What does mobile actually mean for a production app?
Three different things. A native app you install from an app store, deep but platform-bound. A general project tool whose phone app mirrors its boards. Or the browser pattern: the day lives at a link, the crew opens it on the phone they already hold, and nothing is installed by anyone. Pick the pattern before the product.
The pattern matters more than the feature list because a film crew is not one user on one device. It is a rotating cast of freelancers on whatever phones they own, together for two days and gone. Every install, account and login you require of them is friction you pay for at call time.
Which mobile app fits your job?
Match the tool to the one job it does deeply. Shot Lister for shot lists on iOS. Trello for general boards with free iOS and Android apps. Jotform for forms and signed documents from a phone. Runner Runner for running the whole shoot day from one browser link, with receipts, releases and locations captured by phone camera.
Best for the crew opening the day with nothing to install: Runner Runner Live product facts
Ours, so scope it tightly: Runner Runner is shoot admin software, and its mobile story has two halves, both live today. The crew half is the link: publish the run sheet and every crew member opens the day in their phone browser, a live schedule with a now marker, every stop, cast and crew wired to call in one tap, and the shot list ticked off as it is captured. The capture half is the camera: photograph a receipt and it becomes a structured expense with GST split out, in a live running total; photograph a signed talent release and it is recreated as a finished digital form with the real signature preserved; capture a location by photo or voice and it is structured on the spot. Upload twenty at once, and anything it cannot read comes back blank and flagged, never guessed.
Pricing is published in Australian dollars: $29 and $99 a month, or a Custom Build priced on application, flat per company, never per user, and crew on the link are always free and unlimited. The 14-day trial is the full product, no card.
Where it does not fit: there is no native app, so a job that needs device hardware like Apple Watch belongs to Shot Lister; scripted narrative with breakdowns and stripboards belongs to StudioBinder-class tools; and only the crew call sheet works offline, the hosted app needs a connection.
Best native app for shot lists and running the day: Shot Lister
A single-purpose native app that does its one job deeply: industry-standard shot lists with letter revisions, shot-by-shot schedules, and a Live Mode for re-organising the plan to the minute while shooting. The base app is a free download; Pro is $15.99 a month or $99.99 a year and adds Crew Sync for up to 10 crew, script importing and Apple Watch; Studio runs $24.99 to $94.99 a month across 10 to 80 synced users, with currency shown only as "$" on the page. Where it does not fit: the fetched page lists iOS and macOS only, no Android or web app mentioned, so a mixed-phone crew cannot all open it; and it is not a production system, with no call sheets, expenses or e-sign on its page.
Best general boards with real mobile apps: Trello
The honest budget answer for a producer who wants boards on every phone. Trello's free tier covers up to 10 collaborators per workspace and includes iOS and Android mobile apps, unlimited cards and up to 10 boards; Standard is 5 USD per user a month billed annually. Where it does not fit: there is not one film-specific feature on its pricing page, so every call sheet, shot list and expense process is structure you build and maintain by hand, and pricing is USD with no Australian signal.
Best release forms and signed documents from a phone: Jotform
If the mobile job is forms, Jotform covers it cheaply: a form builder with sign templates, payment integrations and a mobile app named on its own pricing page. The Starter plan is free within limits of 5 forms, 100 monthly submissions and 10 signed documents, with Jotform branding until you pay; Bronze is 39 USD a month with 100 signed documents. Where it does not fit: it is a forms tool, not a run-of-show system, its displayed prices are USD, and we could not verify AUD support on this fetch. Runner Runner's difference in this lane: the release is photographed on paper on set and becomes a finished digital form, rather than routed for digital signing.
Do you need a native app at all?
Only when the job needs the hardware. A native app earns its install with things a browser cannot do, like Shot Lister's Apple Watch support. For everything else, an install is a cost you pay per crew member, per job. A freelance crew of ten will open a link; not all ten will install an app before call time.
That is why Runner Runner deliberately has no app store presence. The producer works in the browser app, the crew gets one shareable link, and the day works on iPhone and Android alike because the browser is the platform. The honest trade: the hosted app needs a connection, so the crew call sheet is built self-contained and keeps working when the location has no signal.
What does each option cost on a phone?
Three of the four have free tiers: Shot Lister's base app is a free download, Trello is free for up to 10 collaborators, and Jotform's Starter plan is free within limits. Runner Runner has no free plan; it is $29 or $99 AUD a month, or a Custom Build, flat per company, with crew always free and unlimited.
| Tool | Mobile pattern | Displayed price | Where it does not fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner Runner | Browser link, nothing to install, iPhone and Android | $29, $99 AUD/mo, or Custom, flat per company | No native app or watch support; scripted breakdowns; hosted app needs a connection |
| Shot Lister | Native app, iOS and macOS only | Free download; Pro $15.99/mo or $99.99/yr; Studio $24.99 to $94.99/mo ("$", no code) | No Android or web app mentioned; shot lists only, not a production system |
| Trello | iOS and Android apps on the free tier | Free to 10 collaborators; Standard 5 USD/user/mo annual | Zero film features; all structure by hand; USD only |
| Jotform | Web forms plus a mobile app | Free within limits; Bronze 39 USD/mo | Forms only, not run-of-show; USD, AUD support unverified |
Frequently asked
Does the crew need to install anything to use Runner Runner?
No. The crew opens the day from one shareable browser link on the phone already in their pocket: the live schedule with a now marker, every stop, tap-to-call contacts and their shot list. There is no app store install, and crew access is free and unlimited on every plan.
Does it work offline on set?
Scoped honestly: the crew call sheet is a self-contained page that keeps working with no signal, so every stop, contact and call time still opens at the location. The hosted app, where you capture receipts, releases and locations, needs a connection. None of the vendor pages we fetched for this list claimed offline capability.
Does Runner Runner work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, both, because it runs in the browser rather than an app store. Any phone with a modern browser opens the crew link and the app itself. That contrasts with Shot Lister, which lists iOS and macOS only on its fetched page, with no Android or web app mentioned.
Is there a native mobile app worth paying for?
Yes, when the job is shot lists. Shot Lister is a free download with Pro at $15.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Studio from $24.99 a month for 10 synced users up to $94.99 for 80. It is the deepest single-purpose tool on this list, and it is Apple-only.
What is the best free mobile option for a film crew?
Trello is free for up to 10 collaborators with iOS and Android apps included. Shot Lister's base app is a free download, and Jotform's Starter plan is free within limits of 5 forms and 10 signed documents. Runner Runner has no free plan. The 14-day trial is the full product, no card.
Can you capture receipts and release forms with a phone camera?
Yes, both are live in Runner Runner today. Photograph a receipt and it becomes a structured expense with GST split out, in a live running total. Photograph a signed talent release and it is recreated as a finished digital form with the real signature preserved. Upload twenty at once, and anything unreadable comes back blank, never guessed.