Mind mapping is a great way to brainstorm, organize and visually share your ideas. To create a mind map first open a blank page on your computer, grab a pen and paper. But, what if your life is too digital for that? Mind mapping tools have been suggested as an alternative to physical mind mapping tools. You can even find some great software, or apps for free!
Are you looking for mind map free download? There are lots of kinds of mind mapping software available, and it’s hard to find the best program. The best software should be easy to use and offers a lot of features. Here I list down some of the best free mind mapping software as well as mindmap online (how to make a mind map online).
Coggle
The moment you start a diagram in Coggle, you’ll see the central node of a new mind map, along with an enticing plus sign to get started adding new nodes and ideas. Each time you click on the plus sign to create a new child node, Coggle will automatically choose the direction, placement, and color of the new node. But you can always drag the nodes around to rearrange things into a format that fits your layout a little better. Or you can right-click on them and select Choose Style to change the color, or if you’re on the Awesome plan, the line style and thickness of the connections.
If you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts during your mind mapping process, there’s a cheat sheet of keyboard shortcuts in the bottom-right corner of the canvas. Click the green X icon to hide it and the green question mark icon to bring it back.
One of our favorite features is that Coggle lets you format your mind map items and messages with Markdown, so you can get as fancy as you need to while adding your text, images, and links to the canvas.
If you want to bounce some ideas off a colleague, you can go ahead and add them to your mind map, carry on a conversation in the messages sidebar, or go into full-screen presentation mode to take a step back and do more high-level ideation.
Coggle Pricing: Free for up to three private diagrams; $5/month for unlimited private diagrams and extra mind mapping tools (like additional shapes and color control).
GitMind
First off is GitMind. This amazing free mind map tool allows you to arrange your thoughts and ideas by listing them one by one in a diagram format. Another special feature is that it has an outline function that helps you create essay outlines fast and easy. This is where you can group, organize, and see an overview of your mind map in a linear form. Moreover, project planning and team development will be a lot easier with its collaboration feature. Check this amazing tool with the following steps.
- Search “GitMind” on your browser to visit the officvaila page of the tool. From here, click the “Get Started” button to then it will be directed on the template gallery. If you wish you use its desktop version, hit the “Download Now” button.
- Input your thoughts and ideas and if you want to customize your mindmap, you may proceed to the layout options.
- Finally, save it by clicking the “Save” icon or you may get it by hitting the “Export” icon.
Mindly
Mind mapping on a mobile device comes with a lot of special challenges, thanks to small screen sizes, the inconvenience of scrolling and zooming, and the readability issues that accompany all that. But Mindly‘s outside-the-box thinking makes mind mapping on a smartphone possible—and, honestly, pretty fun.
Like most mind maps, you’ll start with your central node, add text and icons, and change the color if you want. Then, it’s time to start adding any associative ideas in the surrounding circle. To do this, tap on the + icon on the outer circle: Mindly will automatically create a new node and zoom in to let you focus on the matter at hand. As you go deeper into sub-ideas (and sub-sub-ideas!), you’ll always be able to find your way back to the original center node by tapping on the circle in the top-left corner of the screen.
Mindly keeps things organized by folding away any sub-ideas as you work your way back toward your main node. You can drill back down into any node by tapping on it, or tap the arrow icon in the bottom-right and then Mindmap to see a mind map overview of everything. From the same menu, you can also print or share your mind map.
Of course, you can also sync your mobile mind maps with the desktop version of Mindly, so you can switch from on-the-go ideation to formal mind mapping sessions at your desk.
Mindly Pricing: Free mobile version includes 3 mind maps each with up to 100 elements; $6.99 on iOS and $5.49 on Android for additional features, including unlimited elements, passcode, and search; $29.99 on macOS.
MindMup (Web)
MindMup is an easy-to-use mind mapping app—and you don’t even need an account to get started.
The toolbar at the top provides quick links to all the basic needs of mind mapping, from changing the color of each node to adding detailed text and file attachments. But it’s the ability to publish and share your mind maps that sets MindMup apart.
While many mind mapping tools require at least an email address, MindMup allows anyone to create and post public mind maps. Free mind maps are automatically deleted after six months, but if you’re using it for a quick brainstorming session, that does the trick. If you want to sign up or save private maps, you have to pay $2.99/month for MindMup Personal Gold.
MindMup Pricing: Free for public maps up to 100 KB; from $2.99/month for MindMup Personal Gold that includes larger, private maps and collaboration.
Bubbl.us (Web)
- It has a full change history feature so you can preview and edit your map anytime.
- Can save to image or HTML.
- For small businesses only.
Another tool that is a great resource to arrange your ideas is Bubbl.us. It has tabs ribbon that shows you the list of all the currently opened mind maps on the interface. With countless concepts, you’ll surely find the perfect visual aid for your idea. Moreover, its premium version offers unlimited mind maps, a real-time collaboration, history revision for your mind maps.
Scapple (macOS, Windows)
Most mind maps require you to begin with a central node, branching outward from that single point as your mind comes up with new ideas and associations. But if you’re using Scapple, you have more flexibility in terms of where your visual mind map leads.
For example, you’re not limited to starting your mind map with a central theme. Instead, you might start with a tiny idea, then work “backward” to find the main idea. And Scapple lets it all happen organically, since individual nodes will only connect when you tell them to by dragging and dropping one on top of the other. In this way, complex relationships can be sketched out quickly, without losing the flow of rapid ideation. One handy trick is to use background shapes (right-click then New > Background Shape to add one) to create buckets for different groups of ideas. You can then move things about and link them as needed.
When compared with some of the other mind mapping apps on this list, Scapple’s interface is relatively simple. You can’t even style a note unless you activate the inspector by going to View > Show Inspector. But that simplicity also gives you the ultimate flexibility in terms of what goes where and how things should look.
One great touch is that the 30-day free trial is for 30 days of use, not 30 consecutive days. Use Scapple a couple of times a month and it’s free for almost a year.
Scapple Pricing: 30-day free trial; $18 for the Mac or Windows app.
FreeMind
- Its map can be exported to HTML and XHTML
- Offers built-in icons
- Lacks emoticons for designs.
Another free mind map software we listed here for you is FreeMind. This is an amazing tool written in Java where it covers a wide range of exporting capabilities on multiple platforms such as on Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. Moreover, its export feature offers a flash-based way of converting your file into HTML and XHTML.
Stormboard (Web)
Stormboard puts a twist on traditional mind mapping by using sticky notes and index cards, rather than nodes and branches, to record your ideas. You’ll group your notes on different parts of the screen to represent connections during the initial mind map creation, then add the visual correlations with lines afterward.
There’s even a “rapid-fire” mode that will pop up a new sticky note the minute you post the one prior, so you can literally type out your ideas one after another with no extra effort—and save the organization for later.
Stormboard also makes it easy to get your entire team involved in the process, since collaborators can record comments, create tasks, and add their votes to each idea. Plus, you can automate the process with Stormboard’s Zapier integrations, creating ideas and storms automatically whenever trigger events happen in the other apps you use most. For example, new Trello cards or GitHub issues can automatically pop up on a dedicated board.
Conclusion:
A mind map is a diagram used to visually organize information. They can be created with pen and paper or on the computer using certain applications. The creation of mind maps is an excellent way to brainstorm, organize your thoughts, turn ideas into action, and generate new ideas.