Cairn
Cairn is a macOS desktop app for mapping product screens, data, user roles, and CRUD operations before building.
What Cairn is
Cairn is a macOS desktop app for mapping product screens, data, user roles, and CRUD operations before building. Users sketch low-fidelity pages, modals, and sheets, then connect them into role-based scenarios with triggers and dependencies. Cairn checks whether data used on a screen was created earlier in the flow and flags missing data. Its Fields and Journeys views show where data appears and how each role moves through a scenario. The app works offline and saves projects as portable .cairn files on the user’s Mac. The maker says Cairn has no accounts or telemetry and does not upload project files; it connects to the internet for update checks and Pro license validation. Cairn is positioned as a complement to Figma for later visual design. The maker says real-time collaboration is coming soon and that Cairn is not intended for pixel-perfect or high-fidelity design.
Good
- Models screens, data, roles, and CRUD operations.
- Flags data used before it has been created.
- Works offline and stores portable project files locally.
- Free plan includes unlimited nodes and blocks.
Watch out
- Available only for macOS.
- Free plan is limited to one project and two scenarios.
- Free plan does not include file import or export.
- Real-time collaboration is not available.
Who it suits
Cairn may suit founders, product managers, agencies, freelancers, and technical teams who need to map flows and data before development. It is aimed at structural planning rather than polished visual design.
Verdict
Cairn focuses on checking the logic between screens and data before visual design or development. Its free plan has project and scenario limits, while Pro is a one-time payment with perpetual use.
Plans and prices
From Cairn's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 project · up to 2 scenarios · unlimited nodes and blocks · no importing, exporting or saving to file |
| Pro — perpetual | €39, paid once | unlimited projects and scenarios · import, export and save to file · 1 year of updates · perpetual use · one-time payment |
The facts
Each one read from Cairn's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Automatic checks
- Cairn continuously checks whether each data item used by a screen was created somewhere in its causal chain.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Cross-flow dependencies
- Flows can declare causal dependencies, including dependencies between different roles; Cairn warns about cycles and broken references.checked 15 Oct 2026
- CRUD data modeling
- Each screen block can specify which data it creates, reads, updates or deletes.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Developer extensibility
- The opened official product, privacy and terms pages describe a standalone local desktop app and do not state a public API, SDK, plugin system or self-hosting option.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Fields view
- A Fields view shows where each data item is used throughout the product model.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Flow modeling
- Screens can be chained into scenarios with connectors, triggers and dependencies across roles.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The maker describes Cairn as complementary to Figma for later visual design; no other product integrations are stated on the opened page.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker identifies founders and product managers, agencies and freelancers, and technical teams as intended users.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Internet connections
- The app's stated network connections are update checks and Pro-license validation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Journeys view
- A Journeys view shows the complete causal journey of each role.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Legal form
- The company is registered as an Estonian private limited company.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The Pro licence is perpetual, personal and non-exclusive; users may activate it on their own machines but may not resell or sublicense it.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: collaboration
- Real-time collaboration is listed as coming soon rather than currently available.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: visual fidelity
- Cairn intentionally does not provide pixel-perfect or high-fidelity design; the maker directs users to Figma for visual polish.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: warranty
- The terms provide Cairn as-is and as-available without guaranteeing error-free operation or fitness for a particular purpose.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company
- The product is made by The No-Code Company OÜ, whose listed address is in Tallinn, Estonia.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Company activity
- The register classifies the principal activity as computer programming.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company ownership
- The register lists Jose Maximiliano Ogas Nieva with 60% and Francesc Box Coma with 40% ownership.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company registration
- The Estonian e-Business Register lists The No-Code Company OÜ under registry code 16294378.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- The Estonian register says the company entered the register on 18 August 2021.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- Tallinn, Estoniachecked 28 Sep 2026
- LinkedIn headquarters
- The maker's LinkedIn page lists Düsseldorf, Germany as its headquarters, while the Estonian register lists Tallinn as the registered address.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Limit: free plan storage
- The free plan does not allow importing, exporting or saving projects to files.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Limit: platforms
- The app currently supports macOS on Intel and Apple Silicon; Windows and Linux are described as roadmap items.checked 15 Oct 2026
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