VideoScribe vs Doodly for Whiteboard Animation
A fair head-to-head of VideoScribe and Doodly for whiteboard animation, plus openCanviz as the document-first third option if you would rather draft than build by hand.
By openCanviz • July 29, 2026
10 min read
VideoScribe and Doodly are close cousins: both are manual whiteboard editors where you drag hand-drawn assets onto a canvas and build each scene yourself. VideoScribe leans toward a large, polished asset library and fine timeline control. Doodly leans toward a friendly doodle-and-character look that is quick to pick up. If you want to hand-craft whiteboard scenes, either is a good choice, and which you prefer usually comes down to the asset style and the editing feel. The better AI option, if you would rather not build every scene by hand, is a document-first tool like openCanviz, which drafts the whole narrated video from a document you paste and then lets you edit it scene by scene. It is free to start.
So the short version: VideoScribe and Doodly compete on how you build by hand. openCanviz competes on not building by hand at all, starting from your writing instead of a blank canvas.
VideoScribe vs Doodly vs openCanviz at a glance
| VideoScribe | Doodly | openCanviz | |
| Starting point | Blank canvas plus asset library | Blank canvas plus doodle library | A document you paste in |
| First draft | You build each scene by hand | You build each scene by hand | Full narrated video drafted for you |
| Asset style | Large hand-drawn library | Doodle and character look | Whiteboard plus doodle, painted, cutout, poster |
| Narration | Add or record your own audio | Add or record your own audio | Narration written per scene, generated or your own |
| Learning curve | Moderate, timeline and assets | Low to moderate, drag and drop | Low, edit a working draft |
| Best for | Fine-tuned hand-built whiteboard | Friendly doodle scenes with characters | Turning existing writing into video fast |
| Price to start | Paid subscription | Paid subscription | Free to start |
VideoScribe vs Doodly, the honest split
Both tools start you from an empty canvas and a library of hand-drawn assets, and both make you the composer of every scene. VideoScribe's edge is depth: a large asset library, granular timing, and mature controls that reward people who want to fine-tune each stroke. Doodly's edge is approachability: the doodle-and-character style is fun, and dragging assets into place feels immediate, which suits people who want a charming result without a steep ramp.
Where they are the same is the part that matters for time. Whichever you pick, a ten scene whiteboard video means building ten scenes, one asset at a time, and syncing your own narration as you go. Neither reads your script and drafts the video for you. That shared limitation is the opening for a different kind of tool.
The document-first third option
openCanviz does not ask you to build scenes. You paste the writing you already have, a script, a lesson plan, an SOP, or a blog post, and it drafts the entire narrated whiteboard video: scenes broken out, visuals chosen, narration written to match each scene. From there you edit rather than assemble: rewrite a line, move an element, retime a beat, or switch a scene's style between whiteboard, doodle, painted, cutout, and poster. The first pass is a finished draft, not a blank canvas, and it is free to start.
That is a real difference in kind, not just polish. VideoScribe and Doodly make hand-building faster or friendlier. openCanviz removes the hand-building step for the first draft and turns your job into editing.
Who should pick which
Pick VideoScribe if you want the largest hand-drawn asset library and fine timeline control, and you enjoy composing each frame deliberately.
Pick Doodly if you want the doodle-with-characters look and the fastest, friendliest way to hand-build a whiteboard scene, and your videos are short enough that build time is not a burden.
Pick openCanviz if you already have the content written and want a narrated draft fast, if you make whiteboard videos regularly and cannot rebuild each one from scratch, or if you want to try several styles without starting over. Since it is free to start, you can paste a document and compare the drafted result against the hours of hand-building the same piece would take in either manual tool.
For deeper single-tool comparisons, see openCanviz vs VideoScribe and openCanviz vs Doodly.
What you give up
If you move to a document-first tool, you give up the hands-on authorship that both VideoScribe and Doodly are built around. For people who value composing each scene stroke by stroke, a drafted starting point can feel like it skipped the craft. openCanviz still lets you edit every scene, but it assumes you would rather refine a draft than build from nothing. If the building is the part you love, stay with the manual tool that fits your style. If the building is the part that slows you down, that is exactly what the document-first workflow removes.
Common questions
Are VideoScribe and Doodly really that similar? In workflow, yes. Both are manual whiteboard editors where you place assets and build scenes by hand. They differ mostly in asset style and editing feel, not in the fundamental approach.
How is openCanviz different from both? It starts from your document and drafts the whole narrated video, so your first pass is an editable draft rather than a blank canvas. Both other tools start you from empty.
Can I try openCanviz without paying? Yes. It is free to start, so you can paste a real script and see a drafted whiteboard video before deciding.
Draft first, build only what needs building
Paste a script into openCanviz and get a narrated whiteboard video back, then edit the scenes that need it instead of assembling all of them by hand. It is free to start. Making training videos specifically? See the best VideoScribe alternative for training videos at /explainers/best-videoscribe-alternative-for-training-videos.
Keep reading
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You already wrote the lesson plan, SOP, or slide deck. Here is how to turn that document into a narrated training video in five steps, starting from the writing instead of a blank timeline.
VideoScribe makes you place every asset by hand. If you want training videos drafted from a document you already have, openCanviz is the alternative to try first.
Doodly builds every scene by hand. For L&D teams that already have SOPs and lesson plans, openCanviz drafts the narrated video from the document instead.