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A new and free way to structure and manage your information, thoughts and idea

A new and free way to structure and manage your information, thoughts and idea

Vote: (9 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: MindMaple Inc.

Version: 1.3

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(9 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

MindMaple Inc.

1.3

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Highly flexible and intuitive mind mapping tools
  • Extensive variety both in exporting you map and adding non-text elements

Cons

  • Many features require an upgrade to the Pro edition

MindMaple Lite is a completely free to use piece of mind mapping software you can use to better organize your thoughts and your life. While it doesn't offer the full range of features you'll find in MindMaple Pro, it's a still a pretty impressive mind mapping platform, and its risk free nature and simple to understand interface make it a great introductory tool for people just starting to experiment with mind mapping options. But it's robust and powerful enough to suit the needs of more experienced users as well.

While mind mapping may not be a household term, it's gaining increased popularity as a way for individuals, and especially creatives, to structure their thoughts in a way that allows them to more effectively make use of their creative potential. Rather than relying on more traditional lists or calendars, mind mapping sets out diagrams that more effectively allow your thoughts to breathe and creates a narrative of what follows what through the use of lines, squares, and other diagram components. It's a way of thinking that's directly targeted towards brainstorming, and MindMaple comes with a variety of templates you can use to create maps that are targeted towards your specific project and way of thinking. Six of these pre-built maps are available, and they offer specialized map formats ranging from lesson plans to weekly schedules to course curriculum. These templates are a great place to start if you know the sort of project you want to start with, but they're not the only option. If you want something more uniquely tailored to your needs, you can create your own map from scratch as well. The interface is well designed to offer you exceeding flexibility, but drawing up your map is also an intuitive process, and you can generally get started without having to learn complex rules for the software.

MindMaple uses a simple drag and drop interface. A central topic is displayed as soon as you start a new document, and then you can create and rearrange new topics that branch off. Any number of subsections can be created, allowing you to put together exceedingly complex maps that accurately replicate how your creative process works. Most people don't think in purely verbal terms, and MindMaple thankfully supports a wide variety of different formats as well. You can integrate pictures, internet links, and attachments as well. The result is an interface that's clean but allows you to nest in a lot more complex information once you really want to dig in to the process. Once your map is complete, you have a huge selection of options for how you choose to export it. Traditional text documents and those compatible with the Microsoft Office suite are expected standards, but you can also export into a dynamic HTML document that's embedded as a Flash applet.

Pros

  • Highly flexible and intuitive mind mapping tools
  • Extensive variety both in exporting you map and adding non-text elements

Cons

  • Many features require an upgrade to the Pro edition