SimpleMind − Mind Mapping App Reviews

Luv this app. So easy to use. I recommend it

This app, even just the free version is incredibly useful. It’s self-evident really…if you’ve ever brainstormed on paper or with others you can imagine how much more convenient it would be to use this app. Especially when working with others, but even just for yourself. Can’t wait to get the full version!

This app makes it way easier to do graphic organizers for my classes online! The only problem I had was that I could not find how to save it as a PDF file. I FIGURED IT OUT! You must click print, and then you can save it from there! Other than that, this app is perfect!

I like the way you can actually view you thoughts however it would be great if you could interact or actually copy the list at the side, the bullet list that is almost created. A more analytical, logical and conformed view. That would be useful for then using it as a note alone / in Evernote / some over Productivity type app.

Why is it that in the computer is more expensive that the ipad or iphone purshase? And why if I buy it in one electronic device I have to still buy it in others been the same, why is not based in an account? Is unfair!

I really like this app. I generally create mind maps on paper, but it’s much more efficient to pull them up on screen and be able to change things without crossing out and erasing. I love having everything color coded and the different layout options make it versatile for any kind of writing.

Very useful app to visualize complex topics. Using an app to develop a mind map provides those extra degrees of freedom that allow the concept to grow in an organized way.

What I like about this app is that it seeks to manage the arrangment of bubbles for me. Most of mind mind maps are linear because I am summarizing lessons on them. I don’t want to waste time arranging every little bubble and having to resize things. This app is the right balance of structure and freedom and this makes it a favorite and my current choice.

I looked for mind mapping software for the computer several years ago and was so disappointed by what I found then that I thought it couldn’t be done. Desperate, I tried again for a novel I’m writing and find SimpleMind almost as lovely to look at and as easy to use as paper and a lot of coloured pencils. I am able to save what I have done by taking a screen shot and import it into my writing research. It is a pleasure to use and hopefully will help me finish and sell my novel.

I recommend this app to all my freshman composition students to use during the first step of their writing process (collecting/gathering). This app has dozens of great uses—but for generating information in order to fill college papers with substance and not K-rap/filler this is a fabulous tool! It’s easy, intuitive, trouble free. I’d love a way to save the maps as PDFs, so far I’ve not found that option (if it’s there)—when I want to save/share these, I’ve taken screen shots. There’s gotta’ be an easier way. Overall, great app!

I upgraded my old Mac to a newer operating system (OSX) just so it could run this program that I had been introduced to by someone else. Since I already think in mind maps and use them for just about everything, transfering my paper versions to a computer program was easy. I sampled a few other programs and quickly made up my mind to use this one because of the ease of use. The free version gives me all I need to get started. I use mind maps for starting my own business to organizing my life. It helps me keep track if ideas that I want to expand on. I’m a private counselor and so I can show a client a mind map on the various aspects of depression to quickly rule out what the client already knows and we can then work on the weaker branches of the mind map. As a visual person who likes to be organized, I cannot imagine my life without this option and I am so thankful SimpleMind Free has made a mind mapping program that is easy to use from the start. I don’t need a variety of shapes for my mind map, if you are looking for squares, triangles, or parallelograms, you won’t find that here that I know of yet. Mindmaps are more about what’s connected to what. They really help organize thoughts that are not linear. SimpleMInd is my preferred program because the mind maps are clean, and easy to navigate. I can move one bubble from one place to another. The mind maps are pretty to look at with several color pallets to choose from (I prefer the “bright” pallet). It’s easy to focus down to work on just one branch by clicking the down arrow symbol to close unrelated branches. I can add more detailed notes so if I’m working on developing one area, and have an idea on another bubble, I just click over there, add my thought to the text and click back to the original bubble. There is a small circle to indicate there is additional information in text form on the mind map do I don’t have to go huntinf for which bubble has text in it already and which doesn’t. I’m working on one bubble right now where I listed all the required paperwork I want to complete and I can change the color of the bubbles (I call the entries “bubbles” as I first leaned these as “bubble maps”) to show at a glace what I have completed. So even though each main branch has it’s own color, part of the branch bubbles can be changed individually to stand out. Simple mind, is well titled. It’s a “simple” way to unclutter your “mind” by mapping out the connections. It is definitely my choice when it comes to mind mapping. I now prefer it over pencil and paper methods becaue pencil and paper does not allow you to make connected notes and can look very messy, where as Simple Mind adjusts itself to put bubbles where the can be read easily. It was well worth my computer upgrade.

