The Allume Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Allume in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Allume
The Insider’s Guide
Nested-board thinking canvas for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among whiteboard and mind map tools, read from Allume’s own pages.
Made by Milestone Made, LLC · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Allume’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Allume’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade
Allume, known as Muse until a 2026 rename, is a thinking canvas for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Boards nest inside other boards, and each one holds handwriting, text, images, videos, PDFs, web links and other files side by side. Data is stored local-first and synced between devices, so the app does not depend on a constant connection, and shared workspaces add live cursors and comments. It is made by an independent developer, Milestone Made, LLC.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Allume, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The maker keeps the toolset deliberately small, so there's little to learn: open a board and start writing or dropping files on it.
- 1
Best for thinking on boards inside boards, on Apple devices
It's Apple only, with no web, Windows or Android version.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year.
- 3
There is a free plan
a small board size, 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace and 1 other collaborator per workspace, on Mac, iPad and iPhone. The vendor describes it as free forever.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and iOS.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 0 of 30
That is against the other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing Allume does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
Allume at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, iOS
- Made by
- Milestone Made, LLC
- Category
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.6 on the App Store, 336 ratings
The report card
Best for thinking on boards inside boards, on Apple devices
Allume, which was called Muse until this year, is a canvas where boards live inside other boards, each taking handwriting, text, PDFs and pictures side by side, stored on your own Mac, iPad and iPhone. It's Apple only, with no web, Windows or Android version. The free plan stops at 2 workspaces of 100 cards, and Allume leaves out drawing brushes, complex text formatting and endless zoom.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Unlimited is $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year, in the middle of what whiteboard apps charge. Through Setapp it's $14.99 a month and you're capped at 5 collaborators. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The free plan has no time limit and runs on all three Apple devices, but the board size is small, you get 2 workspaces with 100 cards in each, and 1 other collaborator. A real project fills 100 cards in a week. |
| Features | C | Boards nest inside boards, each holding ink, text, images, video, PDFs and links, with PDF excerpts and live cursors in shared workspaces. But for a whiteboard the listing admits big absences: no drawing brushes, no complex text formatting and no endless canvas zoom or rotation. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.6 from 336 App Store ratings. The maker keeps the toolset deliberately small, so there's little to learn: open a board and start writing or dropping files on it. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Mac, iPad and iPhone, which is one family of devices, and the vendor lists no web, Windows or Android version. Version 4.0 did add a command line app and an MCP connection for Claude or ChatGPT, both off by default. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Allume is for
- Fits if you want handwriting, typed notes and files side by side on one iPad board
- Works for reading-heavy projects where you pull PDF excerpts onto boards nested inside other boards
Who it is not for
- Skip it if anyone you work with is on Windows or Android, as it's Apple devices only
- Tight if you're staying free, with a small board size, 2 workspaces, 100 cards in each and 1 collaborator
- Not for you if you want drawing brushes, complex text formatting or endless zoom, which Allume leaves out
- Watch out: through Setapp it's $14.99 a month, needs a Mac and stops at 5 collaborators
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8.33
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Allume has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year.
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.
The free plan
a small board size, 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace and 1 other collaborator per workspace, on Mac, iPad and iPhone. The vendor describes it as free forever.
Read from allume.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on allume.comEducation
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.
Stated on allume.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Unlimited membership, monthly”, against $9.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺49,99 | $1.02 | 90% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 119.00 | $1.89 | 81% less |
| India | ₹ 199 | $2.06 | 79% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 39ribu | $2.18 | 78% less |
| Canada | $12.49 | $8.78 | 12% less |
| Australia | $13.99 | $9.77 | about the same |
| Germany | 9,99 € | $11.19 | 12% more |
| United Kingdom | £8.49 | $11.22 | 12% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: macOS and iOS
Nested-board thinking canvas for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, local-first, real-time collaboration, whiteboard.
Boards nest inside boards, each holding ink, text, images, video, PDFs and links, with PDF excerpts and live cursors in shared workspaces.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- iOS
What it works with
- Claude
- ChatGPT
- LM Studio
Allume is made by Milestone Made, LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/30
Other whiteboard and mind map tools it is graded above
Allume's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 17 of 30) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 12 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 12 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Allume’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 30
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 30
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 30
- BEase of useAbove 17 of 30
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 30
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 28 whiteboard and mind map tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Allume is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Nothing Allume does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 25 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools grade higher. It costs $99.99 a year.
What you could not
- An endless canvas that stays smooth with hundreds of things on it.
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- Hooks into the device itself: handwriting.
What this rests on. Allume’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Milanote, Kinopio, Scapple, MindNode and Heptabase
The 5 tools Allume is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Milanote
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Visual boards for organizing creative projects.
- Only Milanote lists a web app.
- Only Milanote lists Windows and Android apps.
- Only Milanote lists a browser extension.
- 2.4GPA
Kinopio
Free plan · from $8/mo
Freeform canvas for notes, mind maps and moodboards.
- Only Kinopio lists a web app.
- Only Kinopio lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Only Kinopio lists a browser extension.
- 2.6GPA
Scapple
Free trial · from $20.99 one-time
Freeform mind-mapping app for writers, on Mac and Windows.
- Allume has a free plan. Scapple does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Allume lists an iOS app.
- Only Scapple lists a Windows app.
- 2.6GPA
MindNode
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Mind mapping and outlining app for Apple devices.
- MindNode is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Allume also covers whiteboard.
- MindNode also covers tasks and mind mapping.
- 2.4GPA
Heptabase
Free trial · from $8.99/mo
Visual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards.
- Allume has a free plan. Heptabase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Heptabase lists a web app.
- Only Heptabase lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
16
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Allume free?
Allume has a free plan. a small board size, 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace and 1 other collaborator per workspace, on Mac, iPad and iPhone.
How much does Allume cost?
Allume lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Allume work on?
Allume is available on macOS and iOS.
Does Allume offer any discounts?
Allume publicly lists the following: About 17% less on the yearly plan; Education discount on request.
How is Allume rated?
Allume's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 336 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Allume have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Allume is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Allume have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Allume is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Allume open source?
Allume is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Allume work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does Allume integrate with?
Allume's listing names Claude, ChatGPT and LM Studio. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Allume have a student discount?
Education discount on request. The pricing section says students and teachers can email Allume for an education discount.
Who makes Allume?
Allume is made by Milestone Made, LLC.
What are the alternatives to Allume?
The closest alternatives to Allume in our directory are Milanote, Kinopio, Scapple, MindNode and Heptabase.
How does Allume compare with other whiteboard and mind map tools?
Allume's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 5.
Is Allume good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Allume C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 12 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Allume?
Nothing Allume does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 4 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Allume’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Allume's own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-10.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Milestone Made, LLC. Prices change, so check allume.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Allume, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/allume
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Allume: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/allume
Know someone choosing between whiteboard and mind map tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/allume/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded whiteboard and mind map tools after Allume, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, compared
- Microsoft Whiteboard Insider's GuideFree collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams3.4 GPA
- draw.io Insider's GuideFree diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose3.2 GPA
- tldraw Insider's GuideFree online whiteboard with a local desktop app3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Allume’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Allume is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Milestone Made, LLC. Prices and plans change: check allume.com before you buy.