A curated catalog of mind mapping software — open source and proprietary, from apps and libraries to text-to-map tools, file formats, and interop bridges.
Verified against live repos, registries, and vendor sites in November 2026. Status legend: 🟢 active · 🟡 slow/dormant · 🔴 archived/unmaintained · ⛔ shut down. Licenses and prices change — always double-check before committing.
"Mind map" here means the radial/tree diagram where ideas branch from a central node. Concept maps (labeled graphs) and argument maps (claims + relations) are close cousins and get their own sections.
- Top picks
- Apps — Open Source
- Libraries & SDKs
- Editor & knowledge-base integrations
- Proprietary Software
- Adjacent mapping genres
- File Formats & Interoperability
- Historical / unmaintained but influential
- Related content repositories
- Contributing
Don't want to read 400 lines? (Though we'd love you to.)
| You want… | Pick |
|---|---|
| The most powerful OSS desktop app | Freeplane |
| A beautiful, native-feeling OSS desktop map | Minder (Linux) / MindNode (macOS, closed) |
| Open-source Miro clone with mindmaps | Drawnix |
| Markdown notes → interactive map | markmap · VS Code: markmap-vscode · Obsidian: Mindmap NextGen / Enhancing Mindmap |
| Diagram-as-code inside docs | Mermaid mindmap or PlantUML @startmindmap |
| Embed a map in your own web app | mind-elixir (zero deps) or Simple Mind Map (full-featured, yjs collab) |
| Keyboard-only, in the terminal | h-m-m |
| Hand-drawn/organic Buzan style | Ayoa (paid) or Linwood Butterfly (OSS) |
| Largest SaaS ecosystem & templates | Miro / FigJam / XMind |
| Map your whole knowledge graph | TheBrain (free desktop now) or organize in Obsidian/Logseq |
| Files your grandkids can still open | .mm (FreeMind XML) or an indented Markdown outline |
- Freeplane — GPL-2.0 · Win/macOS/Linux (Java) · 🟢 (~4.5k★, active Nov 2026) — The most feature-rich OSS mind mapper, successor to FreeMind.
- LaTeX/markdown in node text, Groovy scripting, addons, encrypted maps, outliner views, project-management features
- Built-in MCP server for AI workflows (docs §4.5)
- Exports: Markdown, OPML, Asciidoc, LaTeX, Office formats, PDF, SVG, PNG, XHTML; completed format XSD at docs.freeplane.org
- FreeMind — GPL-2.0+ · Win/macOS/Linux (Java) · 🔴 (last release 1.0.1, 2014) — The genre's granddaddy (still ~2k downloads/week on SourceForge). Imported MindManager
.mmapas early as 0.9b9. Superseded by Freeplane; see Historical. - View Your Mind (VYM) — GPL-2.x (SPDX "Other") · Win/macOS/Linux (Qt/C++) · 🟢 (~200★, active Oct 2026) — Veteran Java-free mapper with strong linking and export (PNG/SVG/PDF); rare SourceForge-era project still maintained.
- Minder — GPL-3.0 · Linux (GTK/Vala, elementary OS flagship) · 🟢 (~1.2k★, active Nov 2026) — Polished native mapper with themes, node notes/tasks, auto-layout, markdown/PDF/SVG export.
- MindForger — GPL-2.0 · Win/macOS/Linux (C++/Qt) · 🟡 (~2.7k★) — "Thinking notebook": markdown IDE where notes ARE outline/mindmap entries; mind-map view over your notes.
- TreeSheets — Zlib · Win/macOS/Linux (C++/wxWidgets) · 🟢 (~3.2k★, active Nov 2026) — "Hierarchical spreadsheet" positioned explicitly as a replacement for outliners, mind mappers and spreadsheets; single-file docs, now even ships Claude-Code scripting. A genuine hipster gem.
- Heimer — GPL-3.0 · Win/macOS/Linux (C++/Qt6) · 🟢 (~1k★, active 2026) — Lightweight mind map + network-diagram + notes app, saves PNG/SVG.
- Mindolph — GPL-3.0 · Win/macOS/Linux (JavaFX) · 🟢 (~200★, active Sep 2026) — Personal knowledge workspace: FreeMind-compatible mind maps (
.mm-family) plus PlantUML, Markdown, CSV editors, Gen-AI support. - DesktopNaotu — MIT · Win/macOS/Linux (Electron) · 🟢 (~5.1k★, active Sep 2026) — Offline desktop build of Baidu's 脑图 (Naotu/KityMinder),
.kmJSON format. - VNote — LGPL-3.0 · Win/macOS/Linux (C++/Qt) · 🟢 (~13k★, very active) — Markdown note platform "majoring in Markdown, MindMap, Typst" — includes a built-in mind map editor mode.
- Vex (维刻) — MIT · cross-platform (C#/Avalonia) · 🟢 (active Nov 2026) — Markdown editor with a live mind-map side view, no Electron.
- Blumind — MIT · Windows (C#/WinForms) · 🟡 (~100★, dormant 2021) — Tiny lightweight Windows mapper.
- VUE (Visual Understanding Environment) — license unmaintained (historically Apache-family, (verify)) · Java · 🔴 (last push Jan 2024; tufts.edu site needs Wayback) — Tufts University's concept/mind mapping + presentation-in-map tool.
