User Ratings

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ease 1 of 5 2 of 5 3 of 5 4 of 5 5 of 5 4 / 5
features 1 of 5 2 of 5 3 of 5 4 of 5 5 of 5 4 / 5
design 1 of 5 2 of 5 3 of 5 4 of 5 5 of 5 4 / 5
support 1 of 5 2 of 5 3 of 5 4 of 5 5 of 5 4 / 5

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  • I would love to use this again, but so far... Mac OS 14 on a MacBook M1. All typefaces look destroyed in the menu and on pages. This is not usable. Oh, and by the way, I would love to come back from Freeplane, but it seems I can't import such files.
  • I always come back to this software. Paid-for alternatives are over bloated. Many people give up, completely failing to get it working, though. In short, you need to understand that the brain HATES writing in the single dimension of rows / lines. (See mindmaping book by Tony Buzan). It is very HAPPY working in two dimensions, scribbling all over a large sheet of paper in a Topic, sub-topic, sub-sub topic , sub-sub-sun etc. fashion. Next, you must explain to them to use the INSERT key on the keyboard to for the next "sub". They probably have never used this key before in their lives. Next, sort the appearance out to suit yourself, typically the size of text. Then you are away. You will never have writer's block again! I use it to write safety cases, maintenance manuals, you name it. The MAGIC is that I can then export to to MS Word and I have a the outline of a huge document and I just have to write each paragraph. Do not be surprised if you find your projects are done much quicker and more thorough than ever before. (I did one job in a week, whereas the competition took a month!)
  • Users can create and organize concepts and data in a visual format using the free and open-source mind-mapping software FreeMind. Users can create nodes for various concepts and connect them with lines and arrows to show relationships and hierarchies. One of the central benefits of FreeMind is its ease of use and straightforwardness. The product's spotless, direct point of interaction, which doesn't require a great deal of specialized information or experience, is popular with clients. FreeMind's adaptability and customization options are yet another benefit. Customers are able to exchange their guides for a variety of document designs and alter the presence of their psyche maps using a variety of varieties, text styles, and symbols. Nonetheless, FreeMind's usefulness has been reprimanded by certain clients, especially in contrast with more powerful psyche planning programming. For instance, FreeMind lacks features for real-time collaboration or advanced project management. Additionally, a few customers have complained that the software occasionally has bugs or instability. In general, FreeMind might be a good option for people who want a mind-mapping tool that is free and simple to use. However, it might not be the best option for people who need project management capabilities or more advanced features.
    1 user found this review helpful.
  • The project has delivered a stable, solid and fairly mature artifact, although it has not seen a new version for years. We need a better metaphor than that.
    1 user found this review helpful.
  • PROJECT IS DEAD. But I love it for its simplicity. I tried Freeplane (successor) but it is SUPER BLOATED. BAD NEWS: It does not run with latest OpenJDK. SUPER GOOD NEWS: Version 0.8.1 run with latest OpenJDK (18), and it is simpler from version 1.0.1 which is the latest!
    1 user found this review helpful.
    Reply from FreeMind
    Edited 2023-03-25
    The metaphor of dead, while conventional, is misleading. The project has delivered a stable, solid and fairly mature artifact, although it has not seen a new version for years. We need a better metaphor than "dead". The love of churning a never-ending fairly rapid steam of ever-changing versions/releases, sometimes poorly tested or introducing breaking changes, often found in free-as-in-freedom projects, seems not without problems.
  • Have been using this for years. As a software developer I love the fact that I can generate my own mm files (some with over 13,000 nodes) and offer my customers an exceptional way of viewing their data. Never fails to impress potential customers. Highly customizable to suit user needs. Would be nice to see a new release this year.
  • It offers much more than it initially appears, simplicity is the key to its power.
    1 user found this review helpful.
