# Allume — for focused thinking — Formerly Muse Canvas for Ideas

> Digital canvas for organizing thoughts, ideas, and collaboration. (iPhone/iPad app by Milestone Made, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allume-for-focused-thinking/id1501563902 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Milestone Made, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476538400)
- Category: Productivity, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 332 App Store ratings · 267 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 100 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish, Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR China), Ukrainian
- Released: 2020-03-11
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allume-for-focused-thinking/id1501563902/reviews.md

## What is Allume?

Allume (formerly Muse) is a canvas for thinking that helps you get clarity on things that matter. Think in private or collaborate with others.

BEYOND WHITEBOARDS
with nested boards
Each Muse board is like a whiteboard that can hold even more whiteboards. Your boards grow organically over time as you develop an idea. Stay in the ideation flow, worry about organizing later. 

REFERENCE & REMIX
with linked cards & excerpts
Linked cards let you reference boards from multiple places. And excerpts let you remix parts of PDFs and images without losing the context of the source. Grow your Muse into a space of interconnected whiteboards.

ONE CANVAS FOR ANYTHING
with ink + text + cards
Developing an idea starts with collecting inspiration and stray thoughts. Muse lets you put everything on a single canvas: writing, scribbles, notes, images, videos, PDFs, web links, and any other files. Lay out all the raw materials, then connect the dots with ease.

COLLABORATION
with shared workspaces
Add collaborators to a Muse workspace to plan and strategize together. They'll feel right at home with live cursors, comments, following, and templates.

AND PLENTY MORE
→ Search and quick-jump to boards
→ Read and annotate PDFs
→ Create connections between cards
→ Export boards as PDFs or PNGs
→ Local-first data with instant sync

LEARN MORE
Website: https://allume.com/
Community: https://allume.com/community
Contact us: hello@allume.com
Terms of service: https://allume.com/terms

## Key features

- Nested boards for deep ideation
- Linked cards for referencing
- Remixing content from PDFs and images
- Unified canvas for text, ink, and files
- Real-time collaboration with shared workspaces
- PDF annotation and export

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited membership, yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Unlimited membership, monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro membership, yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro membership, monthly | $9.99 | per month |


## What do users think of Allume?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Organize ideas and information
- 🚀 Unique and very cool features
- 👍 Indispensable app - incredibly well designed
- 👍 Great thinking and creative tool
- 👍 Exceptional app
- 👍 Multipurpose & flexible
- 👍 Game changing app for business and life
- 👍 Spatial notes and organization
- 👍 Completes iPad workflow with direct outlet for creativity

**Cons**

- 💰 Too expensive subscription price
- 🔒 Lack of privacy of user data
- 🔒 Requires email to try
- 🐛 Bugs are prevalent
- 🔒 Outrageous pricing
- 🔒 No substantial difference to OneNote, Evernote etc.

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Eraser size issues
- Undo history reset when navigating between boards
- Crashes when erasing large areas
- Syncing issues between devices
- iPhone app not usable without iPad or Mac
- Freezing and performance issues

**Most requested features**

- More pen color and workspace options
- Zoom in/out within a board
- Search functionality
- Checklists
- Support for pen tablets on Mac
- Straight line drawing with arrowheads
- Monthly payment plan

## Recent user reviews (10 of 267)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/allume-for-focused-thinking/id1501563902/reviews.md

### 5/5 — My favourite thinking app

*2026-07-07, version 4.0.2*

My favourite thinking app

### 1/5 — Forced email disclosure

*2026-06-05, version 3.5.2*

Can’t even look at the app without disclosing your email. They claim it’s for your safety, but that’s what iCloud is for. I smell something stinky.

### 5/5 — A way to keep it together while trying to get it together.

*2026-06-02, version 3.5.2*

It has taken me several decades to be able to try to organize my mind well enough to make evident dreams. This app is the Border Collie for the creative stock in my mind. It keeps me Mooooving!

