Haystack vs SyncOnSet
SyncOnSet covers five departments from the studio down. Haystack goes deep on two - costume and Hair & Make-up - with a full mobile app, offline-first sync, unlimited users and pricing you can read, no sales call to get a number.
The short version: SyncOnSet is the established continuity book - five departments, deep money-tracking, script breakdowns and wrap, trusted on big studio shows. Haystack is the focused, modern take for costume and Hair & Make-up: department-native language, a full mobile app at parity with the web, offline-first sync that looks after itself, unlimited users, and transparent pricing you can start for free. Both work offline; the difference is the depth, the phone, the seats and how you buy.
Two departments.
Done properly.
Script to wrap.
SyncOnSet is a serious tool with real strengths. Here's where each of us leads - no spin.
| Funktion | Haystack | SyncOnSet |
|---|---|---|
| APlatform & access | ||
| Web app | Full web app | Web appfull desktop |
| iOS & Android apps | Full appweb/mobile parity | Simplified mobile appsubset of the desktop |
| Works fully offline (capture & edit) | Offline-firstsyncs automatically | Works offlineperiodic / manual sync |
| BDepartments & workflow | ||
| Departments covered | Costume + Hair & Make-upin depth | Five departmentsCostume, Make-up, Hair, Props, Set Dec |
| Department-native language | Changes/Looks, Garments/Products | Department-specific interfacesshared continuity model |
| Principals vs crowd/background | Modelled separatelyprincipals and crowd | Character breakdowns |
| Episodic & multi-block support | Episodes, acts, story days | Episodic productions |
| COn-set continuity | ||
| Continuity stills with featured frame | Unlimited stillsper scene | Continuity photos |
| Wear notes & prep notes | Wear + prep notesper scene & department | Notes & breakdowns |
| Pin & annotate details on photos | Pinned asset noteson images | Photo markup & tagging |
| Real-time multi-user sync | Live, offline-first sync | Cloud syncmanual when offline |
| DBefore & after the shot | ||
| Script import (PDF & FDX) | PDF & FDXextracts scenes + characters | Automatic script import |
| Revision re-import with change control | Field-level change control | Re-import breakdowns |
| NFC tagging (garments & boxes) | Tap to findgarments & boxes | |
| Boxes, storage & wrap | Built inboxes, storage & wrap | Wrap boxes & inventory |
| Reports & exports | Garment / product reports | Reports + money-tracking |
| ELimits, pricing & trust | ||
| Project / item / image limits | No item capsunlimited uploads | Plan-dependentby subscription |
| Users per project | Unlimited users | Lite: 4 / deptmore via quote |
| Pricing model | Transparentper production by budget | Lite from $250larger productions quote-based |
| Free trial (no card) | Free trialno card | Paid Lite planself-serve; no free trial |
| Data, security & support | UK GDPR + SLAencryption, 99% uptime | Enterprise-gradeEntertainment Partners |
Competitor details reflect publicly available information (including SyncOnSet's own help centre) at the time of writing and may change - check SyncOnSet's current site before relying on any single row.
Three things that tip the decision for costume and Hair & Make-up teams.
SyncOnSet spreads across five departments through one shared continuity system. Haystack goes all-in on costume and Hair & Make-up - Changes and Looks, garments and products, principals kept apart from crowd - so the workflow fits the way you actually work.
SyncOnSet's phone app is a trimmed-down version of the desktop that syncs periodically or by hand. Haystack's mobile and web run at parity off one live wall and sync themselves - no twice-a-day sync discipline, no last-write-wins surprises.
Start free with transparent per-production pricing and unlimited users - not a $250 Lite tier capped at four people with a quote for everything bigger. Plus NFC tags on garments and boxes, which SyncOnSet doesn't offer.
Built for two departments
SyncOnSet models five departments through one shared continuity system. Haystack speaks costume and Hair & Make-up natively: Changes and Looks reused across every scene, garments and products with real attributes, principals tracked apart from crowd, and the wear notes that break a shot pinned right beside the look. Depth on two beats breadth across five when those two are your whole job.
One live wall
Both tools work offline - the difference is what happens around it. SyncOnSet's mobile app is a simplified slice of the desktop, syncs periodically or by hand, and resolves clashes by keeping whoever synced last. Haystack gives you the whole job on web and mobile at parity, off one live wall that syncs itself in the background - so what a standby logs on the floor is just there for the supervisor, without anyone remembering to press sync.
Live today
SyncOnSet's self-serve pricing stops at a $250 low-budget Lite plan, capped at four users per department with no money-tracking; add a fifth person, go episodic, or scale up and it's a quote. Haystack is transparent per production by budget and duration at every size, with unlimited users and uploads, and you can start free with no card. You still get the serious bits: script import, boxes and wrap, and NFC tags on garments and boxes so a tap finds them.
SyncOnSet is established for good reasons. We'd rather be straight about them.
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you. Haystack has been an amazing tool to use on Fortitude and I'll definitely continue using it on upcoming projects. I really appreciate the instant support and how easy the app is to use. It has made such a difference to our workflow.”
Step 01
No demo, no quote, no card. Pick your departments and the wall is live.
Step 02
Drop in a PDF or FDX to seed scenes and characters, then pin a few stills. Bring exports and photos from SyncOnSet and we'll help you move the looks across.
Step 03
Open it on web or the full mobile app - it syncs itself in the background, so the whole department stays on the same wall.
The questions we hear most, torn straight from the notebook.
Yes - especially for costume and Hair & Make-up teams who want department-deep continuity, a full mobile app, unlimited users and transparent pricing they can start for free. For productions that need Props and Set Decoration, deep money-tracking, or a big-studio procurement fit, SyncOnSet's breadth is worth weighing.
Both work offline. SyncOnSet's app stores changes locally and syncs periodically or by hand, keeping whoever synced last if two people clash. Haystack is offline-first and syncs automatically in the background, so the department stays in step without anyone remembering to press sync.
Yes. Import a shooting script (PDF or FDX) to extract scenes and characters, and re-import revisions with field-level change control so updates don't overwrite your notes.
SyncOnSet has a self-serve $250 Lite plan for low-budget features (four users, no money-tracking) and quotes everything larger or episodic. Haystack is transparent per production by budget and duration at every size, with unlimited users and uploads, and you can start on a free trial with no card.
Yes - boxes, storage and wrap are built in, with NFC tags on garments and boxes so a tap finds them. SyncOnSet does wrap boxes and inventory too; NFC, unlimited users and the costume/H&MU depth are where Haystack pulls ahead.
Costume and Hair & Make-up, in depth - Changes/Looks, Garments/Products, boxes and wrap. We don't aim to cover Props and Set Decoration the way SyncOnSet does; we go deep on two departments rather than wide across five.
Costume + Hair & Make-up · Full mobile app · Transparent pricing
Bring one real scene and a stack of looks - no demo, no quote, no card. You'll know inside ten minutes whether it fits costume and Hair & Make-up better than a five-department system.