MindMeister vs MindNode

MindMeister

• Teams that brainstorm together in a browser
• MeisterTask users who turn map topics into tasks
• Students, educators and nonprofits, who get a 50% discount
• Organizations that want hosting in Germany and GDPR compliance

MindNode

• People who work across a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad
• Switching between a mind map and an outline of the same ideas
• Users who want documents encrypted in their own iCloud
• Students and writers planning essays, study guides or novels

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.

MindNode

• MindNode runs only on Apple devices; there is no web, Windows or Android version.
• Outline editing, notes, connections, tasks, visual tags, Focus Mode, theming, starting a collaboration and AI all need MindNode Plus.
• Documents are managed inside the app and stored in iCloud; file-based documents in Finder remain only in the legacy MindNode Classic app.
• The vendor offers no volume purchase program for schools or companies.

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.

MindNode

Mind maps with flexible layout

Ideas branch and cluster on an infinite canvas. The layout keeps a map tidy automatically while still letting individual nodes be placed by hand.

Outline view

Any mind map can be shown as a hierarchical list. The free version can view the outline, and editing in it needs MindNode Plus.

Tasks, notes and connections

Nodes can carry notes and tasks, tasks sync to Apple Reminders, and connections link nodes outside the hierarchy. All three are MindNode Plus features.

Live collaboration

Several people can work on a map in real time, and the vendor describes the collaboration as end-to-end encrypted. Free users can join documents shared with them.

Apple Intelligence

AI can suggest a starting structure, expand a branch, summarize a map or turn it into a written draft. It runs on Apple Intelligence where that is available.

Native apps and iCloud sync

Separate native apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro sync through iCloud, and changes made offline are merged on reconnecting.

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.

MindNode

• MindNode$0

  Mind map creation and basic editing, a read-only outline view, sync across Apple devices, and import and export.

• MindNode Plus$2.99

  per month, or $24.99 per year

  Adds outline editing, notes, connections, tasks, visual tags, Focus Mode, theming, collaboration, Apple Intelligence and the Apple Watch app. Includes MindNode Classic.

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.

MindNode

• Annual discount

  About 30% less with the yearly subscription

  MindNode Plus costs $24.99 a year or $2.99 a month. Twelve monthly payments come to $35.88, so paying yearly works out about 30% cheaper.

• Education

  Educational discount on request

  MindNode's support pages say educational discounts are available to people who contact the support team from an educational email address.

• Other savings

  Included in a Setapp subscription

  MindNode is also available through Setapp, a subscription service that bundles Mac and iOS applications.