- Semantik (repo on GitLab,
ita1024/semantik) — GPL-3.0 · Linux (KDE/Qt, Python) · 🟡 (last release Mar 2024) — kdissert heir: build a mind map, generate a LaTeX/OpenOffice/HTML document from it. - SciaReto — free, source in raydac/netbeans-mmd-plugin (Apache-2.0) · Win/macOS/Linux (Java) · 🟢 — Standalone editor for the Markdown-compatible MMD plain-text format; the engine also powers the most-downloaded JetBrains mindmap plugin (208k+ downloads).
- KIKUmap — MIT · macOS (Swift, menu bar) · 🟢 (very active, Nov 2026) — Visualize Claude/ChatGPT/AI conversations as a live mind map.
- Linwood Butterfly — AGPL-3.0 · Win/macOS/Linux/Android/Web (Flutter) · 🟢 (~2.1k★) — Minimalist open-source sketchbook/note canvas usable for hand-drawn maps.
- Drawnix — MIT · Web (local-first) · 🟢 (~15k★, active) — All-in-one FOSS whiteboard with a genuinely good mindmap module (on the Plait framework): mindmap + flowchart + freehand + Mermaid import. The best "open-source Miro-with-mindmaps" today.
- AFFiNE — BlockSuite core MPL-2.0/MIT (mixed) · Web + self-host + desktop · 🟢 (~74k★, very active) — "More than Notion and Miro": docs + canvas + databases.
- Mind map is a first-class BlockSuite canvas element: own
mindmapschema, snapshot module, 5 preset layout styles (@blocksuite/affine-model) - Yjs CRDT underneath → intrinsic realtime collaboration, and a built-in AI mind-map generator
- Mind map is a first-class BlockSuite canvas element: own
- Simple Mind Map (app) (repo) — MIT (lib; "Pro" companion is commercial) · Web/self-host · 🟢 (~12.9k★, active Aug 2026) — Commercial-grade web mindmap editor + the library behind it.
- Many layouts; ~25 optional plugins: minimap, KaTeX formulas, watermark, focus mode, web-worker rendering
- Collaboration via
yjs+y-webrtc - Imports XMind/OPML/markdown; exports PNG/SVG/PDF/JSON/SMMD/markdown
- Docs mostly Chinese (i18n partial)
- my-mind — MIT · Web (single-page, offline-capable) · 🟢 (~3.4k★, active Oct 2026) — Elegant keyboard-centric single-author classic by Ondřej Žára; supports XMind/FreeMind import, storage in localStorage/Google Drive.
- TeamMapper — AGPL-family (verify) · Self-host (NestJS) · 🟢 (~520★, very active Nov 2026) — Collaborative shared mind-mapping sessions; popular in education.
- mindmaps — MIT · Web (static/offline HTML5) · 🔴 (dormant 2023, ~2.9k★) — "Open source, offline capable, mind mapping application." Root of TeamMapper.
- WiseMapping (repo, Java) —
⚠️ custom WiseMapping Public License —⚠️ Apache-2.0 plus a mandatory "powered by WiseMapping" attribution on every screen (removable via email waiver) · Web + Docker self-host + Desktop · 🟢 (active Oct 2026)- The veteran (2007) collaborative OSS mindmap suite; 200k+ Docker pulls
- Imports/exports Freeplane/XMind/MindManager; ships a ChatGPT "Mind Map Copilot" GPT
- Mindmapp — AGPL-3.0 · Web/Electron (Angular) · 🟡 (~520★) — Simple, minimalist web mind mapper.
- Blink Mind Desktop — license (unverified on repo) · 🟡 (~730★, dormant 2022) — Electron mindmap + outline app; also has a VS Code extension.
- Neurite — license (unverified) · 🟡 (~2.2k★, semi-active Mar 2026) — "Fractal Graph-of-Thought" rhizomatic mind-mapping web desktop with AI agents.
- MindGeniusAI — license (unverified) · 🟢 (~285★, self-hostable) — AI agent: PDFs → editable mind maps (AntV X6, BYO LLM key, built-in RAG).
- Mind-Map-Wizard — license (unverified) · 🟢 (active Jul 2026) — Local-first AI-assisted mindmapping in the browser.
- mindmapvault — AGPL-3.0 · Docker self-host · 🟢 (new/small) — Zero-knowledge-encrypted mindmap server.
- SmallSO (小书匠) — license (unverified) · 🟢 (~1.7k★, active) — Local-first Chinese note app shipped with a built-in mindmap editor.
- lx-doc — license (unverified) · 🟡 (~330★) — Self-hosted cloud docs suite including mindmap/whiteboard modes.
- markmap — MIT · 🟢 (~13.8k★, very active Nov 2026) — The Markdown → interactive mindmap tool.
- CLI:
npx markmap-cli notes.md→ standalone, fully-offline interactive HTML - Layouts via frontmatter: tree / two-sided / org-chart; themes +
<!-- markmap: fold -->comments - Ecosystem packages:
markmap-lib,markmap-view(d3-based),markmap-autoloader,markmap-toolbar,markmap-html-parser,<markmap-view>web component, katex/prism plugins ⚠️ Nov 2026 restructure added scoped names (@markmap/parse,@markmap/core,@markmap/canvas,@markmap/page) alongside the legacymarkmap-*packages- Siblings: markmap-vscode, mkdocs_markmap, coc-markmap; community action bssm-oss/markmap-actions (no official action exists)
- CLI:
- Mermaid —
mindmapdiagram (repo) — MIT · 🟢 (~91k★) — Indented-textmindmapsyntax rendered natively inside GitHub, GitLab, VS Code, Docusaurus, etc. CLI renderer: mermaid-cli (mmdc→ SVG/PNG/PDF). - PlantUML —
@startmindmap(repo) — GPL-3.0+/EPL · Java · 🟢 — Org-chart-style mind maps in PlantUML syntax with a huge server-integration ecosystem. - Argdown (repo) — MIT (verify in repo) · Web/VS Code/CLI · 🟢 (v2.0 released Dec 2025) — Markdown-family syntax for argument maps:
+/-support and attack relations between claims; ArgVu font with dedicated ligatures; PDF/SVG/web-component export. (Also listed under Argument mapping.) - mindr — R/CRAN · 🟢 (~580★, active Oct 2026) — Markdown/Rmd ↔ mindmap conversions (FreeMind/XMind output) from the R world.
