ConceptDraw vs Xmind (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Xmind: it is second in our ranking of whiteboard and mind map tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 1.6.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Xmind grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ConceptDraw
Desktop diagramming, mind mapping and project software
Xmind
Mind mapping app with AI, Gantt charts and a presentation mode
Which one is for you
Pick ConceptDraw if
- Fits if you want desktop diagramming software installed on your own machine
- Works for people who need flowcharts, mind maps and Gantt charts from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are one person: $199 a licence is many times the category's usual one-time price
- Skip it if you want a live shared board, because none is described
- Skip it if you work on the web, a phone or Linux, as only Windows and Mac are listed
- Watch out: the page does not say whether a licence is one-time or renewing
- Watch out: DIAGRAM, MINDMAP and PROJECT are separate purchases, and the OFFICE bundle is $299, with a $499 figure shown beside it
Pick Xmind if
- Fits if you think in branches and want the same kind of map on your laptop, your phone and Linux
- Works for plans that have to become a presentation, since Pitch mode turns a map into slides
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an open whiteboard with sticky notes, as Xmind sticks to structured maps
- Pricey if your team wants to edit together, since live collaboration starts at Premium, $99 a year
- Tight if you never pay: 10 online maps, watermarked exports, 3 days of version history and 50 AI credits that never refill
- Not for you if you'd rather pay by the month: Pro is $10 a month against $59 a year, and monthly plans get no trial or refund
- Watch out: desktop maps save as local files by default, so picking up an iPad map at your desk can mean going through Dropbox
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAConceptDrawWeak | 3.0GPAXmindVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$199 a licence for DIAGRAM or MINDMAP, and $299 for PROJECT, against a category one-time middle of $20.99. The category's own price tool leaves it out because the page does not say what the price buys. | BPro is $59 a year, $4.92 a month, which puts it inside the lowest-priced quarter of this category, where the line is $5.00. Premium is $99. Pay by the month and the App Store lists Pro at $10, about double. The free trial and the refund only cover yearly plans. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free try is offered, but its length and card rules are not stated on the pages read. | CFree gives you up to 10 manually created online maps, basic themes and 5 Pitch slides. Those are caps you'll hit on a real project, exports carry a watermark, version history is 3 days, and the 50 AI credits are a single grant that never refills. |
| Features | CFlowcharts, network diagrams, org charts, mind maps and Gantt charts. The listing names gaps: no live multi-user board, and each product is bought separately. | CMaps, timelines and matrices, Zones, an Outliner view, Pitch mode slides, imports from other mappers and AI that drafts from text, a file or a link. That's the narrower job here: no open board with sticky notes, and live editing and editable Gantt charts start at Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. These are full desktop programs with a learning curve. | A4.8 on the App Store from 6,973 ratings, nine in ten of them five stars. Reviewers say it's quick to pick up. A few got stuck on details, like slotting a new topic in above old ones, and desktop maps save as local files by default. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows and Mac programs only, with a Visio file conversion service. No web, phone or Linux version is named. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android, and one subscription covers 5 computers and 5 mobile devices. It ties into Slack, Zoom, Notion and ChatGPT, though not a lot else. |
| Best for | desktop flowcharts and mind maps | mind maps on almost any device |
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: ConceptDraw and Xmind. How we grade
Where they differ
- ConceptDraw also covers diagrams.
- Xmind also covers templates.
At a glance
| ConceptDraw | Xmind | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $199 per license (ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 18 or MINDMAP 16, 1 license) | $4.92 per month, billed yearly ($59 a year) |
| Free plan | None | Up to 10 manually created online maps, basic themes and stickers, 3-day version history, 5 Pitch slides and 50 Xmind AI credits. Exports carry a watermark. |
| Free trial | Try It Free offered on the site; trial length is not stated on the pages read | 7-day free trial, offered on yearly subscriptions only |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | CS Odessa Corp. | Xmind Ltd. / Supermind Pte. Limited |
| Price read from | my.conceptdraw.com | xmind.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ConceptDraw
- These are Windows and macOS desktop programs; the pages read name no web, mobile or Linux version.
- It is not a real-time whiteboard: the pages read describe no live multi-user board.
- The pricing page does not say whether a license is a one-time purchase or renews, and it lists a maintenance assurance with free upgrades to the next paid version.
- Each product is a separate purchase, priced per license.
Xmind
- Free and Pro cap manually created online maps at 10 and 50; unlimited collaborative maps need Premium or the Business team plan.
- Real-time collaboration, editable Gantt charts and a monthly AI credit allowance start at Premium; Free and Pro get a single grant of 50 AI credits.
- Free exports carry a watermark, and export to Word, Excel, SVG and Markdown starts at Pro.
