The apps are all relatively easy to learn and use. For me, this is the killer feature of mind-mapping software-I love to start by brainstorming a visual mind-map, and then use a traditional outline to organize and prioritize all those items.

A mind-map (left) and its outline (right), shown in XMind.Īs I mentioned last week, outlines have been my primary organizational tool since time immemorial. Switch from Mind-Map to Outlineįor me, the best feature in all of them is the way you can easily switch between your mind-map and an outline. All of the apps feature a variety of shapes, lines, and labels, and all of them let you customize a node or nodes quickly and easily. Then, you can drag-and-drop to arrange or rearrange nodes and the connections between them. A new node appears for each new thought or topic, which gives you a basic mind map to work with. For example, all of them have rapid-fire modes that let you create multiple nodes in quick succession. Overall, they are more alike than different. Last week I told you I’ve become enthralled with a brainstorming and notetaking technology known as mind-mapping and that I’ve been playing around with four different mind-mapping apps for macOS.

Mac os x mind mapping software