Thinkblot vs Apple Freeform
Pick Freeform if you want one infinite board for photos, video, documents, links and sticky notes, shared with up to 100 people. It's free, made by Apple, and on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro.
Pick Thinkblot if you want a notebook of pages that turn, where a tapped line becomes a reminder, a message or time on your calendar. Thinkblot is built on Apple's own foundation, PencilKit, on-device recognition and your iCloud, so it sits alongside Freeform rather than in place of it.
Last checked: 27 October 2026
Thinkblot and Apple Freeform, row by row.
| Thinkblot | Freeform | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (including iPhone Duo), iPad with Apple Pencil, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro (the iPad app). iOS and iPadOS 27.1 or later. | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. |
| Handwriting recognition | Read on your device. Fixing a misread word changes the text, never your ink. | — |
| What happens to a line you write | It stays ink. When Thinkblot can help, a small blot appears at the end of the line. Tap it, and the line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or time on your calendar. | It stays on the board, beside photos, documents, links and sticky notes. |
| Tasks and reminders | A box in front of a line makes it a task. Tick the box on paper and it's done in Reminders too. Unticked tasks carry forward. | — |
| Maths | Write a sum and an equals sign, and the answer is written for you. Write “total” under a column and it adds itself. | — |
| Privacy, account and where data lives | No account and no Thinkblot server. Notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first. | Apple's privacy model. Its App Store label lists some linked data. |
| Sync | Your own iCloud, through Apple's private CloudKit database, on the same Apple Account. | iCloud, with up to 100 collaborators on a board. |
| Export | PDF or Markdown. | — |
| Pricing model | Not out yet. Join the waitlist. | Free. Optional Apple Creator Studio ($12.99/month or $129/year) adds image tools. |
On a phone, scroll the table sideways.
Where each one is better.
- An infinite board for photos, video, documents, links and sticky notes.
- Working on one board with up to 100 people.
- PDFs and scanned documents placed on the board and marked up.
- Free, and made by Apple.
- Pages that turn like a book, in blank, ruled, dotted, squared or staff paper.
- A tapped line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or calendar time.
- Ticking a box on the page ticks it in Reminders.
- Sums answer themselves after an equals sign.
Thinkblot vs Freeform, asked.
- Is Thinkblot a Freeform alternative?
- They do different jobs. Freeform is a board you lay things out on and share. Thinkblot is a notebook you write in, where a line can become a reminder or calendar time. Many people will use both.
- Does Thinkblot work with Apple's own apps?
- Yes. It's built on Apple's foundation: PencilKit for ink, handwriting read on your device, your own iCloud through CloudKit, and Reminders and Calendar for tasks and plans. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first.
- Can Freeform turn handwriting into a reminder?
- Freeform's pages describe one-tap Messages and FaceTime from a board, not actions from ink. In Thinkblot, you tap the blot at the end of a line and it becomes a reminder, a message or calendar time.
- Does Thinkblot have a canvas like Freeform?
- The Curiosity notebook has a canvas where your pages and finds sit side by side, joined by hand. It's for following a thread, not a shared board like Freeform's.
- Is Freeform free?
- Yes. Freeform is free and built in. Apple Creator Studio is an optional subscription for image tools.
How do
you think?
Thinkblot is coming soon to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. One email the day it's out. That's all.
Join the waitlistClaims about Apple Freeform come only from its own pages, as they read on 27 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and may change.
Thinkblot facts come from the Thinkblot support page. Last checked: 27 October 2026.