Graph Commons vs Kumu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Graph Commons grades higher than Kumu: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Graph Commons grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, 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.
Graph Commons
AI-assisted network maps of people, groups and ideas
Kumu
Relationship maps for systems, stakeholders and networks
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 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
| 2.2GPAGraph CommonsFair | 2.0GPAKumuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo paid price could be read on the page, so it sits where unpublished prices sit. | 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 | CStarter has unlimited public graphs of up to 100 nodes and a one-time 100 AI credits. Most AI actions cost 10 credits. | CRegistration and unlimited public projects are free, but public means anyone can see them. A two-week trial of private projects is offered. |
| 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. | 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 store rating on record. Building the graph is the work, which means a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. You import data and set up decorations before a map reads well. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Google Sheets and Excel import. No desktop or phone app. | CWeb only, with no apps and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | mapping relationships as a network | 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: Graph Commons and Kumu. How we grade
Where they differ
- Kumu also covers mind mapping.
At a glance
| Graph Commons | Kumu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $9 per month per private project |
| Free plan | Starter: unlimited public graphs, up to 100 nodes per graph and a one-time 100 AI credits. | 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 | Graph Commons | Kumu |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | kumu.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
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
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.
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
Graph Commons
Pricing could not be confirmed. See graphcommons.com.
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
Graph Commons
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, Graph Commons or Kumu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Graph Commons has no price we could confirm, and Kumu starts at $9 per month per private project.
Which has a free plan, Graph Commons or Kumu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Graph Commons 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.