# Plottr — user reviews > 70 indexed App Store user reviews of Plottr by Fictional Devices LLC, rated 4.10/5 from 142 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plottr/id1533079725/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plottr/id1533079725.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 101 · 4★ 8 · 3★ 4 · 2★ 10 · 1★ 19 ## What do users think of Plottr? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 📊 Excellent visualization of plot structure and timeline - 📋 Comprehensive story templates (Three Act Structure, Horror, Mystery) - 🎯 Intuitive interface for organizing characters, plots, and story elements - 🔄 Desktop version is robust and feature-rich - 📱 Syncing capability across devices (when working properly) - 🎨 Customizable and versatile for different writing styles - ⚡ Powerful workflow enhancement for plotting - 👥 Responsive and helpful customer support team - 🔧 Developers actively listen to feedback and implement improvements **Cons** - 🐛 Mobile app is significantly bugged and unreliable - 💾 Frequent data loss and work disappearing without saving - 🔄 Poor synchronization between devices - 📱 iOS/iPad app crashes constantly and is unusable - ⌨️ Text input issues with cursor jumping and skipping letters - 🎯 Navigation problems on mobile (timeline scrolling, scene movement) - 💰 Mandatory subscription model with no free trial - 📤 No export functionality to other applications - 🔐 Login/account recovery issues - 🎨 Inconsistent text formatting between platforms - ⚠️ Auto-save doesn't work reliably - 🖼️ Images and book covers not displaying on mobile - 🎬 Act structure broken on iOS version **Commonly reported bugs** - Mobile app crashes frequently during use - Work disappears or fails to save across devices - Scenes randomly disappear when swiped or dragged - Text formatting stripped when syncing between Windows and iOS - Cursor jumps to random positions while typing - Timeline scrolling triggers scene movement instead - Chapters not loading or showing previous versions - Login freezes on iPad and iPhone - App closes unexpectedly mid-work - New scenes appear at top of stack instead of bottom - Act structure displays white space on iOS - Navigation menu tabs don't work properly (clicking chapter 37 stays on chapter 1) - Bluetooth keyboard text input issues - File corruption and renaming to random strings - Offline work deleted when syncing online **Most requested features** - Dark mode for nighttime use - Undo/Redo functionality - Export to Word, Scrivener, and other formats - Story beats structure option (not just chapters) - Spellcheck on mobile - Cloud backup option for free tier - Better timeline navigation on mobile - Ability to stack scenes on iPad - Free trial or demo without subscription requirement - Offline functionality with proper syncing - Better keyboard support for Bluetooth keyboards - App settings and preferences menu ## Newest reviews (14 of 70) ### 2/5 — Import and export *2024-02-17* The video tutorials do not match the functionality or visuals of the app. Further, while I’ve only started working with it, I have not been able to import previously written material through something as simple as copy and paste, and I have not figured out how to export writing from the app into another document. So far it looks like you can only type directly into the app and not take any plots off the app. Seems like a lot of rewriting. unless these problems are resolved, I would not recommend this app. ### 2/5 — Lost my work AGAIN *2024-01-30* I bought the Plottr pro to have it on my computer and phone, and I like the app on my computer. It’s easy to use an navigate there. However, I have lost so much work that just doesn’t save either on my computer or on my phone. Multiple times I have spent hours working on my story to save it, and then come back to it on my other device and it isn’t there. Extremely frustrating. The mobile app also has a lot of bugs, like why is there no spellcheck? Or why when I click on a chapter in the top menu, does it stay on chapter one? I have 37 chapters and I have to scroll all the way to the bottom to access the last chapter, even when I clicked on the chapter 37 tab. So good for computers; not so good for mobile. And I’m writing this having lost my work… AGAIN. I will not be renewing my subscription, I will be using something else. ### 4/5 — Buggy Typing *2023-10-23* Plottr is great so far, but I’ve noticed some buggy-seeming typing issues where my cursor will skip letters, jump to random places on my line of text, or add random spaces. ### 2/5 — Login *2023-10-23* Why do I have to login to Plottr to start the app? Why can’t I just use the template for free ### 2/5 — Used to be Great *2023-08-19* I purchased 1 license for windows and then when I discovered it on iPad, I subscribed for an annual plan. Now, I have a new iPad Pro and I can’t get into the app at all. I’ve went to restore purchase and it does nothing. ### 2/5 — Wait to use the mobile version *2023-07-27* Desktop version works great. Mobile version is extremely buggy. Lots of crashing, terrible navigation, and lag. I could excuse that but it all culminated in losing three hours of work when I paid the $99 for Pro and the desktop version didn’t