24 Essential Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Tools. Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. Its popular uses include project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations — all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas. It can be more useful than trying to keep track of our ideas by scribbling them on paper, and can aid in manipulating and generating concepts. We've compiled a list of 24 mind mapping tools to help you organize, summarize and visualize information, with both free and paid versions available to suit any budget or requirement. The tools mentioned are either browser- or desktop-based, with a selection of mind mapping mobile apps at the end of the article for use on iOS and Android devices. Is there a particular mind mapping tool you would recommend?
If so, please share a link with our readers in the comments below. 1. 2. iMindMap 3. 4. Price: Accounts range from free up to $79 per year. 5. 6. 7. 8. WikIT. XMind (logiciel) Exobrain. Free mind mapping (and related types) software. I see regular inquiries on Twitter and in forums from people looking for free software to support visual thinking. To provide answers, InformationTamers have put together 14 pages to help you find the one for your needs. These show the platform, a screen thumbnail and a link for more information in each case.
We built this article using the most complete source for details of information mapping software on the Web: Mind-mapping.org. Hat tip to Vic Gee who put Mind-mapping.org together and kept it up to date for years. [I took over that site in August 2013 – Roy Grubb] Mind-mapping.org has a good capability for selecting software by map type and operating system (click on the ‘Refine software list’ tab at the top right of its web page). Although it shows the price, it doesn’t let you filter on price or choose to see only the free ones. “Free” here is as in beer, not in freedom, though some of the software listed is open source, so is free in both senses. Click through for more details: Free mind map library - Biggerplate mind maps and mind map templates.