Scrintal built something interesting with its visual canvas approach to note-taking. The idea of seeing your notes laid out spatially, connecting them with lines, organizing research visually - it clicks for a lot of people. Academics, researchers, writers working on complex projects all found something useful in that canvas-based structure.
But maybe it's not quite right for you. The learning curve might feel steep. The pricing could be more than you want to spend on a notes app. Or maybe you just need something that syncs better across devices, works offline more reliably, or fits your specific workflow better.
That's completely normal. Visual note-taking tools have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and there are dozens of solid alternatives that take different approaches to the same core problem: how do you capture, connect, and make sense of complex information?
We've tested a bunch of these tools - some for months, some just long enough to understand their strengths and limitations. This guide covers the best Scrintal alternatives in 2026, organized by what makes each one different. We're focusing on visual and spatial tools here, not traditional linear note apps like Evernote or OneNote.
Why Consider Scrintal Alternatives?
Scrintal does visual note-taking well, but it's not the only option, and honestly, it's not the best fit for everyone.
The pricing model is one common pain point. At around $10-15 per month for the premium tier, it's reasonable but adds up if you're already paying for other productivity tools. Some alternatives offer more generous free tiers or one-time purchase options that make more sense for individual users.
The mobile experience is another limitation people mention. Scrintal works, but the canvas-heavy interface doesn't translate perfectly to phone screens. If you need to capture ideas or review notes on mobile frequently, alternatives with better mobile apps might serve you better.
Then there's the feature set. Scrintal focuses heavily on the visual canvas, which is its strength, but it means some people find themselves wanting better task management integration, more robust databases, or stronger collaboration features. Depending on your use case, you might need a tool that combines visual thinking with other productivity features.
The learning curve matters too. Scrintal's canvas approach requires rethinking how you take notes. Some people love that shift - it forces better organization and connection-making. Others find it slows them down compared to just typing notes in a linear document. If you're in the second camp, alternatives with simpler structures might feel more natural.
Finally, there's the local-first versus cloud debate. Scrintal stores your data in the cloud, which means reliable sync but also means you're dependent on their servers and subscription. Some researchers and privacy-conscious users prefer tools that store data locally on their devices, giving them full control and offline access.
The right alternative depends on which of these factors matters most to you. Let's break down what to look for.
What Makes a Good Scrintal Alternative?
If you're coming from Scrintal, you're probably looking for tools that handle visual thinking and knowledge management. Here's what separates the good alternatives from the ones that'll frustrate you within a week.
Visual organization is obviously the core requirement. Whether it's an infinite canvas, a graph view, or whiteboard-style boards, you need to see your ideas spatially. Linear note apps don't cut it when you're trying to map out complex research or connect disparate concepts. The best alternatives give you flexible visual layouts without forcing rigid structures.
Linking and connection features matter almost as much. The whole point of these tools is seeing relationships between ideas. Look for bidirectional linking (when you link Note A to Note B, both notes know about the connection), easy link creation, and visual representations of your note network. Weak linking turns a knowledge management tool into just a fancy folder system.
Performance with large note collections separates serious tools from toys. A canvas app that feels snappy with 20 notes but lags with 200 isn't going to work long-term. Test how alternatives handle bulk imports or create a bunch of test notes to see if performance degrades.
Cross-platform availability is non-negotiable for most people. You want web access for using different computers, desktop apps for when you're deep in work mode, and mobile apps that actually work (not just responsive web views that barely function on a phone). Check whether the mobile apps are full-featured or limited.
Data portability and export options protect your investment. You're putting hours into organizing your knowledge - can you get it out if you need to switch tools? Look for standard export formats like Markdown, plain text, or at minimum PDF. Proprietary formats that lock you in are a red flag.
Pricing transparency helps you plan. Some tools offer generous free tiers that work fine for individual users. Others lock essential features behind paywalls. A few offer one-time purchases instead of subscriptions. Figure out what the actual cost will be for your use case, not just the advertised free tier.
Collaboration features might matter if you work with others. Some alternatives focus purely on personal knowledge management. Others support shared canvases, commenting, real-time editing, and permissions. Know whether you need this before choosing.
Heptabase
Best for Academic Research: Heptabase
Heptabase might be the closest alternative to Scrintal in terms of visual canvas approach, but it takes things further for academic and research workflows.