- lini — MIT · Rust (CLI) · 🟢 — Plain-text mini-language emitting mindmaps, trees, charts and ER schemas (Mermaid-ish, in Rust).
- crumbs — MIT · Go (CLI) · 🔴 (2020) — Asterisk-indented text → mindmap image.
- mdSilo — license (unverified) · 🟢 (~850★, Tauri) — Knowledge base with mind-map views of your silo.
- GitHub topics worth browsing directly — dozens more small "markdown→map" utilities live under
topic:mindmap(988 repos) andtopic:mind-map(363 repos).
- h-m-m — GPL-3.0 · Terminal (PHP) · 🟢 (~2.3k★, active Jul 2026) — Hackers Mind Map: fast keyboard-centric TUI editor for text-tree mindmaps; pipes to/from editors (Emacs etc.), scriptable.
- tmmpr — MIT · Terminal (Rust, ratatui) · 🔴 (~350★, archived) — Interactive TUI mindmap editor.
- markmap-cli — see markmap —
npx markmap-clirenders markdown to interactive HTML offline. - mermaid-cli — see above —
mmdc -i mindmap.mmd -o out.svg. - @xmindltd/xmind-cli — official XMind CLI — "Create and edit
.xmindfiles for AI Agents" (v0.2.3, Aug 2026; keywords include claude-code/cursor/codex). - Dagzet — Rust · 🟡 — Text format for DAG-Zettelkasten-style mindmap graphs.
- oxmap — TUI mindmaps (tiny).
- rmm (Recon MindMap) — MIT · Go · 🟡 — Tool and format for pentesting recon mindmaps.
For embedding mind maps in your own apps. Rendering-approach and dependency details verified from npm registry metadata (Nov 2026).
- mind-elixir (npm
mind-elixir) — MIT · 🟢 (v6.0.0, Nov 2026) — Framework-agnostic TypeScript mindmap core. Zero runtime dependencies.- Rendering: DOM + SVG; data model: plain
{topic, children[]}tree;getData()/init(data)/ inline markdown topics - Plugin contract:
mind.install(plugin), event busmind.bus, context-menu slots;@mind-elixir/plugin-*(richtext, i18n, layout, hotkeys) - Format plugins:
import-xmind,import-freemind,import-markdown,export-xmind,export-html, image export; community@erseco/mind-elixir-export-mermaid - Core exports SVG/PNG/HTML · Docs: docs.mind-elixir.com · Hosted app: app.mind-elixir.com
- Rendering: DOM + SVG; data model: plain
- Simple Mind Map (library) (npm
simple-mind-map) — MIT · 🟢 (0.14.x, Jul 2026) — SVG rendering on@svgdotjs/svg.js; the full-featured sibling of mind-elixir.- Deps:
quill(rich text),katex,jszip,pdf-lib,xml-js(xmind/opml parsing),mdast-util-from-markdown,yjs+y-webrtc(realtime) - ~25 optional plugins, theming system, web-worker rendering for large maps
- Deps:
- jsMind (npm
jsmind) — BSD-3-Clause (not MIT!) · 🟡 (0.9.1, Dec 2025) — Vanilla ES6 mindmap library from the Baidu KityMinder ecosystem.- No framework, DOM/CSS rendering, UMD/legacy builds; data model:
{meta, format: 'node_tree'|'node_array', data} - Plugin system (
$jm.plugin.register) with officialdraggable-nodeandscreenshotplugins in-tree
- No framework, DOM/CSS rendering, UMD/legacy builds; data model:
- kityminder-core — BSD-3-Clause · 🔴 — Baidu's mindmap engine (
fex-team, 2012-era): the.kmJSON format lives on via DesktopNaotu and the VS Code extensions below.- Family:
kityminder(~4.8k★, frozen 2019),kityminder-editor(~3.2k★),kityminder-core(~1.4k★)
- Family:
- BlockSuite (npm
@blocksuite/*) — MPL-2.0/MIT family · 🟢 — AFFiNE's editor toolkit; mind map is a native element type (@blocksuite/affine-modelshipselements/mindmap/with 5 style presets + snapshot modules); Yjs-driven. - React Flow / Svelte Flow (npm
@xyflow/react,@xyflow/svelte) — MIT · 🟢 (~39k★) — The go-to node-graph UI library; not mindmap-specific (no first-party mindmap layout — verified), but countless mindmap editors are built on it. - Vue Flow (npm
@vue-flow/core) — MIT · 🟢 — Vue sibling of React Flow; mindmap canvases are userland examples. - Butterfly — MIT/Apache · 🔴-ish (dormant May 2024) — Alibaba's diagramming engine (React/Vue) with tree/mindmap layouts, used in Alibaba Cloud consoles.
