MindMeister: Online Mind Mapping and Brainstorming

#1 Mind Mapping Tool

Capture, develop and share ideas visually.

MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool that lets you capture, develop and share ideas visually. More than 10 million people already use our award-winning mind map editor for brainstorming, note taking, project planning and tons of other creative tasks. MindMeister is completely web-based, which means there's no download and no updating! Whether you're working on Windows, Mac OS or Linux, you can always access your mind maps right inside the web-browser.

Learn More About Mind Mapping Learn more

10 million

creative users

1.2 billion

ideas generated

4.5 Stars

on the App Store

Collaborate Anywhere

Mind mapping in a team setting has never been easier. MindMeister lets you share your mind maps with as many friends or colleagues as you want and collaborate with them in real-time. Whether you're in a face-to-face meeting or thousands of miles apart, everyone can see changes made in the mind map immediately. Collaborators can quickly comment on topics, vote on ideas or discuss changes in our integrated chat.

Learn more

Stunning Presentations

Visualizing your ideas is the most powerful way to communicate them to others. With MindMeister's built-in presentation mode you turn mind maps into beautiful, dynamic slideshows within seconds. As soon as you're done you can export the slides as PNGs, embed the whole presentation on your website, or even broadcast it live to your collaborators online.

Learn more

Simple Project Management

MindMeister seamlessly integrates with MeisterTask, the intuitive online task and project management app for teams. As soon as you've completed the brainstorming and planning phase in MindMeister, you can simply drag and drop your ideas into a connected MeisterTask project, where they are turned into actionable tasks.

Learn more

What Is Mind Mapping?

Mind mapping is a powerful technique that helps you visualize your thoughts and communicate them to others. What’s more, mind mapping encourages a free flow of ideas, which makes it the ideal format for brainstorming and creative problem solving sessions.

How to Mind Map

Start in the center: To make a mind map, start by writing the subject of your map in the center of a blank piece of paper or digital canvas. The subject can be a single keyword, an image, a question, or a problem that you’re trying to solve.

Add branches: Branches are lines that extend outwards from the center and symbolize the main categories or key ideas that relate to your subject. Most maps have between four and six branches, but you can add as many as you need.

Write a keyword on each branch: Use keywords and short phrases rather than long sentences. This will keep your map compact and easy to review because you will be able to see your most important ideas at a glance.

Add ideas: Each idea you map may trigger associations in your brain and spark new ideas, which you can then add in the form of child branches. There is no limit as to how many child branches or hierarchical levels you can create.

Add visuals: Enrich your map by adding colors, icons, and images to individual topics. Mind mapping software like MindMeister takes this to the next level by letting you embed videos, add notes and comments, or attach entire files such as PDFs or spreadsheets.

Why Mind Mapping?

A mind map is a visual thinking tool that has many advantages compared to traditional note taking and writing techniques. If you’re wondering why you should mind map, take a look at this list of the top mind mapping benefits:

Mind maps structure information

Mind maps are graphical representations of information that convey the relationship between individual ideas and concepts. No matter how complex or broad a subject is, a mind map brings order into the chaos and helps you see the 'bigger picture'.

Mind Maps improve memory

Mind maps utilize a number of memory triggers such as colors and images. These are much easier for your brain to memorize and recall than pure text. Additionally, mind maps help you connect new pieces of information with existing knowledge.

Mind Maps foster creativity

There are very few techniques out there that have the ability to get your creative juices flowing like mind mapping. That is because mind maps use images and keywords to create new associations within your brain, which you can also transcribe with incredible speed.

Mind maps facilitate collaboration

While traditional paper mind maps are great for developing ideas by yourself, online mind maps enable you to brainstorm with other people and plan together in real-time, no matter where people are located or which device they’re using.

Who Needs Mind Maps?

Creatives

Designers, writers and marketing professionals can use mind maps to brainstorm ideas and visualize thoughts.

Managers

Managers can use mind maps to outline strategies, plan projects, lead efficient team meetings and much more.

Advisors

Consultants and advisors can use mind maps as an effective client communication and presentation tool.

Teachers

Teachers can utilize mind maps and map templates to improve critical thinking and collaboration in the classroom.

Students

Students of all ages can use mind maps to take more effective notes and improve memory and comprehension.

Anybody

Anybody can use mind maps to unleash their creativity, solve problems, visualize their goals, and organize their thoughts!

"In comparison to noting down text from a slide, mind mapping makes the learning process more meaningful and memorable for students."

Nancy Morris

University Lecturer & Teacher Trainer

Read full case study

"MindMeister’s main benefit is having everything on one page in a very professional, presentable way. The way it looks and operates is easy to understand for clients."

Matt Milligan

Managing Partner

Milligan Partners

Read full case study

"MindMeister is a great way to visualize our thoughts, ideas and priorities."

Martim Schnack

Tech-lead

Rare Carat

Read full case study

Top Mind Mapping Uses

The application possibilities of mind maps are almost endless. Businesses mostly employ mind maps for strategic planning, collaboration and ideation while teachers and students use maps to visualize complex problems and drive engagement in the classroom. Here are six of the most common uses of mind maps:

Brainstorming

Mind mapping fosters a free flow of ideas and helps spark new thoughts through association. It's the perfect tool for creative brainstorming alone or in a team.

Learn more

Note Taking

Whether you're at a conference or in a lecture hall, taking notes in a mind map is not only more efficient, the notes are also easier to review and memorize.

Learn more

Planning

You can use maps to outline project plans, create business strategies, plan events and much more. Planning with mind maps is simple, visual and doesn't even feel like work!

Learn more

Meeting Management

Prepare and distribute the meeting agenda, create quick presentations, take meeting minutes and assign actionable tasks all within one single mind map.

Learn more

Idea Management

With mind maps, you generate, capture and manage ideas with ease. Collect stakeholder feedback, vote and comment on topics, and prioritize to-dos — all within a single map.

Learn more

Knowledge Management

Mind maps enable organizations to store, share and manage their collective knowledge centrally and securely. Thanks to their intuitive format, locating and updating information is a breeze.

Learn more

Mind Map History

Visual representations of information have been used for thousands of years. The term “mind map”, however, wasn’t around until the 1970s, when it was coined by the English researcher Tony Buzan. Buzan was searching for a way to deal with the large amounts of information he needed to memorize during his time at university. He studied the notes of the greatest thinkers he could find and combined their approaches with his own research about psychology, creative thinking and memorization. Eventually, after the first successes with his newly developed technique, he started writing a series of books on the subject. The first edition of “The Mind Map Book” appeared in 1995. Twelve years later, in 2007, the first completely web-based mind map tool was released. This tool was MindMeister, which quickly became the number one mind mapping software on the web.

or Sign Up