Free Mind Map Software Compared — XMind, MindMeister, EdrawMind, Coggle, Miro, GitMind and 24Houring

By 24Houring · 2026-10-22

If you are looking for free mind map software, 24Houring's mind map runs in the browser with nothing to install and no account. Six layouts (right, left, both ways, org chart, radial and outline), keyboard shortcuts, PNG export, sending branches to the calendar and converting a map into a mandal-art chart are all free, with no ads. The free plan keeps two maps of up to 2,000 branches each, so it suits someone thinking alone who wants ideas to turn into dates and goals. With a free shared group (sign in with Google), family, friends or co-workers edit one map together in real time; for large team whiteboarding, a collaborative tool from the comparison below goes further.

What to look for in a mind map tool

• Where the free limit bites: the number of maps, branches (topics) per map, export quality and watermarks.
• Sign-up and install: whether you need an account or an installed program, or just a link.
• Alone or together: if several people draw one map, real-time collaboration comes first; for personal thinking, light and fast wins.
• Typing speed: branching out with Tab and Enter, without the mouse, keeps the ideas flowing.
• What happens next: does the map end as one picture, or carry on into dates and goals?

At a glance (as of October 2026)

Each alternative, briefly

• XMind is probably the best-known installable mind map program and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS/iPadOS and Android. The free plan gives you 10 online maps, basic themes, three days of version history and presentations of up to five slides. Exporting without a watermark to PNG, SVG, PDF, Markdown or Office formats starts with Pro, which costs $10 a month billed monthly or $4.92 a month billed yearly (as of October 2026). Its strengths are polish and a wide range of file formats.
• MindMeister is strong at drawing maps together on the web. Even the free plan has no cap on collaborators and includes templates, presentations and the iOS and Android apps. The free plan holds three maps, though, and file export and printing belong to the paid Personal plan (as of October 2026).
• EdrawMind offers 22 layouts, templates and slideshows across desktop, mobile and online. The free trial allows 100 topics and two sheets per file, and exports carry a watermark. Paid options include both time-based subscriptions and a perpetual licence, which widens the choice for long-term users (as of October 2026).
• Coggle is a light, collaborative mind map that lives in the browser. Free users get real-time collaboration, sharing by link or QR code, unlimited image uploads, full change history and PDF and image downloads. The limit is three private diagrams; unlimited private diagrams cost $5 a month (as of October 2026).
• Miro is an online whiteboard for teams with a mind map tool built in. The free plan gives you three boards and over 7,000 templates, but exports are low resolution only. Starter, with unlimited boards, is $8 per member a month billed yearly (as of October 2026). It is at its best when many people gather ideas on one screen, as in a meeting or workshop.
• GitMind leads with AI that summarises text, PDFs, web pages and videos into maps. The free plan covers three files, 60 nodes per map, 100 MB of cloud storage and standard-quality image export. Basic, which lifts those limits, is $4.92 a month billed yearly (as of October 2026).

Where 24Houring's mind map is strong

• It opens straight away, with no sign-up and no install. Maps are saved on your own device first, and there are no ads on Free or Pro.
• The keyboard keeps up with your thinking. Tab adds a branch under, Enter a branch beside; F2 edits, Space folds, Ctrl+Enter marks done and Ctrl+Z undoes. Drag a branch to re-hang it under another; on a phone, a button bar above the keyboard does the same.
• When you are stuck, the AI lays out the next branches in place. Pick a branch and press ✦ (AI ideas): words that could go under it and beside it appear as faint boxes where they would go, and pressing one makes it a branch. The AI reads not the whole map but the path from the centre to that branch and the names of the branches under and beside it, and it suggests again when you pick another branch. Signed in with Google: 20 a day free, 200 with Pro.
• One map, six ways to read it. Use right for an outline, left for working back to causes, downward (org chart) for a team, radial for breaking down a goal and outline for a long map. The words stay put; only the arrangement changes.
• One map holds a lot. Even on the free plan a map can take 2,000 branches, which leaves far more room for a big subject than free plans that stop at 60 or 100 nodes.
• Ideas move on to dates and goals. Pick a branch and a date and it becomes a plan in the app's own calendar. "To mandal-art" makes the centre the core goal, the first eight branches the sub-goals and their first eight branches the actions; branches that do not fit stay in the map.
• Five presets: project plan, trip plan, book notes, weekly plan and break down a goal, in eight languages.

Where it is honestly weaker

• Collaboration is light. A shared group edits a map together in real time, but there are no comments, change history or presentation mode, and when two people change the same box at once the later change stays. For meetings and workshops, MindMeister, Coggle or Miro goes further.
• Two maps on the free plan. That is fewer than XMind (10 online maps) or MindMeister, Coggle and GitMind (three each). Pro ($0.99 a month) raises it to 30, and reaching the limit never removes a map.
• Simple styling and formats. Export saves the whole map as one PNG. If fine-grained themes or exchanging several file formats matter, XMind or EdrawMind is the better tool.
• It lives in your browser by default. Clearing site data, or opening another device, will not show your maps, and using them on several devices needs Pro sync. On iPhone it runs in the browser or from the home screen.

Make a mind map in 24Houring

1. Open the mind map, or press Mind map in the top menu of the app's Mind tab.
2. Start a blank map and write your topic in the middle, or choose "Start from a preset".
3. Branch out with Tab and Enter as ideas come, and drag branches into place later. When stuck, pick a branch, press ✦ (AI ideas) and press the faint suggestions you want.
4. Pick the layout that suits the content.
5. Mark finished branches done and send the ones that need a date to the calendar. To turn the map into a goal chart, press "To mandal-art".
6. Use Export at the top to save the whole map as a PNG.

For example, put "Autumn trip to Jeju" in the middle, branch out into itinerary, getting around, stay, things to do, budget and packing, and send only the "book flights" branch to this Friday in the calendar.

The same Mind tab holds the mandal-art chart, which breaks a goal into 81 cells, and the vision house; their tools are compared in free mandal-art chart makers compared and free vision board makers compared. Dated plans carry on in the free calendar. The feature overview is at mind map, every free tool is listed at free tools, and Free versus Pro is on pricing.

FAQ

Is there a free mind map tool I can use without signing up?

24Houring's mind map opens in the browser with no sign-up or install, and the six layouts, shortcuts, sending to the calendar and PNG export are free, with no ads. The free plan keeps two maps. MindMeister, Coggle and Miro need an account first, and XMind and EdrawMind are mainly installed programs.

How is XMind's free version different from 24Houring's mind map?

XMind has strong apps with a wide range of themes and file formats and lets you make 10 online maps for free, but watermark-free export starts with Pro. 24Houring opens from a link with nothing to install and moves branches straight into calendar plans or a mandal-art goal chart. Its free plan keeps two maps.

Which mind map is best for editing with a team in real time?

For a few family members, friends or co-workers, 24Houring's shared groups (free, sign in with Google) edit one map together in real time. For large team collaboration in meetings and workshops, MindMeister (unlimited collaborators even on the free plan, three maps), Coggle (free real-time collaboration, three private diagrams) or Miro (three boards) goes further.

Can I turn a mind map into a mandal-art chart?

In 24Houring, the "To mandal-art" button does it: the centre becomes the core goal, the first eight branches the sub-goals and the eight beneath each the actions, while extra branches stay in the mind map. It also works the other way, from a mandal-art chart to a mind map.