Comparison - Apple whiteboard app

Winy vs Freeform

Freeform is Apple's free whiteboard for brainstorming with other people; Winy is a canvas where your coding agents run live beside your thinking.

Freeform is Apple's free whiteboard app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with boards stored in iCloud and shared with up to 100 collaborators.

Winy is a native infinite-canvas notebook for Mac, iPad and iPhone where real agent sessions such as Claude Code and Codex live as cards next to your notes, Pencil ink and images.

The real difference is who is on the board with you: Freeform brings in other people, while Winy brings in your agents and lets them see what you drew and wrote.

At a glance

Question	Winy	Freeform
What it is	Infinite-canvas notebook with live agent cards	Collaborative whiteboard built into Apple devices
Platforms	Mac, iPad and iPhone	iPhone, iPad and Mac
Board contents	Text, ink, images, arrows, terminals, agents, browser	Notes, shapes, diagrams, tables, photos, files, links
Live terminals and agents	Yes, as cards on the board	Not built in
Handwriting	Pencil ink at full frame rate	Apple Pencil on iPad; drawing tools on Mac
Sync	One board across your Mac, iPad and iPhone	iCloud, on the same Apple Account
Collaboration	Single user; no multiplayer	Up to 100 people, invite from Messages
Pricing	Early access waitlist; no public pricing	Free and preinstalled

Which one is for you

Choose Freeform if

You want a free whiteboard already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
You brainstorm with other people and want to invite them from Messages or FaceTime.
You want diagrams, tables, scenes and PDF export for presenting a board.

Choose Winy if

You want Claude Code or Codex running live on the board, not just a sticky note about them.
You want to draw with the Pencil straight across a running terminal or a note.
You want agents that can see the notes, ink and images on the board they sit on.
You run several agents and want to see which are working or waiting by zooming out.

Questions

What is a good Freeform alternative?

It depends on what you use Freeform for. For thinking alongside coding agents, Winy is an infinite canvas for Mac, iPad and iPhone where Claude Code and Codex run as live cards next to your notes and ink.

Is Apple Freeform free?

Yes. Freeform is free and comes preinstalled on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Some premium content needs an Apple Creator Studio subscription.

Can I draw in Freeform on a Mac?

Yes. Freeform on the Mac has drawing tools such as Fountain Pen and Watercolor, plus a pen tool for precise shapes. On iPad you can sketch with Apple Pencil.

Does Winy support collaboration like Freeform?

No. Winy has no multiplayer today. It keeps one board across your own Mac, iPad and iPhone, with your agents on it.

Is Winy available now?

Winy is in early access. You can join the waitlist on winy.ai.

Thinking is Winning