recognize the file I had on the mobile version. Poof, new file replaced with the old file. Do not download the mobile version until they iron out these serious kinks. Boy do I feel great about dropping the money… ### 3/5 — Keyboard is massively bugged *2023-05-06* When I try to type in the app, it’ll randomly start typing in the middle of a word, and then I have to fix it. It happens far too often. I’ll end up with something like “Costentnsi” instead of “Consistent”. It’s not my phone’s keyboard, either. It only happens in the app. **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the keyboard. We have an improved text editing experience coming out soon! Hopefully it will work much better for you! ### 2/5 — Confusing *2023-03-28* Everything is confusing but the education is amazing! **Developer response:** Hi there! Sorry it’s confusing. How can we make it easier? By the way, we’ve got tons of videos on YouTube and guides on our website: www.plottr.com ### 2/5 — Buggy *2023-02-11, version 2023.01.10* I’ve been unable to see the photos and book cover that I’ve uploaded. Please update app. **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the mobile version of Plottr. We are working hard to make it better and fix those issues with the book cover images. Hopefully you will be able to experience the improvements in the coming months ### 3/5 — Dark Mode needed *2023-02-11, version 2023.01.10* Really would make a difference ### 2/5 — Massive bugs makes ridiculously annoying *2022-12-04, version 2022.11.04* Connecting my desktop account and this account t seems nearly impossible. Have submitted two inquiries over the last month and and both have been ignored. Saving files across devices is super klunky. Any file sizes larger than a few chapters ouf outline are a nightmare to navigate with the iOS UI. Honestly love the desktop app but want my money back for this one. Wanted to love it, but it’s just too annoying to use. **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the mobile version of Plottr. Please contact support because we can help you sort some of these out. We are working hard to make it better and fix these issues. Hopefully you will be able to experience the improvements in the coming months ### 4/5 — Good Desktop Supplement *2022-10-21, version 2022.08.23* I’ve been using this app since Plottr Pro launched and haven’t had a single sync issue with desktop (outside of a few text formatting issues.) I use this app on my tiny iphone to take notes on the go, and I do the bulk of my plotting on a Windows desktop. The app is imperfect. Glitches have come and gone. Text formatting I do on Windows often gets stripped out, like removing line breaks and colored text. Actually, no colored text at all on mobile. But the app works! And nothing critical has happened to my work. Plottr doesn’t have the best GUI, but my plotting gets done, and that’s all the matters at the and of the day. With this program I can get back to what Really love, writing and editing novels. Plottr makes the painful first step of plotting a little easier. ### 4/5 — Like but Needs Work *2022-10-08, version 2022.08.23* I am enjoying plotting and character development aspects so far. However, it has crashed on me several times and every time I try to figure out how to export my outline to Word or Scrivener, I cannot figure it out. All the videos seem to cater to the desktop version. It is also hard to scroll through your timeline on an iPad. It just tries to move things around instead of moving forward in time. ### 2/5 — Stacking Scenes? *2022-09-04, version 2022.08.23* I’m not able to stack scenes on the iPad app. Am I missing something, or is it not available on mobile? **Developer response:** You’re able to see scene stacks that you’ve created on the desktop version, and coming in the next version update you’re able to create them from the iPad version! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Impossible to synch iPhone and Mac *2023-12-19* If you’re looking to work on your phone and then back on your laptop or desktop good luck if you’re in the world of Apple. I spent days trying to get things to synchronize properly with my three machine license and they just don’t sync especially when it comes to getting the phone to sync ### 1/5 — Subscription required *2023-11-22* “Free” app with mandatory sign-up for a subscription account. Even if the product was exceptional, which I’ll never use it, because a subscription model for an app like this is explicitly predatory. Choose an alternative to this app, there are hundreds which won’t bill you monthly. ### 1/5 — cancelled mobile sub after 1/2 hour of frustration *2023-08-05* Wish I had read the reviews more carefully, particularly when it comes to the mobile version. Extremely glitchy. I could not even move scenes around without them jumping to different chapters, or disappearing altogether. There appears to be no support for plotting using “story beats.” Instead, Plottr relies on chapters, but I couldn’t find a way to add unlimited scenes to my chapters. (WHY is it necessary to use chapters as the structural backbone in the first place? Chapter divisions are arbitrary.) It’s as if the creators don't actually understand story