The core interface centers on whiteboards where you place cards (notes) and arrange them spatially. You can draw connections between cards, group them into sections, and build out complex concept maps. It's designed for the kind of deep research work where you're synthesizing information from dozens of sources.
What sets Heptabase apart is the PDF annotation integration. You can import research papers, annotate them directly, and automatically create cards from your highlights. Those cards live on your whiteboards alongside your other notes. For anyone doing literature reviews or research synthesis, this workflow is stupidly good - you go from reading to connected notes without friction.
The card-based structure works better than traditional notes for complex topics. Each card can contain full documents, but because you see them as movable objects on a canvas, you naturally organize and connect them as you think. It's less about perfect folder hierarchies and more about spatial relationships that match how you actually conceptualize the material.
Heptabase added Kanban boards and project management features recently, which wasn't in the original vision but turns out to be useful. You can view your cards as task boards, not just knowledge maps. Some people love this convergence of notes and tasks; others feel it dilutes the focus.
The downsides? It's not cheap - pricing runs around $12-15/month. The learning curve is real; expect to spend a few days figuring out the best workflow. And while there's a mobile app, the experience is clearly optimized for desktop work. You can review on mobile, but you won't want to do heavy organization on a phone.
Performance is solid even with hundreds of cards. The offline mode works reliably. Export options include Markdown, which gives you a reasonable exit path if you ever need it.
Best for: Researchers, academics, students doing deep literature reviews, anyone synthesizing information from multiple sources into connected insights.
AFFiNE Pro
Best for Privacy-Conscious Teams: AFFiNE Pro
AFFiNE Pro mixes documents, whiteboards, and databases into one local-first tool. If Notion and Scrintal had a privacy-focused baby, this would be it.
The whiteboard functionality gives you the spatial canvas you're used to from Scrintal. You can create boards, add blocks, draw connections, and organize visually. But unlike pure canvas tools, AFFiNE also supports traditional document editing and database views, which means you can switch modes depending on what you're working on.
The local-first architecture is the main selling point for a certain type of user. Your data lives on your device by default. Sync is optional and self-hosted if you want it. This appeals to people working with sensitive information, researchers at universities with strict data policies, or anyone who just doesn't trust cloud services with their knowledge base.
Being open-source matters if you care about longevity and customization. The codebase is public, there's an active community, and you can technically modify it for specific needs. You're not locked into a company's roadmap or worried about them shutting down and taking your notes with them.
They've added AI features for content generation and organization. Type a prompt and it'll draft text, summarize notes, or extract key points. It's built-in rather than requiring third-party integrations, which is convenient but also means you're using their AI implementation rather than choosing your own.
The interface feels less polished than commercial alternatives. It works fine, but there are rough edges. The mobile app is functional but limited compared to the desktop experience. Documentation could be better - expect to figure things out through trial and error or community forums.
Collaboration features exist but aren't as smooth as dedicated team tools. You can share boards and edit together, but real-time sync sometimes lags. For solo use or small teams willing to tolerate occasional quirks, it's fine. For larger teams expecting Notion-level collaboration, look elsewhere.
Pricing is competitive at around $5-8/month for the Pro features, though the free tier is genuinely usable for basic needs. The value proposition is strong if you prioritize data ownership and open-source.
Best for: Privacy-conscious users, open-source advocates, teams needing local-first architecture, anyone wanting documents + whiteboards in one tool.
mymind
Best for Visual Bookmarking: mymind
mymind takes a completely different approach from Scrintal's structured canvas. Instead of you organizing everything, it uses AI to handle organization automatically while you just save stuff.
The pitch is simple: save notes, images, articles, bookmarks, and anything else you want to remember. mymind automatically tags it, extracts colors, recognizes objects in images, and makes everything searchable without you creating a single folder or tag. It's like Pinterest meets a smart notebook, but private and ad-free.
Why would this replace Scrintal? If you found Scrintal's manual organization exhausting, mymind goes the opposite direction. There's no canvas to arrange, no links to manually create. You save things, and the AI handles retrieval when you search. Some people find this liberating; others feel like they've lost control.
The visual grid interface displays everything as cards with images, colors, and snippets. It looks beautiful and makes browsing your saved content actually enjoyable. Searching works surprisingly well - you can search by color ("show me green things"), object ("mountains"), or concept ("productivity"), and it finds relevant items.
The privacy focus is hardcore. No collaboration features, no sharing, no social elements, no analytics, no tracking. It's deliberately anti-social, which is either exactly what you want or a dealbreaker depending on your needs. You can't share boards with teammates or publish your research publicly.
