The AI Alternative to Doodly
Doodly gives you a canvas and a library. DistilBook gives you the finished doodle video from your document.
The best Doodly alternative depends on whether you want to keep building videos by hand or have them made for you. If you want them made for you, DistilBook turns a PDF, Word file, notes or a link into a narrated doodle or whiteboard video: it writes the script, draws original scenes, voices them and animates the drawing in time, and a short video is ready in about 5 minutes. If you want to keep a manual canvas, VideoScribe is the closest editor to Doodly. Since April 2026, more than 1,400 people have made over 2,800 videos with DistilBook, most of them from PDFs.
Doodly vs DistilBook at a glance
| Doodly | DistilBook | |
|---|---|---|
| How a video gets made | You drag characters, props and backgrounds onto a canvas, set the draw order and timing, and add a voiceover | You upload a document or link and approve the script; artwork, narration and draw-on animation are generated |
| Where it runs | Desktop app for Mac and PC, sold inside Voomly Cloud | In the browser, nothing to install |
| Artwork | Built-in library: 200 characters in 20 poses each, 20 background scenes, hundreds of props, plus your own images | Original scenes drawn for your content, in several whiteboard styles or motion-graphics styles (19 styles in all) |
| Board looks | Whiteboard, blackboard, glassboard and greenboard | Hand-drawn whiteboard styles such as classic, notebook sketch and mono line-art, plus doodle and motion styles |
| Voice | Record a voiceover in the app or import one | AI narration in 20 languages, written from your document and edited by you before anything is voiced |
| Export | 480p to 1080p, unlimited exports | MP4 at 720p, 1080p or 1440p on paid plans, 16:9 or 9:16, plus a share link |
| Free to try | 14 day free trial | 10 free credits with no card: the first slide of your video |
| Price | Standard Doodly inside Voomly Cloud, $49 a month or $490 a year; Enterprise version inside Voomly Pro, $79 a month or $790 a year | From $20 a month, or $14 a month billed yearly, for 230 credits (about 23 slides); logo and brand colours on every paid plan |
Prices checked on each vendor's own pricing page, 6 October 2026 (doodly.com and voomly.com/pricing for Doodly).
Why do people look for a Doodly alternative?
Hours per video
Every scene is assembled by hand: choose the asset, place it, set the draw order, line it up with the voiceover. That is fine for one video and slow for a weekly series.
Library art looks familiar
A shared library of characters and props means other people's videos can contain the same drawings as yours, and anything the library lacks has to be found or drawn elsewhere.
The script is still your job
Doodly animates what you build; it does not read your material, write the narration or decide the scenes. The writing and storyboarding happen before you open it.
Paying for a bundle
Doodly now comes inside Voomly Cloud, at $49 a month alongside video hosting and other tools. If you only want doodle videos, much of that bundle goes unused.
What changes when the video is generated for you?
From document to finished video
Upload a PDF, Word file, notes or a link, or type a prompt. DistilBook writes the narration, plans one scene per idea, draws it and animates it in time with the voice. No canvas and no timeline.
Original art for your content
Each scene is drawn for what your narration is saying, in one consistent style across the video, so the pictures explain the point rather than decorate it.
You approve the words first
The script pauses for review before anything is drawn or voiced. Edit any line and add visual instructions for a scene. After generation, change any slide's artwork in the editor; the narration locks once generation starts.
Built in languages and formats
Narration in 20 languages, 16:9 or 9:16, and MP4 up to 1440p, with your logo and brand colours on every paid plan.
Should you switch from Doodly?
DistilBook is best for
- Turning documents, lessons or articles into doodle and whiteboard explainers on a regular schedule
- Teachers, course creators and small studios who would rather approve a script than arrange a canvas
- Videos in more than one language from the same source
- Vertical 9:16 versions for Shorts, Reels and TikTok as well as 16:9
Stay with Doodly if you want
- Placing every element and timing every draw-on yourself: Doodly or VideoScribe give you that control
- Narration in your own recorded voice: DistilBook uses AI voices
- Blackboard, glassboard or greenboard looks specifically, which Doodly offers as board types
- Reusing the same stock characters across many videos for a recurring cast
Other Doodly alternatives, by how you want to work
The other tools people compare, and what each one is for:
- VideoScribe:the closest manual whiteboard editor to Doodly, with a 7 day free trial (checked 3 October 2026).
- StrokeVideo:an AI whiteboard video maker with one free video a day up to 2 minutes (checked 3 October 2026).
- Golpo AI:an AI explainer generator; the free tier is one watermarked 1 minute video with no download (checked 3 October 2026).
- Powtoon:a template-based animation editor with a free plan, better for slide-style animated presentations than hand-drawn doodles.
- Animaker:a template editor with character animation and a whiteboard mode.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Doodly alternative in 2026?
If you want the video made for you, DistilBook: upload a document or link and get a narrated doodle or whiteboard video with original artwork, with a short video ready in about 5 minutes. If you want to keep building by hand on a canvas, VideoScribe is the closest manual editor.
Is there a free Doodly alternative?
Doodly itself has a 14 day free trial but no free plan. DistilBook gives 10 free credits at signup with no card, which generates the first slide of your video so you can judge the quality; StrokeVideo gives one free AI whiteboard video a day up to 2 minutes.
How much does Doodly cost now?
On 6 October 2026, Doodly was sold inside Voomly Cloud: the Standard version with Voomly Cloud at $49 a month or $490 a year, and the Enterprise version with Voomly Pro at $79 a month or $790 a year, with a 14 day free trial and a 30 day refund. DistilBook starts at $20 a month, or $14 a month billed yearly.
Is there an AI version of Doodly?
Doodly is a manual editor: it can animate images you upload, but you build the scenes and supply the voice. AI generators such as DistilBook start from your content instead, writing the narration and drawing the scenes, so your work becomes reviewing a script rather than arranging a canvas.
Does DistilBook work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. It runs in the browser, so any computer works and there is nothing to install. Doodly is a desktop app for Mac and PC.
Can I use my own voice like in Doodly?
Yes, differently. On the Pro and Max plans DistilBook clones your voice from about a minute of recording, then narrates any script you approve in it, in 20 languages, with no recording per video. If you need a specific recorded take synced by hand, a manual editor like Doodly fits that workflow better.
Can I edit a DistilBook video after it is made?
Yes, with one limit. Before generation you can change every line of the script. After generation you can change any slide's artwork and adjust text, overlays and timing in the editor, but the narration locks once generation starts, so the script review is where you shape the words.
More alternatives
The AI Alternative to Powtoon
Stop filling in templates. Start from the document you already have.
The AI Alternative to Pictory
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The AI Alternative to Animaker
Skip the character library and the template. Start from your document.
The Alternative to NoteGPT
Both turn a PDF into a video. One of them lets you fix the script first.
The Alternative to StudyFetch
StudyFetch is built for studying. This is built for video other people watch.
The Alternative to Colossyan
Colossyan puts a presenter in front of your document. This illustrates the document instead.
Judge it on your own content
Upload a document and preview the video free before deciding anything.