Comparison

Brainsparker Creativity Coach vs Save the Cat!

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

Head to head
About

Brainsparker Creativity Coach

This app provides creative brainstorming prompts and coaching questions to help users overcome creative blocks. It offers tools for individuals and groups to generate fresh ideas, solve problems, and enhance creative thinking techniques.

Highlights
  • Random creativity cards
  • Thousands of coaching questions
  • Spark notifications
  • Curated music and soundscapes
  • Micro-lessons on creative techniques
  • AI Coach Sparkalino
  • Group session facilitation
Features
Read full description

A blank page. A looming deadline. A team waiting for ideas. A brain that’s gone completely quiet. Brainsparker is a creativity and brainstorming app that helps you break through creative blocks, spark fresh ideas, and strengthen your human creativity in the age of AI. Open the app, pull a random creativity card, explore a powerful coaching question, tune into a soundscape, or ask AI Coach Sparkalino for a prompt tailored to your challenge. One creative nudge can shift your mind from stuck to sparked - in seconds! Join over 500,000 creatives, coaches, innovators, and team leaders across the globe who use Brainsparker to fuel creative thinking, solve problems, and generate better ideas, fast. - - - - - - - AS FEATURED IN: New York Times, Forbes, My Modern Met, Boston Globe, Fox News, Design Milk, Creative Bloq, MakeUseOf, Entrepreneur, Irish Times, Metro, British Council, Financial Management, CIO Magazine - - - - - - - **GET THE BEST OUT OF BRAINSPARKER** Whether you’re creating alone or leading a group, Brainsparker gives you practical creativity tools to get unstuck and spark brilliant ideas in an instant. *Need fresh ideas?* Pull a random creativity card to trigger bold, unexpected thinking. *Hit a creative block?* Tap into 1,000s of coaching questions, images, and quotes that break your mental patterns. *Want daily inspiration?* Set daily spark notifications to keep your creativity flowing every day *Need to focus?* Tune into curated focus music and soundscapes to get into your flow state. *Want to strengthen your creative thinking?* Dive into bite-sized microlearning lessons that help you build problem-solving skills. *Need personalized support?* Chat with AI Coach Sparkalino for prompts, questions, and creative challenges tailored to your goals. *Leading a workshop or team session?* Connect your device, pick a few brainstorming cards, and instantly energize your sessions, online or in person. - - - - - - - "Brainsparker stretches your creative muscles.” - Creative Bloq - - - - - - - Built on 20+ years of coaching, creativity, and innovation expertise, Brainsparker gives you practical tools at your fingertips to get unstuck, think differently, and spark fresh ideas. - - - - - - - Winner “Coach of the Year” at 2026 Influencer Magazine Awards Winner “Guiding Star” at 2025 UK Space Agency Accelerator Awards - - - - - - - **UPGRADE TO THE VIP PASS** • Instantly access 30+ premium card decks • Tap into advanced microlearning courses • Tune into creativity-boosting music, focus sounds, and soundscapes • Chat anytime with AI Coach Sparkalino • Get prompts personalized to your specific challenges • Enjoy daily creative challenges and brainteasers • Receive all future VIP member enhancements - - - - - - - “Cards that make you pause and ponder.” - Forbes - - - - - - - CONNECT WITH US www.brainsparkerapp.com Follow us on: Instagram: @brainsparkerapp Facebook: @brainsparkerapp X: @brainsparkerapp TikTok: @brainsparkerapp YouTube: @brainsparker - - - - - - - "Use it to tickle your brain early on a dreary Monday morning." - New York Times - - - - - - - ***VIP PASS SUBSCRIPTION PRICING & TERMS*** Brainsparker offers auto-renewing Monthly and Annual subscriptions for full VIP access, plus a Lifetime option with a one-time payment. Payment is charged to your iTunes account at the time of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time via iTunes Account Settings. FREE TRIALS: Unused trial time is forfeited upon subscription. Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends to avoid charges. Previous trial users are billed immediately upon resubscribing. Read more about our terms & conditions here: Terms: https://brainsparker.com/inapp-terms Privacy Policy: https://brainsparker.com/inapp-privacy

About

Save the Cat!

This app helps writers structure stories for screenplays, novels, and TV episodes using a proven methodology. It guides you through developing loglines, genres, beat sheets, and scene organization with features for emotional arcs and character development.

Highlights
  • Develop logline and title
  • Choose from 10 story genres
  • Complete Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (BS2)
  • Organize scenes with 'the Board'
  • Track character arcs
  • Create emotional changes per scene
  • Sync files across devices
Features
Read full description

