MindNode vs Xmind

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

Xmind

• People who think in mind maps and want an app on every device
• Turning a map into slides or a Gantt chart without switching tools
• Linux users: packages are offered alongside Windows and macOS apps
• Students and teachers, who get reduced Pro and Premium prices

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.

Xmind

• Free and Pro cap manually created online maps at 10 and 50; unlimited collaborative maps need Premium or the Business team plan.
• Real-time collaboration, editable Gantt charts and a monthly AI credit allowance start at Premium; Free and Pro get a single grant of 50 AI credits.
• Free exports carry a watermark, and export to Word, Excel, SVG and Markdown starts at Pro.
• The free trial and the 7-day money-back guarantee cover yearly subscriptions only; monthly subscriptions and AI credit add-ons are not refunded.

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.

Xmind

Mind maps and other structures

Ideas can be laid out as mind maps, timelines or matrices, grouped into Zones, and edited as a linear list in the Outliner view.

Xmind AI

Generates a map from text, a document or a link, expands and reorganizes branches, and breaks a project into tasks. Free and Pro get 50 credits; Premium gets 500 a month.

Pitch mode

Turns a map into a slide presentation: up to 5 slides on the Free plan and unlimited from Pro, where a pitch can also be exported to PowerPoint.

Gantt charts and tasks

Premium turns topics into tasks with assignees, plots them on a Gantt chart and exports tasks to a calendar file or Excel. Free and Pro can only view Gantt charts.

Real-time collaboration

On Premium and the Business team plan, several people can edit a map at once and follow one another's view, backed by 30 days of version history.

Import and export

Imports Markdown, OPML and TextBundle files and maps from other mind mapping tools. From Pro, maps export to SVG, PDF, Markdown, Word and Excel as well as PNG.

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.

Xmind

• Free$0

  Up to 10 manually created online maps, basic themes and stickers, 3-day version history, 5 slides in Pitch mode and 50 AI credits.

• Pro$4.92

  per month, billed yearly ($59 a year)

  Up to 50 online maps with basic collaboration, custom themes, topic links and attachments, unlimited Pitch slides, and export without a watermark.

• Premium$8.25

  per month, billed yearly ($99 a year)

  Unlimited collaborative maps, real-time collaboration, 30-day version history, editable Gantt charts, tasks with assignees and 500 AI credits a month.

• Business$10

  per seat / month, billed yearly

  Team plan with unlimited collaborative maps, real-time collaboration, 30-day version history, Gantt charts and 800 AI credits per seat a month.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds SAML single sign-on, unlimited version history, custom AI credits, a dedicated success advisor and team onboarding sessions.

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.

Xmind

• Annual discount

  Up to 50% off with yearly billing

  The pricing page advertises up to 50% off individual plans on yearly billing. The US App Store lists Pro at $59 a year or $10 a month, and Premium at $99 a year or $15 a month.

• Education

  Reduced prices for students and educators

  The education pricing tab lists Pro at $3.42 a month and Premium at $5.75 a month for students and educators, plus a custom-priced Campus plan for institutions.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted plans for nonprofits and government

  Eligible non-profits, NGOs and government organizations can get discounted plans after verifying eligibility; the offers page shows a price of $79 a year.

• Lifetime license

  SME Lifetime License for organizations

  Organizations can buy a one-time, perpetual license with volume pricing. The price is not published and is quoted by Xmind's sales team.