structure, something I believe is essential if one is to provide a truly useful, versatile tool for plotting. Bummed this didn’t work out. Back to index cards for me. ### 1/5 — Deletes Notes from Windows Desktop *2023-06-17* Update Starting recently, Notes created on IOS now get erased when I open them on Windows desktop. Same issue I had with IOS Scrivener. They obviously cannot translate between the two text formats. This makes the app a complete failure for me. Desktop is still amazing for the timeline, but I’m using something else for notes on my phone. Other apps do not have this problem and they are free. Tl;dr stay away if you use Windows. I’ve lost several critical brainstorming docs, so my trust in the company is badly shaken. Old review, I’ve been using this app since Plottr Pro launched and haven’t had a single sync issue with desktop (outside of a few text formatting issues.) I use this app on my tiny iphone to take notes on the go, and I do the bulk of my plotting on a Windows desktop. The app is imperfect. Glitches have come and gone. Text formatting I do on Windows often gets stripped out, like removing line breaks and colored text. Actually, no colored text at all on mobile. But the app works! And nothing critical has happened to my work. Plottr doesn’t have the best GUI, but my plotting gets done, and that’s all the matters at the and of the day. With this program I can get back to what Really love, writing and editing novels. Plottr makes the painful first step of plotting a little easier. ### 1/5 — iOS = NOT a good replacement for desktop *2023-05-10* Bought the pro version so I could use Plottr on my phone, tablet, and desktop. Then realized it has significant issues in the new iOS versions. #1 - i keep losing my work. If you accidentally flick your scene in the wrong direction, it just disappears. I’ve even gone to the desktop version to see if I could find it hidden somewhere. Could not. I’ve lost 3 scenes already and it’s cost me at least an hour of time. #2 - there’s no Undo button for mistakes like the above #3 - the Act structure does not work at all in the iOS version. Not sure why they stated it was fixed. In the iOS version, you can’t see anything beyond the “scene’ level. It creates this horrible white space with nothing in it on the iOS version. #4 - other bugs. Random stuff in menus and the overall setup that’s supposed to work just doesn’t. It’s buggy and costs you time trying to work around it. #5 - bluetooth keyboard has constant problems writing text into the scene details. I keep having to change the fields to the “rich text” option to get the issues to calm down. This is a great tool if you’re using the desktop. But I would save some money by purchasing the 1-license version and ignore all the iOS versions. Just use the desktop. Hopefully, they’ll resolve these iOS bugs in the future…but they have a long way to go. **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the mobile version of Plottr. We are working hard to make it better and fix the issues that you are describing. Hopefully you will be able to experience the improvements in the coming months ### 1/5 — It won’t even open *2023-04-22* Waste of time **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the mobile version of Plottr. If it won’t open for you, please contact support because we can help you figure this out so it will work 😃 We are working hard to make it better. Hopefully you will be able to experience the improvements in the coming months ### 1/5 — Not happy *2023-03-25* This app is not the full version of plottr. It does not sync with other devices. So disappointed! **Developer response:** Hi there! There’s actually two ways to have it sync with other devices: Dropbox or Plottr Pro. Find it on our website: www.plottr.com or email us for questions. Thanks! ### 1/5 — Buggy. Not useable. Do not buy. *2023-01-13, version 2023.01.10* Several people have already complained about not being able to navigate the board and end up just selecting and moving items. I see there are even some complaints about this from a year ago. The same problems exist, and this app should be pulled from the App Store until the fundamental bugs have been worked out. I tried using my finger and my Apple Pencil to navigate the board. No success with either. This app also corrupted one of my projects. Fortunately, it only renamed it to some weird string, and no data was lost. Both the iPad app and the desktop app on the macOS are buggy. But the iPad app takes the cake. Plottr is probably one of the worst apps I’ve seen on the iPad. It’s a shame, too, because Plottr has massive potential. I will continue using the app on the desktop, submit bug reports, and work around all the bugs until they’re fixed. But I will not renew my annual subscription if there are no significant improvements over the coming year. It’s a shame. As someone already said a great program but a terrible app. This is not Candy Crush, this is suppose to be pro software. **Developer response:** I’m sorry you have had a hard time using the mobile version of Plottr! Feel free to contact support so we can help you work some of these things out. We are working hard to make it a great experience and fix the issues that you