# Scapple

> Freeform mind-mapping app for writers, on Mac and Windows

Scapple is a freeform mind-mapping app from Literature & Latte, the company behind Scrivener. It behaves like a sheet of paper: notes are typed anywhere on the page and joined with lines or arrows, with no central topic and no enforced hierarchy. It is sold as a one-time license, separately for macOS and for Windows, and notes can be dragged into a Scrivener project for further work.

- **Category:** Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- **Made by:** Literature & Latte Ltd. (since 2013)
- **Website:** https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/overview
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Scapple is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $20.99 one-time, per platform (macOS or Windows).

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** 30-day free trial of the full version; only days on which the app is used count toward the 30.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standard Licence | $20.99 one-time, per platform (macOS or Windows) | The full version for one platform, under a household license that covers the buyer's own computers and those of family in the same home. |
| Educational Licence | $16.79 one-time, per platform (macOS or Windows) | The same full version at 20% off for students and academics, who need an institutional affiliation to qualify. |

Read from https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scapple on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Scapple before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **20% off for students and academics** (Education): The vendor's store sells an Educational Licence to students and academics with an institutional affiliation: $16.79 instead of $20.99 in US pricing, on macOS or Windows. Source: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scapple

## Mac App Store prices by country

"The app", as each country's Mac App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $23.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £22.99 | about $26.40 (26% more) |
| Germany | 24,99 € | about $25.72 (23% more) |
| Canada | $29.99 | about $21.03 (about the same) |
| Australia | $39.99 | about $24.30 (16% more) |
| India | ₹ 2,499 | about $20.65 (about the same) |
| Brazil | R$ 149,90 | about $25.89 (23% more) |
| Mexico | $499.00 | about $27.70 (32% more) |
| Turkey | ₺1.299,99 | about $20.32 (about the same) |
| Indonesia | Rp 499ribu | about $22.27 (6% more) |
| Philippines | ₱ 1,490.00 | about $20.48 (about the same) |
| South Africa | R499.99 | about $24.02 (14% more) |

## Key features

- **Notes anywhere on the page:** Double-clicking any spot on the page creates a note there. Notes can be moved and rearranged at any time, and the page keeps growing so there is always more room.
- **Connections without a hierarchy:** Dragging one note onto another joins them with a line or an arrow. No note is the center of the map, notes can stay unconnected, and connections can carry labels.
- **Stacks and background shapes:** Related notes can be stacked into columns, and background shapes group a set of notes visually. The appearance of individual notes can be customized.
- **Export and printing:** Boards can be printed or exported. The release notes refer to PDF and PNG output on the Mac and to plain text, rich text and OPML export.
- **Hand-off to Scrivener:** Notes can be dragged from a Scapple board into Scrivener, the vendor's long-form writing app, to be developed into a draft.
- **Household license:** A license bought from the vendor covers every computer the buyer owns and mainly uses, plus the computers of family members living in the same house.

## Good for

- Writers working out plots, arguments or research before drafting
- People who find a mind map with one central topic too rigid
- Scrivener users who want to carry rough notes into a project
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

## Worth knowing

- Scapple is offered for macOS and Windows only; the vendor lists no web, iOS or Android version.
- Each license covers a single platform, so running Scapple on both a Mac and a Windows PC means buying two.
- Minor updates are free, but the vendor says a future major version such as Scapple 2 would be a paid upgrade.
- The Windows version (1.4.2, December 2022) is behind the macOS version (1.5.4, November 2025).

## Works with

Scrivener, iCloud, MathType

**Tags:** Mind mapping, One-time purchase

## Alternatives

- [MindNode](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mindnode): Mind mapping and outlining app for Apple devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindnode-vs-scapple)
- [SimpleMind](https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplemind): Mind mapping app sold as a one-time purchase per platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/scapple-vs-simplemind)
- [Xmind](https://toolgpa.com/tools/xmind): Mind mapping app with AI, Gantt charts and a presentation mode. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/scapple-vs-xmind)
- [Freeplane](https://toolgpa.com/tools/freeplane): Free, open source mind mapping app for the desktop. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/freeplane-vs-scapple)
- [Milanote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/milanote): Visual boards for organizing creative projects. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/milanote-vs-scapple)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scapple
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/overview
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/faqs
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/release-notes?os=macOS
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple/release-notes?os=Windows
- https://www.literatureandlatte.com/about-us
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scapple/id568020055
- https://checkout.paddle.com/api/2.0/prices?product_ids=558664,558666&customer_country=US

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/scapple
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).