Allume vs Milanote

Allume

• iPad and Mac users who mix handwriting, text and files on one canvas
• Reading and research: PDFs can be annotated and excerpted onto boards
• Solo thinkers who want their data stored locally and usable offline
• Projects that outgrow a single board and need boards inside boards

Milanote

• Designers, filmmakers and writers collecting references and ideas
• Building moodboards and storyboards to share with clients
• Teams of 5 to 50 who want one flat annual price
• Trying every feature on a free plan with no time limit

Allume

• Allume is offered only for Mac, iPad and iPhone; the vendor lists no web, Windows or Android version.
• The Free plan has a small board size and allows 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace and 1 other collaborator per workspace.
• The vendor deliberately leaves out drawing brushes, complex text formatting, and endless canvas zooming or rotation.
• Through Setapp the app is limited to 5 collaborators and needs a Mac, against unlimited collaborators on the Unlimited plan.

Milanote

• The Free plan stops at 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads, with images capped at 10MB each.
• Team plans are billed annually only; monthly billing exists only on the per-person plan at $12.50 a month.
• Teams of more than 50 people need a custom enterprise plan arranged through sales.
• There is no separate Pro trial: the vendor points people to the Free plan to try the product.

Allume

Nested boards

Each board works like a whiteboard that can contain further whiteboards, so an idea or project can grow in place and be organized later rather than up front.

Ink, text and cards on one canvas

Handwriting, typed notes, images, videos, PDFs, web links and other files sit together on a board, and connections can be drawn between cards.

Linked cards and PDF excerpts

A linked card references the same board from several places. PDFs can be read and annotated, and excerpts pull part of a PDF or image onto a board while keeping its source.

Shared workspaces

Collaborators added to a workspace get live cursors, comments, following and templates. The Free plan allows 1 other collaborator per workspace.

Local-first sync

Data is kept locally and synced between Mac, iPad and iPhone. The vendor lists an always-online requirement among the things the app does not have.

Command line app and MCP

Version 4.0 adds a command line app to search, export and add content, plus an MCP connection for AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT. Both are switched off by default.

Milanote

Freeform visual boards

A board combines notes, images, videos, links, files and sketches, arranged freely, so a project's research and plans sit in one view.

Moodboards and storyboards

Templates and guides cover moodboards, storyboards, creative briefs, character profiles, shot lists and other formats used in creative work.

Web clipper

A browser extension saves text, images, links and video from any page to a board. It is offered for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Opera.

Sharing and collaboration

Invite clients or teammates to edit, comment on or just view a board, and work together in real time. Shared boards are unlimited on every plan.

Mind maps and whiteboarding

The same boards work as an online whiteboard on an infinite canvas and as a mind mapping tool for brainstorming sessions.

Desktop and mobile apps

Desktop apps for Mac and Windows open Milanote outside the browser with live notifications, and mobile apps cover iPhone, iPad and Android.

Allume

• Free$0

  Small board size, 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace, 1 other collaborator per workspace and community support.

• Unlimited$9.99

  per month, or $99.99 per year

  Huge board size, unlimited workspaces, cards and collaborators, and priority email support.

• Setapp$14.99

  per month, through a Setapp subscription

  Huge board size, unlimited workspaces and cards, and 5 collaborators. A Mac is required for Setapp; iPad and iPhone are optional.

Milanote

• Free$0

  100 notes, images or links, 10 file uploads and unlimited shared boards, with no time limit.

• Pro (pay per person)$9.99

  per person / month, billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly)

  Unlimited notes, images, links and file uploads, with images up to 100MB and other files up to 5GB each.

• Team (up to 10 people)$49

  per month for the team, billed annually

  Unlimited content for up to 10 people under one team admin. Annual billing only.

• Team (up to 50 people)$99

  per month for the team, billed annually

  Unlimited content for up to 50 people under one team admin. Annual billing only; larger teams are quoted an enterprise plan.

Allume

• Annual discount

  About 17% less on the yearly plan

  Unlimited is $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month. Twelve monthly payments come to $119.88, so paying yearly works out about 17% cheaper.

• Education

  Education discount on request

  The pricing section says students and teachers can email Allume for an education discount. The size of the discount is not published.

Milanote

• Annual discount

  About 20% less with annual billing

  The per-person plan costs $9.99 a month when billed annually against $12.50 billed monthly, a saving of about 20%.

• Other savings

  Flat team price for 5 or more people

  The team plan costs $49 a month for up to 10 people or $99 a month for up to 50, billed annually. The plans page labels the two sizes "Save 50%" and "Save 80%".

• Education

  Student and academic discount

  Milanote's help centre says students and academics get a discount by emailing its education address with details of their institution or course.

• Nonprofit

  Discount for NGOs and not-for-profits

  Milanote says it generally discounts plans for NGOs and not-for-profits, decided case by case after contacting support.