# CardBeat vs Qards

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Qards at 100% against CardBeat's 46%. Qards also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). CardBeat's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CardBeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Qards asks for nothing beyond the download.

Qards holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of CardBeat's written reviews are positive against 100% of Qards's.

CardBeat ships an update monthly, Qards every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | CardBeat | Qards |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardbeat-story-plot-corkboard/id1488252091/reviews) | **[4.6 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qards-note-cards/id1601535764/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **33** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 7 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stefan Stuckmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434238274) | [Thomas Asheim Smedmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/1488644850) |

## What reviewers say

### CardBeat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardbeat-story-plot-corkboard/id1488252091)

A digital corkboard for writers to plot novels, screenplays, or short stories. Organize your narrative beats onto digital cards, arrange them freely, and visualize your entire story structure. Supports handwriting and typing, with export options for collaboration.

**Highlights:** Digital corkboard for story plotting, Index cards for scenes and beats, Handwriting and typing support, Customizable card types and colors, Zoomable and shufflable board layout, iCloud sync across devices, Export boards as PDF or CardBeat files

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Story Boards | $19.99 | one-time |


### Qards

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qards-note-cards/id1601535764)

Organize your thoughts and prepare for presentations with digital note cards. Create, edit, and arrange cards within decks, then swipe through them in full-screen. Your notes sync automatically across all your devices.

**Highlights:** Create and edit decks of note cards, Arrange note cards within decks, Full-screen card swiping, Automatic cross-device syncing, Organize everyday thoughts, Prepare for speeches and presentations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CardBeat free?

CardBeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Qards free?

Qards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CardBeat or Qards?

Qards is rated higher. CardBeat averages 3.5 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Qards averages 4.6 from 18 ratings.

### Do CardBeat or Qards have ads?

Neither CardBeat nor Qards shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CardBeat or Qards?

CardBeat ships an update monthly, and Qards every 4 months. Most recently, CardBeat was updated on November 3, 2026 and Qards on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*