Coggle vs Plectica (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Coggle grades higher than Plectica: 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
Plectica
Card-based visual mapping for diagrams and concept maps
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 Plectica if
- Fits if you want maps where one card sits inside another
- Works for students and small groups who share maps by link
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, because Basic stops at 250 cards and 25 MB attachments
- Skip it if you want an app, since it only runs in the browser
- Watch out: the Student plan at $3 a month has no stated rule for who counts as a student
- Watch out: the site footer is dated 2017 to 2022, so it may be updated less often than others
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACoggleFair | 2.0GPAPlecticaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CPro is $8 a month on yearly billing, which is the middle of what whiteboards charge. Student is $3 but the page doesn't say who qualifies. |
| 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. | CA free Basic plan with 250 cards and 25 MB attachments. A busy map will pass 250 cards. |
| 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. | CNested cards, relationship lines, shared editing and embedding. It is browser only, and there are no integrations on record. |
| 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, and you build your own map from cards, so there's a learning curve. |
| 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. No desktop or phone app is listed and no integrations. |
| Best for | quick mind maps a group can edit together | nested, linked card maps |
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 Plectica. 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. Plectica starts at $3 a month and scores 2.0.
Coggle scores higher, and starts $2 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 7 score higher than Plectica 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 | Plectica | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month | $3 per month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly) |
| 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. | Basic plan: free forever, up to 250 cards, map building, storing and sharing, and file attachments up to 25 MB. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CoggleIt Limited | Frameable Inc |
| Price read from | coggle.it | plectica.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.
Plectica
- The Basic plan stops at 250 cards, and attachments are capped at 25 MB there.
- Plectica runs in the browser only; no desktop or mobile app is listed.
- The site's footer is dated 2017 to 2022, so the pages may be updated less often than other vendors'.
- The pricing page does not say what qualifies for the Student plan.
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.
Plectica
- Cards and parts
- A card is the basic unit and can stand for a person, task, object or idea. Cards can be nested inside other cards as parts.
- Relationship lines
- Any card can be linked to any other, and a relationship can itself be defined through a relationship card. Lines can be arcs or elbows.
- Shared editing
- Maps can be edited by several people, with collaborator cursors visible. Sharing is by email invitation, view-only or edit links, or a presentation link.
- Embedding
- A map can be embedded on a website from the Share menu.
- Templates and examples
- The maps page offers templates and example maps, such as a database schema, customer journey map and traffic flow.
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.
Plectica
Basic$0
Up to 250 cards, map building, storing and sharing, file attachments up to 25 MB.
Student$3
per month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
Unlimited cards, attachments up to 250 MB and long-term backups.
Pro$8
per month, billed annually ($9 billed monthly)
Unlimited cards, attachments up to 250 MB, long-term backups and priority customer support.
Team$7
per seat / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
Pro features at a lower price per team member.
OrganizationCustom
Custom packages for team knowledge management, training and innovation; quoted on request.
Ways to pay less
Coggle
No public discounts listed.
Plectica
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves 11% to 25%
The pricing page shows annual billing as 25% off Student, 11% off Pro and 12% off Team, compared with monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Coggle or Plectica?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Plectica is cheaper to start with: $3 a month, against $5 a month for Coggle. Coggle starts at $5 per month, and Plectica starts at $3 per month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Coggle or Plectica?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Coggle and Plectica 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.