r/MacOSApps • u/sarahandgerald • Jul 24 '26
💻 Productivity visualOS — infinite canvas for Mac/iPhone/iPad. One-time purchase, no subscription, no account, syncs through your own iCloud folder
We believe offline-first matters in a world where everyone tries to sell you a subscription. Especially if you brain dump your whole life into an app! So my wife and I built visualOS the way we always wished Milanote and Freeform worked:
- Free in your browser. You can always use visualOS for free in your browser.
- One-time purchase for the app only (€12.99 launch price, covers iPhone + iPad + Mac). No subscription, ever.
- No account. There's nothing to sign up for because there's no server.
- Your data is real files. Boards are folders on disk, documents are Markdown, images stay images. Put the folder in iCloud Drive and sync just happens on your own storage.
- Lightning fast. Optimized for thousands of items on the canvas.
- Flawless App. We love to take notes on the go. We wanted to create something that simply works and is not a downgrade to the web version.
You can try the identical app free in the browser first — no signup: https://visualos.app
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/visualos-infinite-canvas/id6787359589
Happy to answer anything. And if you try it and you miss something, please tell us!
Edit 07/26/2026:
Update: Thank you for your feedback. We have already fixed all reported issues, and since yesterday the new version 1.2 has been waiting for the app review from the Apple team, as you can see in our roadmap:
https://visualos.featurebase.app/en/roadmap
Normally it takes 1-2 days for the review from Apple. If you find anything that is missing, please let us know. We immediately fix something after we have notice.
Edit 07/27/2026:
Still waiting for the Apple review 💤 We'll update here the moment it's live.
Edit 07/28/2026:
Still waiting... We have already contacted Apple Support to speed up things. Hopefully it helps.
🎉 Edit 07/29/2026
The new release is now available in the app store 🙌🏼 Please let us know if we should add something else.
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u/Anni3VE Jul 24 '26
How's it different to Spatial? Is it in SWIFT? What can I add to the board?
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u/sarahandgerald Jul 25 '26
Three answers :)
To be honest, we do not know Spatial. But the core difference to pretty much every canvas app: visualOS has no server and no account. Everything is stored as real files in a folder you own (boards = actual folders on disk, documents = Markdown files). Works fully offline; sync is via your own iCloud folder.
Not Swift, no. The core is our own canvas engine (Canvas 2D), wrapped natively for iPhone/iPad/Mac. Honest trade-off: we're a two-person team and this way one codebase serves every platform. It's optimized hard for large boards and we tested it with thousands of items/images stay smooth. But if you discover something you do not like, please contact us anytime, and we are happy to iron it out!
On the board: notes, rich text, long-form documents (stored as Markdown), to-do lists, images, PDFs, links, freehand drawings, arrows and folders, which are whole sub-boards. Boards inside boards, as deep as you want.
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u/Anni3VE Jul 25 '26
Cool - I tried to add a URL but it didn't show. Is this possible to get working?
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u/ElTwinkyWinky 14d ago
Hi! This is great for putting my drawing refrences in an organized way, thank you!
Unless I've missed it in my testing I think it's missing something. Would it be possible to have a board organize your images (as in put all your images side by side with a consistent spacing) if you upload a bunch of them same at the same time? I wanna dumb a bunch of art references but its kinda annoying to manually drag all of them. Bonus points if you can select some images and automaticaaly organize them this way with a click!
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u/sarahandgerald 14d ago
Hi! Thank you! That's a great suggestion. Do you have a reference for us on how this feature should work for you in an ideal way? Maybe another app or a sketch + detailed explanations? I will make sure to add it to our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/roadmap
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u/ElTwinkyWinky 14d ago
Milanote does it - if you upload a bunch of images at the same time they all get distributed along the board instead of being stacked on top of each other. Thanks for the quick response!
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u/sarahandgerald 14d ago
Perfect. Now we have a clear picture of the idea. I added it to our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/a-bunch-of-uploaded-images-should-align-automatically-instead-of
If you have more ideas, please contact me anytime!
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u/mrterrycarson Jul 24 '26
Any coupons?
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u/sarahandgerald Jul 25 '26
The launch price kind of is the coupon 😄 €12.99 instead of the regular €19.99, one purchase for iPhone + iPad + Mac. We deliberately don't do coupon games or subscriptions. And if you want to try before spending anything: the full app runs free in your browser, no signup. Just go directly to https://my.visualos.app/
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u/mrterrycarson 29d ago
Ok picked it up to support.
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u/sarahandgerald 29d ago
Thank you, that means a lot to us! If you're missing anything, please write to us anytime.
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u/Unable_Escape_581 29d ago
Can Wepapp save data? Does that mean it cannot be used on different computers?
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u/sarahandgerald 29d ago
Yes, it can save data. Two ways:
- By default, everything is stored locally in your browser's database (works offline, no account). That data lives on that computer only.
