With the mind map technique you collect and link topics and ideas clearly on a thought card. We tested six apps for macOS and iOS.

In the test: Mind mapping apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac Similarities Background: Mind Maps Individual meetings Conclusion Test table Article in Mac & i 5 / 2020 read A mind map is created by writing down thoughts on a topic. Connecting lines create relationships between the terms, so that entire lines of thought and dependencies can easily be grasped in the resulting diagram. In addition, subject areas developed with mind maps are more memorable than a text-heavy outline, for example, because they stimulate visual memory and thus both halves of the brain.

This test is limited to the mind map applications iThoughts, Mindly, Mindnode, Mindomo, SimpleMind and XMind, which are available in native versions for both macOS and iOS. Because of the lack of a Mac version, we did not consider the highly recommended MindMeister web service. In addition, rarely maintained apps and costly business solutions such as MindManger or MindView were left out.

Mind maps are particularly suitable for brainstorming and taking notes when the presenter often jumps between several topics. As practical systems of order, they structure scientific work or map hierarchical processes, organizational charts and family trees. For smaller projects, mind maps help with the distribution of tasks and responsibilities, but they do not replace any specially designed software.

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