### 2/5 — Good idea, but needs refining

*2026-04-18, version 3.5.2*

The interface is far too clunky. I spent 5-10 mins just trying to put a photo from the inbox onto a board. Sometimes it works, other times not. If a user has to struggle with the most basic functions (dragging and dropping) then I’d say the app is probably still half-baked.

### 5/5 — 비전보드 만들기 너무 좋아요

*2026-04-06, version 3.5.2*

감사합니다

### 1/5 — Keine finktion

*2026-03-31, version 3.5.2*

Zeit verschvendung, leeres versprechen.
Wie sagt man in deutch  klugs……..

### 1/5 — YOUR DATA IS NOT SAVED LOCALLY

*2026-02-13, version 3.5.1*

I LOST ALL MY SEMESTER NOTES BECAUSE MY MAC REBOOTEOD AND MUSE SAVED NOTHING!!! DO. NOT USE THIS APP

### 5/5 — Best of all

*2026-02-09*

I was so desperate to find such an app that I decided to build one for myself. But you guys built it for me, and you built it better than what I imagined. Thanks a lot. 

Just one request, add a feature for cloud storage.

### 1/5 — Too expensive

*2026-01-08, version 3.5*

Absurdly expensive subscription price for an app that has so many cheap or free alternatives.

Their website show this app has been updated only 3 times in the past two years. I’m not spending $10 a month, or $70 a year for the devs to do almost nothing.

### 1/5 — Unzugänglich und keine Testmöglichkeit

*2025-12-21, version 3.5*

Die Idee des Programms spricht mich sehr an und ist eigentlich genau was ich suche. Ich konnte mir die Logik der Bedienung nicht erarbeiten. Die Hilfe Funktion ist verwirrend. Wenn ich Hilfe über ein Bord brauche, dass ich nicht bedienen kann, hilft es mir nicht wenn ich das Bord bedienen können muss, um Hilfe zu bekommen . Schon nach 5 Minuten Testen erreicht man das Limit von 100 Karten und kann nicht mehr weiter probieren und muss ein Abo abschließen. Der Support reagiert sehr träge. Schade.

## Frequently asked questions about Allume

### What is Muse used for?

Muse is a digital canvas designed to help you gain clarity on important matters. It's ideal for thinking privately or collaborating with others on projects, ideas, and strategies. The app supports a wide range of content types, allowing for comprehensive organization.

### How does Muse help with organizing ideas?

Muse utilizes a unique nested board system, allowing each board to contain other boards, creating a deep organizational structure. You can also link cards between boards and remix content from external sources like PDFs and images, building an interconnected web of your ideas.

### Can I collaborate with others on Muse?

Yes, Muse offers robust collaboration features. You can invite others to shared workspaces where you can plan and strategize together. Features like live cursors, comments, and templates enhance the collaborative experience.

### What types of content can I add to Muse?

You can add virtually any type of content to your Muse canvas, including text, handwritten notes, scribbles, images, videos, PDFs, web links, and other files. This allows you to gather all your inspiration and raw thoughts in one place.

### Is Muse free to use?

The application offers a free tier, but also includes in-app purchases for enhanced features and functionality. This freemium model allows users to experience the core capabilities before committing to any paid options.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.2 — 2026-07-06

New Features:
• A fresh app icon, with a dark mode variant

Improvements:
• Backstage Pass members can now turn on Custom Ink Smoothing for an iPad-tuned pen feel

Bug Fixes:
• Purchases awaiting approval, such as Family Sharing's Ask to Buy, now show a clear "awaiting approval" message instead of a confusing error code, and cancelling a purchase no longer shows an error popup
• Fixed renamed breadcrumb text overlapping the clear button

Thanks for using Allume!