  • It is now **ten years ago** that I started using Freemind and I have decided that it is time for some words of gratitude, long due. Freemind has helped me get great results in my studies, has helped me to prepare job applications and is in a way currently helping me develop projects in my work. Thank you! The simplicity of Freemind, including its simple visuals, and its customizability has always appealed to me. I have also started appreciating free software more and more over the years, as I have learned more about the value of liberty in computer systems. For a year ago however, I heard about the existence of a fork for this project which is more active than Freemind itself. I have recently starting using this fork and recommend others to do the same. (This is also why I give this project four stars, instead of five.) Nevertheless, I want to repeat: thank you Freemind, for everything you have done for mindmapping!
    1 user found this review helpful.
  • If you are looking for another software to replace your Mindmanager and Import your files easily and flawlessly, then FreeMind is for you! I have been looking for a replacement for my MindManager or Mindjet which I have been using for years. Every time I buy a new computer, it is always a hassle with them. My old keys don't work, they tell me I need to buy a new upgraded version. This even though I was supposed to get free upgrades and updates, and now they want me to buy a supposedly "Perpetual" license of their most recent version. Doesn't "Perpetual" = Free Upgrades and Updates? Anyhow, I do not wish to deal with such a dishonest company and have been looking for a substitution. A Task I thought would be rather simple, but ended up taking the better part of Easter weekend. There was only one main criteria: To be able to import my current MindManager Maps, and so I went about looking for Best Alternatives to Mindmanager, what Mind Mapping software imports MindManager maps most easily, etc? XMind came up first in those searches, so I downloaded it. However, after importing one of my MindMagare Maps, it was all jumbled with branches laying over others to the point where the covered branch was illegible. The worst part is that I was unable to edit the map or move the branches. Just terrible. I also tried MindMup and MindMeiser with similar complications. Then, I found FreeMind:) The software has many icons and formatting tools which will require some learning on my end. BUT, although, my colors and callouts did not come through when I imported my MindManager Maps, they still came out crisp and beautifully laid out. I am super happy and look forward to learning all the ins and outs of what I can do with FreeMind.
  • I starting to use and now I have 30MB of mm on my Dropbox :D. Who use that knows that is a lot of mindmaps files to have 10mb of text rsrsrs.
  • Thank you very much for the free open source program!
  • I'm very excited with the FreeMind tool. It was easy to download and installed it.
  • This mind-mapping program is a gem! I use it every day for organizing my work, brain-storming ideas and keeping track of technical information. Highly recommended.
  • ...in polish: Moja opinia o programie FreeMind Największą zaletą (punktem przewagi) FreeMind jest prostota. To, że program i to, co oferuje w scenariuszu swych rozwiązań jest proste, zasadniczo liniowe - jednowymiarowe. Przy inicjalnych działaniach nie musimy się głowić, jaki wybrać szablon, który wariant rozwiązania (ci jest handicapem innych, bardziej zaawansowanych programów). Mamy tu do dyspozycji prostą akcję: tworzymy matkę (rdzeń), a zaraz potem implantujemy z niej w elementarnie prosty sposób (ja robię to używając klawisza „insert”) kolejne gałęzie. Stworzenie pierwszej mapy przez beginera nie nastręcza zbyt wielu trudności. Bazowy design freeminda jest niekontrowersyjny, może trochę surowy, ale przy pewnym zaawansowaniu, na dalszych etapach mapy można ubarwiać, dodawać ikony, emotikony, zdjęcia, połączenia. W tej bazowej wersji oprogramowania mapowego, mamy wszystko, co jest potrzebne do sprawnego budowania map (należy w tym miejscu pamiętać, że „grupa docelowa” tej kategorii oprogramowania, to ludzie twórczy, poszukujący, atakujący problemy). Zbyt wiele gotowców, rozbieżnych możliwości, wodotrysków, opcji, z których w zasadzie korzystać mogą tylko programiści, nie będzie tu zaletą, ale ograniczeniem, czynnikiem irytującym, fanaberią. Korzystam z FM od 2009 roku. Stworzyłem w ramach aplikacji setki map. To moje bazowe narzędzie. Cokolwiek robię, czy to piszę list, czy układam przemówienie, pisze artykuł, referat, konstruuję ofertę, zaczynam od