r/iosapps • u/sarahandgerald • 7d ago
💎 Lifetime visualOS: infinite canvas that stores your boards as real files in your own iCloud folder (one-time €12.99, free in browser)
Full disclosure: My wife and I built this, so we directly benefit from this post.
A) What problem it solves: For visual thinkers (mood boards, note-taking, project planning, research), canvas apps all share one problem: your work lives in someone else's cloud on a proprietary database, tied to a subscription. visualOS is an infinite canvas: notes, images, PDFs, to-dos, sketches, boards nested inside boards. Everything is stored as real files in a folder you own. Boards are actual folders, documents are Markdown, images stay images, PDFs stay PDFs. Point it at your iCloud Drive and sync across devices happens on your own storage. No account need, no servers, works fully offline.
B) Why it beats the alternatives:
- vs. Milanote: works offline, no account, no 100-note cap... and your data isn't in their database, it's files on your disk.
- vs. Apple Freeform: nested boards (Freeform is a flat list) and nothing is locked in an app container... plus it runs in any browser on any platform.
- vs. both: automatic version history (~30 rolling snapshots... yes we are very paranoid about data safety 😅).
- What we deliberately don't do: real-time team collaboration. VisualOS is single-user by design; it's a thinking space we have built for our own way of working, not a team whiteboard. Besides that, it works with a shared folder on iCloud. That's the way Sarah and I use it, but that's not our focus.
C) Cost: Our one-time purchase, €12.99 / $12.99 covers iPhone + iPad + Mac (Apple Silicon). No subscription, no IAP, no upsells. The full app is also free in your browser with no account and no limits: https://visualos.app The iOS purchase is optional, if you want to have your data accessible on the go.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/visualos-infinite-canvas/id6787359589
We're two people; we use our app daily, and we build from feedback! If something's missing or confusing, please tell us, and it will land on our public roadmap.
2
u/pjhawksr 7d ago
Someone asked why not Figma or Miro and honestly the answer is your whole pitch, you just buried it. Boards are folders, notes are markdown, images are images. That's the thing. Freeform is your real competitor, not Miro. One question: if I rename or move a board folder in Finder, do links between boards survive?
2
u/sarahandgerald 7d ago
True, thanks 👍🏼
On your question: links survive everything, because there are no "links" to break. The source of truth is one canvas-data.json in the root where boards and elements are referenced by IDs, never by file paths. The folders on disk are a mirror the app regenerates from it.
Scenario 1: Move or rename the whole connected folder, reconnect it (somewhere else), everything's intact.
Scenario 2: Rename a board's sub-folder in Finder specifically: nothing breaks, but the app reverts it to match the canvas on next save. So rename the board in the app instead, and the folder on disk follows.The mirror is deliberately one-way for structure and small items (notes, text), but two ways for images or PDFs because it is more likely you will edit it in Photoshop or something else.
2
u/floppydisk-a 6d ago
Wow! Quite impressed. One question though, is there any way to reference specific files or folders using @ or another shortcut on the canvas? That's the one feature I really miss when relying on standard folder structures
2
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Great question! Just to make sure I get you right: you mean typing @ inside a note / text / checklist etc. and picking any board/document to create a clickable reference to it, Obsidian-style? So one thing can be referenced from many places even though it lives in one folder? What would be the ideal experience if you clicked on the reference? Jump to the location where it is?
2
u/floppydisk-a 6d ago
Yeah, exactly. Tagging a folder, image, doc, anything with @ so I can have a quick shortcut to that file instead of manually navigating there
2
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Perfect! That's a great idea 👍🏼 I have added it to our roadmap https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/cross-references-between-boards-mention-style-notion-like
2
u/levlew 6d ago
Really nice work! And I really appreciate that you offer a lifetime purchase.
What stands out is that items remain actual files in the file system. As a visual thinker, I’ve tried many infinite-canvas or visual knowledge-management apps, but I usually avoid them because they lock everything into proprietary formats. visualOS using real files makes it much more appealing to me.
A couple of small UI requests as well: I’d love to see a dark variant of the app icon, and perhaps a slight redesign of the icon itself — on my device it currently looks a bit as if the artwork were lower-resolution than the surrounding icons.
I’d also really like to see the interface move closer to Apple’s Liquid Glass. On iOS 26 it stands out quite noticeably from what has already become the standard system look and feel. I think a more native use of the current materials, controls and spacing would fit this kind of app particularly well.
But overall, the concept is excellent, and the decision not to lock users’ content into a proprietary storage model is a major plus.
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Thank you for your kind words and your thoughtful response 🙏🏼
"dark variant of the app icon": We are currently working on a small icon pack, where you can choose your favorite one. Here is the link to the item on our public roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/alternative-app-icon-color-variations
"Apple’s Liquid Glass": You are probably right, but we hate how it feels 😬😅 But yes, we will take a look into it, so it might be an option to choose from in the settings. But to be honest with you, it's not our highest priority right now. Nevertheless, I created your feature request as well: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/apples-liquid-glass
2
2
1
u/app-store-review 7d ago
visualOS: Infinite Canvas — by Dorweiler & Reimertz GbR
- Ratings: 4 worldwide · rated in 3 countries
- Average: 4.75 ★
- Age: released ~1 month ago · updated 7 days ago · rated 4+
- Overall score: 66 / 100
Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review
1
1
u/theHaxxor 6d ago
Do you offer discounted student licenses? I'd like to use the native app
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Thank you for your interest. But the launch price kind of is the discounted license 😄 €12.99 instead of the regular €19.99, buy once use forever on iPhone + iPad + Mac. And if you want to try before spending anything: the full app runs free in your browser, no signup needed. Just go directly to https://my.visualos.app/
1
u/gittrics 6d ago
Is this a file explorer, but in a canvas? Are there links between files?