Mobile apps are excellent - actually better than the desktop experience in some ways. Saving from mobile is frictionless, the interface scales well to smaller screens, and offline mode works. If you do a lot of mobile capture, this is a strength.
The lack of structure frustrates people who like explicit connections between ideas. You can't draw links between notes or build concept maps. The search is good, but it's still searching, not navigating a knowledge graph. If you think in networks and relationships, this might feel limiting.
Pricing is straightforward: around $6-8/month with a limited free tier. Not the cheapest, but not outrageous for what it does.
Best for: Visual thinkers who hate organizing, designers collecting inspiration, researchers gathering diverse media, anyone wanting automatic organization instead of manual knowledge management.
Walling
Best for Project-Based Organization: Walling
Walling sits between Notion's database-heavy approach and Scrintal's visual canvas. You get walls (think: project boards) where you organize ideas, but with more structure than a pure canvas.
The wall concept works like a vertical workspace. You create sections, drop in different content types (text, images, links, videos, files), and build out project briefs, research boards, or planning docs. It's less freeform than Scrintal - you're working in columns and sections rather than placing things anywhere on an infinite canvas.
Design teams seem to love it for briefs and moodboards. You can build client project walls with references, notes, assets, and deliverables all in one place. It's more structured than a whiteboard but more visual than a traditional document. The presentation view lets you share walls with clients or stakeholders in a clean, professional format.
Database-like features give you more power than simple note apps. You can create collection blocks that work like lightweight databases - filtering, sorting, and viewing the same content in different ways. It's not as robust as Notion's databases, but it's more flexible than static notes.
The templates help with getting started. Pre-built walls for different use cases (meeting notes, project briefs, content calendars, research) give you structure without forcing rigid formats. You can modify them or start from scratch.
Collaboration actually works well. Team members can edit simultaneously, comment on specific blocks, and get notifications about changes. Permissions let you control who can edit versus just view. It's designed for team use in a way that Scrintal isn't really.
The mobile experience is decent but not amazing. You can review walls and add content on mobile, but heavy reorganization is better on desktop. The apps are responsive web views rather than native, which shows in some performance situations.
Limitations include less flexibility than pure canvas tools - you're working within the section/column structure. If you need total freedom to place things anywhere, this might feel constrained. The export options are also limited; getting your content out in usable formats isn't as straightforward as Markdown-based tools.
Pricing is competitive with a workable free tier and paid plans around $8-10/month for individuals. Team pricing is reasonable for small groups.
Best for: Design teams building briefs, project managers organizing deliverables, consultants creating client-facing boards, anyone wanting more structure than a blank canvas.
Milanote
Best for Creative Workflows: Milanote
Milanote is the creative's alternative - built specifically for designers, writers, and visual thinkers who need to spread ideas out and see everything at once.
The board interface feels like a cork board where you pin things up. You can arrange cards freely, create columns for organization, draw arrows between items, add images and videos directly, and build mood boards or project plans that actually look good. It's more structured than a pure whiteboard but more visual than traditional notes.
Creative teams use it for everything from brand identity development to editorial calendars. You can drop in image references, color palettes, typography samples, copy drafts, and feedback all on one board. Seeing everything together spatially helps with creative decision-making in a way that folders of files don't.
The content types are richer than most note apps. Images, videos, embeds, files, links, tasks, and text blocks all work as first-class objects. You're not trying to shoehorn visual content into a text-first system. This makes it better than Scrintal for media-heavy projects.
Templates for common creative workflows save setup time. Mood boards, brand strategy boards, campaign planning, story development - there are pre-built structures for dozens of use cases. You can customize them or build your own.
Sharing and presentation features are solid. You can share boards with view-only access, let clients comment, or collaborate with your team. The public sharing creates a clean URL you can send to anyone without requiring them to create an account.
The free tier is actually usable with up to 100 notes, which is decent for small projects. Paid plans start around $10/month for unlimited notes. For professional creative work, that's reasonable.
Downsides include performance issues with very large boards. After a few hundred items, things start feeling sluggish. The search functionality is basic - you can't really search across all boards effectively. And there's no mobile app, just a responsive web interface that's clunky on phones.
The lack of power features like databases or complex linking means it's not great for knowledge management. It's for visual project work, not building a personal knowledge base. If you need backlinks and graph views, look elsewhere.