All new version, built from the ground up using Apple's standard, master-detail style for full compatibility with iOS functionality including Dark Mode. Even if you don't own the desktop version of Save the Cat!®, you can still use this amazing tool, touted as the "secret weapon" of the working writer, to help build better, more powerful stories, with greater resonance and emotional impact. Whenever your creative juices start flowing you'll have this revolutionary app, which is based on Blake Snyder's best-selling books and software, at your fingertips. You'll delight in the ability to structure your screenplay, teleplay, stageplay or novel the Save the Cat!® way. By incorporating the methods, tips and tactics found in the Save the Cat!® series of books on story structure, this application will help you to: * Develop a powerful Logline and Title * Choose one of the 10 unique Save the Cat!® Genres * Complete a Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (BS2) with variations for screenplays, novels, and 1/2 hour and 1 hour tv episodes. * Use “the Board” to create cards for each scene and arrange them in the perfect order and to track character arcs and other important aspects of your story. Just long-press on a scene or other element in the Board then pick what you want to insert at that point. * Add sequences to combine multiple scenes. * Add labels to the Board to keep track of important points. * Create Emotional Changes for each and every scene * Create Set-ups and Payoffs as your protagonist progresses through the story Sync your files across devices. This is a manual process so you're in complete control as to when you post and download your changes. Just create an account and login on all your devices. If you had a Save the Cat! account for the website or for when you purchased STC, that will not work here. You'll need to create a new account. You can even add one or more writing partners to your project and sync your changes with them if you have the Premium or Pro level. Enter the username for their new STC account. The free version allows you to add projects and work on your title, logline, genre, and the beat sheet. Many of the features listed below require an in-app purchase. Essentials has all the basic functionality you need to develop a screenplay, novel, or tv episode with characters, locations set-ups, and pay-offs. Premium adds the ability to track things or objects, and relationships. You'll also be able to develop a novel by chapters instead of using a beat sheet. Pro adds the ability to develop an entire series of movies or novels that use all the same characters, locations, things, and relationships and to track their stories across the entire series. You can also develop an entire tv series with multiple seasons. Other cool updates include the ability to have multiple versions of your beat sheet and multiple versions of your board for each beat sheet. Much improved script typing. And, if you're working on a novel, just type in your manuscript with proper formatting. All new facts section keeping track of important facts ("Bible" for tv writers) for characters, locations and other entities. Add important elements for characters, locations and other entities that you need to track through the story. Add the character or entity to the Board and track those items through the story. As always you can add attachments such as photos, pdf's, and other important research documents so you have everything at your fingertips.

Screenshots

Brainsparker Creativity Coach4 screens
Save the Cat!4 screens

Verdict

The call

Brainsparker Creativity Coach and Save the Cat! both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Brainsparker Creativity Coach's written reviews are positive against 38% of Save the Cat!'s. Save the Cat!'s advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Brainsparker Creativity Coach sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Save the Cat! sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Brainsparker Creativity Coach against 4.7 for Save the Cat!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4K and 473 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Brainsparker Creativity Coach's written reviews are positive against 38% of Save the Cat!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Brainsparker Creativity Coach versus Save the Cat!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainsparker Creativity CoachSave the Cat!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.4K ratings)4.7 (473 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better37.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4K — better473
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB19 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBrainsparker LtdBlake Snyder Enterprises

Customer experience

Brainsparker Creativity Coach

All ratings1,350 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative21.3%

Save the Cat!

All ratings471 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive37.8%
Neutral15.6%
Negative46.7%

User reviews

Brainsparker Creativity Coach

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Sparks creativity and ideas
  • 👍 Helpful for writing and brainstorming
  • 👍 Useful for mental health and anxiety
  • 🚀 Inspiring and motivating

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy interface and navigation
  • 💰 Too many paid features/packs
  • 🤔 Some prompts are cliché or uninspiring

Save the Cat!

From 473 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✍️ Excellent script outlining tool
  • 🎯 Effective Save the Cat methodology implementation
  • 📱 Good mobile app functionality
  • 🔄 Syncing between devices works well
  • 🎨 Visual board feature enhances creativity

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model with limited free features
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔐 Website login problems
  • 📝 Poor UI/UX design and clunky interface
  • 💾 Data loss and unsaved work issues

Bugs and requests

Brainsparker Creativity Coach

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Recurring charges for paid features
  • Lack of iPad support and optimization
  • Accessibility issues for screen reader users

Requested features

4 requests
  • In-app writing/note-taking feature
  • Ability to create custom card packs
  • Better organization of card packs
  • More visual art/photography focused prompts

Save the Cat!

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • App crashes when opening Board feature
  • Beat selection stuck in window mode
  • Login credentials rejected on website
  • Crashes every 10-15 minutes
  • Unable to upload attachments
Show 7 more
  • Text field entrapment - unable to exit beat field
  • Work disappears without explanation
  • iPad version won't sync to desktop version
  • App not available in certain countries/regions
  • Glitchy and unresponsive desktop version
  • Manual save required - no auto-save on crash
  • UI labels cut off in both orientations

Requested features

11 requests
  • Monthly subscription or free trial option
  • Spanish language support
  • Downloadable desktop app with same login credentials
  • Printable outline/board export
  • Scrivener export functionality
Show 6 more
  • Larger font size adjustment
  • Actual board layout with pinch-to-zoom on mobile
  • Auto-save functionality like Google Docs
  • Automatic app access with book purchase
  • Desktop version for Mac with full feature parity
  • Genre description snapshots in selection

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Brainsparker Creativity Coach

Subscriptions2
  • vip pass (monthly)$6.991 Month
  • vip pass (annual)3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time8
  • vip-words$69.99
  • vip-questions$69.99
  • vip-writers$69.99
Show 5 more
  • vip-quotes$69.99
  • vip-bloggers$69.99
  • vip-character$69.99
  • vip-journalers$69.99
  • vip pass (lifetime)$79.99
10 purchases

Save the Cat!

Subscriptions6
  • Essentials Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Essentials Subscription$21.991 Year
  • Premium Subscription$29.991 Year
  • Pro Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time4
  • Upgrade Premium to Pro$9.99
  • Unlock Essentials$21.99
  • Unlock Premium$29.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Pro$39.99

Questions

Is Brainsparker Creativity Coach free?
Brainsparker Creativity Coach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Save the Cat! free?
Save the Cat! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brainsparker Creativity Coach or Save the Cat!?
Save the Cat! is rated higher. Brainsparker Creativity Coach averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Save the Cat! averages 4.7 from 473 ratings.
Do Brainsparker Creativity Coach or Save the Cat! have ads?
Neither Brainsparker Creativity Coach nor Save the Cat! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brainsparker Creativity Coach or Save the Cat!?
Brainsparker Creativity Coach ships an update every 2 months, and Save the Cat! every 2 months. Most recently, Brainsparker Creativity Coach was updated on November 6, 2026 and Save the Cat! on November 3, 2026.

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