- graphview — MIT · Flutter/Dart · 🟢 (~470★) — Tree/graph layout widget used for mindmap-style UIs on mobile.
- android-thinkmap-treeview — MIT · Java/Android · 🟢 (~550★) — Thinkmap-style tree/mindmap custom view for Android.
- xmindltd/xmind-sdk-js · 🟡 (dormant Oct 2024) — Official SDK for generating
.xmindfiles headlessly; superseded by the npmxmindpackage (v2+, renamed fromxmind-sdk),xmind-generator, and the officialxmind-embed-viewerfor rendering.xmindfiles on any website. - GoJS —
⚠️ commercial (evaluation-only source) — Proprietary treeLayout/graphLinks engine frequently used in commercial mindmap apps; the common OSS alternative is React Flow.
(Obsidian itself and its Canvas feature are closed-source, but .canvas files are open JSON.)
- obsidian-enhancing-mindmap — MIT · 🟡 (~710★, active Jan 2026) — Editable mind maps over markdown notes; markmap-based read mode + rich edit mode; exports PNG/Markdown/Xmind.
- Mindmap NextGen — 🟢 (~410★, active Oct 2026) — Interactive markmap views of notes, embedded mindmap code blocks, LaTeX, checkboxes; successor to lynchjames' original.
- obsidian-advanced-mindmap — MIT · 🟢 — Updated markmap-based fork of Mindmap NextGen.
- Obsidian-Canvas-MindMap — license (unverified) · 🔴 (dormant Sep 2024, ~370★) — Makes Obsidian Canvas behave like a mindmap (sibling auto-arrangement etc.).
- obsidian-kity-mind — license (unverified) · 🟢 — Baidu Naotu (kityminder) engine inside Obsidian.
- obsidian-markmind (MarkMindCkm/obsidian-markmind) —
⚠️ partially closed-source (rich mode proprietary; basic mode OSS) — Popular mind map + outline + PDF-annotation plugin. - Obsidian Excalidraw mindmap scripts — Excalidraw for Obsidian has no native mindmap layout (verified against release notes); mindmaps come from Automate Script Library entries like Mindmap format (by pandoralink) and Mindmap connector, converting markdown outlines into drawn nodes+arrows.
- markmap-vscode (id
gera2ld.markmap-vscode, also on Open VSX) — MIT · 🟢 — "Open as markmap" live preview of markdown files; themes/layouts via frontmatter; offline export to HTML/SVG/PNG. - markmap-universe/vscode-extension — MIT · 🟢 — Markmap ecosystem's own preview extension.
- souche/vscode-mindmap — AGPL-3.0 · 🔴 (2022) — The standard KityMinder-based editor for
.km/.xmindfiles; JetBrains port exists (see below). - vscode-blink-mind · 🔴 (2022) — blink-mind-based mindmap editor.
- oorzc/vscode-mindmap — MIT · 🟢 (active May 2026) — Another kityminder-descendant editor.
- vscode-markdown-markmap — MIT · 🔴 (2023) — Markmap inside the markdown preview.
- Dendron — Apache-2.0 · 🔴 (company wound down) — Hierarchy-first PKM ("notes as trees"); historically significant, effectively unmaintained.
- felisMindmap — license (unverified) · 🟡 — PWA + VS Code mindmap editor (small).
- markmap.nvim — GPL-3.0 · 🟢 — Visualize markdown notes as markmap mindmaps from within Neovim.
- mind.nvim — the famous Phaazon plugin ("The power of trees at your fingertips") had its original repo deleted; maintained forks exist (williamboman/mind.nvim, malramsay64/mind.nvim) — treat as fork-maintained.
- muhfaris/mindmap.nvim · 🟢 (Aug 2026) — Spatial terminal mindmapping.
- nvim-codebase-mindmap — LSP-based call-graph mindmaps (tiny).
- Org-mode itself (orgmode.org, GPL-3.0) is the original outliner-as-file-format; the ecosystem below renders org trees as maps:
- org-mind-map — GPL-3.0 · 🟡 (last push 2023) — MELPA package: renders Org trees as Graphviz SVG/PDF/PNG "mind maps".
- org-brain — MIT · 🟢 (~1.75k★) — Org-mode wiki/concept-mapper; its Viz mode renders a mindmap of your brain.
- org-graph-view — license (unverified) · 🟡 (~250★) — Clickable graphical mindmap view of Org buffers.
- eaf-mindmap — GPL-3.0 · 🔴 (2023) — Keyboard-driven mindmap editor via the Emacs Application Framework.
- xmind-org-el — GPL-3.0 · 🟡 — XMind → Org conversion.
- SciaReto Mind Map (plugin, source in raydac/netbeans-mmd-plugin) — Apache-2.0 · 🟢 — 208k+ downloads: the dominant JetBrains mindmap plugin; edits Markdown-compatible MMD files in IntelliJ/NetBeans/most Jetbrains IDEs.
- markdown-editor (shuzijun) — huge JetBrains markdown editor embedding a KityMinder-based mindmap.
- Mindmap (mindmapx,
com.souche.mindmap.idea) — JetBrains port of souche/vscode-mindmap (.km/.xmind). - mindmap – Call Graph Visualizer — MIT · 🟢 (Kotlin/Android) — Android Studio plugin rendering code call graphs as mindmaps.
