Card Buddy - Index Cards

Name: Card Buddy - Index Cards
Rating: 4.4 (38 reviews)
Author: Allen Ussher

By: Allen Ussher

Outline, plot & beat sheets

Features & Capabilities

Card Buddy turns your screen into an infinite corkboard for index cards. Drag cards anywhere on the canvas and watch neighboring cards glide out of the way — outlining your story should feel as natural as moving notecards on a desk.

Perfect for screenwriters, novelists, and anyone who thinks in cards. Lay out your beat sheet, rearrange plot points, and build your story one card at a time.

Features:

Drag-and-drop index cards on a free-form canvas, with neighbors that move out of the way automatically
Two-sided cards — type a summary on the front, details on the back
Add images to any card for storyboards and moodboards
Three text styles: Plain, Auto-style (instant headers and subtitles), and Markdown
Kanban layout to organize cards into columns
Built for Mac and iPhone — your boards go where you do

Whether you're breaking a screenplay, plotting a novel, or organizing research, Card Buddy keeps your ideas movable.

User Growth & Download Statistics

App

By:

Allen Ussher

Rating:

4.40

(38)

Version:

1.4.13 Last updated: 2026-06-03

Version code:

886411392

Creation date:

2023-04-24

Compatible devices:

Size:

7.72MB

URLs:

Full description:

Source:

Apple Apps Store

Data ingested on:

2026-06-07

Compare stats and ranking:

Ranking

# 220,670 ▲ 1,055

For Developers

Monetize with App Pass Boost with Extension Booster

Contact the developer

Chrome-Stats does not own this Apple app. Please use these information below to contact the Apple app developer.

Developed by:

Allen Ussher

Apple Apps Store

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/card-buddy-index-cards/id6447646532

User Reviews

Users praise Card Buddy for a simple, grid-driven organization flow that works well across Apple devices and suits writers seeking focus. The main drawbacks are a paid-only threshold to save, limited formatting options, and some UI rigidity with card sizing and windowing. Overall, it’s seen as a solid, developer-responsive tool with a clear roadmap, best for users who want a lean index-card board rather than a feature-heavy note system.

Pros

Simplicity and a focused, distraction-free interface for organizing ideas with index cards.
Strong grid-based board with snap-to-grid alignment and intuitive drag-and-drop for rearranging cards.
Works across Apple platforms, providing a consistent experience on multiple devices.
Highly effective for organizing ideas, notes, and writing projects (notably fiction writing).
Clear roadmap and active development with responsiveness to updates and improvements.

Cons

Requires upgrading to a paid version ($20) to save or use the app; no usable free version, which is a common barrier for new users.
Lacks basic text formatting and styling options (no bold/italics/colors), limiting document customization.
Card sizes are too small and the layout can feel inflexible (fixed frame windows), reducing flexibility for some workflows.

Recent reviews

I have been trying to create a digital reference system based on the Holiday index card system and there really are not a lot of apps out there designed for that purpose. This works perfectly and the files are localized on my own workstation instead of a cloud based web app I would love to be able to tag individual cards but other than that this is exactly what I needed.

by Me*****, 2026-05-28

For fiction writing, this has become my go-to, and I’ve tried a bunch of others (Scapple, Scrivener, Final Draft 12, etc).

by Vo*****, 2026-03-16

It’s not as useful to me for storyboarding without it. I don’t understand why this is so difficult to add. Going back to Cardflow+ for now until Apple Pencil is supported.