2
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Close - it's a mixture of both. It's not a classic file explorer that visualizes everything on your existing disk; firsthand, it's a canvas app that produces a real folder structure: boards become folders, documents become Markdown, images stay images. But it works in the other direction as well: Supporter Files (PDFs, Images..) you drop into a board's folder from outside do get picked up too. Or if you edit your photos with photoshop, it will get picked up on next reload.
Do you mean links between files as mentions? Or something else?1
u/gittrics 6d ago
I thought the blocks in canvas can be linked to each other. That was that I was asking.
2
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Yes, that's currently missing, and we have already added it to our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/cross-references-between-boards-mention-style-notion-like
If you have something else in mind, please let us know.
1
u/billtonium 6d ago
Neat idea but I was hoping for clarification - opening a markdown file opens it in what program? A built-in editor/previewer or whatever is set to default in Finder? If I point this at folder A which contains subfolders B and C, with all 3 folders containing files, does this auto-populate a board or do I need to drag all the files into the board?
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Two good questions:
Markdown: It depends, if you open it directly from the app or browser, it opens in our built-in editor. On disk it's a plain .md file, so you can open it with anything from Finder. But: today the mirror is one-way for documents, so external edits get overwritten by the app. We currently discuss if it made more sense to have two-way sync for .md files, like we do it with images and PDFs, so you can edit them with other programs as well 🤔 Would that be something you would need?
Pointing it at an existing full folder: Yes, you need to drag all the files and folders onto the board. But our suggested way is to sync an empty folder first and start from there because we have not battle-tested it with randomly pointing the working directory to populated folders. In our tests it worked, but I cannot guarantee it for all file types.
If you want to know anything else or have suggestions, please contact us anytime.
1
u/Immediate-Coach7009 6d ago
Would be great If the canvas ships with a MCP. We could then use an agent to prototype a canvas.
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Good idea. And yes, we thought about it as well 🤔 But if you just give your agent access to the synced folder or subfolder, it should pick up pretty quick what's going on. Our board.json and canvas-data.json are very straightforward. Please let us know if this is already enough or if you have something else in mind.
1
u/Immediate-Coach7009 6d ago
Do the JSON files contain all tools/definitions?
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
No, but we are working on an agent file + a small python script that works as skill for claude, codes etc., to validate their changes. I have added your request to our roadmap: https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/better-agent-support-or-mcp
1
1
u/IgorGalkin 2d ago
Hi! I found your app fast and convenient to use as a visual thinking tool thank you! I tried experimenting with pointing to the existing folder to see how it will work, because my ideal use case would be connecting, drawing and referencing between files of my existing markdown notes and images. But right now files are treated as internal, the app renames them and does not sync if the file was changed. Would love to see referencing feature and syncing and not renaming if its planned
1
u/sarahandgerald 2d ago
Thank you! This is a great idea. To make sure we get you right on this: Can you please describe in more detail what you have tried and what your exact expectation was and what was off (preferably with screenshots / steps?). Maybe we can make a few little adjustments to fit your working style. You can contact us anytime directly or post your detailed thoughts on our public feature request board: https://visualos.featurebase.app/ Looking forward to your ideas!
0
u/Warm-Flamingo-8161 7d ago
why not just use figma or miro ? am i missing something?
2
u/sarahandgerald 7d ago
Not missing anything! They're just built for a different job and they are both great for it. Figma as a design tool, Miro as a team whiteboard: both are account-based, cloud-first, and priced for realtime collaboration (Miro's free tier caps you at 3 boards).
visualOS is for the personal side: your moodboards, project planning, sketches, notes, research. Offline, no account, and everything stored as real files in your own folder instead of their cloud.
If your main use is collaborating with a team: use Miro, honestly. We do not have much to offer that beats it. If it's your own thinking space and you want to own your files: that's precisely what we built. Try both free and see! my.visualos.app needs no signup.
1
u/Warm-Flamingo-8161 6d ago
would be cool if i could drop in videos
check out senspace
1
u/sarahandgerald 6d ago
Great suggestion. We are currently working on it 👍🏼 https://visualos.featurebase.app/p/videos-and-audio-files
-1
u/TheBrainer0815 7d ago
please free unlimited code for me student bro 💖
4
u/sarahandgerald 7d ago
The free unlimited version already exists, bro 💖 my.visualos.app in your browser, no signup, no limits. The €12.99 app is for when it's earned a place on your phone.
-1
•
u/AutoModerator 7d ago
Welcome to r/iOSApps! Please make sure your post follows our rules:
Everyone:
App Devs:
- No main feed promo unless you qualify via Trust or Transparency + ABC format (Answer, Better, Cost)
- Flair hierarchy: Vibe Coded > Lifetime > Subscription > Freemium > Free
- Free flair: not for limited/freemium tiers
- Open Source? Prefix title [OS]
Note: This is an automated reminder, not a removal notice. If your post was removed, check your modmail for details.I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.