Methodology: how the seven criteria are scored
We score the ability to deliver a vertical short-drama series, not the look of a single clip. Seven criteria, 1–5 each, averaged into an overall score; any criterion without enough information is left blank (shown as —) rather than guessed.
| Criterion | 5 | 3 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script & novel parsing | Whole novel auto-split; reproducible appearance; scenes, props, hooks | Script → storyboard, no splitting | No parsing; single prompts |
| Character consistency | Cast library + references injected per segment + continuity rules | Reference images / multi-subject reference, manual | No reference mechanism |
| Storyboard & shot control | Auto storyboard, per-shot editing, timing and cut control | Canvas / manual arrangement | No storyboard layer |
| Video generation quality | Frontier model; stable motion, physics, faces | Usable with occasional artifacts | Clearly behind |
| Voice & audio | Controllable character voices with correct lip-sync attribution | Native audio, not controllable | No audio |
| Episode compositing | One-click episode assembly | Timeline / canvas chaining | Export segments, assemble by hand |
| Cost & free tier | Low per-second price with a usable free tier | Mid-range | Expensive or no free tier |
Derived figures: stage coverage and engine strength
Stage coverage: of six production stages (parsing, reference art/consistency, storyboard, video, audio, compositing), a stage counts as covered when its criterion scores 3 or higher, giving 0–6. It measures how much of book → series a tool does without manual work; it is a mechanical roll-up of the scores, not a new judgment. Engine strength: the mean of video generation quality and voice & audio — how good each generated segment is. The positioning map on the home page uses exactly these two figures; every mean carries an "n/7 scored" badge and unscored criteria are excluded.
Sources and cadence
Facts come only from official pages (URLs and last-checked dates are listed at the end of every tool page); we re-verify monthly. The basis for each score is written in the tool page's "Basis" column and open to challenge.
What we don't do
- No second-hand prices, no invented numbers for undisclosed facts.
- No absolute "X is better" verdicts: comparison pages say "pick A if… / pick B if…".
- No reviews of products in closed beta without a public entry point.