Sandcastles AI free alternative: pricing, review and a live niche feed

• What it is. A research and scriptwriting tool for short video. You find channels in your niche, explore what Sandcastles calls “a database with millions of validated outliers”, analyze why videos went viral (hooks, storytelling, formats, styles), download transcripts and write scripts with storytelling frameworks and hook templates.
• Platforms. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
• Collections. 100+ curated collections of outlier videos. At launch that was 22 formats, 30 editing styles, 47 visual hooks and 6 signature series. They are free to browse on every plan, don’t use credits, can be exported and get new videos weekly.
• Your own channels. Connecting accounts is optional. Verified channels get personal analytics with refresh times from 12 hours (Pro) down to 1 hour (Titan).
• Integrations. An MCP connector that feeds Sandcastles data to Claude (Pro and up) and API access on Titan.
• Policies. Cancel anytime from the billing portal. No refunds, no pausing, and unused credits don’t roll over.

Sandcastles doesn’t publish per-action credit costs in its pricing section, so we can’t say how many analyses or scripts 100 credits buy. Check the app during signup if that matters to you.

• You want a curated library of proven formats. Visual hooks, editing styles and signature series, searchable and exportable. Followlly has no public library like it.
• You follow many channels. 150 competitors per workspace on Pro vs 5 on Followlly Creator.
• YouTube is a main channel for you. Sandcastles tracks Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channels in one feed.
• You want transcripts of any video and storytelling frameworks. Script writing is the center of Sandcastles.
• You work inside Claude. Its MCP connector brings Sandcastles data into Claude conversations.
• You want near-real-time stats on your own channels. Verified channels refresh every 1 to 12 hours, depending on the plan.

• You want to find what’s spreading beyond the channels you already know. The niche feed comes from hashtags and is ranked by views per day, so a small account’s breakout shows up next to a big account’s normal week.
• You want the context around a video. The sounds that actually play in your niche, rising Google searches, audience questions from niche subreddits, and TikTok’s trending feed for your countries.
• You want to catch videos while they’re still rising. Followlly measures views per hour between checks against each creator’s normal pace, not just finished outliers.
• You want a plan, not just a library. The morning plan in the app gives you one task, scripts and a checklist, built from your own hits and the market’s.
• You want a lower entry price. $29/month vs $49/month ($39 billed yearly).

A viral video database answers “what has worked?” It is deep, curated and spans many niches, which makes it great for learning formats. A live niche feed answers “what is working in my niche this week?” It is smaller and changes about once a week, but it is current, and it includes small creators you have never heard of. If a format shows up in both, that is a strong signal to film it.

1. Export the collections you rely on. Every collection has an Export button. Keep them as a reference sheet.
2. Shortlist your channels. Pick the 5 or 15 accounts that matter most (Creator or Producer limits), split between Instagram and TikTok.
3. Time it. Credits expire monthly, and Sandcastles doesn’t refund or pause plans. Cancel near your renewal date.
4. Start the 7-day trial. Add your niche and handles. The trial runs on the plan you pick.
5. Keep your frameworks. Followlly’s scripts come from your numbers, and the hook and story frameworks you like still apply on top.