- joplin-plugin-kity-minder — MIT · 🔴 (Apr 2023) — KityMinder mindmaps in Joplin.
- Kminder — license (unverified) · 🟢 (~35★) — Joplin mindmap plugin with XMind/MindManager/markdown import, JSON/PNG/MD export.
- Zotero Better Notes — AGPL-3.0 · 🟢 (~8.4k★, active) — Zotero note manager with embedded markmap mindmap views over your literature notes.
- TiddlyMap — license (unverified; historically BSD-family) · 🟡 (~910★, updated Jan 2026) — TiddlyWiki plugin drawing topic/concept maps from wiki topology.
- MindMeister — 🟢 · Web + iOS/Android · Freemium (3 free maps; Personal ~$3.50/user/mo, Pro $5.50, Business $8.50 billed annually) — The classic collaborative mapper (MeisterLabs); now has Meister AI generation and a Claude MCP integration. Historical REST API at
mindmeister.com/api— current status (verify). - Coggle — 🟢 · Web · Freemium (unlimited public diagrams; 3 private on free; Awesome $5/mo, Organization $8/member/mo; on-prem Enterprise) — Loopy shared-diagram model with real-time collab, loops/multi-roots, Visio/Freemind export; documented public API (JSON nodes, OPML import via official
coggle-opml-importersample, npmcoggleclient). - Mindomo — 🟢 · Web + native desktop (offline) + iOS/Android · Freemium; Premium ~€6/mo, Team ~€13.5/user/mo; one-time desktop edition — Education-focused (assignment workflows), Gantt/outline views, AI generator.
- XMind — 🟢 · Win/macOS/Linux/iOS/Android/Web · Freemium (10 free online maps; Pro $4.92/mo, Premium $8.25/mo annually; one sub = 5 desktops + 5 mobiles) — The most polished commercial mapper (Supermind Pte. Ltd., Singapore); Premium adds realtime collab, Gantt, tasks, 500 AI credits/mo.
⚠️ History: XMind 3.x from ~2008 was GPL open source; modern XMind (2018+) is fully proprietary. - bubbl.us — 🟢 · Web · Freemium (~$5–6/mo Premium) — Bubble-style mapping since 2005; real-time collaboration.
- GitMind — 🟢 · Web + desktop + mobile · Freemium — Pivoted into an "AI second brain": text/video/audio/PDF/image → mind maps, flowcharts, UML.
- Scrintal — 🟢 · Web + desktop (Electron) · Freemium/subscription — Infinite-canvas visual studying/research (blocks → docs), Gobu AI research assistant.
- Mind42 — 🟢 but feature-frozen ~a decade · Web · Free (closed, ad-supported) — Surviving 2007-era simple mapper.
- SpiderScribe — 🟡 (site maintained, blog dormant since 2016) · Web (+iPad "Jr.") · Free tier; Business $25/mo — Maps mixing notes, files, images, calendar events, geo-locations.
- Mapify — 🟢 · Web + mobile + extension · Freemium/credits — AI summarizer → mind maps (PDF/YouTube/webpage/audio); product of Supermind Pte. Ltd. — the XMind company (descended from ChatMind / Xmind AI).
- MindManager — 🟢 · Win/macOS + web "Essentials" + Go mobile viewer · Subscription (~$99/yr Essentials; Professional one-time/perpetual option ≈$479 + $199/yr (verify — JS-rendered pricing)) — The enterprise heavyweight (Corel): Gantt, integrations (Teams/SharePoint/Jira), IT admin controls.
.mmap= zip-wrapped XML (namespaceschemas.mindjet.com/MindManager/Application/2003). - MindNode — 🟢 · Apple-only (Mac/iPhone/iPad/Watch/Vision Pro) · Free core app + MindNode Plus $2.99/mo or $24.99/yr; in Setapp — The nicest mapping experience on Apple platforms; rich import/export (FreeMind, OPML, XMind, Markdown, TaskPaper, TextBundle); ships a local MCP server (Settings → AI) for Claude Desktop/Claude Code/ChatGPT/Codex agents.
- SimpleMind — 🟢 (v2.10, Aug 2026) · Win/macOS/iOS/Android · One-time purchase per platform, no subscriptions — Free-form layout, local-first data ownership; free edition + Viewer.
- TheBrain — 🟢 (v15, 2026) · Win/macOS/Linux/iOS/Android/Web ·
⚠️ Desktop app now completely free; paid Pro Service $15/mo (sync+AI), TeamBrain $25/user/mo, Max $40/mo — Dynamic associative "brain" of thoughts/parents/children/jump links, 28+ years old; Cerebro AI add-on. Formerly "PersonalBrain". - EdrawMind (formerly MindMaster) — 🟢 · Win/macOS/Linux/web/mobile · Freemium + subscription or perpetual — Wondershare's mapper with heavy AI push (PDF/YouTube → map, map → slides), template gallery.
- Ayoa (formerly iMindMap/ThinkBuzan) — 🟢 (page updated Oct 2026) · Web + desktop + mobile · Freemium (10 free maps) — Organic hand-drawn Buzan-lineage maps (Chris Griffiths) + task boards + Gantt + AI.
- Scapple (Literature & Latte) — 🟢 · macOS/Windows · ~$31 one-time — Freeform notes where every note is independent and only connections you draw exist — the deliberately anti-hierarchy mind mapper.
- i2Brain — 🟡 · Java/Windows · $59 — "Multi-dimensional" mind mapping (up to 15 data dimensions mapped onto position/size/color). Niche classic.