Best for: Designers collecting references, writers planning projects, creative teams collaborating on campaigns, anyone needing visual project workspaces more than knowledge graphs.
Miro
Best for Team Collaboration: Miro
Miro is the enterprise-grade whiteboard tool that millions of remote teams use. It's overkill for personal note-taking, but if you need team collaboration on visual work, it's the standard.
The infinite canvas supports massive boards with thousands of objects. You can zoom in to work on details, zoom out to see the big picture, and navigate huge amounts of information without performance issues. It's built to handle workshop facilitation, sprint planning, and complex diagramming at a scale that would break simpler tools.
Real-time collaboration is the killer feature. Multiple people can work on the same board simultaneously with smooth cursor tracking, live updates, and video chat built in. For distributed teams doing collaborative planning or brainstorming, it just works. The facilitation tools (voting, timers, templates) support structured workshops.
The template library is ridiculous - hundreds of frameworks for agile workflows, design thinking, strategy planning, retrospectives, customer journey maps, and everything else teams do. You're rarely building from scratch. Grab a template, customize it, and go.
Integrations connect to your whole tech stack. Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Zoom - all the tools teams actually use plug into Miro. You can embed boards in docs, push cards to project management tools, and keep everything connected.
The learning curve is gentler than you'd expect for a tool this powerful. The interface makes sense, common actions are discoverable, and there's tons of documentation and training resources. Onboarding a team doesn't require days of training.
But it's definitely team-focused, not personal knowledge management. Using it as a Scrintal alternative for solo research notes is like using a semi-truck for grocery shopping - it'll work, but it's not what it's built for. The pricing reflects this: free tier for individuals, but team plans start around $8-10/user/month and scale up quickly.
Performance on mobile is limited. You can view and comment on boards, but creating and organizing content on a phone is painful. It's a desktop-first tool with mobile access as an afterthought.
For solo use, it's probably too much. For teams, especially remote teams doing visual collaboration work, it's the best option available.
Best for: Remote teams collaborating visually, workshop facilitation, agile teams doing sprint planning, design teams mapping user journeys, any group that needs shared whiteboard work.
Apple Freeform
Best Free Option for Apple Users: Apple Freeform
Apple Freeform is what you get when Apple builds a whiteboard app - it's free, simple, and works seamlessly across Apple devices, but it's not trying to be a power tool.
The infinite canvas lets you sketch, add notes, drop in images and videos, create shapes, and organize ideas visually. It's intuitive in the way Apple apps usually are - you can figure out most features without instructions. For basic visual thinking and brainstorming, it does what you need.
The Apple Pencil support on iPad is excellent. Drawing, handwriting, and sketching feel natural and responsive. If you think by drawing or like to mix handwritten notes with typed text, the experience is smooth. The palm rejection and pressure sensitivity work properly.
Collaboration through FaceTime is the unique angle. You can work on a board while on a FaceTime call, seeing each other's cursors and edits in real-time. For families planning trips, friends organizing events, or small teams brainstorming, the integration is convenient.
iCloud sync works reliably across Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Start a board on your Mac, continue on iPad, review on iPhone - everything stays in sync. No subscription needed, no storage limits (beyond your iCloud storage), no friction.
The limitations are real, though. No web access means Windows or Android users can't participate. The feature set is basic - no templates, limited export options, no integration with other tools, basic search. You can't build complex knowledge graphs or link notes together. It's a whiteboard, not a knowledge management system.
For research or long-term knowledge building, it's too simple. You'll run into limitations fast. But for quick brainstorming, visual planning, or collaborative sketching within the Apple ecosystem, it's surprisingly capable for a free tool.
The fact that it costs nothing and requires no setup (it's just there if you're on a recent OS) makes it worth trying. If you need more power, you'll know quickly. But for casual visual thinking, especially if you already own Apple devices, it might be enough.
Best for: Apple users wanting free visual brainstorming, iPad users who think with Apple Pencil, families or small groups organizing visually, anyone needing simple whiteboard functionality without subscriptions.
Apple Freeform is a collaborative whiteboard app for your team/friends with FaceTime.
Obsidian
Best for Local-First Knowledge Management: Obsidian
Obsidian isn't a visual canvas tool like Scrintal, but it deserves mention because it solves the same core problem - managing complex, interconnected knowledge - just with a different approach.
