Thinking made easy: the best 7 mind-mapping programs, explained

The concept of mind maps sounds quite new, however, the term was coined by the English author, speaker, and education trainer Tony Buzan in the early 1970s. Although Tony Buzan named the phe­nom­e­non, he did not reinvent the wheel: The mind map has been used for centuries as a way to represent thoughts and ideas, because it cor­re­sponds to the way the human brain processes, stores, and retrieves in­for­ma­tion.

No wonder pro­fes­sors, students, start-ups, and large cor­po­ra­tions have re­dis­cov­ered this practical tool for them­selves in recent years. All it takes is a pen and a piece of paper – as well as creative thinking, of course. However, there are also software solutions that not only simplify and ac­cel­er­ate the process of creating and working with mind maps, but also add their own little touches. But first: what are mind maps? Why do you need them? And what do mind mapping tools actually do?

A mind map is roughly defined as a struc­tured form of pre­sen­ta­tion for concepts whereby in­di­vid­ual elements are arranged around a central theme and linked together. With its non-linear, graphic layout, it helps the user to as­so­cia­tive­ly retrieve complex or even chaotic thoughts and ideas, arrange them in­tu­itive­ly, and visualize them in an at­trac­tive way. In contrast to a chrono­log­i­cal­ly struc­tured list, a mind map cor­re­sponds more to the structure and func­tion­ing of the human brain.

The keyword is: radiant thinking. Mind maps take up this natural area of the mind to make countless links between elements and concepts in a complex way. It is also said to address both hemi­spheres of the cerebral cortex’s youngest part, and sub­se­quent­ly a whole range of cortical abilities at the same time. These are supposed to mutually reinforce each other and increase brain per­for­mance. This makes mind mapping a highly effective method for storing and re­triev­ing in­for­ma­tion from the brain.

Each mind map follows the same basic prin­ci­ples. First of all, they have a map-like structure, which begins in the middle with a basic idea (best rep­re­sent­ed by an image) and “prop­a­gates” from there to the outside in thin branches. All ram­i­fi­ca­tions can be traced logically in both di­rec­tions, making con­nec­tions and in­ter­ac­tions clearly visible. For better vi­su­al­iza­tion, various types of lines, symbols, images, shapes, fonts, and colors are used to enrich the mind map with ad­di­tion­al in­for­ma­tion and to address other areas of the brain. This stim­u­lates the ability to associate and fa­cil­i­tates memory retention.

Since they cor­re­spond to the human brain’s natural structure, the func­tion­al­i­ty of mind maps is uni­ver­sal­ly un­der­stand­able and ap­plic­a­ble to almost every topic.

In everyday life, mind maps are used to create notes in a non-linear way (e.g. to-do or vacation packing lists). Students can use them to in­ter­nal­ize com­pli­cat­ed learning materials quickly. Sometimes, a well thought-out mind map can also help in struc­tur­ing and writing texts – like us in this article. 

In the workplace, the mind map also has clear ad­van­tages for col­lab­o­ra­tive work. It allows speakers to share their thoughts with audiences and work­groups, and use it for effective decision making and marketing campaigns. Financial planning, logging, as well as event and project man­age­ment, are further con­ceiv­able areas of ap­pli­ca­tion.

However, instead of pushing around a large piece of paper with your col­leagues, it makes much more sense for companies and agencies to use digital mind mapping tools. With their help, the entire team can work on the same mind map, not just si­mul­ta­ne­ous­ly but also com­plete­ly in­de­pen­dent­ly of location. In this way, these software solutions are able to improve com­mu­ni­ca­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion within the company while saving time, energy, and ul­ti­mate­ly, money.

As an al­ter­na­tive to pen and paper (or board or white­board) there are several ways to create mind maps with digital tools. Programs like Photoshop – assuming cre­ativ­i­ty and technical knowhow – offer extensive design pos­si­bil­i­ties, but prove to be com­par­a­tive­ly cum­ber­some and labor-intensive for this task.

For­tu­nate­ly, there are a lot of spe­cial­ized mind mapping tools on the internet at the moment – these are ideal if you use mind maps more often in your private or pro­fes­sion­al life. Free mind map software and pro­fes­sion­al programs look very similar at first glance, but the dif­fer­ences lie in the details.

