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Looking for a great way to organize your ideas?
A mind map template works wonders for extracting ideas from your brain and putting everything into a visual diagram.
Today’s article features great websites and apps for mind mapping. These resources provide cool templates to help you create eye-catching mind maps for a variety of uses.
What Is Mind Mapping?
Mind mapping is a tried and tested brainstorming method to help you come up with a treasure trove of ideas. It is a technique you can use whether you’re at school, work, or any other setting where you need to come up with solutions to problems.
Your main topic, idea, or concept is written in the middle of the map. You then write associated words, images, and phrases around the main topic, radiating in non-linear fashion from the center.
Connections can then be traced or discovered as you analyze what’s been written. Because of its appearance, a mind map is sometimes also called a spider map.
Before presenting our recommendations, let’s briefly discuss how you can benefit from mind mapping.
The Benefits of Mind Mapping
Let’s check out some websites and apps that can help you create awesome mind maps for your next big project.
1. Canva
Cost: Free; Pro version is available for $12.99/month or $119.99/year
Best for: Beginners and pros who need an easy-to-use mind map interface
Website: Canva
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
Canva [check out our review of Canva Pro here] is one of the most popular graphic design tools and can be used by just about anyone.
It offers a host of features to help you create aesthetically pleasing mind maps, even if you don’t have any background or experience in graphic design.
For example, its drag-and-drop features allow you to create your mind maps with no fuss. In addition, templates help fast-track your work.
Another feature users appreciate is Canva’s vast library of professionally designed templates suited for any purpose. Everything you need for making a personalized, polished, and aesthetically pleasing mind map is available with Canva.
Once you’re done, Canva allows you to download what you’ve made in high-resolution format (PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.).
Canva is free to download. Upgrading to Pro unlocks more features, with prices starting at $12.99/month.
2. Coggle
Cost: Free, with option to upgrade to Awesome ($5/month) or Organization ($8/month)
Best for: Creating real-time collaboration mind maps
Website: Coggle
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
Coggle is your best choice if you’re looking for an online app that allows you work with your group to brainstorm ideas or prepare for a presentation.
You and other team members can create and edit your collaborative mind map in real time through a link, without being required to login.
Considering that you might often need an image-rich presentation, Coggle allows for unlimited upload of images from your device.
One fun thing about creating a mind map in Coggle is that you can join branches and create loops to represent associations between concepts and ideas.
This online tool is free, with an option to upgrade to unlock more features. Subscription rates start at $5 per month.
3. Mindly
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $6.99
Best for: Those looking for a simple, no-frills mind map
Website: Mindly
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
Mindly helps you focus on what’s important, whether you’re studying, planning a project, preparing a speech, or doing anything that requires you to organize your thoughts.
It has a clean interface that promotes absolute focus on the topic at hand. [Check out habits that improve your focus.]
Some of the features you’ll find indispensable for mind mapping include:
You also get Cloud support, allowing you to access your mind map through all of your devices.
This app is available for free, with an option to purchase the Full version with a starting price of $6.99.
4. GitMind
Cost: Free for the Basic version; Upgrades available starting at $9/month
Best for: Easy-to-use templates
Website: GitMind
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
This app provides over 100 premade, easy-to-use templates to help you get started organizing your brainstorming process.
You can view your mind map in a bulleted format, as well as use layout structures to show associations between the concepts you want to take note of.
The app has Cloud support, making your mind maps accessible through any device. Sharing your mind map isn’t a problem, as you are provided with a web link that you can send to your teammates or others you are working with.
5. Ayoa
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $119.99/year
Best for: Creating freehand mind maps
Website: Ayoa
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
If you’re looking for an app that allows you to create freehand mind maps, Ayoa is worth checking out.
Like other mind mapping apps, Ayoa offers premade templates that you can use to speed up your workflow. These templates come in different forms to cater to different mind mapping styles (e.g., speed map, radial map, and capture map).
If you prefer an organic approach to mind mapping, this app has a freehand map feature, allowing for unhindered brainstorming to mimic the natural thinking process.
