Mind mapping software is software that presents you with a blank page and an open mind so that you can create, store and easily access all your thoughts, inspiration and knowledge. While most people remember mind mapping from their school days, modern advancements in technology have seen the emergence of mind mapping tools for Mac.
Do you want to know more about free mind map software for Mac? Or maybe you are looking for the best mind mapping tools for Mac? Well, you should check out our Top Mind Mapping Software for Mac. Right now, many people are using mind mapping to make their life much simpler. If you are looking for the free software, don’t worry. You can use these best mind map makers or find hundreds of PowerPoint templates with free themes.
Mindmaster
Mindmaster by Edrawsoft is a great little app for getting your thoughts into a stunning graphical form. By using this app you can gather your thoughts together in a more coherent and easy-to-understand format.
It has over 22 layouts to choose from with 33 theme designs and over 700 stylish clip arts to make your mind map stand out. It also has a handy brainstorming mode that can be used collaboratively with others.
Edraw Mindmaster is cross-platform and can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux. All mind maps can be exported and shared in various output formats too.
XMind
XMind got itself on this list due to its theming capability. Of course, it does everything a mind mapping software is supposed to do. You can create mind maps, attach photos, links, and notes. You can share it or print it into PDF of OPML. It also allows you to directly share your mind maps to your Evernote account. You can choose from pre-formatted templates or you can create you own from scratch. You can change the theme of your mind maps at any given time. There are dozens of themes to chose from and each one looks better than the other. If you like theming, give it a go.
Install: (Free/$79/$99)
Coggle
Since we mentioned Coggle earlier in the article it would be remiss of us to omit this great tool. It comes in various forms from “Free” to “Awesome” to “Organization”.
The free version is a great way to ‘try before you buy’ and it comes with a lot of cool functions and options to make your mind map very colorful. It is definitely worth a try.
Mindly (macOS, iOS, Android)
If you are looking for some tools which could maximize your creativity, Mindly is the answer. One concept leads to another and with Mindly it’s even easier to form a universe of thoughts. To some degree, its expanding hierarchical structure is not always befitting formal cases.
Features:
- Sync data on different devices
- Keeps focused on one element
Freemind
Freemind, as the name suggests, is a free online mind mapping tool. It is also very handy for generating mind maps when you are offline.
It comes with the benefit of being open sourced but has less of the ‘bells and whistles’ of other apps detailed in this article. It’s not the easiest to get used to, especially if you are a beginner but it gets the job done.
Think of it as a ‘no frills’ mind mapping option. It’s definitely worth looking at if nothing else.
Mindomo
Mindomo, like other apps on this list, does everything a mind mapping software is required to do. What sets it apart from others is that it allows us to attach audio notes, go into presentation mode and its cross platforms availability. It also has theming capabilities like XMind. Since it is available for both Android and iOS, you can be sure that you will have your mind maps with you all the time no matter which mobile OS you use. The only thing that holds Mindomo back is its pricing strategy. It follows a subscription based payment which is always a pain. While it does offer a free version, it’s heavily limited, as it only lets you create 3 maps.
Install: (Free, Subscriptions start at $36/6 months)
Lucidchart
Lucidchart, unlike others on the list, is strictly speaking a mind mapping app. It is, instead, an online diagramming application that can be used for many different tasks including, of course, mind mapping.
It is very flexible and can be used to diagram out other things like process flows. Lucidchart is used by the likes of Netflix, Spotify, and Ford.
Single user Basic licenses start at $4.95/month while licenses for Teams start at $27/month for three users. There’s also a limit free tier if you only want basic features and Enterprise scale solutions require tailored quotes from the company.
Mindly
If you are looking for a unique mind-mapping experience on Mac, check out Mindly. Mindly is a beautiful mind mapping application that uses a solar-system approach to mind mapping. Your main idea remains in the center (like Sun) and then you can add related ideas around its perimeter in a circle. You can in-turn use the related idea as the center and create ideas around it, and so on. What I like about this approach is that it lets me get a quick overview without getting overwhelmed.
I also love the animations here. The animation for bouncing back and forth between circles is just fun. Apart from adding ideas, you can add notes, images, and links. But that’s pretty much it. Mindly though beautiful, is not a powerful mind mapping software. It’s simple and elegant and lets the creative juices flow, but if you are looking for more features, you should check out other options on this list.
Install: $29.99
Draw.io
With Draw.io, you can almost create anything you want, not only mind maps. Besides an extensive shape library and various templates, it also integrates with Confluence and Jira. Confluence users can convert Gliffy to Draw.io with one click and Jira users can find every diagram related to Jira issues.
Features:
- Works online & offline
- Integrates with Google Drive, Office 365 and etc
- A little harder than common mind map makers
iMindMap
Ayoa was previously called iMindMap, but includes much more than mind mapping. If you are looking for an alternative to Trello for project and task management, Ayoa is what you need. Its task side panel stores due dates, file attachments, and checklists. What’s more, you can even receive a daily review email to check upcoming deadlines.
Features:
- Real-time collaboration on mind maps and task boards
- Instant messaging
- Sync with Google, Evernote and Dropbox
Milanote
Talking about uniqueness, Milanote takes a very different approach to mind mapping. Instead of letting you play with nodes and lines, Milanote gives you an infinite canvas, where you can create, add, and link anything you want. It’s perfect for users who like to think on boards. You can add notes, links, images, columns, comments, tasks, and more. Apart from the features, I also love the UI of the software.
It uses minimal lines and clean UI that makes the board look soothing. Milanote is also great for teams as you can share boards with members and assign tasks to them, right there on the board. If you love visual boards, this is the best mind-mapping software for you.
SimpleMind
SimpleMind, as it name suggests, is a very easy to use software which gets the job done. It also has a iOS client and cloud sync. It has a very colourful UI which is pleasant to look at. The app also comes with a couple of themes to customize the look and feel of your mind maps. It does not have any complex features and the sync is almost instant allowing to hand over your work between Mac and iPhone. The best part is that it also has a free version which is as powerful as the paid one. The only big missing feature is that there is no cloud support for the free version hence you cannot sync your maps across devices.
Conclusion:
Are you looking for a way to get your thoughts organized? It can certainly be a challenge to get your thoughts in order, no matter the subject. The best way to do this is by brainstorming and using mind mapping software. If you have tried brainstorming before, you know how difficult it can be. The reason for this is that you have to come up with a list of topics to map out, without any other help. Once the topic has been decided upon though, writing it down becomes easy since it’s just a matter of reading what is already there.