Coggle vs Mind42 (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mind42 grades higher than Coggle: 2.8 against 2.4 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 platforms. Mind42 grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
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 Mind42 if
- Fits if you want a free browser mind map and can live with ads
- Works for plain hierarchical outlines shared with a classmate or colleague
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want branches linked across the map, as none are supported
- Skip it if you want a phone app, since the FAQ says the editor is not built for touch screens
- Watch out: the blog says no new features are planned, only maintenance
- Watch out: ads are shown, and the ad-free account has no price on the pages read
- Watch out: images can only be added by web address, not uploaded
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACoggleFair | 2.8GPAMind42Good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree to use with ads and no stated limit on the number of maps. An ad-free account exists, but no price is shown. |
| 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. | AFree outright, with no cap on the number of mind maps on the page. |
| 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. | CMind maps with shared editing and PDF export. The listing shows gaps: no free node placement, no links between branches and no second main topic. |
| 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 build each map by hand, and the editor is not made for touch screens. |
| 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 | free browser mind maps with a fixed layout |
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 Mind42. 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. Mind42 has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Coggle scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 8 score higher than Coggle for less, and none scores higher than Mind42 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 and diagrams.
At a glance
| Coggle | Mind42 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $5 per month | Free |
| 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 to use with advertising, with no stated limit on the number of mind maps. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CoggleIt Limited | Stefan Schuster |
| Price read from | coggle.it | mind42.com |
| 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.
Mind42
- No mobile apps, and the FAQ says the editor is not built for touch screens or small phone screens.
- The layout is strictly hierarchical: no free positioning of nodes, no connections between branches and no second main topic.
- The blog archive says no new features are planned for the current version, only maintenance.
- The site shows advertisements and offers a paid ad-free account, but no price for it appears on the pages we read.
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.
Mind42
- Automatic hierarchical layout
- Maps use a strictly hierarchical layout, and the lines and positions are drawn automatically. Nodes cannot be placed freely.
- Joint editing and publishing
- Signed-in users can be invited to edit a map together, and a published map can be viewed by anyone with the link.
- Export and import
- Maps export to PDF for printing, and the Mind42 format can be exported and imported again, which is also the way to copy a map.
- Images by web address
- Images are added from a public web address. There is no upload from the computer.
- Emoji as symbols
- The FAQ points to emoji as the way to add symbols that the editor does not provide.
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.
Mind42
Free$0
Full editor and sharing, supported by advertisements.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Coggle or Mind42?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mind42 is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for Coggle. Coggle starts at $5 per month, and Mind42 is free.
Which has a free plan, Coggle or Mind42?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Coggle and Mind42 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.