Choose Muse over Apple Freeform
when your mind needs more space than one whiteboard.
Muse's killer feature is boards inside boards: unlimited depth for organizing complex thinking.
Zoom in to work on details, zoom out to see the big picture. There's nothing else like it.
The nesting thing... that's one of the killer features for me. I can zoom in here, work on this, zoom out. I have a hard time with tools that don't have that. I've tried Miro, Freeform, Notion—they don't have nesting.
Luke, App Developer
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Muse | Freeform |
|---|---|---|
| Folder organization | ✅ Nested Boards | ❌ Not available |
| Sync architecture | ✅ Local-first CRDT | ⚠️ iCloud (issues reported) |
| Offline mode | ✅ Full functionality | ✅ Supported |
| PDF annotation | ✅ Full markup + excerpts | 🟡 Basic embedding |
| Performance at scale | ✅ Optimized | ⚠️ Degrades ~12 screens |
| Dark canvas | ✅ Dark background option | ❌ White canvas only |
| Item locking | ❌ Not available | ✅ Supported |
| Card linking | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Search | ✅ Fast, comprehensive | 🟡 Board names only |
| Collaboration | Small groups (2-8) | 100 users (personal Apple IDs only) |
| Price | $99/year (free tier available) | Free |
Legend: ✅ Full support | 🟡 Partial/Basic | ⚠️ Issues reported | ❌ Not available
Bulletproof Reliability
Your work is too important for sync failures. Muse uses local-first CRDT sync developed over a year with Ink & Switch research expertise:
- Full offline functionality—not degraded mode, full functionality
- Conflict-free sync—CRDT architecture means no data loss
- Local-first sync— all of your data on all of your devices
Meanwhile, Freeform users report:
- Slows down after ~12 screens
- Handwriting data loss across devices
- Permanent data loss after crashes
- Time Machine recovery failures
Annotate and Excerpt Your PDFs
Muse isn't just a whiteboard—it's a thinking environment for serious knowledge work:
- Native PDF annotation with Apple Pencil markup
- Excerpt extraction—pull quotes into cards with source links
- Spatial synthesis—arrange findings from multiple sources to see patterns
- Freeform offers basic PDF embedding. That's it.
If I lost Muse, I would probably lose the ability to do knowledge synthesis efficiently. Anyone doing research, writing, content production—anything where you process information and create something new—Muse is a really powerful tool.
Karol, Software Engineer
What People Use Muse For
PhD dissertation research, literature synthesis, connecting ideas across papers
Course planning, lecture preparation, non-linear presentations, student collaboration
Feature planning, design systems, UI exploration, stakeholder presentations
Animation storyboarding, mood boards, creative briefs, client projects
Book research, article planning, visual outlining, idea development
What People Are Saying
It's visual note taking, which is enough for me because it's done very, very well. I haven't found other apps as good. I don't want text-based—I need the screenshot, the visual content I looked at.
Jens, AI/ML Product Manager
Brutal minimalism, be damned: Muse's organized chaos wrangles your files, photos, drawings, and text to provide a perfect brainstorming workspace.
App Store Editors' Notes
Infinite canvas space with uncluttered and intuitive design for capturing and linking ideas
Setapp, "7 Best Apple Freeform Alternatives"
When Apple's Freeform was released, I tried it once, and within two minutes was so underwhelmed that I decided to commit to using Muse for at least a year.
Daniel Wentsch, PKM Practitioner
For the Project subject I've been looking for a useful mind-mapping tool. While Freeform is often good enough I honestly need a dark background and a less janky experience.
Lecturer, JMC Academy (Australia)
I was excited to try Freeform when it came out but ended up disappointed for several reasons. The problem is twofold: there is no nesting and no cross-platform live-sharing.
José, High School Math Teacher
Muse has been really crucial in my thinking process, and in my studies in Uni.. so I'm definitely renewing :)
Student, Tomorrow University (Germany)
The visual organization options are fantastic.
Professor of English, Utah Valley University
Investment That Pays Off
Muse costs $99/year. Freeform is free. Here's what you're paying for:
Research-grade CRDT sync, local-first architecture built with Ink & Switch expertise.
Native iPad app with native performance, purpose-built for thinking work—not a cross-platform compromise
Nested boards exist nowhere else. Move the chaos in your mind into the calm structure of Muse.
Your work is safe. When your livelihood depends on your tools, stability and reliability aren't optional.
The math: If Muse saves you just one lost afternoon from sync failures or organizational chaos, it's more than paid for itself. That's easy ROI.
Start Free
Muse offers a generous free tier (100 cards, 2 workspaces) so you can experience the difference.
Download for iPad & iPhone.
Download for Mac.
FAQ
Not directly, but you can export Freeform boards as PDFs and bring them into Muse for annotation and continued work.
Freeform supports up to 100 collaborators (requiring personal Apple IDs). Muse is optimized for small teams (2-8 people) with focus on deep individual thinking work.
Muse runs on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro. Your work syncs seamlessly across all your devices.
That's fine for casual projects. But when you hit the limits—too many boards to organize, sync issues on important work, performance degradation on complex projects—Muse is ready.