# MindNode

> Mind mapping and outlining app for Apple devices

MindNode is a mind mapping and outlining app made only for Apple platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Ideas are captured on a canvas, arranged into branches and viewed as an outline, and documents sync through the user's own iCloud. The free version covers basic mind map editing, and the MindNode Plus subscription adds outline editing, notes, tasks, connections, theming and Apple Intelligence features.

- **Category:** Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- **Made by:** IdeasOnCanvas GmbH (since 2008)
- **Website:** https://www.mindnode.com
- **Runs on:** macOS, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

MindNode has a free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month, or $24.99 per year.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Create and edit mind maps with the basic editing tools, fold branches, view them as an outline, sync across Apple devices, join shared documents, and import or export files.
- **Free trial:** 1-week free trial of MindNode Plus on the monthly or yearly subscription.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.mindnode.com/download on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with MindNode before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **About 30% less with the yearly subscription** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://www.mindnode.com/download
- **Educational discount on request** (Education): MindNode's support pages say educational discounts are available to people who contact the support team from an educational email address. Source: https://www.mindnode.com/support/guides/mindnode-plus
- **Included in a Setapp subscription** (Other savings): MindNode is also available through Setapp, a subscription service that bundles Mac and iOS applications. Source: https://www.mindnode.com/download

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.6 out of 5 from 314 ratings in the United States, read Oct 6, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6446116532

## Works with

Apple Reminders, Apple Shortcuts, iCloud

**Tags:** Mind mapping, Tasks, Real-time collaboration, AI features, Works offline, End-to-end encrypted

## Alternatives

- [Xmind](https://toolgpa.com/tools/xmind): Mind mapping app with AI, Gantt charts and a presentation mode. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindnode-vs-xmind)
- [SimpleMind](https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplemind): Mind mapping app sold as a one-time purchase per platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindnode-vs-simplemind)
- [MindMeister](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mindmeister): Browser-based mind mapping with real-time collaboration. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindmeister-vs-mindnode)
- [Scapple](https://toolgpa.com/tools/scapple): Freeform mind-mapping app for writers, on Mac and Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mindnode-vs-scapple)
- [Coggle](https://toolgpa.com/tools/coggle): Collaborative mind maps and flowcharts in the browser. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/coggle-vs-mindnode)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://www.mindnode.com/download
- https://www.mindnode.com/
- https://www.mindnode.com/classic
- https://www.mindnode.com/about
- https://www.mindnode.com/support
- https://www.mindnode.com/support/guides/mindnode-plus
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mindnode-mind-map-outline/id6446116532

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/mindnode
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).