MindMeister vs MindMup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MindMeister and MindMup share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which platforms you need.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MindMeister
Browser-based mind mapping with real-time collaboration
MindMup
Web mind mapping with a free tier and simple paid plans
Which one is for you
Pick MindMeister if
- Fits if your team brainstorms together and wants everyone on the same map at once
- Works for MeisterTask users who want to turn map topics into tasks
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, since 3 mind maps is the limit and you can't export or print them
- Not for you if you want a desktop app, because outside the phone apps it runs in a browser
- Skip it if you like paying month by month, as billing is in 6-month or 12-month cycles only
- Pricey if you need Word or PowerPoint exports or Google Workspace, which wait for Pro at €10.50 a month
- Watch out: prices vary by region, and SAML SSO needs Business plus a request to sales
Pick MindMup if
- Fits if you want a plain mind map on the web and a free start
- Works for a class that opens a map by Guest Pass without logins
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 3 maps and view-only sharing
- Watch out: real-time collaboration is marked coming soon on the pricing page
- Watch out: the AI credits are marked coming soon too
- Watch out: only annual prices were readable, and Team and Organization seat rules are not stated
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as the desktop app is marked coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAMindMeisterFair | 2.2GPAMindMupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPersonal is €6.50 a user a month billed yearly, or €7.50 on 6-month billing, which is the middle of this category. There's no monthly option at all, and Word and PowerPoint exports, branding and Google Workspace wait for Pro at €10.50. | CPersonal is $6 a month billed annually, a little above the category's cheaper quarter of $5. Team is $9 and Organization $15, and the page does not say if they are per seat. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree forever, with unlimited collaborators, templates, presentations and the phone apps. But it's 3 mind maps, and no file exports, printing, attachments or version history, so whatever you make stays inside MindMeister. | CThe Starter plan is free but capped at 3 mind maps with view-only sharing and a watermarked presentation mode. |
| Features | CIt does mind maps fully, and that's a smaller job than this category's: drag-and-drop topics with notes, links and images, mind map, org chart and list layouts, live co-editing with comments, presentation and outline modes, and AI map-building that's still in beta. No freeform canvas, no stickies, no drawing. | CMap layouts, notes, presentation mode, version history and sharing. Gaps the listing shows: real-time collaboration, comment threads and the AI credits are marked coming soon. |
| Ease of use | C4.4 from 1,269 App Store ratings, in the middle of the range. Nothing to install on a computer, and focus mode hides the menus when you want to think, but a blank map is still yours to build and arrange. | CNo store rating on record. You build maps from scratch in the editor. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with MeisterTask, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and a Claude connector. There's no desktop app at all, so on a computer it's a browser tab, and Teams needs Personal while Google Workspace needs Pro. | BWeb only, with Google Drive, Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 sign-in listed. |
| Best for | mind mapping together in a browser | a simple web mind map with Google Drive storage |
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: MindMeister and MindMup. How we grade
Price against what you get
MindMeister starts at about $7.26 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MindMup starts at $6 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and MindMup starts $1.26 a month lower. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 13 score higher than MindMeister for less, and 9 score higher than MindMup 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
- MindMeister also covers templates.
- MindMup also covers notes and diagrams.
At a glance
| MindMeister | MindMup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €6.50 per user / month, billed yearly | $6 per month, billed annually (Personal) |
| Free plan | Up to 3 mind maps with unlimited collaborators, templates, presentations, outline and focus modes and the mobile apps. No file exports, printing, attachments or version history. | Starter plan: up to 3 mind maps, view-only sharing, 10 AI credits, and presentation mode with a watermark. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | MeisterLabs GmbH | Mindmup, Inc. |
| Price read from | mindmeister.com | mindmup.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MindMeister
- The Free plan stops at 3 mind maps and has no file exports, printing, attachments or version history.
- Plans are billed in 6-month or 12-month cycles with no monthly option, and prices vary by region; the figures here are the vendor's EUR reference prices.
- Word and PowerPoint exports, custom branding and Google Workspace need Pro; SAML SSO needs Business and a request to the sales team.
- No desktop apps are listed: outside the iOS and Android apps, MindMeister runs in a browser.
MindMup
- The free Starter plan stops at 3 mind maps and view-only sharing.
- Real-time collaboration, comment threads, the desktop app and AI credits are marked as coming soon on the pricing page.
