Best Apps for Stage Managers
A practical comparison of purpose-built tools used by stage managers to manage scripts, cues, and productions.
Feature Comparison
| Tool | Cues on script | Ground plans | Collaboration | AI cue suggestions | Works in browser | Mobile editing | Free working tier | PDF export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CuePadRecommended | Yes | Yes | ✓ Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ✓ Pro |
| Stage Write | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| TheCueList | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Paper Prompt Book | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
TheCueList's free tier is view-only. CuePad's free tier (Core) gives full access to one active script — no time limit.
How CuePad Compares
Stage Write is the industry standard for blocking documentation. It's trusted by Broadway productions and excels at spacing charts and choreography tracking. If your primary need is documenting complex blocking for understudies or replacement casts, Stage Write is purpose-built for that. CuePad is built for a different job: the calling script. Cues live directly on the script, the interface is designed for the SM at the tech table, and you can be up and running in minutes without a learning curve.
TheCueList is the closest tool to CuePad in terms of workflow — cues on a PDF script, browser-based, real-time collaboration. The key differences: TheCueList requires a paid subscription to do any real work (their free tier is view-only), has no ground plan support, and doesn't work on mobile for editing. CuePad's Core plan gives you full access to one active script at no cost, with no time limit.
Neither tool has AI. CuePad's AI cue suggestions scan your script and surface potential cues you may have missed — a first in the category.
Why Purpose-Built Tools Matter
General tools like Google Docs and Notion weren't designed for the prompt book workflow. They can't place cues on a script, track ground plans, or give you a calling view. They're workarounds, not solutions.
Paper prompt books have served the industry for over a century — and they still work. But they don't travel well, can't be searched, and are one spilled coffee away from disaster.
Purpose-built tools solve the real problem: keeping cues, blocking, and annotations where they belong — on the script, visible at a glance when you're calling a show.
Start Free — No Credit Card
CuePad's Core plan is free with no time limit. You get full access to one active script — every cue type, the ground plan editor, character management, and annotations. No feature limitations on that script.
When you're ready for more, Pro adds collaboration with your team (only the script owner needs Pro — collaborators join free), PDF export, version history, and unlimited active scripts.
Start Free →