budowania wyjściowej mapy. Czasem rozwijam ją do dość dużych rozmiarów, odgałęzienia pierwszego rzędu liczą dziesięć i więcej odnóg, drugiego już kilkadziesiąt, trzeciego i dalszych jeszcze więcej. Poszczególne „dymki” to często rozbudowane teksty, liczące tysiąc i więcej znaków (wiem, że to niezgodne z „katechizmem bazodanowców :) ). Swoje zaawansowane mapki koloruję, staram się by wyglądały atrakcyjnie, by jednym rzutem oka można było odczytać zasadniczą ideę projektu, „to, o co poecie chodziło”. A co dalej? Eksportuję je do edytora tekstowego (opcja, moim zdaniem niedopracowana), albo/i eksportuję do pdf-a (tu także są pewne problemy). I wysyłam! Do współpracowników, decydentów, klientów, potencjalnych zleceniodawców, przyjaciół i zupełnie nie znajomych osób. Mapy robią wrażenie, szczególnie, jeśli są dopracowane, atrakcyjne wizualnie, zawierają rzeczywiście głębokie treści. Jak z odbiorem? Różnie, niektóre osoby wprawiają w konsternację, niektórych wkurzają (tak!), czasem są traktowane, jako oszołomstwo, ekscentryczność, niektórych zwalniają (moralnie :) ) z wczytania się w treść. Tak jest, komunikacja mapowa dla wielu osób, to nadal (gdzie my żyjemy!) ekscentryczność. I dlatego taka elementarna wersja oprogramowania, darmowa, nietworząca barier na starcie, jest bardzo potrzebna. FreeMind bije rekordy popularności. Ma dobrą nazwę (to ważne), jest darmowy, łatwy do instalacji, stabilny, łatwy do opanowania. Rozwijajcie go w takiej formule jak jest obecnie! Wiesław Bełz Poland, Katowice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … translation: My opinion about FreeMind FreeMind's biggest advantage is simplicity. The fact that the program and what it offers in the scenario of its solutions is simple, essentially linear and one-dimensional. For initial activities, we do not have to think about which template to choose, which variant of the solution (what is a „handicap” of other, more advanced programs). We have a simple action at our disposal: we create a mother (core), then we implant subsequent branches in elementary, simple way (usually I do it using the "insert" key). Creating a first map by beginner does not pose too many difficulties. The basic design of FreeMind is uncontroversial, maybe a bit harsh, but with some advancement, at further stages of the map you can color, add icons, emoticons, photos, connections. In this basic version of the map software, we have everything that is needed to build maps efficiently (it should be remembered that the "target group" of this software category are creative people, seekers, attackers of problems). Too many ready-made, divergent possibilities, „fountains”, options that basically only programmers can use, it will not be an advantage, but a limitation, an irritating factor. I have been using FM since 2009. I created hundreds of maps. This is my base tool. Whatever I do, whether I write - a letter, a speech, an article, a paper, a business offer, I start from an initial map. Sometimes I develop it to a fairly large size, the first order branches have ten or more legs, the second several dozen, the third and further branches, much, much more. Individual "speech bubbles" are often elaborate texts, counting a thousand or more characters (I know that it is incompatible with the "catechism” of database prophet :) ). I color my advanced maps, I try to make them look attractive, so that at a glance you can read the basic idea of the project, "what the poet was all about". And what next? I export them to a text editor (option, in my opinion underdeveloped), or / and export to pdf (there are also some problems). And I send! To co-workers, decision makers, clients, potential principals, friends and completely unfamiliar people. Maps are impressive, especially if they are polished, visually appealing, and contain deep content. How about the pickup? Differently, some people are confused, some annoy (yes!), sometimes they are treated as daze, eccentricity, some exempt (morally :) ) from reading the content. Yes, map communication for many people is still (where we live!) eccentricity. And that's why such an elementary version of the software, free of charge, without creating barriers at the start, is very much needed. FreeMind breaks popularity records. It has a good name (it's important), it's free, easy to install, stable, easy to master. Develop it as it is today! Wiesław Bełz Poland, Katowice
  • Like the simplicity and flexibility. Always come back to this one when thinking of mind maps. Only thing is that the text fonts are predefined and unchangeable in toolbar. One workaround is to use the hotkey font increase/decrease.
