5 Great MindMeister Alternatives For 2022 (Pros, Cons, Pricing)

Udn Webber

Editorial Coordinator

Look, we get it.

You might have tons of brilliant ideas flowing through your mind, and MindMeister is a great place to visualize and solidify them.

But that’s kinda all MindMeister is good for.

If you’re looking for mapping software that can do a little more than just mind mapping, then a MindMeister alternative is definitely what you need.

But with hundreds of mind mapping software , how do you know which one is as brilliant as your ideas?

In this article, we’ll cover why you need an alternative to MindMeister and review five fantastic MindMeister alternatives , along with their key features, pros, cons, pricing, and customer ratings.

Let’s map out these alternatives!

What Is MindMeister?

MindMeister is a web-based mind mapping software.

You can use it for brainstorming , project planning , and other creative tasks.

Once you’ve created a mind map , you can share it with others and even publish it online for all the world to see. 📸

Here are a few other things you can do with this mind map software:

3 Reasons Why You Need A MindMeister Alternative

Although those above features sound great, MindMeister has a few limitations:

1. Lack of task management features

MindMeister is an adequate tool for simple note-taking and ideation. Still, the mapping application is quite limited in the task management department.

Sure, your team can use MindMeister to develop and discuss a project idea, but what happens when you need to take action on that idea?

MindMeister just doesn’t have any project tracking features to help you execute that plan.

Sigh 😔

If only there was a task management tool that had both mind mapping and project management features …

2. Limited free plan

MindMeister’s free plan doesn’t let users export their mind maps or even add file and image attachments to their mind maps.

On top of that, you only get three mind maps for free!

Trying to calculate how that’s going to work for your team?

Don’t worry. We’ve done the math for you.

Our calculations show that MindMeister’s free plan is just too limited for any creative team.

3. Limited integrations

Here’s something else you can count on your fingers: MindMeister’s integrations.

The MindMeister software only integrates with nine tools, which include Dropbox , Evernote , and Google Docs .

And here’s a list of all the tools MindMeister doesn’t integrate with:

So unless your team already uses those nine integrations, you’re going to have a hard time switching between tons of different apps just to get things done .

The 5 Best MindMeister Alternatives

It’s clear that MindMeister won’t cut it.

But don’t worry.

Here are the five best MindMeister alternatives available today:

1. UDN Task Manager

UDN Task Manager is the world’s leading project management and mind mapping software.

From providing you with advanced task management features to bringing out your best ideas, UDN Task Manager is the ultimate alternative to MindMeister.

Here are just some of the ways UDN Task Manager can get you and your team’s creative juices flowing: 💡

Mind Maps help you plan projects , map out ideas, and even organize existing tasks.

UDN Task Manager ’s Mind Maps also come with two excellent  modes:

Map out your workflow for existing projects by quickly creating, editing, and deleting tasks (and subtasks) without leaving the Map view.

Task mode is a great way to see how all your projects connect.

Here’s what you can do in Task mode:

Task mode’s intuitive drag and drop functionality lets you map out the workflow of your existing projects in just a few clicks!

Feeling inspired?

Create a Mind Map from scratch that’s independent of any existing task structure with the Blank mode. 📝

You can fully customize your connector colors and convert them to tasks later.

Here’s what you can do in Blank mode:

But that’s not all.

Irrespective of if you choose the Blank mode or Task mode, the Mind Map view also lets you do other cool things like:

Don’t want to have a brainstorming session alone?

Don’t worry!

Public Sharing lets you share your Mind Maps with team members and clients for real-time collaboration.

Each task in UDN Task Manager has a dedicated space for Comments . This way, teams can send quick task-related messages without wondering where the message was sent or if it will get lost .

You can also Assign Comments to team members if your comment requires action to be taken. Once the task has been completed, your teammate can resolve the comment.

The Notepad is the perfect place for you to jot down any crazy ideas that come to mind, even when you’re wide awake in bed at 4 am!

No one else can see your Notepad, so feel free to list down anything.

You can then convert these thoughts to actionable tasks you want to share with your team when you’re ready.

Create Docs , wikis, and knowledge bases anywhere in UDN Task Manager .

Your Docs can have an unlimited number of pages, and you can share them with the people you choose.

You can even mention team members and create tasks from within the Doc.

Use Doc Relationships to link Docs among themselves or with tasks.

This way, you can access your Docs in more than one place without having to duplicate them every single time!

Mind maps help you develop brilliant plans.

But, what’s a brilliant plan without a schedule?

You know it!

That’s why the Gantt view lets you plan your time, manage your workload , and see what tasks are dependent on each other.

How?

Simply draw lines between tasks to set, and you can visualize Task Dependencies .

You can also hover over the progress bar to see how close you are to completing a Folder or List.

The Timeline view is similar to Gantt, except you can have multiple tasks in a row.

The Timeline view displays your project tasks linearly so you can visualize your project roadmap with ease.

You can also Group Timelines for further planning and share them with anyone!

Still a little confused about the differences between Gantt charts and timelines? Here’s more info on Gantt Chart vs Timelines.

Check out UDN Task Manager ’s roadmap here to see how we’re fixing these minor drawbacks and get our list of best UDN Task Manager alternatives .

Also, get to know all the exciting features that this MindMeister free alternative has in store for you!

UDN Task Manager has a powerful free plan for unlimited users. Paid versions start at just $5/user per month.

2. Microsoft Visio

Microsoft Visio is a diagramming tool that lets you create org charts, mind maps, and even floor plans.

But Microsoft Visio’s cheapest paid plan is very limited.

You don’t get annotations, ready-made templates, or even instant updates!

Here’s how you’ll react when you come across month-old project updates you didn’t even know existed:

This mind mapping tool doesn’t offer a free plan, and paid plans start at $5/user per month.

3. Mindjet MindManager

MindManager is a mapping tool that gives you a 360-degree perspective on your organization to reduce confusion, improve team communication , and enhance productivity .

But with this mind map tool, you’ll have to pay up some pricey add-ons if you want features like co-editing, publishing, sharing, and a Microsoft Teams integration.

Sounds like you’ll have to spend hundreds just to come up with a million-dollar idea!

This mapping software has pricing plans that start at $327.00 as a one-time payment/per user. The integrations cost between $99–118/year.

4. XMind

XMind is a mind mapping tool that encourages you to let your ideas grow on trees.🌲

One of the downsides of this mind mapping software is that you have to sign up for a minimum of six months.

Don’t worry, UDN Task Manager ’s waiting for you with open arms. 🌹

This mapping tool has pricing plans that start at $39.99 for six months (limited to five systems).

5. Google Drawings

Google Drawings is a MindMeister alternatives free tool that lets you create personal artworks like a meme, sketch, or GIF.

You need a Google Account to use this mind mapping software

The Final Branch Of Your Map 🌳

MindMeister lets you capture and develop ideas, but does that mean it’s a good creative project management tool?

Unfortunately, MindMeister doesn’t provide teams with both mindmapping and project management features.

Luckily, there are a few mind mapping software that can easily take MindMeister’s place.

And while we did point out some decent alternatives to MindMeister, UDN Task Manager should be the only stop on the map.

Not only does UDN Task Manager have beautiful mind maps, but it also has tons of other team collaboration and task management features like Collaboration Detection , Task Priorities , and Recurring Tasks .

Get UDN Task Manager for free today and experience a mind mapping tool that will help you every time  you say this: