# Boxes And Arrows > Simple gesture-based app for creating and organizing box-and-arrow graphs. (iPhone/iPad app by PhilanthroSoft UG (haftungsbeschraenkt).) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxes-and-arrows/id947553535 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [PhilanthroSoft UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/947553534) - Category: Productivity, Business - Price: $0.99 - Rating: 2.75/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 78 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2014-12-30 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxes-and-arrows/id947553535/reviews.md ## What is Boxes And Arrows? Boxes And Arrows (B'nA) provides the most simplistic usage to create graphs of boxes and arrows. Ideal whenever you need to track or develop ideas or structure your thoughts. A tool that allows you to work in the flow because it provides the flexibility of graphs and a gesture-centric lightweight usage. With B'nA you can concentrate on your thoughts, not on the tool. You may use it like a classical mind mapping app or go beyond: - You can structure your graphs by using the background layer thus forming diagrams. - You can keep a lot of information in a well-arranged way by using the subgraph feature. - You can use the 'export graph to text'-, 'copy text into a map'- or 'snapshot'-features to incorporate it into your work. Basic Gestures - to add a box: tap - to edit the text of a box: double tap - to move a box: drag it. - to add an arrow between two boxes: tap first box, than tap second box. (The tap of the first box is indicated by a thicker box-frame, it times out.) - to delete an arrow, slash it out: one finger stroke from bottom left to top right crossing the arrow. (A red line will indicate your gesture.) - to delete a box, slash it out: one finger stroke from bottom left to top right crossing the box. (A red line will indicate your gesture.) - to select boxes: draw a line around them (A blue line will indicate your gesture) - to jump inside a box: tap, wait, double tap. - to drag one box inside another: drag it over another box and hold Typical usages - take and organise notes - keep an personal KANBAN - capture and rework an argumentation during discussions - sketch business-charts - prepare workshops and capture results - visualise your own thoughts - keep a simple and flexible to-do list - build a storyline - sketch an org-chart - create cause-and-effect graphs ... ## Key features - Create box and arrow graphs - Structure thoughts and ideas - Gesture-centric interface - Subgraph feature for organization - Export graph to text - Snapshot feature ## Recent user reviews (4 of 4) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxes-and-arrows/id947553535/reviews.md ### 1/5 — It is exactly as they say *2024-03-10* The app is boxes and arrows, no delete, no undo, no user guide, it is not self explanatory. Once I left a box I could not find a way to go back and add text, nor could I get rid of an accidental arrow or box, but I did manage to lose all of it with the swipe of a finger….twice. Not even worth the 99 cents. ### 5/5 — Versatile and fast! *2021-11-16* This is a great app. It lets you generate nodes quickly, make connections and align the nodes with absolutely the minimum fuss. Best of all, the app lets you make real concept map assemblies. By this, I mean you can make feedback loops - such as {A to B to C to A} (conventional mind maps can't do this). Also, two 'parents' can have one 'child' (conventional mind maps can't do this, either). Or indeed, you can do genuine many to many maps, which is what I need for my Real World problem solving approaches. And it dynamically moves the lines as you move the nodes (some conventional mind maps can do this). Kinda like having ideas on springs ... This, then, after literally less than a minute's use, is my favourite app. I've been looking for this exact functionality for literally 12 years. And it's 89p. I would pay £100, really. Awesome! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ### 5/5 — Schlicht und einfach - einfach gut. *2015-03-10* Ich war auf der Suche nach einem Tool, mit dem sich einfach Beziehungen/Relationen zwischen mehreren Elementen darstellen lassen. Anfangs versuchte ich Linien zu ziehen, indem ich eine Verbindungslinie mit dem Finger zog, wie ich anhand der "international verständlich Bedienungsanleitung" malernde muss man beide Elemente in entsprechender Reihenfolge anklicken. Toll ist auch, wie einfach sich Verbindungslinien mit Doppelspitzen generieren lasse. Zudem ist die Arbeitsfläche unbegrenzt. Die App bietet noch Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten zur Farbsetzung, Dicke von Linien etc. beschriftete Verbindungslinien, etc. Resümee tolle App. ### 4/5 — Does what it does ... PERFECTLY *2015-01-08* I have a bunch of mind mapping tools. Most I never use because the interface is just too clunky, or the learning curve too steep. BOXES does just one thing, intuitively, perfectly. Tap, get a box. Double tap, add text. Drag boxes around. Tap box to box to draw an arrow. That's it. If you want a super fast mind mapping tool with no fuss, this is it. If you want color and whirling doodads, this is not your app. Only problem is this simplicity is a bit overpriced. Bring the price down, boys ... **Developer response:** Hi there, I am Jan from Philanthrosoft. I am the creator of B'nA. I always wanted to thank you for your review. It showed me, that I was on the right track in my attempt to make a very simple mind mapping or better mind graphing tool. And from what you said, I exactly hitted the point, I intended to. I hope you like the course the development of Bn'A took and of course would like to hear any further comments about it. I'm trying to keep the intended simplicity, even as functionality builds up. You still can use the tool exactly like in the beginning, when you commented on it. There is still a lot to come but it will take time, since I'm doing this as a sidekick project and have very limited time to spend on it. Maybe you still are interested an keep an eye on the updates. So, thanks for your review and I hope this reply will bring some of the joy to your day as did your comment back then did to mine. With kind regards J. G. Schute P.S. Apple only recently made it possible to answer on reviews, that's why you get a reply now. And following