Some people find mindmapping a really helpful way of getting their thoughts together. It’s possible to take a low tech approach with a pen and a piece of paper, but sometimes you need something collaborative or presented formally, which is where mind mapping software comes in.
If you want to know more about mind mapping, it’s worth looking up Tony Buzan, who has written over 140 books in this area. Several books by Buzan are available in the library. If you want to see some examples of mind maps, then visit the Mindmap gallery.
What mind mapping features do you need?
Before choosing mind mapping software, you must consider your requirements:
- Free or paid?
- Offline or online?
- Ease of use?
- Aesthetics?
- Template variety?
- Import/export options?
- Collaboration?
- App?
Mindmapping options for you to consider
- Blumind
- Bubbl.us
- Coggle
- Corkulous
- Freemind
- IdeaFlip
- Instaviz
- iThoughts
- Lucidchart
- MagicalPad
- Mindjet MindManager
- Mindly
- Mindmeister
- Mindmup 2
- Mindomo
- NovaMind
- Personal Brain
- Scapple
- SimpleMind
- Sketchboard
- Visual Understanding Environment (VUE)
- Wisemapping
- XMind 8
Some of these are cloud-based, whereas others are downloads. Some are multi-platform; others are iOS/Windows/Android only. Some are free; others are subscription models. Some are single-users; others allow for collaboration.
What’s your favourite mind mapping software and why?