Milanote vs SpiderScribe (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Milanote grades higher than SpiderScribe: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Milanote grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. SpiderScribe grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Milanote
Visual boards for organizing creative projects
SpiderScribe
Free-form online mind maps that mix notes, files and places
Which one is for you
Pick Milanote if
- Fits if you collect references and ideas for design, film or writing projects
- Works for moodboards or storyboards a client needs to view or comment on
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because 100 notes, images or links and 10 uploads don't last
- Not for you if you want boards wired into your other work tools, as no integrations or API are listed
- Pricey if you pay month to month on your own, at $12.50 against $9.99 billed annually
- Watch out: team plans are billed annually only, and over 50 people means a quote from sales
- Watch out: there's no Pro trial, so the free plan is the only way to try it
Pick SpiderScribe if
- Fits if you want free-form maps that mix notes, files and places
- Works for classes and small teams who share maps
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as the free plan is non-commercial with 3 private maps and 3 MB
- Watch out: the plans page says the web app needs a browser with the Flash plugin
- Watch out: the pages do not say how the monthly prices are billed
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as only an iPad one is named
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMilanoteGood | 2.2GPASpiderScribeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $9.99 a person a month billed annually, the dear end of this category, and $12.50 if you pay month to month. Team plans are a flat $49 a month for up to 10 people, or $99 for up to 50, annual billing only. | BPro is $5 a month, at the edge of the category's cheapest quarter, though the page does not say how it is billed. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree has no time limit, every feature of the paid plans and unlimited shared boards. The cap is what gets you: 100 notes, images or links, and 10 file uploads. One full moodboard can use most of that in an afternoon. | CFree Personal plan for non-commercial use with 3 private maps and 3 MB of files, plus a 30-day trial, card not stated. |
| Features | BIt covers the job for visual work: boards mixing notes, images, videos, links, files and sketches, templates for moodboards, storyboards, briefs and shot lists, a web clipper that saves from any page, mind maps on the same canvas, and clients who can edit, comment or only view. | CFree-form maps with mixed content, real-time sharing and drawing, but it is one kind of map tool and the listing mentions a Flash plugin requirement. |
| Ease of use | A4.71 from 3,921 App Store ratings. You drag things onto a board and move them about, and the templates mean you rarely start from nothing. | CNo store rating on record, and you build every map by hand. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a web clipper for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Opera. What keeps it off top marks is the wiring: the listing shows no integrations at all and no API, so boards don't talk to your other tools. | CWeb plus an iPad app named SpiderScribe Jr., and one integration, 5pm. |
| Best for | moodboards and storyboards for creative work | free-form mind maps in the browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Milanote and SpiderScribe. How we grade
Price against what you get
Milanote starts at $9.99 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SpiderScribe starts at $5 a month and scores 2.0.
Milanote scores higher, and starts $4.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Milanote for less, and 22 score higher than SpiderScribe for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Milanote also covers notes, whiteboard, web clipper and templates.
- SpiderScribe also covers diagrams.
At a glance
| Milanote | SpiderScribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per person / month, billed annually | $5 per month |
| Free plan | Free plan with no time limit: 100 notes, images or links, 10 file uploads and unlimited shared boards. Images are limited to 10MB each and other files to 50MB. | Personal plan for non-commercial use: unlimited public maps, 3 private maps and 3 MB of files and images. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial on all paid plans |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Milanote | SpiderScribe |
| Price read from | milanote.com | spiderscribe.net |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SpiderScribe
- The plans page says the web app needs a browser with the Flash plugin enabled.
- The free Personal plan is for non-commercial use and allows 3 private maps.
- The pages do not say whether the monthly prices are billed monthly or yearly.
- The only mobile app named on the site is SpiderScribe Jr. for iPad.
Key features
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.
SpiderScribe
- Free-form maps
- Stencils can be connected in any way rather than in a fixed tree, so a map can be a loose web of related items.
- Mixed content
- A map can hold text notes, images, files, calendar events and location maps side by side.
- Real-time collaboration
- Private maps can be shared and edited by several people at once; public maps can be viewed without signing in.
- Drawing mode
- Sketching a rough circle, rectangle or triangle adds a text, file or picture stencil, and drawn lines connect them.
- Export, print and embed
- Maps can be printed, exported to images and embedded in a website or blog with an embed wizard.
Plans
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.
SpiderScribe
Personal$0
Non-commercial use only: unlimited public maps, 3 private maps, 3 MB of files and images.
Pro$5
per month, billing basis not stated
One user with full sharing, unlimited public and private maps, 2 GB of files and images.
Education$19
per month, billing basis not stated
For academic institutions: unlimited users, 10 GB of storage, custom subdomain and central administration.
Business$25
per month for the whole team, billing basis not stated
Unlimited users, 10 GB of storage, custom subdomain and central team administration.
Ways to pay less
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.
SpiderScribe
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Milanote or SpiderScribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Milanote starts at $9.99 per person / month, billed annually, and SpiderScribe starts at $5 per month. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Milanote or SpiderScribe?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Milanote and SpiderScribe have a free plan.
Which platforms do Milanote and SpiderScribe run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Milanote lists macOS, Windows and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app and an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.