are describing. Hopefully these issues will be fixed in the coming months and it will work much better for you! ### 1/5 — Might be great *2022-10-22, version 2022.10.13* But I’ll never know. You have to pay a subscription to even log in and you have to log in to see what the app offers. I’m not paying for something that I can’t even verify is going to work for me. **Developer response:** I’m so sorry that you haven’t been able to try it out. We’re working on making a free trial for the mobile version, but until then you can try it out for free with the desktop version. Check it out at www.plottr.com ### 1/5 — Did they even test the app? *2022-10-16, version 2022.08.23* I’m absolutely perplexed by some of the UI choices here. I can’t even figure out how to navigate from left to right on the timeline, and instructional videos are not helpful (“press and hold on the timeline” is an incredibly stupid gesture and doesn’t even work). No app settings? No cloud backup unless you buy the most expensive tier? Ridiculous. **Developer response:** Hi there. I’m so sorry you’ve had such a bad experience. I’d love to help you figure out how to navigate the timeline and help resolve your other concerns. Feel free to email us at support@plottr.com and we’ll gladly help you out! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Fantastic Program *2024-04-09* The more I use Plottr, the more I love it. It has so many great features and I have just now been digging into some of them. I love the templates such as the Three Act Structure and the Horror and Mystery Novel templates. It adds so much to your work flow capabilities. I highly recommend this product. ### 5/5 — Plan your work… then work you plan *2024-02-25* PLOTTR is the only writing software that lets me see every aspect of my story - characters, structures, plot and more — at the same time, allowing me to adjust as I go. Game changer! ### 5/5 — Deletes Notes from Windows Desktop *2024-02-16* Update again, app plays nice with IOS and Windows since the last patch! I can go back and forth between operating systems without erasing notes due to text formatting issues. For Linux, the webapp works great. So, 5 stars again if it stays reliable. Old review, I’ve been using this app since Plottr Pro launched and haven’t had a single sync issue with desktop (outside of a few text formatting issues.) I use this app on my tiny iphone to take notes on the go, and I do the bulk of my plotting on a Windows desktop. The app is imperfect. Glitches have come and gone. Text formatting I do on Windows often gets stripped out, like removing line breaks and colored text. Actually, no colored text at all on mobile. But the app works! And nothing critical has happened to my work. Plottr doesn’t have the best GUI, but my plotting gets done, and that’s all the matters at the and of the day. With this program I can get back to what Really love, writing and editing novels. Plottr makes the painful first step of plotting a little easier. ### 5/5 — I love it! *2023-05-30* Its the perfect companion for outlining my story! 🤩 ### 5/5 — Excellent Support *2023-04-02* Plottr has excellent support. Fast response time. It’s glitchy sometimes, yeah. But the app is still good. ### 5/5 — A brilliant clever easy clothesline to hang your plot on *2022-12-11, version 2022.11.04* If you have a jumbled mess (as I did) from NaNoWriMo or just a jumbled mess of novel notes and ideas, Plottr is AMAZING! It took a large rambling collection and allowed me to 'hang' it up on a plot line in a clear simplified (but not simple-minded) way and i was suddenly able to see where I had been wanting to go all along. The huge and growing collection of 'templates' with suggested story arcs and different ways to lay out (or hang up) are incredibly varied and useful. I use it on either my IMac or iPad --Still has a few app wrinkles but the team creating Plottr are constantly fixing and improving and listening to and incorporating suggestions. If you can't tell, I love it!! ### 5/5 — Love it, but… *2022-02-07, version 3.0.7* I adore this app and the concept. There are things that can be changed to make it more user friendly, but this is so close to perfection despite it being buggy at times. I use it everyday and the versatility/customizability is great. Would love to see a dark mode since I mainly use it at night 🥺😉 ### 5/5 — Plottr Pro *2022-01-12, version 3.0.7* This mobile app is fantastic now that it’s synced to Plottr Pro. I love the versatility and ease for being able to continue plotting my books on the go. What a fantastic addition to the author toolkit! ### 5/5 — Love the new UI *2021-07-23, version 2.2.8* The new UI is a huge improvement and really helps the app get out of my way while I'm trying to get my ideas out. It's really intuitive for me. Great job. Keep it up! ### 5/5 — I LOVE PLOTTR *2021-05-11, version 2.1.5* I write contemporary romance and mystery cozies and have built my own templates and while I mostly use it on my laptop i love the app version that makes it so accessible and compact. It’s so good for newbie plotters and veteran ones as well. And I love the filter features so I can keep track of my series. --- *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.*