Graph Commons vs Kinopio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kinopio grades higher than Graph Commons: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kinopio grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Graph Commons
AI-assisted network maps of people, groups and ideas
Kinopio
Freeform canvas for notes, mind maps and moodboards
Which one is for you
Pick Graph Commons if
- Fits if you map who is connected to whom, such as partners or funders
- Works for a researcher who starts from a spreadsheet of links
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need private graphs: those start on Professional
- Tight if you stay free: 100 nodes a graph and 100 AI credits that never refill
- Watch out: no paid plan price could be read, so you cannot judge the cost before signing up
- Not for you if you want sticky notes or freehand sketching
Pick Kinopio if
- Fits if you think by arranging notes in space, not in lists
- Works for moodboards that put images, links and PDFs side by side
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, since 100 cards and 5 MB uploads go quickly on a busy board
- Skip it if you need to open your boards offline, which it can't do yet
- Not for you if you need end-to-end encryption, because the data isn't encrypted that way
- Skip it if you're on Android, as there's no native app, only the site saved to your home screen
- Watch out: upgrading in the iOS app costs more than on the website, and only upgraded users can make groups
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAGraph CommonsFair | 2.4GPAKinopioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo paid price could be read on the page, so it sits where unpublished prices sit. | C$8 a month, or $80 a year, which is the middle of this category exactly. The $250 lifetime plan only pays for itself after three years, and upgrading inside the iOS app costs more than on the website, which the maker puts down to Apple's fees. |
| Free plan and trial | CStarter has unlimited public graphs of up to 100 nodes and a one-time 100 AI credits. Most AI actions cost 10 credits. | CEvery feature is free, collaboration included, and you don't even need an account. But it's 100 cards and 5 MB per upload, which one busy board can use up. Cards you add to an upgraded user's space don't count. |
| Features | CGraph from a prompt or file, editable nodes and edges, network insights, sharing and embeds. The listing says it maps relationships and is not a general whiteboard. | CThe basics of a canvas, done its own way: cards holding text, links, images, PDFs and code, joined by lines or grouped in boxes and lists, with backlinked tags, todos with due dates, live cursors and a public API. No drawing tools, no templates, and the help pages say it can't be opened offline yet. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Building the graph is the work, which means a learning curve. | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up at all: no account needed, click anywhere on the canvas and type, and drag from a card to connect it to another. Painting over items selects them in one go. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Google Sheets and Excel import. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, an iOS app and a browser extension, plus a public API and hooks for Zapier, Telegram and Are.na. What stops it going higher is Android: there's no native app, and the maker suggests adding the site to your home screen. |
| Best for | mapping relationships as a network | arranging notes and pictures on a freeform canvas |
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: Graph Commons and Kinopio. How we grade
Where they differ
- Graph Commons also covers diagrams.
- Kinopio also covers notes, linked notes, whiteboard, tasks and mind mapping.
At a glance
| Graph Commons | Kinopio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $8 per month, or $80 per year |
| Free plan | Starter: unlimited public graphs, up to 100 nodes per graph and a one-time 100 AI credits. | Free: every feature, including collaboration, up to 100 cards and a 5 MB upload file size limit. No account is required to start. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Graph Commons | Kinopio LLC |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | kinopio.club |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Graph Commons
- Paid plan prices could not be read; the pricing page did not load, so the site lists none.
- Starter graphs are public to anyone with the link; private graphs start on Professional.
- Most AI actions use 10 credits, and Starter's 100 credits are a one-time grant.
- It maps relationships and is not a general whiteboard for sketching or sticky notes.
Kinopio
- The free tier stops at 100 cards and a 5 MB upload file size, and only upgraded users can create groups.
- There is no native Android app; the vendor suggests adding the site to an Android home screen instead.
- Data is not end-to-end encrypted, and the app cannot yet be opened while offline, though edits made after a connection drops are synced later.
- Upgrading inside the iOS app costs more than on the website, which the vendor attributes to Apple's fees.
Key features
Graph Commons
- Graph from a prompt or file
- Describe a topic, paste notes or a list, or import Excel, Google Sheets, CSV or JSON and the AI structures it into a network.
- Editable nodes and edges
- Add, merge or rewrite nodes, edges and attributes by hand, or ask the AI to expand a region of the graph.
- Network insights
- The AI points out bridges, clusters and leverage points and answers questions about the network.
- Sharing and co-editing
- Invite people by email to view or edit a graph on any plan; the Organization plan adds a team workspace with roles and permissions.
- Export and embed
- Export to image, CSV, JSON, GraphML, Cypher or Excel, or embed an interactive graph in a website.
Kinopio
- Cards and connections
- Clicking anywhere and typing creates a card. Cards hold text, links, images, PDFs and code blocks, and dragging from a card's connector draws a line to a related one.
- Boxes, lists and paint select
- Boxes keep related items together and lists stack cards vertically, which suits kanban-style boards. Painting over several items selects them all for a bulk edit.
- Real-time collaboration and groups
- Invited collaborators see each other's cursors and edits live. A space can be private, public read-only or open to comments, and groups share a set of spaces with a team.
- Backlinked tags and linked spaces
- Double-bracket tags connect a theme across every space it appears in, and a card can link straight to another space, so related boards stay reachable.
- Todos, mentions and due dates
- A card or box can be turned into a checkable todo, assigned to a collaborator with an @mention and given a due date.
- Import, export and public API
- Spaces import and export in several formats, including open JSON Canvas files, and can be saved as PDF. A public API supports custom integrations and tooling.
Plans
Graph Commons
Pricing could not be confirmed. See graphcommons.com.
Kinopio
Free$0
All features, limited to 100 cards and 5 MB uploads. Cards added to a space created by an upgraded user do not count.
Monthly$8
per month
Unlimited cards and uploads, billed monthly. Upgraded users can also create groups.
Yearly$80
per year
The same unlimited cards and uploads, billed once a year.
Lifetime$250
one-time
Unlimited cards and uploads for a single payment, with no subscription.
Ways to pay less
Graph Commons
No public discounts listed.
Kinopio
- Annual discount
About 17% less on the yearly plan
The yearly plan is $80 against $8 a month. Twelve monthly payments come to $96, so paying yearly works out about 17% cheaper.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plan for $250
A single payment of $250 gives unlimited cards and uploads with no subscription. The vendor says it added the plan in response to demand.
- Education
Discount for students and financial need
Students, and people who cannot afford the price because of where they live or other circumstances, can email the maker for a discount on subscription and lifetime plans.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Graph Commons or Kinopio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Graph Commons has no price we could confirm, and Kinopio starts at $8 per month, or $80 per year.
Which has a free plan, Graph Commons or Kinopio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Graph Commons and Kinopio have a free plan.
Which platforms do Graph Commons and Kinopio run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Kinopio lists macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. 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.