Muse

Name: Muse
Brand: Muse
Price: 9.99 USD

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A cozy space for deep thinking and organizing ideas with nested boards and a distraction-free canvas.

From $9.99/mo, billed monthly (free plan available)

Freemium Note-Taking Productivity Whiteboard Mind Mapping

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Tracked since 2026

The Bottom Line

Updated Oct 8, 2026

Price: From $9.99/mo, billed monthly (free plan available). Compare plans

Key facts

A digital canvas for deep thinking with nested boards for organic idea organization.
Supports various content types including text, images, PDFs, and web links on a single canvas.
Designed for intuitive thinkers, offering a distraction-free environment on iPad, iPhone, and Mac.

Pros

Facilitates non-linear and intuitive thinking with nested boards
Distraction-free environment promotes focus on ideas
Supports a wide variety of content types on one canvas
Excellent for brainstorming, research, and creative ideation
Seamless experience across Apple devices with Apple Pencil support

Cons

Intentionally lacks complex drawing brushes and text formatting
May not suit users who prefer highly structured or linear tools
Limited free tier features (small board size, limited cards and collaborators)

What is Muse?

Muse is a digital canvas designed for deep thinking, brainstorming, and creative ideation. It allows users to collect and organize various forms of content, including writing, scribbles, notes, images, videos, PDFs, web links, and other files, all on a single, flexible canvas. Its core innovation lies in "nested boards," where users can place whiteboards within whiteboards, enabling organic growth of ideas and complex, non-linear organization. Targeted at intuitive thinkers, designers, researchers, strategists, and storytellers, Muse provides a distraction-free environment that prioritizes the flow of ideas over rigid structure or complex formatting. It's particularly well-suited for users who prefer visual and spatial organization over linear tools. The app is available natively on iPad, iPhone, and Mac, offering a seamless experience with features like Apple Pencil support and local-first data synchronization. Muse aims to facilitate the early stages of idea development, allowing users to lay out raw materials and connect concepts with ease. It intentionally omits features like complex drawing brushes or endless zooming to maintain its focus on broad strokes and prevent users from getting bogged down in details, fostering a more playful and fluid approach to thinking.

Available on: iOS, macOS

Data compiled by Toolradar Pricing checked Oct 8, 2026 · How we evaluate

Source museapp.com

Preview

Key Features

Nested boards for hierarchical organization of ideas
Single canvas for ink, text, cards, images, videos, PDFs, web links, and files
Dark & Light themes for comfortable viewing
Shared workspaces for collaboration with live cursors and comments
Inbox for temporary storage of cards
Search and quick-jump to boards
Read and annotate PDFs
Create connections between cards

Pricing Plans

Pricing checked Oct 8, 2026. Source: museapp.com, read Oct 8, 2026

Muse plans and prices, checked October 2026
Plan	Price	Details
Free	Free	Mac, iPad, and iPhone Small board size 2 workspaces +3 more Show less 100 cards per workspace 1 other collaborator per workspace Community support
Unlimited	$9.99 / month	Mac, iPad, and iPhone Huge board size Unlimited workspaces +4 more Show less Unlimited cards Unlimited collaborators Priority email support Warm fuzzy feeling for supporting independent software
Setapp	$9.99 / month	Mac*, iPad, and iPhone Huge board size Unlimited workspaces +3 more Show less Unlimited cards 5 collaborators Warm fuzzy feeling for supporting independent software

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is Muse worth the price?

Good value

Muse's pricing is fair, offering a generous Free tier for basic use.

The Unlimited tier at $9.99/month provides excellent value for individual power users and small teams needing extensive features. It's best for individuals and small collaborative teams who value a distraction-free environment.

Full Muse pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

How Muse's pricing compares

At $9.99/mo, billed monthly, Muse is mid-range of its 3 comparable direct competitors ($4 to $14.99/mo across the set).

