Mangaplay Studio is the spiritual successor to Superscript. This comparison covers pricing, features, real-world workflows and how to switch between the two tools.
Free comic script software that lives inside Google Docs and renders to a live storyboard. Writer-controlled drawing, Fountain+ syntax, no AI lock-in. Pistol Taeja uses it on his own manga — Enemy Of The State and Being Salaryman both ship from this same pipeline.
A discontinued open source comic script tool, released for free in 2024 after its creator walked away from v2. Known for per-balloon word counts and lettering-aware ergonomics.
| Feature | Mangaplay Studio | Superscript |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web + Chrome | Desktop (Win/Mac/Linux) |
| Price | Free | Free (OSS, discontinued) |
| Google Docs integration | ✓ | No |
| Writer-controlled drawing | ✓ | No (text only) |
| Script-first writing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time collaboration | ✓ (Google Docs) | No |
| Export to .fdx | ✓ | No |
| Export to PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI panel generation | No | No |
| Works offline | Chrome ext | ✓ (desktop) |
| Mobile | Read-only | No |
| Open source | No | ✓ |
| Free tier | Unlimited | Whole app |
| Learning curve | Low | Low |
| Best for | Comic and manga writers in Google Docs | Comic script writers wanting per-balloon word counts |
Free
Mangaplay Studio is free for personal and commercial use. There are no element limits, no watermarks, and no upsells. The full feature set is available to everyone.
N/A
Superscript was released as free open source after creator Justin Silva cancelled v2. There is nothing to buy. You download the frozen desktop build from GitHub and run it as-is.
Mangaplay renders pages and panels live beside your script in Google Docs, so layout and dialogue evolve together. Superscript stays text-only on the desktop but counts words per balloon for lettering discipline.
Mangaplay exports to FDX, Fountain, FadeIn and PDF, so a screenplay-shaped draft moves cleanly into Final Draft or a writers' room. Superscript targets comic script format and has no screenplay pipeline.
Switching from Superscript to Mangaplay is mostly a copy-paste job. Your script text ports over cleanly; you re-mark page and panel headings in Fountain+ syntax. A short comic takes under an hour.
Pick Superscript if need per-balloon word counts for lettering, prefer an offline desktop comic script writer, and accept that you are running an unmaintained 2024 open-source build.
Pick Mangaplay Studio if you write inside Google Docs, want to draw your own panels, prefer Fountain+ syntax, and want a free tool with no element limits or watermarks for comic, manga or screenplay storyboarding.
Free · No sign-up · No AI lock-in
Paste a script, watch the storyboard build itself. Works in your browser, or alongside Google Docs.
Yes. As a Superscript alternative, Mangaplay lets you export your scripts and rewrite them in its Fountain+ syntax. Most rewrites take under an hour for a short project.
Mangaplay exports to Fountain, .fdx, .txt, .fadein and PDF. Superscript-specific formats are not directly supported but Fountain is widely accepted.
Yes. Both the web app and the Chrome extension are free with no element limits, no watermarks, and no upsells. The full feature set is available to everyone.
Mangaplay is built script-first for comics and manga storyboarding. Superscript targets a different workflow. Pick by what you do most often.
Use with Google Docs