The graph view shows connections between notes visually. It's not a canvas where you place things, but rather an automatic visualization of your note network based on links. For seeing patterns and clusters in your knowledge base, it's actually more powerful than manual arrangement because it scales to thousands of notes.
Local-first storage means your notes are Markdown files on your computer. No vendor lock-in, no subscription required for basic features, complete data ownership. You can use any text editor to access your notes. The app just makes it nicer to work with them. This appeals to people burned by cloud services shutting down or changing terms.
The plugin ecosystem is massive. Community plugins add everything from Kanban boards to flashcards to advanced search to canvas views (yes, there's a canvas plugin that makes it more Scrintal-like). You can customize it heavily or keep it simple. Power users love this; people who want things to just work out of the box find it overwhelming.
Backlinking and bidirectional links are core features. When you link Note A to Note B, both notes show the connection. The linked mentions section shows everywhere a note is referenced. This creates a web of knowledge that reveals connections you didn't explicitly create.
The learning curve is steep if you're not familiar with Markdown or comfortable with files and folders. There's no hand-holding, limited templates, and documentation assumes some technical comfort. First-time users often feel lost. But invest a weekend learning it, and it becomes second nature.
Sync is optional and costs $8/month for the official sync service. You can also use iCloud, Dropbox, Syncthing, or any file sync service since notes are just files. The official sync is faster and handles conflicts better, but the DIY options work fine.
Mobile apps are full-featured and actually native, unlike many competitors' web wrappers. You can do real work on mobile, not just review. The iOS app with a keyboard is genuinely productive.
For pure visual canvas work, it's not the best tool. But for building interconnected knowledge with strong linking, local storage, and infinite customization, it's unmatched.
Best for: Privacy-conscious users, writers building long-term knowledge bases, researchers who want full data control, power users comfortable with plugins and customization, anyone who wants their notes as Markdown files.
How to Switch from Scrintal
Moving your notes out of Scrintal takes some planning, but most alternatives support reasonable import paths.
Start by exporting your Scrintal content. Check what export formats they offer - Markdown is ideal since most alternatives import it cleanly. If they only offer PDF or proprietary formats, you'll have more manual work ahead. Export everything before canceling your subscription; waiting until after means rushing or potentially losing access mid-migration.
Map your organization structure to the new tool before importing. Scrintal's canvas layout won't translate directly to most alternatives. Decide how you'll represent spatial relationships - through folders, tags, links, or the new tool's canvas features. Don't try to replicate Scrintal's exact layout; instead, adapt to the new tool's strengths.
Import in batches, not all at once. Start with one canvas or project, get it working in the new tool, and learn the workflow before moving everything. This helps you catch issues early and adjust your migration strategy. Importing 1,000 notes only to realize they're poorly formatted wastes hours.
Recreate important links and connections manually if they don't import automatically. Most tools can't preserve the exact linking structure from Scrintal. Budget time for this - it's tedious but essential if connections between notes matter to your workflow.
Test your new setup thoroughly before canceling Scrintal. Keep both tools running in parallel for at least a few weeks. Make sure you can find things, the sync works reliably, and the workflow feels sustainable. Having to go back because you discovered a dealbreaker after canceling is frustrating.
Some specific migration paths that work well:
**Scrintal to Heptabase**: Most direct transition since both use canvas-based organization. Export Markdown from Scrintal, import to Heptabase cards, recreate spatial layouts on whiteboards.
**Scrintal to Obsidian**: Focus on preserving links rather than spatial layout. Export notes as Markdown, import to Obsidian vault, use graph view to visualize connections. The community canvas plugin can recreate some spatial organization if needed.
**Scrintal to Notion**: More work since Notion's database model differs from canvas thinking. Consider whether you really need a canvas or if Notion's linked databases serve your needs differently. Export Markdown and import to Notion pages, then reorganize into databases if appropriate.
**Scrintal to Miro/Milanote**: Good for preserving visual layouts if you're willing to do manual work. Export content, create new boards, manually arrange items spatially. Time-consuming but maintains visual organization.
Don't expect perfect migration. You'll lose some metadata, formatting might break, and you'll need to adjust your workflow. That's normal. The goal is getting your important content and connections into the new tool, not perfect replication.