So, how are you meant to recognize good software? Since a mind map is usually just recorded by hand, a digital tool needs to offer clear ad­van­tages to be con­sid­ered relevant. These include above all:

• Intuitive handling: Changing to keyboard and mouse is only really worth­while if the user interface is self-ex­plana­to­ry and it is faster to create a mind map than using pen and paper.
• Au­toma­tion: With just a few clicks, it should be possible to create clear, de­scrip­tive, struc­tured mind maps with ideal space uti­liza­tion. Pre­fab­ri­cat­ed templates, which can be filled and extended, serve as quickly-available samples.
• Per­for­mance: What is only possible in the physical world in poster format should not pose a problem in the digital field. This means that a good tool must allow inputs to be edited, re­arranged, copied, and deleted later, even if the mind map is very large and complex.
• Aes­thet­ics: In any case, digital mind maps should look better than a quick scribble on the next best napkin. Aes­thet­i­cal­ly appealing vi­su­al­iza­tions and colors are therefore an important quality criterion. The ability to add images and icons can also add great value.
• Cost factor: Since the cost of a pen and a sheet of paper is virtually zero, mind map software should offer the best possible price/per­for­mance ratio – either by being available free of charge or by out­weigh­ing the money used by the user with extensive ad­di­tion­al functions. These include features that a tra­di­tion­al mind map cannot provide, such as the insertion of links, video and audio files, or the storage of backups in the cloud.  

Another important aspect of mind map and brain­storm­ing tools is the col­lab­o­rate aspect. Multiple user accesses, live updates, change histories, feedback, and sharing ca­pa­bil­i­ties allow many cleverly pro­grammed programs to col­lab­o­rate with col­leagues in real time.

The mind mapping programs presented below meet most, or even all of the quality criteria mentioned, but stand out from each other due to their in­di­vid­ual strengths.

Coggle’s main selling point is it’s user-friend­li­ness and clear interface. After a quick reg­is­tra­tion process using your e-mail or Google account, the de­vel­op­ers promise that you can master the whole tool in just five minutes, thanks to their intuitive drag-and-drop system. Despite how easy it is for beginners, it’s not lacking any important functions compared with other mind mapping tools, and also fa­cil­i­tates real-time col­lab­o­ra­tion: you can add images and comments, customize colors and designs, as well as invite team members to the map by e-mail. Results can then be shared on Facebook and Twitter, exported as a PDF or PNG, or in­te­grat­ed into your own website through IFRAME.

However, certain features are only available as paid sub­scrip­tions and are missing from the free model: For about $5 per month, there is an unlimited number of mind maps, an upload function for high-res­o­lu­tion images, and the e-mail col­lab­o­ra­tion function. Functions like user and data man­age­ment, and the SAML XML framework, are unlocked with a few more dollars per month, and for a fee you can also have personal branding added to your maps.

The ap­pli­ca­tion Mind­Meister calls itself a “Mind map Col­lab­o­ra­tion Tool”, has a special focus on companies like Elec­tron­ic Arts, CNN, and Philips, and wants to offer a range of functions that justify its name. These include: the ability to share mind maps via direct link, bulk group in­vi­ta­tions, Wiki-Map, or Google Drive, real-time col­lab­o­ra­tion via live chat, change history, comment, and rating options to fa­cil­i­tate an exchange of feedback. Mind­Meis­ter is also available as a mobile app for iOS and Android.

The free basic version prohibits uploading images and files and is limited to three mind maps per account. Ad­di­tion­al functions like Word and Pow­er­Point exports, as well as their own themes for the company are available in the paid packages, which cost either (approx.) $5 or (approx.) $8 for 6 months. With the “business package” which costs (approx.) $12, you can also take advantage of group sharing, external backups, and cus­tomized logins.

WiseMap­ping  is a browser-based open source tool for in­di­vid­u­als and companies. Unique to the other mind map programs in this list is the ability to host the software on a dedicated server without any plugins, thanks to a cus­tomized Apache Version 2 license. This is achieved by means of an ab­solute­ly trans­par­ent source code, which can be obtained from the official website. Since the software is open source, it is com­plete­ly free of charge. You will, however, have to include a tag stating “powered by WiseMap­ping.”

Another advantage: The tool can be tested com­plete­ly anony­mous­ly, but you have to accept that your finished mind map could be displayed on their website as a pro­mo­tion­al example. Once you have tested the software and decided its func­tion­al­i­ty is good enough for you, you can register using your e-mail address, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ account, and you also have the option to donate via PayPal to support the de­vel­op­ers in op­ti­miz­ing the software.

