Reviewed by Francesco D'Alessio
Apple Freeform Review
Best Features, Pricing, Alternatives & Verdict
Popular for those who want to bring ideas together, sketch them, and present them remotely to others or even collaborate in real-time. Apple Freeform is also a great tool for general note-taking in an open canvas or expressing creativity.
What is Apple Freeform?
Freeform is an whiteboard-like app on iPhone, iPad and macOS for collaborating. You can use your Apple Pencil to sketch ideas using the wide range of sketch features, collaborate with others a-sync or using FaceTime or create your own space to design your own thoughts and share them.
What is Apple Freeform for?
You can collaborate offline or online over video, collaborating on FaceTime makes life easier for smaller teams, friends and families mocking up visual plans. This won't work as advanced as say tools like Miro but it will offer a unique way to sketch notes and see that in real-time with others with or without video calls.
Once you've completed a Freeform you can export that to PDF or share the Freeform whiteboard with others to help collaborate on and offline.
Who is Apple Freeform For?
Apple Freeform is only available on Apple devices, so it's mostly for Apple users who want an open canvas space to freeform ideas, brainstorm, create personal projects, share presentations and much more.
It's also a great visual and flexible tool for teams to collaborate on whilst on Facetime. Teams can all work on the canvas at the same time to create a plan, write notes and work together.
Or, Apple Freeform can be good for individuals to just create, write notes and write down any personal plans in an open space. Keep in mind you can only access Freeform with the latest updates from Apple, so devices with versions 16.2 for the iPhone and iPad or 13.1 for MacOS will be able to install and use Freeform.
Best Features of Apple Freeform
Let's dig a little bit deeper into the experience with Apple Freeform and how it works for collaborating on sketch notes together on iPad, macOS and iPhone.
1. Collaboration
Apple Freeform is a great collaboration tool for teams to work together in real-time on creative projects. You can either work via Facetime calls to communicate with each other, or work on the canvas in real-time whenever. Collaboration works with teams of up to 100 members.
When working inside Freeform you can see when each team member is drawing, writing, and adding comments. The latest updates are saved to iCloud so any changes are always updated.
To begin collaborating with your team you can send a link via Apple messages or via email. If you send the link to a group chat, all of the members will be added to the board. Essentially, anyone who has access to the link can access the Apple Freeform board.
2. Creative Canvas
Apple Freeform presents an open and flexible canvas for users to create without the obstruction of having to open multiple pages, and files or create new spaces. You can easily zoom in and out, move across the page and create sections if you wish.
Each user can navigate the page however they want, you don't all have to be in the same spot. You can then connect ideas with tools, add text, use the Apple pencil to draw on an iPad, add sticky notes, import files, add weblinks and add photos from your device.
3. Tools
Apple Freeform provides a range of tools to help you create a brainstorming space for managing projects, daily plans, to-dos and much more.
Some of the tools available with Apple Freeform are pens and markers, which you can use with your finger or Apple Pencil on the iPad or iPhone, you can also use sticky notes to add moveable notes to the board.
You can add shapes and stickers to make the board more exciting and to add more dimension to your notes and even import files web links and photos from your album on the device.
Apple Freeform Pricing
Let's take a look at Apple Freeform pricing.
How Much Does Apple Freeform Cost?
Apple Freeform is completely free to Apple users with devices updated with versions 16.2 for iPhone and iPad and 13.1 for MacOS. Versions before this will not be able to download the Apple Freeform App.
Is Freeform Any Good?
Our final verdict of Apple Freeform is that it's a great tool for anyone looking to express their creativity to manage their projects, schoolwork, tasks, notes and more.
With the Freeform app, you can really create a space for anything you want, it doesn't need to be study or work-related, it can also be used just for fun. Freeform, the Apple sketch app is great for team collaboration if that's how you'd like to work together, it's also great for sharing projects quickly and keeping updates stored within iCloud.
Is Freeform Better Than Apple Notes?
Freeform and Apple Notes are similar in their abilities to collect notes, ideas, thoughts and brainstorm, they are also both free apps to use for Apple users.
Apple Notes is more of a personal tool for creating a space for all kinds of notes which you can share with friends and family, but Apple Freeform is where teams can collaborate in an open canvas with more creative freedom.
So one isn't particularly better than the other, it just depends on what you really need to use from a note-taking app.
Best Apple Freeform Alternatives
Here are some of the best Apple Freeform alternatives for collaborative spaces.