Scrintal Alternatives FAQ
**What's the closest alternative to Scrintal's canvas interface?**
Heptabase is probably the closest match. The whiteboard-based approach with cards you can arrange spatially mirrors Scrintal's core interaction model. You get the same kind of visual thinking and spatial organization, plus some extras like PDF annotation that Scrintal doesn't have. The learning curve and pricing are similar too, so if Scrintal's canvas approach worked for you but the tool itself had issues, Heptabase is the natural next option.
**Which alternative has the best free tier?**
Depends what you need it for. Apple Freeform is completely free for Apple users with no limitations, though it's basic. Obsidian is free for personal use with all core features - you only pay for sync and publishing. Milanote's free tier gives you 100 notes which is decent for small projects. AFFiNE's free version is usable for solo work. Honestly, if budget is tight and you're on Apple devices, Freeform is worth trying first. For serious knowledge management without paying, Obsidian wins.
**Can I use any of these for team collaboration like Scrintal?**
Scrintal isn't really built for team use anyway, so most alternatives aren't worse in that regard. That said, Miro is the clear team collaboration winner with proper real-time editing, permissions, and facilitation tools. Walling works well for small teams sharing project boards. AFFiNE supports collaboration but it's clunkier. Obsidian isn't designed for teams at all - possible but awkward. If collaboration is the priority, honestly consider whether you even need a knowledge management tool or if you really need a team whiteboard like Miro.
**Which alternative works best offline?**
Obsidian takes this easily since everything is local files by default. You don't need internet access at all - the app works entirely offline and syncs when you connect. AFFiNE is local-first too so offline access is built in. Heptabase has offline mode but you need to have synced first. Miro and Milanote are cloud-first and barely function offline. If you work on planes, in areas with bad connectivity, or just want offline-first tools, Obsidian or AFFiNE are your options.
**What about mobile apps - which alternatives work well on phones?**
This is where canvas tools struggle generally. mymind actually has the best mobile experience - the visual grid interface translates well to phones and capturing content is smooth. Obsidian's mobile apps are solid and full-featured. Heptabase works on mobile but you won't want to do heavy organizing there. Apple Freeform is good on iPad but cramped on iPhone. Miro and Milanote are painful on phones - they're desktop tools with mobile access tacked on. Real talk: if mobile is critical to your workflow, consider whether a canvas approach makes sense or if you need a different tool paradigm.
**Can I export my data from these tools or am I locked in?**
Obsidian wins on data portability since notes are just Markdown files you already own. Export is literally copying files. Heptabase exports to Markdown which is solid. AFFiNE being open-source means you can always extract your data. mymind has export but it's not their strength. Milanote and Walling have limited export options - you can get content out but not in great formats. Miro has export features but they're geared toward exporting boards as images or PDFs, not structured data. If data ownership worries you, stick with Markdown-based tools or open-source options.
**Which alternative is best for academic research?**
Heptabase was literally built for this use case. The PDF annotation workflow where you highlight papers and automatically create cards is perfect for literature reviews. You can organize sources on whiteboards, connect concepts, and build out complex argument structures visually. Obsidian also works great for academic research if you're comfortable with Markdown and plugins - the Zotero integration and citation features are strong. I've seen PhD students use both successfully; Heptabase if you think spatially, Obsidian if you prefer linked text notes.
Which Scrintal Alternative Should You Choose?
The right alternative depends on what you actually need from visual note-taking and knowledge management.
If you loved Scrintal's canvas approach and just want a better version of the same concept, go with **Heptabase**. It's the closest direct replacement with similar spatial thinking but stronger research features. Worth the similar price point if the canvas model works for your brain.
If you want privacy and data ownership over polish, **Obsidian** or **AFFiNE** give you local-first storage and full control. Obsidian for power users comfortable with plugins and Markdown. AFFiNE if you want documents and whiteboards in one open-source package.
If you're working with a team and need collaboration, **Miro** is the professional choice despite being overkill for solo work. **Walling** works for smaller teams who want something simpler and cheaper.
If you're doing creative work with lots of visual media, **Milanote** handles images, videos, and design assets better than knowledge-focused tools. The mood board and project planning features fit creative workflows.
If you hate organizing and want AI to handle it, **mymind** takes the opposite approach from Scrintal - just save everything and let search find it later. Weirdly liberating if you're tired of manual organization.
If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem and want something free that just works for basic visual thinking, **Apple Freeform** is worth trying before paying for anything.
Most of these offer free tiers or trials. Try two or three before committing. Your workflow and thinking style matter more than feature lists. The tool that fits how you actually work beats the one with the longest feature list.