GroupMap vs Mural (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mural grades higher than GroupMap: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mural grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GroupMap
Facilitated online brainstorming and group decision-making
Mural
Online whiteboard with built-in facilitation tools for workshops
Which one is for you
Pick GroupMap if
- Fits if you facilitate workshops and want anonymous voting
- Works for teams that need a written record of how a decision was reached
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need the AI grouping or custom templates: Professional is $60 a month
- Tight if you're on Basic: 1 map creator and 10 participants
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there isn't one
- Watch out: there's no pause option, and data goes 12 months after an unconverted trial
Pick Mural if
- Fits if you run workshops, retros or design-thinking sessions and need the group to follow you
- Works for large groups, as Free has no member limit, though only 3 murals stay editable
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, with only 3 murals editable at a time and view-only visitors
- Skip it if you want the AI without paying, as Mural AI starts at Team+, $9.99 a member a month
- Pricey if you need SSO or ongoing guests, which start at Business, $17.99 a member a month billed annually only
- Watch out: SCIM, audit logs and data residency are Enterprise only, which has no public price
- Too light for docs, tables or slides on the board, which Miro has and Mural doesn't
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAGroupMapWeak | 2.6GPAMuralGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DBasic is $20 monthly ($16.67 yearly) but has no AI grouping, guest facilitators or custom templates; those start on Professional at $60 monthly, against a category middle of $8. | CTeam+ is $9.99 a member a month billed annually, $12 if you pay monthly, which is right at the dear end of normal here: this category's dearer quarter starts at $9.99. SSO and ongoing guests wait for Business at $17.99, annual billing only. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial with all features and no card, then nothing free. Data is deleted 12 months after a trial that isn't followed by a subscription. | CFree has unlimited members and every facilitation tool. But only 3 murals are editable at a time, visitors can look and not edit, and Mural AI isn't in it at all. |
| Features | CGuided steps, anonymity, templates, an AI facilitator and reports. Basic lacks several of those, so the full set costs more. | BSticky notes, drawing and connected diagrams on an infinite or resizable canvas, 250-plus templates, and a facilitator kit on every plan: summon, timer, anonymous votes, private mode, hidden steps. Mural AI clusters stickies and draws mind maps. The whiteboard job covered, without Miro's docs, tables and slide formats. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A facilitator builds each map and its steps before the session. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a web board where the work is building the board: you start from a blank canvas or pick through 250-plus templates and set the session up yourself. One-time visitors can at least join without a paid seat. |
| Platforms and integrations | CBrowser only, with no integrations listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, so every device type. Murals open inside Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex meetings, and it ties into Jira, Slack, Google Workspace and Confluence, with Asana tasks syncing both ways. |
| Best for | facilitated group brainstorming with anonymous voting | facilitated workshops and retros |
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: GroupMap and Mural. How we grade
Price against what you get
GroupMap starts at $20 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mural starts at $9.99 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
Mural scores higher and starts $10.01 a month lower. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 59 score higher than GroupMap for less, and 2 score higher than Mural 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
- GroupMap also covers surveys and reports.
- Mural also covers whiteboard, mind mapping and diagrams.
At a glance
| GroupMap | Mural | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed monthly ($16.67 per month billed annually) | $9.99 per member / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | Unlimited members and unlimited murals, but only 3 editable at a time. Visitors are view-only, rooms are open to the whole workspace, and Mural AI is not included. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with all features, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | GroupMap | Mural |
| Price read from | groupmap.com | mural.co |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GroupMap
- Only map creators and facilitators need a license; participants join free, within each plan's cap.
- Basic has 1 map creator, 10 participants and no AI grouping, guest facilitators or custom templates.
- There is no free plan and no pause option; a subscription can be cancelled and restarted later.
- Data is deleted 12 months after a trial ends if you do not subscribe.
Mural
- The Free plan keeps only 3 murals editable at a time, and its visitors can view but not edit.
- Mural AI is not part of the Free plan; it is available on Team+, Business and Enterprise.
- SSO and guest access start at Business, which is listed with annual billing only; monthly billing is shown for Team+.
- SCIM, audit logs, data residency and multiple workspaces are limited to Enterprise, which has no public price.
Key features
GroupMap
- Guided activity design
- Build a session from step-by-step activities (brainstorm, group, vote, position, rate, action) with instructions and timers.
- Anonymity controls
- Set a map to off, partial or full anonymity so participants can add and rate ideas without their names attached.
- Templates
- Over 130 brainstorming templates in four styles, including retrospectives, SWOT-style matrices and canvases.
- Atlas AI facilitator
- AI-suggested idea grouping and summaries of results. Both are included on Professional and Enterprise, not on Basic.
- Facilitator controls
- Lock stages, move participants to a stage and sync screens. These controls are limited on the Basic plan.
- Reports and exports
- Generate PDF reports, save the map as an image, and export map data to Excel or CSV on every plan.
Mural
- Facilitation features on every plan
- A facilitator can summon participants, run a timer, hold anonymous votes, switch on private mode, lock content, and hide steps in the outline until it is time to reveal them.
- Sticky notes, drawing and diagramming
- Boards take sticky notes, drawings, images, icons and connected diagrams, on either an infinite or a resizable canvas. A content library stores objects for reuse.
- Templates
- More than 250 Mural-made templates are included, and teams can create their own. The Business plan adds LUMA frameworks.
- Mural AI
- Generates mind maps, clusters sticky notes by topic, summarizes content and classifies stickies by sentiment. Available on Team+, Business and Enterprise.
- Rooms, visitors and guests
- Murals are organized into rooms: open on Free, private from Team+ and confidential on Enterprise. One-time visitors are free on every plan; ongoing guests need Business.
- Meeting and work-tracking integrations
- Murals can be worked on inside Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex meetings. Asana tasks import with two-way sync, and Azure DevOps work items can be laid out on a mural.
Plans
GroupMap
Basic$20
per month, billed monthly ($16.67 billed annually)
1 map creator, 10 free participants per map, unlimited maps; basic process design, facilitator controls and reporting.
Professional$60
per month, billed monthly ($50 billed annually)
50 free participants per map, 100 and 200 participant plans available; workspaces, AI grouping and advanced reporting.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom participant limits and several map creators, plus white-labeling, SSO, custom domain and shared templates.
Mural
Free$0
Unlimited members, 3 editable murals at a time, view-only visitors, open rooms and all core collaboration and facilitation tools.
Team+$9.99
per member / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited editable murals, visitors with editing rights, private rooms, Mural AI and basic integrations such as Zoom and Webex.
Business$17.99
per member / month, billed annually
Adds SAML single sign-on, unlimited guests, advanced integrations such as Azure, GitHub and Okta, LUMA frameworks, invoicing and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Multiple workspaces, confidential rooms, SCIM, audit logs and reporting APIs, required 2FA, data residency, BYOK and premier support.
Ways to pay less
GroupMap
- Annual discount
Save about 17% with annual billing
The pricing page offers annual billing at $200 a year for Basic and $600 a year for Professional, against $20 and $60 billed monthly.
Mural
- Annual discount
About 17% lower on Team+ with annual billing
Mural's pricing page lists Team+ at $9.99 per member a month when billed annually, against $12 per member a month when billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GroupMap or Mural?
As of Nov 13, 2026, GroupMap starts at $20 per month, billed monthly ($16.67 per month billed annually), and Mural starts at $9.99 per member / month, billed annually. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, GroupMap or Mural?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mural has a free plan. GroupMap does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do GroupMap and Mural run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mural lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. 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.