One of the most engaging parts about brainstorming is the way it helps us generate ideas for our writing, artwork, research, work, jobs, jobsite development. Brainstorming makes people think about what to put on their resumes. It also helps them figure out what articles they can write or stories they can tell. There are countless uses for brainstorming. And to help you with these tasks, there are dozens of brainstorming tools that you can use.
In this article, I present to you some brainstorming tools that will aid your productivity.
IdeaBoardz
IdeaBoardz is a teamwork tool that allows collective brainstorming. Using IdeaBoardz allows for members of a team to combine inputs and ideas in one centralized location online.
Created in the format of a whiteboard with sticky notes, IdeaBoardz allows different members to add post-it notes with their ideas to a collaborative board.
The tool gives the option to log in, to allow you access to previously viewed boards but does not require an account to use the tool.
IdeaBoardz is a great team brainstorming tool and allows for easy sharing through its URL as well as the option to export the board as a PDF.
Infinity — The Most Flexible Brainstorming Tool You’ll Find
Infinity makes brainstorming not only incredibly easy, but also fun (and we’re not just saying this because we’re biased). This brainstorming software offers amazing flexibility, adaptability, and versatile customization options that will help you and your team power up your collective creativity, streamline team organization, and become more efficient.
Say goodbye to creativity blocks, stressful atmosphere, and project scope creep. Whether you’re looking for a way to motivate your team to maximize their potential for brainstorming or a freelancer trying to organize your ideas and tasks with ease, Infinity’s got it all covered.
Plus, it represents one centralized and organized place for a plethora of projects, from marketing projects and HR activities, to sales and finance processes.
The best thing about this brainstorming app, however, is that it gives you the full freedom to create your own structure, organize it, and customize it to your needs, making it a great virtual place for online brainstorming sessions. Additionally, you can view all of your data in six different ways, which can only further encourage you to spend more time working with your team on the next big idea.
“We use infinity on a daily basis. It is our core tool for project management. You can do almost everything, with so many different views. And it is improving every day!” – Javier Loureiro
There’s also 20 fully customizable attributes you can add to your items, including labels, date, text, formulas, checkbox, and attachments, as well as useful integrations e.g. Zapier and Clockify, to help you enhance the way you work.
Having difficulty figuring out how this all works? No worries. Click on the link below and follow the steps how to organize your entire business in Infinity in just a few minutes:
Key Features
- Infinite Structure—Create an unlimited number of boards, folders, and items, and customize them to suit your needs.
- Six Views—Seamlessly switch between six different views to get your creative juices flowing. Use a List view to add new items (thoughts, ideas, and suggestions) or Forms to collect feedback from customers, then collaborate on their opinions with the team to improve your products/services. Infinity is a few steps away from launching two more views, Document and Gallery.
- Over 50 Templates—Infinity is packed with a bunch of templates you can use each for brainstorming.
- Custom Attributes—Infinity comes pre-packed with 20+ customizable attributes that can help you effectively brainstorm with your co-workers. For instance, once a new item is created, everyone involved in the brainstorming process can add their unique votes and show whether they are keen on turning that idea into action or they feel it’s just “blah”.
- File & Note Sharing—Infinity supports sharing multiple file formats, including images, GIFs, videos, etc. Quickly attach links to notes or link to other items in your folders to keep your team members inspired.
- Team Collaboration—Invite people from other departments to join your brainstorming boards, folders, or subfolders and encourage them to share their ideas, make comments under their suggestions or mention people who need to hear about them.
- Task and Project Management—Infinity is not just a plain brainstorming tool. Packed with tons of task and project management features, it lets you turn ideas into tasks and assign them to one or multiple users, or even turn an idea into a whole project.
And if you’d rather not get started on your own, you can choose one of our 50 pre-made templates and start making real work happen ASAP. Don’t know which one to choose? No worries, there’s a template for a variety of industries and niches in our library, from HR and marketing to sales and project management.
Here are our suggestions to help you get started:
INFINITY TIP: Leverage all the capabilities of Infinity’s labels, as they will allow you to keep track of the things you are working on and always be in the know about your status, progress and priorities, etc. 
Pricing
Five available plans, all lifetime deals—choose wisely.
All jokes aside, though, Infinity is currently running a lifetime deal for all five plans, and you can get yours for as low as $249. This plan includes up to 10 team members and 50GB of storage.
Google Documents
Pretty much every working environment uses Google Documents, and therefore it is a great tool to use for brainstorming.
Google Documents is far greater in its recourses than many people know. Google Documents rather than just being used for file sharing has a simple brainstorming tool.
All you need to do to get your brainstorming underway with Google Documents is to create a new document. Ensure that when you share it with your team members, they are permitted to edit the document.
Now all you have to do is let the creative juices run and write it down for the team to see. Not only can you write your own ideas like this but you can also comment and amend those written by other members to really brainstorm as a team.
Coggle
Coggle is a tool that allows you to create collaborative mind maps and flow charts. The good thing about using Coggle is it gives you a better visual of your mind mapping with the way it creates branches while you brainstorm.