At Mapul , the hand-painted aes­thet­ics of the interface and mind maps are at the forefront (do not let yourself be deterred from the website!). The web app was developed with the help of Microsoft Sil­verlight and is extremely visually appealing, since it is sig­nif­i­cant­ly more artistic that other tools. Departing from the usual boring tree style structure, Mapul’s diagram is literally a tree: branches of varying thickness reach out from a colorful, well-designed trunk, and spread to dainty, filigree branches where terms and images hang like fruit.

If this organic, classic style isn’t working for you, you can also opt for the auto-layout function. This allows you to create mind maps just using a keyboard, and the program takes off the branches arrange­ment, which you can edit later. Due to its strong focus on the aesthetic component, however, Mapul lags behind other tools when it comes to col­lab­o­ra­tive functions. In addition, most functions are not available in the free version. To create more than just one mind map, you will need a paid sub­scrip­tion for $25 (for 3 months, $35 (for 6 months) or $50 (for 1 year), depending on the duration.

Don’t want to invest money in your mind mapping software? Mind42  is one hundred percent free of charge, being financed by ad­ver­tis­ing (which doesn’t affect tool usage). All you need to do is register with your e-mail address. Nev­er­the­less, the web app is suitable for extensive col­lab­o­ra­tive use. Using e-mail and direct link in­vi­ta­tions, as well as having google talk instant messenger in­te­grat­ed, working together in real-time is easy.

You can also add links, notes, and images directly with a URL, and export finished mind maps in various formats – be it common ones like RTF, PDF, JPEG, and PNG, or files created in Freemind, Mindjet Mind­man­ag­er, or other mind map software. However, there is one downer: the change history of a mind map is only visible to its creator, not for in­di­vid­ual team members.

Not developed as a web ap­pli­ca­tion, but as software for the operating systems macOS, Windows, and Linux, as well as iPad and Android devices, Mindomo  relies on full cross-platform in­te­gra­tion with Microsoft 365, Google Apps, Google Drive, and Dropbox, as well as learning man­age­ment systems like Canvas, Moodle, and its learning. The program is not just intended for pro­fes­sion­al use in companies, but also in the field of education. Since it’s supposed to make col­lab­o­ra­tion easier for teachers and students, it can be assumed that a lot of thought­ful work was invested in the de­vel­op­ment – and a lot of mind mapping was also un­der­tak­en, no doubt.

For example, Mindomo offers a practical pre­sen­ta­tion mode for its academic target group. In addition, there are various in­ter­faces for teachers and students, as well as the pos­si­bil­i­ty of in­te­grat­ing ex­plana­to­ry audio and video files and images directly from the internet into a mind map. The free version of the program only offers a few features and enables a maximum of three mind maps. With a 6 month sub­scrip­tion for about $36 (1 user), about $90 (1 user and 5 guests), or about $140 (5 users), all lim­i­ta­tions are removed: you get more memory, more export formats, and you can link the desktop ap­pli­ca­tions with mobile versions.

The tool FreeMind for macOS, Windows, and Linux is more practical than chic, but that is exactly the reason for its fanbase. It is also thanks to this that the special FreeMind format is rec­og­nized by numerous other mind mapping tools and can therefore be imported. Compared to the com­pe­ti­tion, the com­plete­ly free open source ap­pli­ca­tion may look a little dusty and less intuitive, but in its final version, it provides to be both flexible and powerful.

The func­tion­al­i­ty of FreeMind is mainly limited to the core tasks of mind mapping. Col­lab­o­ra­tion is not always possible, but there are better programs for this purpose. FreeMind’s strengths are the in­te­gra­tion of links and mul­ti­me­dia files, location-based mind mapping, and dedicated support that is happy to help with problems like data loss.

Below, you will find a clear summary of all relevant features and strengths of our mind mapping programs:

As you can see, the dif­fer­ence between the best mind mapping tools on the market is mainly found in the details. Clear, visually appealing mind maps can be created quickly and easily with each of these programs, while col­lab­o­ra­tive functions are available to different degrees. This means that each program has its in­di­vid­ual strengths. Which one is right for you depends mainly on your personal pref­er­ences and whether you are willing to spend money on it. Sample screen­shots, promo videos, and free test versions on the websites can help you with your decision – as well as extensive brain­storm­ing using a mind map!