After trying the free version I bought the full version. This program is really simple and easy to use. And it looks great for doing presentations, especially if your paper mind maps look like chaos and confusion. I really like the fact that it will export out as a pdf and I can take that pdf and put it into Adobe illustrator and tweak it as necessary. The only down side so far is finding the little tricks to it. I have not found an actual manual on it, except for the basic one. For those of us who have large maps and get frustrated by having to move each node individually I did learn that there is a way to move that node and all of its subs. With the mouse arrow on the topic you want to move, click it and wait a second or two and the sub nodes will highlight too. Then you can drag all of them around instead of each one individually.

This app is really awesome but I just lost two hours of work after my device froze. I wish there was an auto save feature.

Great app — easy to use. Four stars because app can use some aesthetic improvements to improve overall image quality.

If you’re a brainstormer, this is a good app. it does give you the ability to free form - and then come back at add more detail. Very easy to use. Very easy to manipulate and revise. Good tool to have in your toolbox. Biggest issue that I need to remember to use it more!

I think initial impressions of mind map software are important. If you notice major design errors of absences of function, this may be a sign to warn you off from paying the full price. What’s lovely about SimpleMInd, at least for me, and what elevates it to an app that blows most others out of the water is the simple and intuitive ability to add and MOVE text boxes/shapes just by clicking and dragging. You can spend an hour or more trying to figure out how to do this with other mind mapping applications only to find out it can’t be done. Design flaws, some serious, include: 1) You have no apparent control over where you save your mind maps. I made one, saved it—there’s no ‘save as’ function--and then searched my drive for its title. It was nowhere to be found. 2) There’s no ability to export to jpeg or pdf. 3) There’s no Open function under File. I’ve sampled most of the mind mapping software available and the ease with which you can carry out some basic mind map functions in SimpleMind makes it a compelling application, one of the better ones in my view. But its weaknesses, especially if they’re not corrected in the for-sale version, might be deal killers for some. NOTE: For those undertaking the potentially long process of sampling other mind mapping applications, here is one highlight from my experience. Omnigraffle is still, at least for me, hands down the best mind mapping software out there. It used to be free with prior Mac OSs, but is now super-expensive. No doubt they’ve killed a large potential market for themselves. Bottom line: I still await a mind mapping tool with intuitive ease of use, a few added functions, and a price point that’s either free or $20 or less.

I needed something like this to help keep track of all of my thoughts. This app is really intuitive, functional and works really well for my needs. I found that is is useful that they allow you to color code diferent categories. There are so many things on my mind, all at the same time, and SimpleMind Free allows me to stay focused. Thank you to the developers and giving this one away free!

As soon as I open the program, I was able to start mapping my lessons. It doesn’t cook breakfast for you but gets the job done. I use it to organize my thoughts, task, prioritize, etc. I haven’t use other apps to compare. SimpleMind has not given me a reason. It never freezes, no delays, saves my work religiously, like the functions, like the color coded options, and most of all: INTUITIVE. So far is a WINNER. I hope it doesn’t get ruined with new updates.

Awesome way to quickly organize everything that needs organizing! Scatter brains like me really benefit : )

For free, this is probably the single best mind mapping tool for the Macintosh. It is flexible, intuitive, great use of color, legible, and adheres to the Apple philosophy of “It just works.” I have used it for a variety of mind mapping activities and tried others, and again, for free, this is my go to. Here are the few small things that keep me from paying the $30 to upgrade: (1)You cannot completely hide the navigation frame. You cannot even minimize it fully. It always is a bothersome waste of good screen real estate on the left. (2)As mentioned by others, you cannot save your mind maps as individual files. I understand that this is likely done to allow for more flexibility with using the mobile app, but it makes it very difficult to organize your maps based on projects. The full version on their web site does provide the ability to at least creat folders within the app itself. (3)You have to move every node individually. i.e. the children don’t follow the parent node if you move it. This may be addressed in the full version. Note that the version you buy from their website is actually different from the full version sold here. The App store version is sandboxed as per Apple’s requirements, but the version you download and install from the site is not and apparently has more flexibility. Upside: You can download a trial version of the full app from their web site and give it a try. :)