FreeMind
About FreeMind
FreeMind is a mind mapping software designed to help businesses in the education, government, and other sectors visualize concepts, projects, ideas, and more using keyboard shortcuts. Key features include folding branches, graphical links connecting nodes, built-in icons, and file & web hyperlinks for nodes.
Managers can edit documents in XML or HTML formats and link different ideas on a unified interface. FreeMind allows teams to utilize one-click fold & unfold and follow link operations to navigate across different pages. Supervisors can also link documents and websites with mind maps via hyperlinks.
FreeMind lets businesses export documents in multiple formats such as HTML, JPEG, PDF, and more.
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- Industry: Marketing & Advertising
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Weekly for 2+ years
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Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Easy way to quickly capture concepts and plan projects, activity
Reviewed on 09/12/2019
I use FreeMind to first brainstorm, then document and systematize various processes related to my...
I use FreeMind to first brainstorm, then document and systematize various processes related to my business activities. You can be as general or as granular as you choose, linking to websites, documents etc., to implement or collaborate on them.
The various graphic icons available allow you to create industry-standard flows which everyone can recognize and understand.
It's also very easy to import the most common mind-mapping file types, so finding cool mindmaps and editing for your own processes is a breeze. Plus, the price is right so if you're just getting your feet wet it's the perfect solution. Highly recommend.
Pros
I love the simplicity and clean graphic style which translates into easy-to-follow conceptualizations of processes and activities.
Cons
There's really nothing to dislike about FreeMind. It works exactly as advertised, the price is right and it's very easy to use.
- Industry: Management Consulting
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Weekly for 2+ years
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Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Simple mind mapping for most purposes
Reviewed on 28/08/2024
Whenever I'm beginning a complex project, Freemind is my starting point. It's a way to start...
Whenever I'm beginning a complex project, Freemind is my starting point. It's a way to start collecting random thoughts in a structured manner and see how all the bits fit together. I can then get a good overview of what I'm doing and turn it into something actionable. It's easy to start with some top-level concepts and then dig down to whatever level you need, then use arrows and links to see how everything interrelates.
Pros
A quick and easy way to turn complex issues into structured thoughts.
Cons
Occasionally it has some odd display issues on my Mac which require the app to be restarted.
Alternatives Considered
MindMeisterReasons for Switching to FreeMind
Recommendation from friends and co-workers. Also I wanted something that would run on my laptop, not online.
- Industry: Publishing
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Monthly for 2+ years
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Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 2.0 /10
Wasted potential, now abandonware
Reviewed on 03/06/2023
My overall experience is quite negative. It's abandonware with little prospect of further developmen...
My overall experience is quite negative. It's abandonware with little prospect of further development which means that this isn't a safe platform to rely upon for any core part of your workflow.
Pros
FreeMind is serviceable for organizing thoughts and ideas. It provides a nice free-of-charge entry into the world of mind mapping.
Cons
FreeMind is a difficult program to use and understand. The interface is clunky and unintuitive, and the documentation is sparse and unhelpful. It's also slow and buggy, and I've had a lot of trouble getting it to work properly. Furthermore, it's abandonware and has been without an update for several years as of 2023. Overall, I would not recommend FreeMind to anyone. Instead, take a look at its fork, FreePlane.
Reasons for Switching to FreeMind
I actually chose MindNode as my mind mapping platform of choice as I'm Mac/iOS/iPadOS exclusive. If I needed a cross platform tool I'd have probably chosen Xmind.- Industry: Education Management
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Weekly for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
It may look a bit basic, but actually it is the only thing you need for mindmapping.
Reviewed on 17/10/2019
I use a lot of mindmapping in my work for planning and ideation, especially when developing new...
I use a lot of mindmapping in my work for planning and ideation, especially when developing new projects/products with education non-profits. I used to do all my mindmaps in Freemind and also to track the progress of some projects (not on daily basis as a to-do list, but for tracking deliverables, milestones, making sure something is not forgotten or missed). Recently I have been using online mindmaps for some of these, as I usually share some of the maps with other colleagues/clients, but actually if you combine Freemind with OneDrive or Drobpox and just put the mm file in the folder that you share with the client/colleague you get the same result. And since the app is free, works on various platforms and is easy to use, with clean interface it makes it easy to do mindmapping on the same file together. Furthermore, it does not ask to open any accounts, you can have unlimited number of maps, etc. which is really an advantage over the online mindmaps.
Pros
The app is really great for making mind maps, especially if you are doing it as the planning or ideation tool, and not as a child doing a homework etc. since it looks really professional and clean, has adequate tagging options and allows you to have multiple maps. It is written in Java so it works on various platforms wherever you have the runtime which is another benefit. And the best thing is that it is not only good tool, but a free one as well, which is very important for me as I work with non-profits, educational organizations etc.
Cons
Although it should run without problems on all platforms as it is written in Java, the Mac version has been a challenge to have working properly. When I changed from Windows to Mac I found the process a bit problematic and actually that was the time when I started doing my mindmapping primarily online. This has more to do with Apple than Freemind itself, but it is worth noting for mac users.
- Industry: Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
- Company size: 501–1,000 Employees
- Used Weekly for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Top mind mapping SW
Reviewed on 27/02/2020
I've tried many mind mapping apps, also tried swithing from FreeMind to others, but each time I...
I've tried many mind mapping apps, also tried swithing from FreeMind to others, but each time I ended up using FreeMind. Simply the best mind mapping SW I've came accross.
Pros
It allows users create mind map, associate nodes with each other, insert links, icons, colors, images... It allows me not only to map my thoughts, but also manage complex projects and tasks. The app is also very fast! Ultra productive using keyboard short-cuts for working with nodes.
Cons
It would be great if one could chose from a library of other icons or create his own icons that would better fit specific purposes, e.g. project management, thoughts mind mapping, learning, etc.
Also calendar/timer/notifications need more development (not really user friendly).
FreeMind FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions for FreeMind.Q. What type of pricing plans does FreeMind offer?
FreeMind offers the following pricing plans:
- Free Trial: Not Available
Q. Who are the typical users of FreeMind?
FreeMind has the following typical customers:
2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000
Q. What languages does FreeMind support?
We do not have any information about what languages FreeMind supports
Q. Does FreeMind support mobile devices?
FreeMind supports the following devices:
Q. What other apps does FreeMind integrate with?
We do not have any information about what integrations FreeMind has
Q. What level of support does FreeMind offer?
We do not have any information about what support options FreeMind has
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