  • Just a note. This is a great program (I got tired of The Brain changing format all the time), but it was crashing my computer on occasion in Windows 10. I am now running it in Windows 8 mode and it is rock solid.
  • Hi, I am gratefully using this tool for about 10 years and like its easyness for fast handling and collecting thoughts. I rarely used it for fancyness but a lot with priority symbols to manage tasks and workpackages in a team. Looks "kind of" agile to me. So thanks for the looong years development and support.
  • FreeMind has made it possible for me to get through undergrad and grad school! Great for super-flexible & detailed Note-taking, Amazing for organizing papers and unbeatable for creating stellar outlines. As a visual-thinking & fairly scatterbrained individual, by "emptying my head" into a FreeMind mindmap, my flow of unconnected ideas can be reorganized in a way that ultimately makes linear sense. It's amazing. It's indispensable. Also: the tech support has been fantastic when I've encountered snafus (thank you!).
  • thank you a lot for this Tool and Idea. It is a good tool to make, in less time, some info-connect-trees. It is not very intuitive and there are some workflow slow downs. More simplicity and workflow optimizing necessary. - new* makes a new tab, not a new project - can´t delete tabs in a project, anyway (no [X] , no left click option) - double click on Node open editor and sometimes open subnodes - Node Size is not resize the Text inside, no auto-fit to the Nodesize - Icons looking poor - too much focus on icons - second Tool bar in scroll-window, not two rows - second tools bar overfilled with icons - zoom out of the project decrease the text also in the editor - zoom in and out de-focus the Nodes - the chart/table is not separate size-able, some options needed, like enumeration per Row, editing headers Please pimp that nice idea. I can make u a new Logo ;)
  • Excelente!
  • We used this program in the Window 10 about two months. There was no problem with the sudden end of what others said. We had no worries about the language because many people already translated to many language. The advantage of using Free Mind is that you can use annotations, and if you know a little bit of HTML coding, you can add images and use them like a web.(Very helpful!!) But the disadvantage is if you want to move the node, the other nodes are moving at the same time and we don’t know what to do about it. In such a case, we had no choice but to erase and rebuild nodes or replace each of them. And we don't know how to select the nodes we want using mouse drag. We hope someone implement these kind of function. Overall, We have been very satisfied with the program and will be using it often.
  • I have been using FreeMind since 2011 i guess, Simplicity and Functionality meet here... and the fact that it is free is unbelievable!
    2 users found this review helpful.
  • I used to like it very much but, a while ago, I made an almost complete mind map and when I clicked "save" Freemind just closed and I lost my work. I realized that everytime I would click save it would close. Now I downloaded again(new machine) and the first thing I tested was the save button(or menu) and it is still closing! Shame because I want to use it. Try the save button first people! I am using windows.
  • Despite not being a great fan of Java and one needs to traffic the freemind.bat to give the java application process more memory (as the user of the Macintosh failed to do not realising freemind uses the java engine - or did he now) Freemind just works and it works in ways that surpass many other Applications. KISS keep it simple and straightforward. Thank You Christian Foltin
  • I loved this and used it intensely. Now it's unusable on Mac: it crashes often and cannot recover automatically from saved files and that makes it unreliable for even saving links. I have to declare it dead. Must move on!
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