- iThoughts / iThoughtsX (toketaware.com) — ⛔ company ceased trading Jan 2024 — apps still run, no updates/new licenses; author recommends migrating out via ITMZ/MindManager/XMind/FreeMind exports.
(All have mind-map shapes/expand-AI; all closed-source, freemium.)
- Miro — 🟢 · Web/desktop/mobile · Free (3 boards), Starter ≈$8/user/mo — Market-leading canvas; "Miro Mind Map" template + Miro AI topic expansion.
- FigJam (Figma) — 🟢 · Free (3 files), ~$3/editor/mo Pro — Whiteboards + mindmap connectors + AI, inside the Figma ecosystem.
- Whimsical — 🟢 · Web + desktop · Free (50 objects/mo), Pro $10/editor/mo —
⚠️ Acquired by Figma (2022); first-class "Whimsical AI Mind Maps". - Mural — 🟢 · Freemium — Facilitation-oriented whiteboard (mind-map clustering, timer, voting).
- Lucidchart / Lucidspark — 🟢 · Freemium (3 docs) — Lucidspark whiteboard has mind-map/freeform clustering; Lucidchart covers structured diagrams incl. concept-map templates.
- Canva Whiteboards — 🟢 · Free tier — Built-in free mind-map app type among Canva templates.
- Heptabase — 🟢 · Desktop + mobile · Pro $8.99/mo … Premium+ $53.99/mo — Infinite-whiteboard PKM for researchers where notes sit on map-like canvases.
- Napkin AI — 🟢 · Web · Freemium (weekly free credits; PNG/PDF free export, PPT/SVG paid) — Paste text → editable mind maps/flowcharts/infographics; SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001.
- MyMap.AI — 🟢 · Web · Freemium (verify — 403 to automated fetch) — One of the original "prompt → map" tools.
- TreeMind (树图) — 🟢 · Web + desktop + mobile (Chinese; Shanghai Jushita) · Freemium + VIP — One-sentence-to-mindmap; AI plugin partner of Baidu Ernie, iFlytek Spark, ByteDance Coze; enterprise SDK/API.
- OSS/local-first counterparts: MindGeniusAI, Mind-Map-Wizard, Neurite, KIKUmap.
- AI topic-expansion is now a standard checkbox inside XMind, EdrawMind, Mindomo, MindMeister, Miro, Whimsical, GitMind, AFFiNE, etc.
Concept maps are labeled graphs (nodes + linking phrases), not radial trees — different intellectual genre, related tools.
- IHMC CmapTools — 🟢 (©2026) · Win/macOS/Linux/iPad · Free but closed-source ("public domain" claim unverified) — The academic standard for concept maps (Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition); plus CmapCloud and CmapServer for shared knowledge models.
- VUE — 🔴 (Tufts; unmaintained since Jan 2024) — concept-mapping presentation tool (also listed above).
- CompendiumNG · 🔴 (site/news frozen 2016; forum abandoned) — OSS IBIS-style dialogue & issue mapping (successor to Open University Compendium, which is defunct).
- yEd — 🟢 (v3.25.x) · Free-of-charge but closed-source (yWorks) · Java cross-platform — Not a mapper per se, but its automatic graph layouts + Excel/XML import make it the Swiss-army knife for one-off concept/spider graphs. (Browser sibling: yEd Live.)
- Argdown — MIT · 🟢 (v2.0 Dec 2025) — Markdown-family argument-mapping language; VS Code extension, CLI, ArgVu font, PDF/SVG/web-component export. (Full entry above.)
- Kialo — 🟢 · Web · Free to use — Debate-tree platform at internet scale (34k+ public debates); Kialo Edu variant for classrooms.
- Rationale — 🟢 (ReasoningLab) · Web · Subscription + student tiers — Reason/objection argument-map editor used in logic courses (Princeton, UvA…).
⚠️ rationale.com.auis now an unrelated site — userationaleonline.com.
Tree-editing is mind mapping's linear twin; many mappers import/export these formats. (Listed here by function rather than by license.)
- Workflowy — 🟢 · Web/desktop/mobile · Freemium — The infinite-zoom bullet outliner; OPML export.
- Dynalist — 🟢 (slow development) · Web/desktop/mobile · Freemium — Infinitely-nesting outliner by the future Obsidian team; documented API.
- Checkvist — 🟢 (Checkvist s.r.o., active 2026) · Web · Freemium — Keyboard-first checklist/outliner with markdown and an open API.
- Tana Outliner — 🟢 · Web/desktop · Freemium —
⚠️ The Tana PKM pivoted in 2025 to an "agentic meeting platform" (tana.inc); the Supertags/nodes outliner survives separately — link the outliner URL, not the corporate site. - Roam Research — 🟢 · Web · Paid subscription — The original bi-directional-link outliner.
- Org-mode — see the Emacs section.
- TheBrain — the associative-network category king (see desktop entry above).
- mymind — 🟢 · Web · Subscription — "Remember everything, organize nothing": private AI-assisted associative space, not a map editor per se.
- Heptabase — canvas-based PKM (whiteboard section above).
