacks AI-driven tools that can help enhance the creative process.
• STARC offers advanced AI-based features, including character development suggestions and genre-specific recommendations, to assist writers in their creative journey.

Story Architect Free and Paid Features

STARC offers a range of features aimed at both users without a budget and those who are willing to invest in a paid version and get advanced tools to improve, speed up and simplify the creative process.

FREE subscription includes basic scriptwriting tools, making it accessible to writers on a budget. Some of them are:

• Unlimited number of projects;
• Cover generator;
• Session statistics;
• Characters / location / world profiles;
• Ability to work on screenplays, comics, audio dramas, stage plays and novels;
• Scenes numbers locking;
• Import and export scripts without any restrictions.

There are also PRO and CLOUD versions that gives you access ro advanced features such as:

• Cloud Storage;
• Real-time collaboration and sharing features;
• AI Assistant;
• Cards module;
• Images gallery;
• Script breakdown module;
• And many more.

If you’ve been using Trelby up to this moment, it’s super easy to switch to STARC immediately. At the first launch after installing the application you can choose to “Adapt the interface and workflow” and click on the “Trelby” option in the appeared list. In addition, Story Architect supports importing projects from Trelby's internal format, so you can continue working on your own projects without losing a word or a minute of your time.

To summarize, Trelby is a free screenwriting software with solid basic features but it hasn’t been updated for more than 10 years already. STARC is a more modern and comprehensive tool. We update the app regularly, introducing more and more useful features, and work closely with user feedback. Everything that you can find in Trelby is already in STARC – and even more.