Obsidian

Craft

Muse

$9.99

Evernote

$14.99

Not ranked, different unit or currency: Notion $10/member/mo, billed yearly; Roam Research $13.75/mo, billed yearly.

Entry paid plan, monthly price, billed monthly. Pricing checked Oct 8, 2026.

Muse by the numbers

Toolradar data: Muse's entry paid plan ($9.99/mo, billed monthly) ranks #7 of 8 for price among the Mind Mapping tools with a verified entry price and no stated unit, where the median is $7.5/mo. As of Nov 2026.

Muse compared with 25 Mind Mapping tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
Metric	Muse	Peer median	Position (1 is best)
Entry paid plan	$9.99/mo, billed monthly	$7.5/mo	#7 of 8 tools with no stated price unit, verified price
Free plan	Yes	19 of 25 have one	n/a
Compare-page visits, last 30 days	42 visits	31	#5 of 14 tools with 20+ compare-page visits

Visitors most often compare Muse with Evernote and Craft (last 30 days, Nov 2026).

Compare-page visits, last 30 days: #7 on 2026-10-16 to #5 on 2026-10-31 (rank among 14 tools, 1 is best).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. A lower entry price ranks higher; prices are read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. All Mind Mapping data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.

Cite this: Toolradar, “Muse by the numbers”, Nov 2026.

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Best Muse Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

View full list →

Evernote Freemium

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4.4

Notion Freemium

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Craft Freemium

Apple-quality notes, docs, and websites on all your devices

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Obsidian Freemium

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Logseq Free

Local-first, open-source knowledge base with bi-directional links

Roam Research Paid

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

All Muse alternatives 6+ tools ranked, pricing + verdict per pick Muse vs Evernote Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Muse vs Notion Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Muse vs Craft Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

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Muse FAQ

How does Muse support non-linear thinking and idea organization?

Muse facilitates non-linear thinking through its core innovation of 'nested boards,' allowing users to place whiteboards within other whiteboards. This feature enables the organic growth of ideas and supports complex, non-linear organization of content. Users can collect and arrange various forms of media on a single, flexible canvas.

Which teams or individuals benefit most from using Muse?

Muse is particularly well-suited for intuitive thinkers, designers, researchers, strategists, and storytellers. It is designed for users who prefer visual and spatial organization over linear tools, making it ideal for brainstorming, research, and creative ideation. The app provides a distraction-free environment that prioritizes the flow of ideas.

How does Muse compare to Notion for organizing information?

Muse differs from Notion by focusing on a flexible, non-linear canvas for early-stage ideation and visual organization, whereas Notion often emphasizes structured databases and linear document creation. Muse allows users to collect diverse content on nested boards, prioritizing intuitive spatial arrangement. It intentionally omits features like complex formatting to maintain a focus on broad strokes.

What kind of content can users organize within Muse?

Users can collect and organize a wide variety of content within Muse, including writing, scribbles, notes, images, videos, PDFs, web links, and other files. All these content types can be placed and arranged on a single, flexible canvas. This allows for comprehensive brainstorming and ideation.

Does Muse include a free tier, and how is its pricing structured?

Yes, Muse offers a free tier for users to get started with the product. For those who require more extensive usage and additional features, paid plans are available. The limitations of the free tier include smaller board sizes, and restricted numbers of cards and collaborators.

What are the trade-offs of Muse's design approach?

Muse intentionally omits features such as complex drawing brushes and extensive text formatting to maintain its focus on broad strokes and prevent users from getting bogged down in details. This design choice means it may not be suitable for users who prefer highly structured or linear tools. The goal is to foster a more playful and fluid approach to thinking.

How does Muse pricing compare with other Mind Mapping tools?

Muse's entry paid plan ($9.99/mo, billed monthly) ranks #7 of 8 for price among the Mind Mapping tools with a verified entry price and no stated unit, where the median is $7.5/mo. Prices are read on each vendor's own pricing page and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. Source: Toolradar, Nov 2026.

Source: museapp.com

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