### 4.0.1 — 2026-06-24

Bug Fixes:
• Fixed "Move to New Board" so it no longer drops a chain when moving multiple linked-card chains at once
• Corrected the color swatches shown in the ink color selector
• Fixed a crash when pinching to navigate away from an image
• The shared collaborators button now refreshes properly in the navigation bar

Thanks for using Allume!

### 4.0 — 2026-06-17

New Features:
• Muse is now Allume! Same app with a new name, new brand, and refreshed onboarding, templates, and support links at allume.com
• Liquid Glass redesign on iPad with refreshed breadcrumbs, toolbars, and polished show/hide interface animations
• Search now finds the text inside your images, scanned privately on-device
• Scan text from the camera with support for selecting multiple text regions at once
• Tap the ellipsis in a long breadcrumb trail to jump to any hidden step

Improvements:
• Reworked database threading to eliminate lag and lockups while editing, making saves on large boards dramatically faster
• Selecting and deselecting large numbers of cards is much faster
• Cards show distinct icons for each sync state, including waiting to download and waiting to upload. Tap for an explanation.
• Set a size limit for the board snapshot cache in Settings, with a low-disk-space warning and a recovery screen for freeing up space. Cached snapshots are also excluded from device backups.
• Documents with many linked cards now load faster
• Faster board snapshot generation after fresh login, with smarter eviction when disk space is low
• Improved board responsiveness from underlying database updates
• Reduced overhead from presence and user updates
• Profile settings have moved into the main Settings area

Bug Fixes:
• Fixed memory growth that could cause Allume to be terminated in the background
• Fixed duplicated cards and copy/pasted text blocks sometimes showing the wrong content
• Fixed a crash when importing images
• Fixed a memory leak in PDF document caching
• Fixed forward delete and external keyboard behavior in text block chains
• Fixed text undo history issues after structural text refresh
• Fixed scrolling to the correct search result after navigating back from a board
• Fixed iPhone housekeeping screen appearing on first launch
• Fixed camera dialog size on iPad

Thanks for using Allume!

### 3.5.2 — 2026-02-28

New Features:
• New Tape Tool creates textured tape strips with a paper-like pattern, including tap-to-reveal for hiding and uncovering content underneath (Backstage Pass feature)
• New Stroke Eraser mode deletes entire strokes on contact instead of clipping them (Backstage Pass feature)
• Paste YouTube URLs to automatically import video thumbnails as image cards alongside the link
• Videos can now be scrubbed while playing or paused by dragging the playback position

Improvements:
• Reduced CPU usage from unnecessary background processing

Bug Fixes:
• Fixed crash when switching back and forth between Muse and other apps on iPad
• Fixed Unicode and case-insensitive search issues when finding text in boards
• Fixed profile settings not correctly tracking image changes
• Fixed accidental undo/redo triggering during Apple Pencil drawing
• Fixed tapping in the middle or top of a text block incorrectly placing the cursor at the bottom

Thanks for using Muse!

### 3.5.1 — 2026-01-28

New Features:
• Added helpful information about lifetime subscriptions to the FAQ section

Improvements:
• Improved error messages when redeeming access codes with localized translations
• Linked card icons now render correctly in board and PDF exports

Bug Fixes:
• Text block borders now properly update when toggling between light and dark modes
• Fixed text blocks flickering at incorrect scale when beginning a drag
• Fixed lag when typing in very large text notes
• Fixed board snapshots not displaying when the tiles folder exists but is empty
• Fixed PDF snapshots and single-tile board snapshots not loading correctly

Thanks for using Muse!

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## More apps by Milestone Made, LLC

- [Loose Leaf](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loose-leaf/id625659452)
- [Spare Parts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spare-parts/id981297199)
- [MathDown - Markdown LaTeX Docs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathdown-markdown-latex-docs/id6757225154)

All apps by Milestone Made, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1476538400

## Related topics

[ideate](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ideate) · [ideation](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ideation) · [ideas](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ideas) · [idea accelerator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/idea-accelerator)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*