Quick reference (full structure details below):
| Format | Body | Primary users |
|---|---|---|
FreeMind .mm / .mmz (zipped) |
XML | FreeMind, Freeplane; the de-facto interchange standard |
Freeplane .mm dialect |
XML superset | Freeplane (superset with extra elements) |
XMind .xmind |
ZIP archive | XMind 8 ("legacy") and XMind 2020+/"Zen" (JSON) |
MindManager .mmap |
ZIP of XML (v5+) | MindManager |
KityMinder .km |
JSON | Baidu Naotu family, DesktopNaotu, VS Code extensions |
| OPML 2.0 | XML outline | MindNode, Freeplane, XMind, Workflowy, pandoc |
| Markdown outline | headings / indented bullets | markmap, mind-elixir, Simple Mind Map, MindNode, mindr |
Org .org |
outline | Emacs; bridged to OPML/.mm |
| Coggle | server-side JSON | Coggle (API objects {_id, text, offset}) |
| mind-elixir / jsMind / markmap | JSON / markdown | see their entries above |
Full format structure details
- FreeMind
.mm— XML:<map version="…">→ nested<node TEXT="…">with<icon/>,<edge/>,<richcontent TYPE="NOTE">XHTML. Versions0.7.1–1.0.1.⚠️ Never fully formally specified (an XSD exists only in the FreeMind SVN integration branch) — yet it remains the interchange lingua franca of the genre. - Freeplane
.mmdialect — XML superset: adds<attribute*>,<hook>, connector labels on<arrowlink>, encrypted maps, LaTeX/markdown/formula nodes. Version strings likefreeplane 1.1.x; can also export "old format". Completed XSD published at docs.freeplane.org. - XMind
.xmind— ZIP archive, two generations: XMind 8 (legacy:content.xmlXML + manifest/meta/styles) and XMind 2020+/"Zen" (content.json+metadata.json;children.attachedstructure (verify exact keys)). - MindManager
.mmap— ZIP of XML (v5+):ap:Map → ap:OneTopic → ap:Topictree, relationships inap:Relationships; v4 and older = raw XML. - KityMinder
.km— JSON; kept alive by DesktopNaotu and@ljheee/xmind-parser. - OPML 2.0 — XML outline (
<outline text="">nesting); spec at opml.org/spec2. Recommended npm writer: opml (Dave Winer); the PyPIopmllib is read-only & 2008-era — prefer hand-rolled ElementTree for writing. - Markdown outline — headings and indented bullets; the de-facto import format everywhere.
- Org
.org— bridges:Org2OPML(org → OPML for MindNode/FreeMind),freemind.el,mm2outline/outline2mmPerl scripts (FreeMind wiki), org-mind-map rendering. - markmap I/O — input: markdown (headings/bullets → branches, other blocks → popovers) with frontmatter (
theme,layout,foldLevel); output: offline HTML, SVG, PNG, or the<markmap-view>web component. - mind-elixir data — JSON
{topic, id, style, tags, icons, hyperLink, image, expanded, children[]}; inline-markdown topics. - jsMind data — JSON
{meta, format: 'node_tree'|'node_array', data};node_tree={id, topic, children[]}.
What each tool can read. (Export formats are listed in each tool's entry above.) Verified claims only; "(v)" = vendor claims — check in-app.
| Tool | .mm (FreeMind) |
.xmind |
.mmap |
OPML | Markdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeplane | ✓ | — | ✓ (direct import, 0.9b9+) | export; import (v) | export (v) |
| FreeMind | native | — | ✓ (0.9b9+) | — | — |
| XMind | ✓ (import) | native | historically (v) | ✓ (official flow, v) | (v) |
| MindNode | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ (in & out) | ✓ |
| Coggle | — | — | — | via API only | text via API |
| mind-elixir | ✓ (plugin) | ✓ (plugin) | — | — | ✓ (plugin) |
| Simple Mind Map | ✓ (v) | ✓ (v) | — | ✓ (v) | ✓ |
| markmap | — | — | — | via pandoc | ✓ (native input) |
| WiseMapping | ✓ (v) | ✓ (v) | ✓ (v) | — | — |
| pandoc | — | — | — | ✓ (in + out) | ✓ |
npm (JavaScript)
| Package | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
xmind (v2+, official) |
build XMind Zen-era .xmind files |
MIT; successor to xmind-sdk |
xmind-embed-viewer (official) |
render .xmind files in any webpage |
|
@xmindltd/xmind-cli (official) |
headless .xmind create/edit for AI agents |
2026-08 |
@ljheee/xmind-parser |
bidirectional XMind 8-XML and 2020-JSON ↔ KityMinder .km |
v1.1.3 (Apr 2026), ~31k dl/mo |
xmindparser (JS, guanhuaxie) |
XMind ↔ KityMinder (older sibling) | |
xmind-generator, @makerbi/xmind-generator, xmind-creator |
XMind file generation | 2025–2026 |
@wllzhang/xmind-to-canvas |
XMind → Obsidian JSON Canvas (.canvas) |
2026-01 |
lakeboard-converter (lakeward-converter) |
Yuque .lakeboard & XMind → Markdown |
2026-10 |
coggle (official) |
Coggle API client | 2014-era, still canonical |
json-to-freemind |
JSON → FreeMind .mm |
|
opml (Winer), opmlparser, opml-to-json, opml-generator, opml-to-markdown (azu, OmniOutliner-flavored), feedsmith |
OPML read/write ecosystem | |
markmap-lib, markmap-view, markmap-cli |
markmap pipeline (legacy names) | |
@markmap/parse, @markmap/render, @markmap/page, @markmap/canvas, @markmap/autoloader, @markmap/element |
markmap pipeline (new scoped names, Nov 2026) | |
freemind (npm) is an unrelated web framework; @xmindltd/xmindparser does not exist; modelicious does not exist |