6. Cacoo
Cost: Free, with option to upgrade to Pro starting at $6/month
Best for: Real-time collaborations and freehand mind mapping
Website: Nulab
Android Link: Available on Google Workspace Marketplace
Here’s an app that allows for visual brainstorming and collaborations in real time.
Cacoo’s uncluttered interface allows for enhanced focus. You can create your mind map from over 100 templates available in its library.
There are also dynamic charts that you can incorporate into the template you’re creating. This app allows for integration with Google Drive, Confluence, Adobe’s Creative Cloud, and other programs.
Finally, users appreciate the in-app video and chat feature, which allows you to discuss collaborations in real time.
7. Miro
Cost: Free, with option to upgrade starting at $8/month billed annually
Best for: Creating web-based mind maps
Website: Miro
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
Miro’s whiteboard feature allows you to gather resources, brainstorm, and share ideas that you can later organize into a mind map that is shareable and editable by team members, even if everyone is working remotely.
You can introduce sticky notes, emojis, and images to your mind map. This app also lets you collaborate with your team in real time, allowing you to receive feedback and share ideas instantly.
8. MindMeister
Cost: Basic – free; Personal – $5.99/month; Offers free trial
Best for: Creating customized, professional mind maps
Website: MindMeister
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
This web-based app offers features that let you create customized mind maps. It also facilitates collaborative work on your mind maps, providing the opportunity for enhanced creativity for the projects you are working on.
Some of the stand-out features of this app include:
You can add icons, change color schemes, and choose themes for your mind maps for additional personalization.
This app offers a one-week free trial for the Personal version of this app, unlocking additional features such as unlimited mind maps, adding images and files to maps, and map export to PNG and/or PDF.
9. Venngage
Cost: Free, with option to upgrade to Premium starting at $16/month
Best for: Easily editable mind mapping templates
Website: Venngage
Venngage provides user-friendly, visually stunning infographic templates, including templates for mind mapping.
With the help of smart diagramming, you can build a mind map in a matter of minutes.
It also boasts of an extensive library of over 10,000 templates to create a customized and detailed mind map or any other type of infographic.
Finally, you can get your team involved in the planning with real-time collaboration. This allows each member to provide feedback on your brainstorming and edit your mind map when necessary.
10. XMind
Cost: Free, with in-app purchases starting at $19.99/month
Best for: Full-featured mind mapping
Website: XMind
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
This app offers cutting-edge features to ensure you have a well-structured and eye-catching mind map.
It uses algorithms to help you save time when creating a dynamic and detailed mind map in an appropriate color scheme. You can also choose a hand-drawn style of mind map from over 30 templates in its library.
This app also provides intuitive tools and features that are seldom found in other apps for mind mapping, including:
11. MindMapper
Cost: One-time payment of $100 for Standard; $120 for Pro; $249 for Arena; and $39 for Education
Best for: Multi-directional and freestyle mind mapping
Website: MindMapper
iOS Link: Available in the Apple App Store
Android Link: Available in the Google Play Store
MindMapper helps you organize information in a visual format, accommodating multiple mapping directions and freestyle mode.
One standout feature that users love about this app is the planner and mind map linking, where schedules written on a mind map are stored in Google calendar.
“Note” is another feature that people find useful. Notes you’ve written in linear format can be converted into a mind map, allowing you to analyze details and discover connections between concepts.
Final Thoughts on Mind Map Template
Mind mapping is a powerful learning tool that helps organize your ideas to make them easier to implement, share, and learn from.
Online templates and apps like the ones featured today make it convenient to brainstorm on a project, even if team members are not in the same location.
Hopefully this post gave you a glimpse of the potential advantages of using web-based mind maps for learning, working, and planning. Here are more mind map examples for you to check out.
If you haven’t considered it yet, note-taking is another essential tool that helps you collect and process information. You can check out our recommendations for the best note-taking apps here.
Finally, if you don’t know the “right” way to journal, then check out this seven-step process for building a journaling habit that sticks.
