A VideoScribe or Doodly alternative: whiteboard videos from a prompt

If you've used VideoScribe or Doodly, you know how a whiteboard video gets made there: you write a script, record or generate a voiceover, then place every image on a canvas and time each one to the narration. You get full control, and it takes hours for a few minutes of video.

Explainly (the tool we build) works the other way round. You describe what you want explained, and it writes the script, draws the board step by step, narrates it and gives you an MP4, usually in a few minutes. This post compares the two approaches honestly, including when VideoScribe or Doodly is the better choice.

The short version

	VideoScribe	Doodly	Explainly
How you make a video	Editor: place and time each image yourself	Desktop editor (Mac and PC): drag and drop scenes	Type a prompt; the AI writes, draws and narrates
Script and voiceover	AI script and voiceover tools with monthly limits, or bring your own	Write your own; record a voiceover or use Talkia text-to-speech (included in Voomly Cloud)	Written and narrated for you (10 languages, 10 voices)
Pricing model	Subscription (Lite, Core, Max)	Subscription (Voomly Cloud)	Pay per minute of video, no subscription
Price listed on 28 Oct 2026	Lite €13.75/month (€165 billed yearly), Core €22.92/month (€275/year), Max €29.17/month (€350/year)*	$49/month after a 14-day free trial	Whiteboard $0.49/min at 720p, $0.69/min at 1080p; packs from $10
Free trial	7 days, watermarked, 3 downloads	14 days	First 1-minute video free, no card
Video length	Up to 5 min (Lite), 10 min (Core), 20 min (Max)	Set by you	About 1 to 15 minutes
Downloads	5/month (Lite), 30/month (Core), unlimited (Max)	Unlimited whiteboards	Every video you make

*VideoScribe showed prices in euros for our region; check their pricing page for yours. Doodly's price is from its pricing page. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.

What it costs for a typical month

Say you make ten 3-minute videos a month.

• Explainly: 30 minutes × $0.49 = $14.70 at 720p, or $20.70 at 1080p. A month where you make two videos costs $2.94.
• VideoScribe: Lite allows 5 downloads a month, so ten videos needs Core at €275 a year (about €22.92 a month), whether you make ten videos or none.
• Doodly: $49 a month for as many videos as you have time to build.

If you make videos every day and want to hand-craft each one, a flat subscription can work out cheaper per video. If you make a handful a month, or your volume is uneven, paying per minute usually costs less.

Where Explainly is the better fit

• You don't have hours per video. Teachers, tutors, trainers and creators who need the explanation, not an animation project.
• You don't want to write a script or record a voiceover. The AI writes it from your prompt or notes and narrates it; you can say who it's for and which facts must be exact.
• Vertical video. Pick 9:16 for YouTube Shorts, Reels and TikTok, and you get a ready-made YouTube title, description and tags with every video.
• You work inside AI assistants. Explainly has an MCP server, so you can make videos from ChatGPT or Claude.
• You don't want another subscription. Credits don't renew and failed videos are refunded.

Where VideoScribe or Doodly is the better fit

• You want to place every drawing yourself. In Explainly you steer the video with your prompt; you don't drag individual images around a canvas.
• Your brand has strict assets. VideoScribe Max has brand kits and custom fonts; both editors let you use your own images and characters.
• You resell videos to clients. VideoScribe Max includes reseller rights.
• You need a language Explainly doesn't have. VideoScribe's AI voiceover lists 45+ languages; Explainly narrates in 10.

Try it on something you'd normally build by hand

Take a topic you'd usually spend an afternoon animating and describe it in a sentence or two: who it's for, the three key points, and any numbers that must be right. Your first 1-minute video is free, and after that it's $0.49 a minute, with no subscription.