don't cite these |
PyPI (Python)
| Package | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
xmindparser (tobyqin) |
XMind 8 + Zen + "Xmind 2026" → dict/json/xml/md/yaml; CLI xmindparser file.xmind -markdown |
v1.2.2 (Feb 2026) |
xmind (zhuifengshen) |
create/parse/update XMind 8 workbooks (content.xml) |
v1.2.0 (2019), still functional |
opml (Nathan Yergler) |
OPML reader only | 2008; |
(no freemind PyPI package) |
parse .mm with ElementTree/BS4 — the XML is trivial |
GitHub converters & bridges
lifehackjohn/mmap-tools— read/write/convert MindManager.mmapin pure Python, zero deps.awardat/mmap2md,pmanyeh/mmap-mcp-server(MCP server reading.mmapwithout MindManager),lonjoy/mmap2json(Go) — MindManager bridges.ellockie/markdown-2-mindmap-converter— markdown (e.g. ChatGPT output) → styled.mm;CodeJohnw/markdown_to_xmind— markdown → XMind.romilly/fm2md,null-none/freemind2markdown,jutkko/mindown(Go) — FreeMind.mm→ markdown.GregoryHappy/mindmap_converter— MindMup/Freeplane/XMind/OPML/markdown/Word ↔, 100% in-browser.semk/Org2OPML— org-mode → OPML (MindNode/FreeMind-compatible).jiangxin/freemind-mmx— FreeMind fork with git-friendly fragment XML saves.bssm-oss/markmap-actions— community GitHub Action (no official markmap action exists).
The 2025–26 wave: mindmap apps exposing themselves to AI agents.
- Coggle API — documented at coggle.it/developer; bearer-token REST:
listDiagrams,createDiagram,getNodes()({_id, text, offset}),addChild,arrange; official npmcoggleclient; OPML import sample app. - MindMeister API — legacy REST documented at mindmeister.com/api; community clients date to 2011–2022; current status (verify — shutdown not confirmed).
- XMind — official npm
xmindSDK,xmind-embed-viewer,@xmindltd/xmind-cli; community MCP servers:@41px/mcp-xmind,xmind-generator-mcp,@lifeng688/xmind-mcp,liyilinvariant, etc. - Freeplane — built-in MCP server (official docs §4.5) + Groovy scripting API over
.mm. - MindNode — local MCP server on macOS (read-only by default, optional agent mutation; one-click Claude Desktop setup).
- Miro / Mural / FigJam — general board/plugin APIs can manipulate shapes (usable for hand-rolled mindmaps) but none expose a dedicated mindmap-node-tree widget API (verify).
The genre's museum wing — understand these to understand the file formats and UX conventions of everything above.
🗿 Dead projects already listed inline above (with 🔴) are not repeated here: FreeMind, VUE, KityMinder, mindmaps, Blink Mind, Dendron, mind.nvim, CompendiumNG. The entries below have no other home in this list.
- MindMup —
⚠️ historical OSS (2013–2016) carried a non-compete clause, making it non-free; current mindmup.com is proprietary; GitHub org holds only archived legacy repos (incl.mapjsrender library once powering it). Best-in-class export list in its day. - DeepaMehta — GPLv3 "post-desktop metaphor" topic-map platform; archived (last stable 4.9.2, 2018); succeeded by DMX (dmx.systems, v5.0 Aug 2020).
- Labyrinth — GPL-2.0, Python/GTK3 port of the GNOME mind mapper; official description: "looking for maintainers" (unmaintained since 2021). Sugar-learning fork: labyrinth-activity.
- Cayra — 2008-era .NET/Silverlight concept mapper; site gone (tombstone).
- XMind open-source editions (2008–~2013) — GPL-licensed Eclipse-based XMind 3.x; code abandoned before the commercial pivot; no verified live repo link (verify before citing).
- Popplet — ⛔ shut down Aug 1, 2026 (announced on official site); the team's successor project is the K-12 concept-mapping tool Superstructures.io.
- iThoughts (toketaWare) — ⛔ ceased trading Jan 2024; apps still run (see desktop entry).
- Original Compendium (Open University) — defunct; see CompendiumNG above.
Not software — collections of ready-made mindmaps (\*.mm/markmap files) useful as references or starters:
- dformoso/machine-learning-mindmap (~6.3k★) — ML tree of concepts.
- Orange-Cyberdefense/ocd-mindmaps (GPL-3.0) — offensive-security pentest mindmaps.
- matro7sh/BypassAV — AV-evasion map.
- mdecrevoisier/Microsoft-eventlog-mindmap — Windows eventlog trees.
- dsopas/MindAPI — API security assessment map.
- dsopas/assessment-mindset — pentest mindset map.
- 5bhuv4n35h/pentestmindmap, Alevsk/rmm, automateyournetwork/mind_nmap (markmap-generated Nmap result maps).
PRs welcome — please keep one entry per line, in this shape:
- **[Name](https://link-to-repo-or-site)** — license · platform/status — one-line description incl. fine details.
Mark anything you can't personally verify as (verify). Confirm repos still exist before adding; note dead projects explicitly rather than silently dropping them — this list doubles as an archive of the genre.
This list's text is published under CC0 1.0; each listed project keeps its own license.
Data snapshot: 2026-11-08. Stars approximate at time of verification; pricing marked (verify) where vendor pages render via JS.