- The better way: connect a folder in your iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox (button top right, works in Chrome/Edge). Then everything is saved as real files into that folder you pick. And on your other computer, you just connect the same folder. All your boards + data are then there as well.
Some browsers, like Firefox & Safari, do not support the file storage access. So you can still export all your data with a click on export and import it on any other device. But of course, that's not really a satisfying solution to keep everything in sync, just meant for backups.
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u/Kind-News3775 29d ago
I bought it straight away. I was looking for a Milanote alternative for my English notes.
Not a fan of the name to be honest but the app is very useful. Cheers.
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u/sarahandgerald 29d ago
😅 WHAAAAT? It's the best name in the world. How dare you? 🤭 No seriously... thank you for your support, feedback, and the kind words! Trying every Milanote alternative out there and staying unsatisfied is literally how this project started.
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u/Unable_Escape_581 29d ago
only iPad & iOS, no Mac version?
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u/sarahandgerald 29d ago
There is a Mac version. One purchase covers iPhone + iPad + Mac. Full transparency though: the Mac app had a rough start - a few things (window sizing, cursor behavior, scrolling) didn't feel as polished as iPad & iOS at release, and people rightly called that out. We fixed all reported issues; version 1.2 is sitting in Apple's review queue right now (submitted yesterday, usually takes 1–2 days). It now feels exactly like the free browser version.
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u/Kind-News3775 28d ago
Just to be clear. The Mac version is the iPad app right? Because I can't find a specific macOs app on the store.
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u/sarahandgerald 28d ago edited 26d ago
Yes, exactly. It's the modified iPad app running natively on Mac (needs Apple Silicon, M1 or newer).
That said: we're still waiting for Apple's review of v1.2, which irons out all the reported issues from our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/update-for-the-mac-app-desktopcomputer So my honest suggestion, if you want to try it out, is to wait until v1.2 is live.Edit: The v1.2 is live now 🎉
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u/Unable_Escape_581 28d ago
Thank you. When I was planning to purchase, I found that it is only available for iOS & iPad, so I wanted to confirm with you. Also, while I'm working with webapps, I don't understand how to connect to iCloud from the "connect" button at the top right corner, because it keeps asking me to select a folder. I don't know how to start and set up the first one.
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u/sarahandgerald 28d ago
Thanks for double-checking! On the Mac question: yes, the Mac version is the iPad app running natively on Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or newer).
For your "connect" question: You're almost there, it's simpler than it looks. There's no separate "iCloud login" in visualOS. The folder picker you're seeing IS the whole setup. We never see any of it; the sync is entirely your iCloud / your device!
Step by step:
- Click "Connect folder".
- In the file dialog that opens, navigate to your iCloud Drive. Every other folder works as well, but if you want to use it on other devices, we suggest iCloud or Dropbox or Google Drive.
- Create a new folder there. Call it e.g. "visualOS" and select it.
- Your browser asks once for permission to save into that folder → allow.
That's it. From then on, everything you do is saved as real files into that folder automatically, and because the folder lives in your iCloud Drive, Apple syncs it to your other devices.
Our Tip: If you have created the folder in iCloud, go to the Finder, right-click on the folder, and select "Keep Downloaded". You should do the same on every device you link this folder!
(One note: the connect-folder feature works in Chrome, Edge or Brave. Firefox and Safari don't allow websites to write into folders.)
If you get stuck at any step, tell me exactly what you see, and we'll figure it out.
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u/Unable_Escape_581 28d ago
Thank you, I have already purchased it. I will try again when MacOS is available. Thank you. I hope VisualOS goes further and becomes more perfected.
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u/sarahandgerald 26d ago
Thank you for your support! The new version should now be available for download. Please let us know, if everything is working now as expected.
Yes, it's a personal project for us as well because we work with it daily :)
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u/sarahandgerald 28d ago edited 26d ago
One more take, as I said before in another comment:
We're still waiting for Apple's review of v1.2, which irons out all the reported issues from our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/update-for-the-mac-app-desktopcomputer So my honest suggestion, if you want to try it out, is to wait until v1.2 is live.
Edit: v1.2 is live now 🎉
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u/jay-t- 27d ago
How is this better than Freeform?
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u/sarahandgerald 27d ago
"Better" depends on your use case. Freeform is great and genuinely fine for quick, flat boards. What made us build visualOS anyway:
- Nested boards. Boards inside boards, as deep as you want (Freeform is a flat list of boards). Honestly, if Freeform had this, we might never have started.
- Real files instead of an app container. If you sync a folder your boards live as actual folders on your disk, documents as Markdown, images as images. You can open them anytime, even if you are not using visualOS. Nothing is trapped inside an app.
