SimpleMind vs Xmind

SimpleMind

• People who want to buy a mind mapping app once, not subscribe
• Keeping mind maps as private files on a device or personal cloud
• Families or small teams sharing a 4-user or 10-user license
• Brainstorming with a free-form layout on a phone or tablet

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

SimpleMind

• Each platform is a separate purchase: a Mac or Windows license does not include the iPhone, iPad or Android app.
• The free edition leaves out cloud sync, images, notes, sharing, printing and search, and it is not listed for Windows, which gets the 30-day trial.
• There is no browser version, and the feature list has no co-editing: maps are files synced through a cloud service the user picks.
• SimpleMind has no built-in AI, which the vendor presents as a privacy decision.

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.

SimpleMind

Free-form and auto layouts

Place topics anywhere on the page or use the horizontal auto layout. Pro adds six more: vertical, top-down, linear, radial, matrix and list.

Maps stored as your own files

Mind maps are files that are never stored on the vendor's servers. Pro syncs them across platforms through a cloud service such as Dropbox.

Notes, images and checkboxes

Pro topics can hold notes, images, photos, icons, labels, call-outs, checkboxes and progress bars, and any two topics can be joined with a crosslink.

Sharing and slideshows

Pro shares a map as a PDF, an image, or an HTML or text outline, prints it, and builds a slideshow to present it on tablets and desktops.

Style sheets

More than 15 style sheets, including dark ones, change the look of a map. Pro lets you create your own and style borders, lines and colors in detail.

Tools for large maps

Collapse branches, focus on one part with autofocus and switch to an outline. Pro adds hiding topics, group borders, folders and search.

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.

SimpleMind

• SimpleMind Free$0

  For Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android: basic mind mapping with free-form and horizontal auto layout, style sheets and outline. No sync, sharing or printing.

• Pro for iPhone & iPad$10.99

  one-time purchase

  Full feature set on iPhone and iPad, bought on the App Store. The vendor's page lists it as from US$10.99.

• Pro for Android$11.99

  one-time purchase

  Full feature set on Android, bought on Google Play at the US price. The vendor's page lists it as from €10.99.

• Pro Single User (Mac or Windows)$29.99

  one-time purchase per platform, excluding VAT

  One user on Mac or on Windows. A license covering both platforms costs $54.99.

• Pro Family/Team (4 users)$49.99

  one-time purchase per platform, excluding VAT

  Four users on Mac or on Windows, shown on the page as "Now 49.99 USD". Both platforms together cost $99.98.

• Pro 10-user License$114.99

  one-time purchase per platform, excluding VAT

  Ten users on Mac or on Windows, or $229.98 for both platforms. Site licenses are handled separately.

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.

SimpleMind

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase with no subscription

  SimpleMind Pro is bought once per platform with no monthly or annual fees: $29.99 for Mac or Windows and $10.99 for iPhone and iPad.

• Other savings

  Two-platform and multi-user licenses

  A single-user license for both Mac and Windows is $54.99 against $59.98 bought separately. A four-user Family/Team license is $49.99 and a ten-user license $114.99 per platform.

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.