Mind mapping was all the rage a couple of years ago, nowadays it’s just another - albeit powerful and fun - creativity method. In the early days, mind mapping software for the Mac was rare. Apart from some free- and shareware apps (such as Freemind) that lacked features and polish, and some graphics apps that offered mind mapping features as an addon, your only real bet was NovaMind. Then, finally, MindJet decided to release MindManager for Mac a couple of years ago. Since then, both NovaMind and MindManager have evolved substantially.
MindNode Features
Although it might seem as though the market for mind mapping apps is saturated, Austrian Markus Müller recently introduced MindNode Pro, the commercial version of the free MindNode, which came out of beta earlier this year. The Pro version adds several productivity-enhancing features to the free version, details are listed in this feature comparison chart.
Notable features of MindNode Pro include multiple maps per document, full support keyboard navigation and node manipulation and import and export to/from various formats. A very interesting feature are node wells, which let you easily add new nodes by simply hovering over an existing node and then clicking and dragging a small plus sign to where you want to create a new node. Since effective mind mapping is all about quickly creating and rearranging nodes, a quick brainstorming session will definitely benefit from this feature.
Conclusion
It’s definitely nice to see another contender in the mind mapping application market, and MindNode looks very promising. MindNode Pro is available as a trial download that limits documents to 20 nodes and prints a watermark. It’s currently being offered at an introductory price of 11,95 EUR.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
MindNode is still a toy by comparison with the other two - I’d go with NovaMind any day.
I’m a registered user of NovaMind, but they’ve lost me with their recent decision to make three different versions of it. Now, to find out which version I need, they want me to read through this hideous feature comparison table. Ugh. And the user interface never really worked for me either. Coming from the PC, I was a user of MindManager and was really happy when they introduced the Mac version.
For now, I’m sticking with MM and will occasionally still use NM (after all, I paid for it). And I’ll of course keep an eye on MindNode. It’s only a 1.0, so if the developer sticks to it, it could evolve into something more powerful.
Tom, thank you for this nice blog entry about my application!
Anton, I guess it always depends what you are expecting from a mind mapping application. My goal with MindNode is to deliver a very mac-like application that offers the best interaction for the feature set it offers.
Hi All
I think both the critics above miss the point of this app..
The 1st clue is in the price. Compare prices between MindNode pro and Novamind - QED
MindNode simplifies what the other apps mentioned make complex. I’ve looked over the Novamind library and for content and mindmap detail they are very 9/10 - so hats off to them - BUT just try following a path - those maps are jungles. Its very easy to get lost and lose overview/relational contact. Those guys don’t seem to have heard of ‘headlining’ and ‘drilling’. This developer has … and as for the Novamind GUI - VERY ‘windoze-legacy’.
MNP is excellent for outlining + layout and then exporting into e.g. Keynote for further refinement (addition of images, extra links etc.). One can construct mindmaps from scratch in Keynote but its the time factor that puts MNP in pole position.
Using either my iTouch or desktop version, I can brainstorm a map - instantly - move nodes around fast - instantly - change/try new ideas - instantly. For obvious reasons, doing all that in Keynote takes megamore time. K is designed for just that - design.
Once I’m satisfied as to content/elements of my MNP then all I do is drag everything into some coherent form, change colour gradations, (sort fold/unfold points if no interactive required) and export to Keynote if I want to show off/refine etc. etc..
+ its worth mentioning the learning curve.
Novamind = x hours (depends what grade of rocket scientist you are
MNP = 10 minutes (I’m not the brightest bunny on the block
Finally, its worth mentioning also that the developer is most responsive and engages readily when presented with worthwhile ideas and comments.
MindMappers should cost out their time. Experiment with Novaminds free trial. Learn their stuff and create something - add up the time. Perform the same exercise with MNP
- ? - smell the coffee, guys!
So, People - I suggest you give this megaApp another, fairer spin
Dscartes!