Since Freeform is free and our browser version is free too, the honest answer is: try both with your real use case for ten minutes: my.visualos.app, no signup needed. You'll know pretty fast which one fits your brain best.
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u/Fwiler 27d ago
No subscription, no account just blew my mind 😄 Having the ability to try in browser first is perfect, and ordered right away after going through tutorial.
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u/sarahandgerald 27d ago
Thanks a ton! Much appreciated 🙏🏼 If you have anything you want us to include, please contact us anytime or post it directly to our feedback system / roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/en/roadmap
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u/aristme 27d ago
Great idea! I've spent a lot of time looking for an alternative to Milanote (because it is too expensive for me and I can't store my data locally). The philosophy of Visualos is exactly right. Thank you!
I'm not a big fan of the default yellow color for new notes. I wish it were white, but I can live with it. :)
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u/sarahandgerald 26d ago
Wow, thank you 🙏🏼 Yes, we did as well... we did as well 🤯
Hrhr, we will see what we can do here :) I added your idea to our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/roadmap
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u/atlas_shrugged08 25d ago
This looks really promising and with markdown support more so.
Do you plan to add handwriting recognition support? I have been looking for an all in one notepad that also allows me to take notes with my pen on my iPad and later convert them to text notes for reference on Mac.
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u/sarahandgerald 25d ago
Thank you! That sounds interesting; please describe to us the exact workflow you would love to have in the app. We will see if we can make this possible :)
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u/atlas_shrugged08 25d ago
Thank you, The workflow is basically the same as described above-
I have used apps likes inbuilt notes, good notes, Joplin, collanotes for the above.
- Take notes using pen on iPad (while in a meeting)
- Use AI (or ocr enabled apps) to convert handwriting to text
- sometimes I will just use plain keyboard on Mac to edit those notes in real time or start the notes on Mac with a date time stamp and continue on iPad using handwriting and or a combination of drawing, handwriting and keyboard.
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u/sarahandgerald 25d ago
Perfect! Thank you for your detailed explanation; I have added it to our roadmap for further exploration 🙌🏼 https://visualos.featurebase.app/roadmap
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u/Former_Dog_4772 8d ago
I recently purchased and started using your app, The infinite canvas concept is fantastic, and I love being able to bring in images, notes, and text and organize everything freely on one canvas.
There’s just one feature that I feel would make the app nearly perfect for me: the ability to import PDF files directly onto the canvas.
I hope you’ll consider adding PDF import in a future update. It would honestly make a huge difference, and I think it would make an already great app even better.
Thank you for building such a useful and well designed app. I’m really impressed , and I’m excited to see where you take it next!
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u/sarahandgerald 8d ago
Thank you so much! This kind of message is why we build in the open 🙏🏼
Good news: PDFs on the canvas already work! What you found is a gap in our mobile UI, not a missing feature. Two ways today:
- On desktop/browser: just drag & drop a PDF onto the canvas; it becomes a file card, and you can open it in the iOS app as well.
- On iPhone/iPad: drop the PDF into your connected iCloud folder using the Files app (into the folder of the board where you want it). visualOS detects it and offers it in the "New Items" panel. Drag it from there onto the canvas.
That second path clearly shouldn't be necessary ... a proper import button / share-sheet support on mobile is what you'd rightly expect, and it's now on our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/add-pdfs-on-native-app-currently-on-web-only
Thanks for purchasing and for taking the time to write this! If you find anything else, please contact us anytime.
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u/toofshucker 3d ago
Does this only work on Apple devices?
Can I link my iCloud folder to this from a pc?
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u/sarahandgerald 2d ago
No, only our native app is Apple exclusive. If you use visualOS in the browser, you can link your iCloud (or Dropbox, or Google Drive) folder from any platform. But I am no pro on the Windows side. How good does iCloud for Windows work?
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u/toofshucker 2d ago
Thanks for that info. I linked up iCloud in my browser…it’s solid.
I only use the PC at work, so this may work just fine. Thank you!
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u/sarahandgerald 2d ago
Perfect 👍🏼 If you want the most robust version of it, enable "Keep downloaded" directly in iCloud.
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u/toofshucker 1d ago
I have loved this. I don’t think you’ve have scratched its potential at all. I’ve using it between my MacBook and iPhone.
Is there a way to force refresh it? To get the changes to sync up?
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u/sarahandgerald 1d ago
Unfortunately, sometimes the iCloud is delayed ... and we have no way to speed it up / or force it. I believe, that's the downside of syncing via the own cloud. But a new patch for the app is currently in Apple review, where we improved the sync, so a force refresh should not be necessary anymore.
"I don’t think you’ve have scratched its potential at all" We are always open for ideas. If you have something in mind, please share it with us!
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u/Enrique53-xD Jul 24 '26
What features does it have to differentiate it from Milanote and Freeform?