- The page shows only the annual-billed prices; it says yearly saves up to 40% but its monthly-billed prices could not be read.
- The page does not say whether the Team and Organization prices are per seat.
Key features
MindMeister
- Mind map editor
- Topics are arranged by drag and drop and can carry links, notes, emojis and images. Layouts include mind maps, org charts and lists, with themes and color schemes.
- Real-time collaboration
- Collaborators invited by link edit the same map at once, comment on topics and @mention each other. Every plan, including Free, allows unlimited collaborators.
- Presentation mode
- A map can be shown as a presentation directly from the editor, so a team can be walked through the ideas without building separate slides.
- Outline and focus modes
- Outline mode switches a map to structured bullet points, and focus mode hides menus, toolbars and icons in the editor.
- AI map creation (beta)
- A prompt or an uploaded file such as a PDF, presentation, spreadsheet or image produces a map, which AI can then expand or tidy. It is listed as beta on every plan.
- Exports and integrations
- Topics convert into MeisterTask tasks on any plan. Image and PDF exports and Microsoft Teams start at Personal; Word and PowerPoint exports and Google Workspace at Pro.
MindMup
- Mind map layouts
- Standard mind maps, org charts, fishbone diagrams and argument visualization, with styling controls for maps and nodes.
- Notes and sticky notes
- Notes attach to nodes for outlines and drafts, and the text can be exported to another editor.
- Sharing and publishing
- Maps can be shared with members or teams, published as interactive maps, or opened to a class with a Guest Pass that needs no login.
- Presentation mode
- A map turns into a presentation in one click. The free plan adds a watermark.
- Version history and restore
- The comparison lists version history, restoring deleted maps for 30 days and manual backup and restore.
- Google Drive and SSO
- Maps can be stored in Google Drive, and organizations can use Google or Microsoft sign-on.
Plans
MindMeister
Free€0
Up to 3 mind maps, unlimited collaborators, templates, presentations, outline and focus modes, the MeisterTask integration and AI map creation in beta.
Personal€6.50
per user / month, billed yearly (€7.50 on 6-month billing)
Unlimited mind maps, PNG, JPG and PDF exports, printing, 2 attachments per map, 7-day version history and the Microsoft Teams integration.
Pro€10.50
per user / month, billed yearly (€12.50 on 6-month billing)
Unlimited attachments, all-time version history, multiple admins, Word and PowerPoint exports, custom branding and the Google Workspace integration.
Business€15.50
per user / month, billed yearly (€19 on 6-month billing)
Group sharing, compliance exports and backups, IP restriction, SAML SSO on request, priority email and phone support and a customer success manager.
MindMup
StarterFree
Up to 3 mind maps, notes, view-only sharing and publishing, 10 AI credits (AI marked as coming soon).
Personal$6
per month, billed annually
Unlimited mind maps, image and file attachments, advanced sharing, high-resolution exports and 100 AI credits.
Team$9
per month, billed annually (seat basis not stated)
Unlimited teamspaces, Guest Pass access and 200 AI credits per seat. Real-time collaboration is marked as coming soon.
Organization (SSO)$15
per month, billed annually (seat basis not stated)
Required Google or Microsoft SSO, advanced security settings, priority support and 300 AI credits per seat.
Ways to pay less
MindMeister
- Annual discount
13 to 18% lower on 12-month billing
MindMeister's pricing file says the 12-month billing cycle costs approximately 13 to 18% less than the 6-month cycle, for example €6.50 against €7.50 per user a month on Personal.
- Education
50% off for students and educators
Students, educators and educational institutions get a 50% discount, applied by contacting the support team.
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits
The same 50% discount is listed for non-profit organizations, also arranged through the support team.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
MindMeister says it uses geo-based pricing. On 9 October 2026 its pricing page showed Personal to a reader in India at $3.50 per user a month on yearly billing, against a reference price of €6.50 for most of Europe.
MindMup
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves up to 40%
The pricing page offers a pay-yearly option that it says saves up to 40% against paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MindMeister or MindMup?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MindMeister starts at €6.50 per user / month, billed yearly, and MindMup starts at $6 per month, billed annually (Personal). 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, MindMeister or MindMup?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MindMeister and MindMup have a free plan.
Which platforms do MindMeister and MindMup run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MindMeister lists 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.