- The free trial and the 7-day money-back guarantee cover yearly subscriptions only; monthly subscriptions and AI credit add-ons are not refunded.
Key features
ConceptDraw
- Business diagramming
- DIAGRAM makes flowcharts, network diagrams, org charts, business process diagrams, dashboards and floor plans.
- Mind mapping
- MINDMAP covers brainstorming, decision-making and knowledge organization, and prepares presentations from a map.
- Project planning
- PROJECT handles schedules, resources, Gantt charts, calendars and tracking.
- Solutions and samples
- The site offers free and premium solution libraries, a sample gallery and ConceptDraw STORE for downloading templates and libraries.
- Visio file conversion
- The support menu lists a Visio file conversion service.
- Multi-user licenses
- Licenses for 5 or 10 users are priced lower per seat and are administered locally, and academic and nonprofit prices are listed separately.
Xmind
- Mind maps and other structures
- Ideas can be laid out as mind maps, timelines or matrices, grouped into Zones, and edited as a linear list in the Outliner view.
- Xmind AI
- Generates a map from text, a document or a link, expands and reorganizes branches, and breaks a project into tasks. Free and Pro get 50 credits; Premium gets 500 a month.
- Pitch mode
- Turns a map into a slide presentation: up to 5 slides on the Free plan and unlimited from Pro, where a pitch can also be exported to PowerPoint.
- Gantt charts and tasks
- Premium turns topics into tasks with assignees, plots them on a Gantt chart and exports tasks to a calendar file or Excel. Free and Pro can only view Gantt charts.
- Real-time collaboration
- On Premium and the Business team plan, several people can edit a map at once and follow one another's view, backed by 30 days of version history.
- Import and export
- Imports Markdown, OPML and TextBundle files and maps from other mind mapping tools. From Pro, maps export to SVG, PDF, Markdown, Word and Excel as well as PNG.
Plans
ConceptDraw
MINDMAP 16$199
per license, 1 license (billing basis not stated)
Mind mapping for brainstorming, structuring ideas and preparing presentations. Cheaper per license for 5 or 10 licenses.
DIAGRAM 18$199
per license, 1 license (billing basis not stated)
Flowcharts, process and network diagrams, floor plans, org charts and infographics. The site calls it the most popular product.
PROJECT 15$299
per license, 1 license (billing basis not stated)
Project management with schedules, Gantt charts, calendars, resources and reporting.
OFFICE 11$299
per license, 1 license (billing basis not stated)
Bundles DIAGRAM 18, PROJECT 15 and MINDMAP 16. The pricing page also shows a $499 figure beside it.
Xmind
Free$0
Up to 10 manually created online maps, basic themes and stickers, 3-day version history, 5 slides in Pitch mode and 50 AI credits.
Pro$4.92
per month, billed yearly ($59 a year)
Up to 50 online maps with basic collaboration, custom themes, topic links and attachments, unlimited Pitch slides, and export without a watermark.
Premium$8.25
per month, billed yearly ($99 a year)
Unlimited collaborative maps, real-time collaboration, 30-day version history, editable Gantt charts, tasks with assignees and 500 AI credits a month.
Business$10
per seat / month, billed yearly
Team plan with unlimited collaborative maps, real-time collaboration, 30-day version history, Gantt charts and 800 AI credits per seat a month.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds SAML single sign-on, unlimited version history, custom AI credits, a dedicated success advisor and team onboarding sessions.
Ways to pay less
ConceptDraw
- Education
Academic and nonprofit pricing
The pricing page has an Academic/Nonprofit tab with lower prices, for example $99 for DIAGRAM 18 and $75 for MINDMAP 16 for one license.
Xmind
- Annual discount
Up to 50% off with yearly billing
The pricing page advertises up to 50% off individual plans on yearly billing. The US App Store lists Pro at $59 a year or $10 a month, and Premium at $99 a year or $15 a month.
- Education
Reduced prices for students and educators
The education pricing tab lists Pro at $3.42 a month and Premium at $5.75 a month for students and educators, plus a custom-priced Campus plan for institutions.
- Nonprofit
Discounted plans for nonprofits and government
Eligible non-profits, NGOs and government organizations can get discounted plans after verifying eligibility; the offers page shows a price of $79 a year.
- Lifetime license
SME Lifetime License for organizations
Organizations can buy a one-time, perpetual license with volume pricing. The price is not published and is quoted by Xmind's sales team.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ConceptDraw or Xmind?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ConceptDraw starts at $199 per license (ConceptDraw DIAGRAM 18 or MINDMAP 16, 1 license), and Xmind starts at $4.92 per month, billed yearly ($59 a year).
Which has a free plan, ConceptDraw or Xmind?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Xmind has a free plan. ConceptDraw does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do ConceptDraw and Xmind run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Xmind lists a web app and Linux, iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.