as an Easter egg, a promotion code for BnA, for you to give it away (Valid only till May 11th and not for sale): 3XNAWH64KRWE ## Frequently asked questions about Boxes And Arrows ### What is Boxes And Arrows used for? Boxes And Arrows is used to create and organize visual graphs of boxes and arrows. It's ideal for structuring thoughts, tracking ideas, developing concepts, and organizing notes in a flexible, gesture-centric way. ### How do I add a box in Boxes And Arrows? To add a box, simply tap on the screen where you want the box to appear. Double-tapping a box will allow you to edit its text. ### Can I export my graphs from Boxes And Arrows? Yes, Boxes And Arrows offers an 'export graph to text' feature. You can also use the 'snapshot' feature to incorporate your graphs into other work. ### What devices does Boxes And Arrows support? Boxes And Arrows is currently supported on iPad devices. It was released on December 30, 2014, and its latest version is 1.6.7, last updated on December 30, 2021. ### What is the price of Boxes And Arrows? Boxes And Arrows is a paid application, priced at $0.99. It does not feature in-app purchases or advertisements. ### How does Boxes And Arrows handle organization? Boxes And Arrows allows for structuring graphs using a background layer for diagrams and a subgraph feature to keep large amounts of information well-arranged. ### What is the user sentiment for Boxes And Arrows? Based on available data, Boxes And Arrows has a rating of 2.8 stars from 4 ratings. This suggests a mixed user reception. ### Is Boxes And Arrows suitable for children? Boxes And Arrows has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger users. Its simple interface and visual nature can be beneficial for early organizational skills. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.6.7 — 2021-12-30 Maintenance Release - The App is now iOS 13+ compatible. Minimum iOS 12.0 is required. ### 1.6.6 — 2019-01-02 Improvements - The animations for drop-into and drag-into gestures are revised. - The ordering of robot-summary texts is improved. - By default boxes now have a centered title. - New animated help-content. - Minor layout issues in the file-list are fixed. Bugs fixed - Boxes with robo-image of the box-subgraph which holds a generated robo-image itself, no longer leads to a crash. ### 1.6.5 — 2018-09-28 New Features - Subgraph image as summary A generated image of the box-subgraph is now provided by the summary-robot as an alternative to the text-summary. Everything a box shows in the summary field can be set per box. You can choose the 'default automatic mode' in which the summary-robot decides what to show. Either text- or image-summary or the user-given summary text, or you explicitely decide what you want to see in the summary-field. - Summary content control Via the eye-control buttons in the background tab, it is possible to control wether or not a box is visible in a robot-summary. Use the 'open eye' to show a box/title, the 'closed eye' to hide it. The third button leaves it to the summary-robot whether to include a box in a summary or not. If you use this for background-boxes also all boxes above are affected. Hint: Try just one backgound-box with 'open eye' and look at the resulting robot-summaries. Improvements - Title-Summary-Layout fine tuned If the box tile height is relatively small compared to the box-height, the space (height) for the title is now less than the golden ratio. The title height is limited to the number of textlines and twice the lineheight for the title. - Drag-Into fine tuned You have to move a dragged box out of a boxes' area before you can drag it back into the same box. Thus unintentional 'drag into gestures' are prevented. Bugs fixed - Two memory leaks are closed, which led to crashes after longer and intense use of the app. - DragToSupergraph crashed in latemove situations fixed. - Arrows no longer get lost in dropinto subgraph gesture. ### 1.6.3 — 2018-05-11 New Features - Boxdesign roboter A "roboter" coumputes the design for a new box by looking at the boxdesigns used and the inital positioning of the new box. To use this feature select the robo-design as the template prefigured for boxes by double tapping it in the template's bar. - Drop into gesture You can now drop boxes into other boxes: If a box is dragged over another box and you hold your finger on the screen the box you dragged over starts to flash for a short duration. If you lift your finger during that time, the box dragged is dropped into the flashing one. This is useful for fast sorting away boxes from a graph to subgraphs. Improvements - Alingment lines fine tuned The alingmentlines's stickiness is reworked and the alingmentlines now treat groups of boxes moved as one great box. Bugs fixed - Drag to subgraph could result in a crash. ### 1.6.2 — 2018-03-31 New Features - Autolayout for boxes With autolayout the box shows the 'title-only-layout' if it contains no subgraph, and the 'title-and-summary' layout if it has as subgraph. Bugs fixed - App no longer chrashes in iOS 11.3 when opening a graph. - Drag out of subgraph could result in a crash. ## Apps similar to Boxes And Arrows | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Notes, To-Do List & Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-to-do-list-and-planner/id1422480663) | 4.7 (91) | Free | Productivity | | [PDF Eye : Scanner & Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-eye-scanner-and-editor/id1533860259) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Productivity | | [Headspace Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/headspace-lite/id318803856) | 3.0 (3) | Free | Productivity | | [iBlueSky (mindmapping)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibluesky-mindmapping/id291664204) | 2.6 (5) | Free | Productivity | | [HanaToDo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanatodo/id1586144839) | 3.0 (2) | Free | Productivity | | [Converter of Units](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/converter-of-units/id1350148498) | 4.7 (48) | Free | Productivity | ## More apps by PhilanthroSoft UG (haftungsbeschraenkt) - [Tempuversary](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tempuversary/id1574084705) All apps by PhilanthroSoft UG (haftungsbeschraenkt): https://appshunter.io/developer/947553534 --- *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 2026-06-10.*