Scapple
Scapple is an easy-to-use tool for getting ideas down as quickly as possible and making connections between them. It isn’t exactly mind-mapping software—it’s more like a freeform text editor that allows you to make notes anywhere on the page and to connect them using straight...
Cost / License
- Pay once
- Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
Features
- Mind Mapping
- Concept Mapping
- Fullscreen support
Tags
- ideas
- mathtype
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What is Scapple?
Scapple is an easy-to-use tool for getting ideas down as quickly as possible and making connections between them. It isn’t exactly mind-mapping software—it’s more like a freeform text editor that allows you to make notes anywhere on the page and to connect them using straight lines or arrows. If you’ve ever scribbled down ideas all over a piece of paper and drawn lines between related thoughts, then you already know what Scapple does.
Scapple doesn’t force you to make connections, and it doesn’t expect you to start out with one central idea off of which everything else is branched. There’s no built-in hierarchy at all, in fact—in Scapple, every note is equal, so you can connect them however you like. The idea behind Scapple is simple: when you are roughing out ideas, you need complete freedom to experiment with how those ideas best fit together.
Creating notes is as easy as double-clicking anywhere on the canvas and then typing; making connections between ideas is as painless as dragging and dropping one note onto another. And unlike paper, you can move notes around and never run out of space.
FEATURES
• Simple—and fun—to use
• Completely freeform
• Write notes anywhere on the virtual paper
• Connect notes using drag and drop
• Move and arrange notes easily
• Create background shapes to group notes
• Customise the appearance of notes including font style, colours and a choice of border styles
• Stack notes in columns of related ideas
• MathType support
• Full screen mode (Lion and above)
• iCloud support (10.8 and above)
• Export to popular formats or print your ideas
• Easily drag notes into 
Scrivener for further development
Scapple information
Developed by
Literature & Latte Ltd Licensing
Proprietary and Commercial product.Pricing
One time purchase (perpetual license) that costs $15.Alternatives
28 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
Comments and Reviews
Scapple is an extremely simple/basic application which despite being a bit clunky has a very loyal following from a number of its users.
However new users might like to know that development of Scapple seems to have stopped and that the Windows has got stuck at version 1.0.0.0, and there have been no new releases since October 2013. The developers claim that they do not believe in minor releases and that at some point they will do some more development.
I find Scapple to be the easiest software to use to create low-friction, non-hierarchical diagrams and mind maps. It is simple, straightforward, and efficient. It's a great tool for mapping out ideas, processes, or writing projects. (Which is what it's made for, actually!) Scapple comes from the same folks who make Scrivener, the long-form writing package par excellence. They market it as for 'roughing it out,' and it really is better than anything I've found for doing just that.
I used it extensively while I was completing my doctoral dissertation. It was an easy, flexible way to do qualitative analysis code grouping (along with a dedicated qual study software package). I've also used it to organize to-do lists, personal kanban, take notes from professional presentations, etc.
Scapple is especially valuable as one of the few non-hierarchical mindmapping tools. Most of them require you to impose a tree-like hierarchy, but not so with Scapple. It has an infinite canvas (or at least can be expand to very large sizes) and can export to PNG, PDF, and other formats. You can create notes 'by hand' with mouse and keyboard, and it's also possible to import return-separated text documents and have it create individual notes for you. You can style the notes with different colors and fonts, make fonts bigger, bold, etc. You can also drag images into documents, or link to other documents, including to other Scapple docs. (I tried this for awhile, but have found it easier to just create single docs.)
FWIW, at least since @ship69's post, the Windows version has been updated. As of this writing, it's v. 1.4.2 (same as the Mac version). And they offer a generous 30-day free trial (30 days of actual use, not just calendar days). I've used it for at least 5 years and I have definitely gotten $21 of value out of it during that time. ☺
Great review! The only two things I wish it featured:
Usefull to store and wide view of ideas and thoughts, when developing concept
Why on earth was this comment downvoted. I'm curious. By the look of the product video, it looks like it might work fine for the purpose mentioned in this comment.