How does ToolGPA rank whiteboard and mind map tools?

From what each tool's own pages show (price, free plan, platforms, features and limits) and from what people say about it in public reviews and discussions. Not from our own testing. First place goes to the tool that suits the most people, and second and third to the best choices for the readers it leaves out.

Whiteboards & Mind Maps

Q: What are the best whiteboard and mind map tools?

ToolGPA ranks Miro first (for: most people, and any team that plans on a shared board), Xmind second (for: people who came for mind maps, on almost any device), draw.io third (for: anyone who wants free diagrams and files in their own storage). These three do different jobs more than they compete. Miro comes first: one shared board for brainstorming, diagrams and planning, with a free plan that has no cap on team members. Xmind is second for people who came for mind maps, and draw.io is third: a free diagram editor that keeps files in storage you choose. Mural narrowly missed: it does the same job as Miro, and its free plan includes the timer and voting that Miro keeps for Starter, but its paid plans start at $9.99 per member a month against Miro's $8, both billed yearly. Microsoft Whiteboard is free, but lists no Mac or Linux app.

Canvases for diagrams, brainstorming and mapping out ideas.

Our top three whiteboard and mind map tools

These three do different jobs more than they compete. Miro comes first: one shared board for brainstorming, diagrams and planning, with a free plan that has no cap on team members. Xmind is second for people who came for mind maps, and draw.io is third: a free diagram editor that keeps files in storage you choose. Mural narrowly missed: it does the same job as Miro, and its free plan includes the timer and voting that Miro keeps for Starter, but its paid plans start at $9.99 per member a month against Miro's $8, both billed yearly. Microsoft Whiteboard is free, but lists no Mac or Linux app.

First: Miro
Free plan · from $8/mo
For: Most people, and any team that plans on a shared board
Miro is a shared canvas for brainstorming, diagrams and planning: sticky notes and shapes sit beside docs, tables, timelines, kanban boards and slides on one board. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. The free plan allows unlimited team members and 3 editable boards, and paid plans start at $8 per member a month, billed yearly. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 5,800 ratings. Know the limits: on the free plan every board is open to the whole team and there are no guest or visitor roles, the timer and voting need Starter, the technical diagramming shapes need Business at $20 per member a month, billed yearly, and no Linux app is listed.
iPhone and iPad app: 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store
Miro pricing and details
Second: Xmind
Free plan · from $4.92/mo
For: People who came for mind maps, on almost any device
Xmind is a mind mapping app: ideas are laid out as mind maps, timelines or matrices, edited as a list in the Outliner view and turned into slides in Pitch mode. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 7,000 ratings. Pro is $59 a year. It is second because it does one kind of canvas where Miro does several, and its lower plans are capped: Free stops at 10 manually created online maps and Pro at 50, and real-time collaboration and unlimited maps need Premium at $99 a year. Free exports carry a watermark.
iPhone and iPad app: 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store
Xmind pricing and details
Third: draw.io
Free
For: Anyone who wants free diagrams and files in their own storage
draw.io is a diagram editor for flowcharts, UML, network diagrams and org charts, and all of it is free: the online editor, the desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux and self-hosting, with no account and no paid tier. Diagrams are saved to storage you pick, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, GitHub or your own device, and the editor's source code is published under the Apache 2.0 license. It is third because it leaves storage and sharing to you: there is no hosted workspace, and real-time co-editing needs the file to sit in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or in draw.io for Confluence. No native mobile apps are listed, where the two above run on iPhone and Android.
draw.io pricing and details

Ranked on Oct 6, 2026 from what each listing shows and what people say about the tool, not from our own testing. How we rank

Price

Runs on

Must be

31 tools

Allume
Whiteboards
Nested-board thinking canvas for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Free plan · from $9.99/momacOS · iOS
Ayoa
Whiteboards
Mind mapping with whiteboards and visual task boards
Free plan · from $13/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Coggle
Whiteboards
Collaborative mind maps and flowcharts in the browser
Free plan · from $5/moWeb
Creately
Whiteboards
Visual workspace for diagrams, whiteboards and planning
Free plan · from $5/moWeb
draw.io
Whiteboards
Free diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose
FreeWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Eraser
Whiteboards
AI diagramming and docs canvas for engineering teams
Free plan · from $15/moWeb
Excalidraw
Whiteboards
Open-source whiteboard for hand-drawn style sketches and diagrams
Free plan · from $6/moWeb
FigJam
Whiteboards
Online whiteboard from Figma for brainstorms, diagrams and meetings
Free plan · from $3/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Freeplane
Whiteboards
Free, open source mind mapping app for the desktop
FreeWindows · macOS · Linux
Kinopio
Whiteboards
Freeform canvas for notes, mind maps and moodboards
Free plan · from $8/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Lucidchart
Whiteboards
Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems
Free plan · from $9/moWeb · iOS · Android
Lucidspark
Whiteboards
Virtual whiteboard for team brainstorming and workshops
Free plan · from $9/moWeb · iOS · Android
Mermaid
Whiteboards
Text-based diagramming platform with AI and a visual editor
Free plan · from $10/moWeb
Microsoft Visio
Whiteboards
Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans
Free trial · from $5.00/moWeb · Windows
Microsoft Whiteboard
Whiteboards
Free collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams
FreeWeb · Windows · iOS +1
Milanote
Whiteboards
Visual boards for organizing creative projects
Free plan · from $9.99/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
MindManager
Whiteboards
Mind mapping and diagramming software with Gantt charts
Free trial · from $99/yrWeb · macOS · Windows +2
MindMeister
Whiteboards
Browser-based mind mapping with real-time collaboration
Free plan · from €6.50/moWeb · iOS · Android
MindNode
Whiteboards
Mind mapping and outlining app for Apple devices
Free plan · from $2.99/momacOS · iOS
Mindomo
Whiteboards
Mind maps, outlines and Gantt charts with real-time editing
Free plan · from $7/moWeb · macOS · Windows +3
Miro
Whiteboards
Online whiteboard for team brainstorming, diagrams and planning
Free plan · from $8/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Mural
Whiteboards
Online whiteboard with built-in facilitation tools for workshops
Free plan · from $9.99/moWeb · macOS · Windows +2
Napkin AI
Whiteboards
Turns written text into editable diagrams and infographics
Free plan · from $9/moWeb
OmniGraffle
Whiteboards
Diagramming and vector drawing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone
Free trial · from $59.99 one-timemacOS · iOS
Scapple
Whiteboards
Freeform mind-mapping app for writers, on Mac and Windows
Free trial · from $20.99 one-timemacOS · Windows
SimpleMind
Whiteboards
Mind mapping app sold as a one-time purchase per platform
Free plan · from $10.99 one-timemacOS · Windows · iOS +1
SmartDraw
Whiteboards
Floor plans, scaled layouts and business diagrams in the browser
Free trial · from $10.95/moWeb
Stormboard
Whiteboards
Sticky-note digital whiteboard with built-in reports
Free plan · from $8.33/moWeb · Windows · iOS +1
tldraw
Whiteboards
Free online whiteboard with a local desktop app
FreeWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Whimsical
Whiteboards
Whiteboard for flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps and docs
Free plan · from $10/moWeb · macOS · Windows +1
Xmind
Whiteboards
Mind mapping app with AI, Gantt charts and a presentation mode
Free plan · from $4.92/moWeb · macOS · Windows +3

Our top three whiteboard and mind map tools

First: Miro

Second: Xmind

Third: draw.io

Tools