Comparison

Card Buddy vs Thriverly

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Card Buddy

This app provides a digital corkboard for organizing ideas with index cards. Effortlessly arrange cards, add images, and utilize different text styles to outline stories, plot novels, or manage research. Its intuitive interface makes idea management feel natural and flexible.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop index cards on a free-form canvas
  • Two-sided cards with front summary and back details
  • Add images to cards for storyboards
  • Multiple text styles including Markdown
  • Kanban layout for column organization
  • Syncs across Mac and iPhone
Features
Read full description

Card Buddy turns your screen into an infinite corkboard for index cards. Drag cards anywhere on the canvas and watch neighboring cards glide out of the way — outlining your story should feel as natural as moving notecards on a desk. Perfect for screenwriters, novelists, and anyone who thinks in cards. Lay out your beat sheet, rearrange plot points, and build your story one card at a time. Features: - Drag-and-drop index cards on a free-form canvas, with neighbors that move out of the way automatically - Two-sided cards — type a summary on the front, details on the back - Add images to any card for storyboards and moodboards - Three text styles: Plain, Auto-style (instant headers and subtitles), and Markdown - Kanban layout to organize cards into columns - Built for Mac and iPhone — your boards go where you do Whether you're breaking a screenplay, plotting a novel, or organizing research, Card Buddy keeps your ideas movable. Terms of use: https://www.ussherpress.com/cardbuddy/terms/ Privacy policy: https://www.ussherpress.com/cardbuddy/privacy/

About

Thriverly

Features
Read full description

Thriverly connects the things you're working toward with the daily actions that actually get you there. Most productivity apps treat goals, habits, and tasks as separate lists. Thriverly connects them: link a habit or task to the goal it serves, and watch your progress add up automatically as you check things off. Goals that mean something Write down why a goal matters to you, not just what it is. Thriverly brings that reason back to you when you need the reminder most. Habits that forgive a bad day Life happens. Thriverly's streak system forgives one missed day in a rolling week, so a bad Tuesday doesn't erase three weeks of consistency. One momentum score See how you're actually doing at a glance, a single score that weighs your habits and tasks together instead of forcing you to check five different lists. A weekly review that tells your story Every week, Thriverly looks back at what you did and shows you the pattern, not just a list of checkmarks. Thriverly is built for people who've tried the productivity apps that guilt you into opening them. This one is built to keep you coming back because it actually helps. Terms of Use: https://thriverly.app/?legal=terms

Screenshots

Card Buddy4 screens
Thriverly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Card Buddy at 4 against Thriverly's 2. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Card Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Thriverly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Card Buddy versus Thriverly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCard BuddyThriverly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (44 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings44 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAllen UssherJoshua Clark

Bugs and requests

Card Buddy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Trial mode does not allow saving
  • Images not displaying adequately
  • Double-tap zoom out feature interrupts text selection

Requested features

19 requests
  • Tagging individual cards
  • Apple Pencil support
  • More keyboard shortcuts
  • Support for multiple canvases within a single document
  • More customized options for text formatting, fonts, and colors
Show 14 more
  • Auto update to cloud option
  • Form of auto version number on save
  • Dropping small video clips
  • Templates
  • Fit to window view
  • Grab function for moving the board
  • Linking notes
  • Basic formatting (Bold, Italics, underline, highlight, color)
  • Share outline with others for editing
  • iPhone version
  • Duplicating boards
  • Duplicating cards
  • Disabling double-tap zoom out feature or making it customizable
  • Adding back previous document type options (Storyboard, Kanban, etc.)

Thriverly

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Card Buddy

One-time1
  • Non-expiring License$19.99
2 purchases

Thriverly

Subscriptions2
  • Thriverly Pro1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Thriverly$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Card Buddy free?
Card Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Thriverly free?
Thriverly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Card Buddy or Thriverly have ads?
Neither Card Buddy nor Thriverly shows ads.

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