Coggle vs Kumu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Coggle grades higher than Kumu: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Coggle grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Coggle
Collaborative mind maps and flowcharts in the browser
Kumu
Relationship maps for systems, stakeholders and networks
Which one is for you
Pick Coggle if
- Fits if a group wants to build one mind map together, each in their own browser
- Works for the odd map on the free plan, if your diagrams can be public
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and want things private, with only 3 private diagrams
- Skip it if you want an app on your phone or desktop, as none is listed; phones get a home-screen web app
- Too light for detailed flowcharts, where the extra shapes and line controls cost $5 a month
- Watch out: the homepage lists monthly prices only, and SAML sign-on is on Organisation at $8 a member
- Not for you if you want to start from templates, as none are on offer
Pick Kumu if
- Fits if you map stakeholders or systems and are happy to share the map publicly
- Works for people who start from a spreadsheet of relationships
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your work is private, because each private project is its own monthly charge
- Watch out: free public projects are visible to everyone and indexed by search engines
- Watch out: all kumu.io customer data lives in one shared database, and sensitive work is pointed to Enterprise
- Watch out: archived private projects cost $20 to unarchive on a Pro workspace
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACoggleFair | 2.0GPAKumuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BAwesome is $5 a month, in the lower part of this category, where the middle is nearer $8.33. It lifts the cap on private diagrams and adds more shapes, line controls and attachments. Organisation is $8 a member a month, and the homepage lists monthly prices only. | CPrivate projects are $9 a month each on Basic, and Pro is $10 a workspace plus $20 a month per private project. That sits in the ordinary range for one project and climbs fast with more. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree Forever has real-time collaboration, the full change history, unlimited image uploads and PDF, image and Visio export. But only 3 diagrams can be private, so everything after that is public. That's a wall most people meet. | CRegistration and unlimited public projects are free, but public means anyone can see them. A two-week trial of private projects is offered. |
| Features | CIt covers mind maps, which is a smaller job than this category's: branching from several centers, loops, auto-arrange, 1,600 icons, Markdown in the text and a full history to copy from. Simple flowcharts too, though more shapes, line styles and attachments all need Awesome. | CIt does one job fully: network maps with filters, clustering and spreadsheet import. That is a narrower job than a whiteboard. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Nothing to install, which helps, but a blank browser canvas is still a thing you have to build: branch out from the middle, arrange it, invite people by email. There are no templates on offer to start you off. | CNo store rating on record. You import data and set up decorations before a map reads well. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app, and only a web app: no desktop or mobile apps are listed, and on a phone you save the site to your home screen. It does have a public API, and Organisation adds SAML sign-on with Okta or OneLogin. | CWeb only, with no apps and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | quick mind maps a group can edit together | mapping stakeholder and systems networks |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Coggle and Kumu. How we grade
Price against what you get
Coggle starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kumu starts at $9 a month and scores 2.0.
Coggle scores higher and starts $4 a month lower. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 8 score higher than Coggle for less, and 28 score higher than Kumu for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Coggle is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Coggle also covers Markdown.
At a glance
| Coggle | Kumu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month | $9 per month per private project |
| Free plan | Free Forever plan: 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams, with real-time collaboration, unlimited image uploads, full change history, and PDF, image and Visio export. | Free registration and unlimited public projects, with unlimited collaborators, maps and views. |
| Free trial | None listed | Two-week free trial of private projects |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CoggleIt Limited | Kumu |
| Price read from | coggle.it | kumu.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Coggle
- The free plan allows only 3 private diagrams; other diagrams made on it are public.
- More item shapes, line style and path controls, file attachments and high-res image uploads need the Awesome plan.
- No native desktop or mobile apps are listed; on a phone Coggle is saved to the home screen as a progressive web app.
- The homepage lists only monthly prices, and on-premise instances are arranged through Coggle for Enterprise without a public price.
Kumu
- Private projects are billed per project, so the monthly cost rises with each one: $9 on Basic, $20 on Pro.
- All kumu.io customer data lives in one shared database; the vendor points sensitive work to Kumu Enterprise.
- The Free workspace's public projects are visible to everyone and indexed by search engines.
- Archived private projects cost $20 to unarchive on a Pro workspace.
Key features
Coggle
- Branching mind maps
- Maps grow from one or several central items, branches can be joined into loops, and layout can be auto-arranged. Floating text and images annotate a map outside the tree.
- Real-time collaboration
- Invite people by email to edit a diagram at the same time, with changes appearing instantly. Awesome adds editing through a secret link with no login needed.
- Full change history
- Every change to a diagram is saved. You can look through the history and make a copy from any point to go back to an earlier version.
- Flowcharts
- Shapes and connected items for flowcharts and process maps are free. More shapes and control over connection paths and line styles need Awesome.
- Images, icons and Markdown
- Drag in images with no upload limit, pick from over 1,600 icons, and format item text with Markdown. Calculations can be added to diagrams.
- Import, export and embedding
- Download a diagram as a PDF or image, export it as .mm, text or a Microsoft Visio file, import .mm and text files, and embed a mind map in another page.
Kumu
- Relationship maps
- Data about people, organizations or concepts is drawn as a network, with decorations, filters and clustering applied on top.
- Spreadsheet import
- Maps can be built from imported spreadsheets rather than drawn by hand, which suits larger datasets.
- Public and private projects
- Projects can be public and visible to everyone, or private with access given to named people. Maps can be embedded on other sites.
- Workspaces
- Projects are grouped into workspaces, each with its own name and billing profile. Pro workspaces add view-only roles and branding.
- Use cases
- The vendor's examples include stakeholder maps, systems maps and causal loop diagrams, and social network maps.
Plans
Coggle
Free Forever$0
3 private diagrams, unlimited public diagrams, real-time collaboration, full change history, shared folders, and PDF and image download.
Awesome$5
per month
Unlimited private diagrams, more item shapes, line style and path controls, file attachments, high-res image uploads, and collaboration by link or QR code.
Organisation$8
per member / month
Everything in Awesome plus SAML single sign-on, consolidated billing, bulk export, user and data management, and branded diagrams.
Coggle for EnterpriseCustom
By arrangement: on-premise instances behind a firewall, Active Directory authentication, site licenses and enterprise support.
Kumu
Basic workspace$0
Unlimited public projects; private projects cost $9 per month each; daily backups.
Pro workspace$10
per workspace / month, plus $20 per month per private project
View-only access control, custom branding, activity feeds, real-time comments, hourly backups, private project archiving.
EnterpriseCustom
Self-hosted or cloud-hosted private instance with SAML single sign-on and a 99.95% uptime SLA. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Coggle
No public discounts listed.
Kumu
- Education
Private projects for students
Students doing classroom work or doctoral research can email from a .edu address to get 3 private projects at no charge.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Coggle or Kumu?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Coggle is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $9 a month for Kumu. Coggle starts at $5 per month, and Kumu starts at $9 per month per private project.
Which has a free plan, Coggle or Kumu?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Coggle and Kumu have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.