Coggle allows you to easily share the mind maps or flow charts you create but also allows you to invite other members to collaborate on a mind map with you.
Some of the features Coggle provides are:
- Realtime collaboration
- Changes you make to a map shared with others will instantly show up in their browser
- Unlimited image uploads
- Creating flexible diagrams with loops and joining branches
- You can create multiple starting points to your diagrams
- Add floating texts and images to annotate your map
For free Coggle allows for 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams. There are options to upgrade costing $5 and $8 a month with some added features being made available.
All you need to do is log in and start creating and brainstorming.
WiseMapping
WiseMapping is a web tool for mind mapping and brainstorming. WiseMapping gives you the option to use the tool online or install it on your device.
WiseMapping is free for both individuals as well as business users. It allows for solo brainstorming as well as provides the option to collaborate or share your mind map with your team.
Features of WiseMapping include:
- Customizable font
- Customizable colors
- Easy export of maps you create
- Allows for mind maps to be embedded from the tool to your blog
- It allows you to add icons.
Freeplane
Freeplane is an open-source software application that allows brainstorming and mind mapping.
Freeplane offers different ways to mind map your brainstorming. With customizable branches and dialogue boxes. You can brainstorm, analyze, organize, and filter how you wish. Freeplane offers the option to write post-it style notes and leave it as such or connect your thoughts with different branch options.
Freeplane also offers the option to task with calendar and reminders.
Moreover, with encryptions enabled you can password protect your mind maps. Presenting your brainstorming is also made easy with in-built styles.
Solo Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a technique for visually organizing information. It’s especially useful for getting ideas out of your head and onto paper because it’s based on intuitive connections. Organizing your thoughts can help you get out of your own head, spot gaps in your thinking, and prepare to share your idea with others. The following brainstorming tools are perfect for independent mind mapping.
Bubbl.us
Price: Free for up to three mind maps.For $4.91 per month, you can get unlimited mind maps and invite others to collaborate.
A web-based tool, Bubbl.us makes it easy to lay down a concept and start connecting subtopics. When you’re done you can turn it into an image to share with others. Collapse and expand branches of your mind map, add hyperlinks to bubbles, and customize the color and font as you wish.
MindMap
Price: Free
While free, open source, and available offline, MindMap offers robust mind map editing tools. You can change fonts, add images and rich text, embed videos, and add URLs. Need to sketch out an idea? No problem, you can hand draw in your mind maps as well.
MindMap is a Google Chrome extension, so you only need to open a web browser to start mind mapping. It also connects to your Google Drive, making it easy to save your work. Alternatively, you can print or export your mind maps or share them through social media.
Popplet
Price: Free for up to 10 Popplets on the online version. $3 per month or $30 per year for unlimited popplets. $4.99 to download the app.
Popplet allows users to customize the color of each “popple,” aka the bubbles that house ideas. You can also include sketches, images, and links in your popples. It’s easy to edit the size of popples and disconnect and connect them as needed.
When your Popplet is done, you can share it on social media, send a link to others, email it, or embed it on your website. It’s available online, for iPad, and iPhone.
TheBrain
Price: Free
TheBrain positions itself as “the ultimate digital memory”. It’s nonlinear, and its functionality mimics the fluid movement of your thoughts. When you pull up a topic, the rest of the network shifts as well and shows you other concepts connected to it. The result is a comprehensive, robust, and searchable record of your thoughts.
The free version of TheBrain is available to download; it works on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android; and it syncs across your devices. It allows for unlimited usage, and you can use it organize and store files as well.
MindMeister
Available on the web and updating in real-time, MindMeister’s virtual whiteboard allows you and your team to collaborate and discuss no matter where you happen to be.
This video reviews Coggle, MindMeister, and Draw.io, three excellent mind-mapping softwares. They discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each brainstorming tool. Options like Coggle and MindMeister are easier to use, whereas Draw.io gives you a wider variety of options. Which one do you prefer?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ETtFqR5ws
Visual Thesaurus
Visual Thesaurus generates association trees from any word you type in. For example, if you type in “car,” it’ll create trees not just for roads, but for train cars, sidecars, and so on. It’s useful for finding the right word to describe a concept, but it can also bridge creative gaps when you’re searching for a metaphor or a different approach. The tool also offers definitions and pronunciations of unfamiliar words, so you’ll learn something along the way.
Freeplane
If you’re comfortable with open source software, Freeplane offers a powerful alternative to typical collaborative software and will run on any system that can support the current version of Java.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5KH64Skpnc
Bubbl.us
Perfect for freeform structure and design, Bubbl.us lets you layout bubble charts with ease.
Conclusion
Online brainstorming tools can help you uncover all the hidden ideas within your mind. What are brainstorming tools? They are free online apps to help you organize your thoughts in an order that is not very easy to compile in our brain itself. You have unlimited options to choose from as long as they’re not restricted for trial use only. It’s just a matter of choosing between free and fee-based brainstorming tool/app!