Plotting with index cards on iPhone and iPad: your options.

Index cards are the classic way to find the structure of a novel or screenplay. Here is how the main ways to use them on Apple devices compare – including when CardBeat is not the right pick.

Written by the developer of CardBeat, so read it with that in mind. Details about other apps reflect their public descriptions as of October 2026; check their sites for current features and prices.

	CardBeat	Scrivener (corkboard)	Apple Freeform	Paper index cards
Made for	Plotting stories on cards	Writing long manuscripts	General brainstorming	Anything
Card layout	Free placement on a board, optional snap-to-grid	Cards follow the order of your manuscript	Infinite canvas, sticky notes and shapes	Wherever your wall allows
On a card	Handwriting (Pencil or finger) or typed text; blank, lined, dotted or grid cards in eight colors	A title and typed synopsis per document	Typed sticky notes, drawings, images	Pen and pencil
Writing the pages	No – use your writing app	Yes, the full manuscript	No	No
Collaboration	Share a board as a file or PDF	Share the project	Real-time, via iCloud	In the same room
Show on a big screen	Dedicated view for TVs and projectors	Screen mirroring	Screen mirroring	A real wall
Price	Free for two boards; one-time unlock	One-time purchase per platform	Free, built in	Cards and pins
Devices	iPhone, iPad	Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad	iPhone, iPad, Mac	–

Pick CardBeat if…

you think by handwriting and moving things around, and want that on iPhone or iPad without the pile of paper;
your story lives in acts, sequences and scenes, and you want to see all of them at once;
you plot in a writers' room and want a clean board on the TV or projector;
you write the actual pages elsewhere – Final Draft, Fade In, Highland, Scrivener, Word – and need a separate place for structure;
you don't want another subscription, and care that the app collects no data.

Pick Scrivener if…

you want your outline and your manuscript in one project. Scrivener's corkboard shows each section of your draft as a card, so reordering cards reorders the text. That tight link is its strength – and the reason it feels less free than a plain board when you are still finding the story.

Pick Apple Freeform if…

you need real-time collaboration or a general-purpose canvas for images, links and notes, and you don't mind building your own card system. It is free and already on your device. It isn't built around story structure, though, so acts, card styles and a writers'-room view are up to you.

Stick with paper if…

you love the wall. Nothing beats a corkboard you can stand in front of. The trade-offs: no undo, no backup, no color changes without rewriting, and the board stays in one room.

Try CardBeat

CardBeat is free with two boards, which is enough to plot a whole project before you decide. Download it on the App Store or read the FAQ.