Ayoa vs MindMeister

Ayoa

• Visual thinkers who want mind maps and tasks in one app
• People with ADHD, dyslexia or autism who want adjustable visual layouts
• Former iMindMap users, whose maps can be imported
• UK users funded through Access to Work or Disabled Students' Allowance

MindMeister

• Teams that brainstorm together in a browser
• MeisterTask users who turn map topics into tasks
• Students, educators and nonprofits, who get a 50% discount
• Organizations that want hosting in Germany and GDPR compliance

Ayoa

• The free version stops at 10 mind maps and is for personal use only; whiteboards and task boards are view-only and AI is not included.
• Ayoa Ultimate is the only paid plan and is charged per user; commercial use requires it.
• The vendor describes Ayoa as a cloud-based app and advises working offline only for short periods.
• The pricing page shows prices in the visitor's local currency; the US dollar figures listed here are from Ayoa's US App Store listing.

MindMeister

• The Free plan stops at 3 mind maps and has no file exports, printing, attachments or version history.
• Plans are billed in 6-month or 12-month cycles with no monthly option, and prices vary by region; the figures here are the vendor's EUR reference prices.
• Word and PowerPoint exports, custom branding and Google Workspace need Pro; SAML SSO needs Business and a request to the sales team.
• No desktop apps are listed: outside the iOS and Android apps, MindMeister runs in a browser.

Ayoa

Several mind map styles

Maps can be drawn freehand or with auto-layout, in sketch or organic styles with adjustable curved branches. Radial maps and quick capture maps are also offered.

Whiteboards

A freeform board takes sticky notes, images, flowcharts, links and videos, starting blank or from a template. On the free version whiteboards are view-only.

Task boards and Gantt timeline

Tasks live on a kanban-style workflow board or a bubble canvas, with due dates, reminders and assignees. The Gantt timeline adds start dates, milestones and progress.

AI mind mapping

AI generates ideas on a topic and can build out a mind map or whiteboard. It needs Ayoa Ultimate, and the vendor says user content is not shared to train AI models.

Outline and document view

The branches of a map can be reordered as a linear outline and written up as longer text with images, which can then be exported as a Word document.

Collaboration and chat

People invited to a map or task board can work on it at the same time. Direct messages and group chats are built in, and comments can be dragged onto maps.

MindMeister

Mind map editor

Topics are arranged by drag and drop and can carry links, notes, emojis and images. Layouts include mind maps, org charts and lists, with themes and color schemes.

Real-time collaboration

Collaborators invited by link edit the same map at once, comment on topics and @mention each other. Every plan, including Free, allows unlimited collaborators.

Presentation mode

A map can be shown as a presentation directly from the editor, so a team can be walked through the ideas without building separate slides.

Outline and focus modes

Outline mode switches a map to structured bullet points, and focus mode hides menus, toolbars and icons in the editor.

AI map creation (beta)

A prompt or an uploaded file such as a PDF, presentation, spreadsheet or image produces a map, which AI can then expand or tidy. It is listed as beta on every plan.

Exports and integrations

Topics convert into MeisterTask tasks on any plan. Image and PDF exports and Microsoft Teams start at Personal; Word and PowerPoint exports and Google Workspace at Pro.

Ayoa

• Ayoa Free$0

  Up to 10 mind maps for personal use. Whiteboards and task boards can be viewed but not edited, and there is no AI.

• Ayoa Ultimate$13

  per user / month, billed annually ($155.99); $17 billed monthly

  Unlimited mind maps, editable whiteboards and task boards, Gantt, document and presentation views, AI, collaboration, exports and integrations.

MindMeister

• Free€0

  Up to 3 mind maps, unlimited collaborators, templates, presentations, outline and focus modes, the MeisterTask integration and AI map creation in beta.

• Personal€6.50

  per user / month, billed yearly (€7.50 on 6-month billing)

  Unlimited mind maps, PNG, JPG and PDF exports, printing, 2 attachments per map, 7-day version history and the Microsoft Teams integration.

• Pro€10.50

  per user / month, billed yearly (€12.50 on 6-month billing)

  Unlimited attachments, all-time version history, multiple admins, Word and PowerPoint exports, custom branding and the Google Workspace integration.

• Business€15.50

  per user / month, billed yearly (€19 on 6-month billing)

  Group sharing, compliance exports and backups, IP restriction, SAML SSO on request, priority email and phone support and a customer success manager.

Ayoa

• Annual discount

  About 24% less with annual billing

  On the US App Store, AYOA Annual is $155.99 against $17.00 a month, about 24% less over a year. The pricing page FAQ describes annual plans as costing up to 20% less than monthly.

• Other savings

  Three-year billing option

  The pricing page offers a three-year term for Ayoa Ultimate alongside monthly and yearly billing, promoted as three years for the price of two.

• Education

  Discounted rates for educators

  Educators buying multiple licenses may qualify for a discount on annual plans, arranged by booking a demo. The size of the discount is not published.

MindMeister

• Annual discount

  13 to 18% lower on 12-month billing

  MindMeister's pricing file says the 12-month billing cycle costs approximately 13 to 18% less than the 6-month cycle, for example €6.50 against €7.50 per user a month on Personal.

• Education

  50% off for students and educators

  Students, educators and educational institutions get a 50% discount, applied by contacting the support team.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for nonprofits

  The same 50% discount is listed for non-profit organizations, also arranged through the support team.