SimpleMind - Mind Mapping Reviews

by Joyous9

Where do I start? If you get the desktop trial version and forget to save your maps as PDF's during the trial period, those maps will be gone unless you pay the company approx. $28 for the full version to get them back. That bait in a nutshell speaks volumes about the lack of integrity of this company. Secondly, simple operations as synching your maps throughout your platforms, which many other apps as Wunderlist offer for free!, do not exist here. Their tutorials -the ones in video as well as the ones in writing- are incredibly confusing (they desperate need to hire somebody good at communicating).
Operations as saving your maps in your drive can't be performed and you'll find yourself unable to open your maps afterwards.
During the process of mapping in the pro version, I noticed that the programmers are trying to add too many variables in a very erratic and chaotic way, instead of using their energy in making the program more user friendly.
In other words, SimpleMind is a huge headache. Please do yourself a favor and do not waste your money here!
By the way, this may be the first bad review I've ever written. They really drove me through the
wall. lol

by Selmatard13

I love a lot about this mind mapping tool. I bought both the upgrade to Pro for IPad and the Windows desktop version. Working on both platforms using the cloud to sync the files made sense for me, but I'm finding that creating image and document links in the Ipad version is inserting a different directory link structure in the map than when I do the same thing in the desktop version. The result is that I can't access the links on both platforms. If I add it with the desktop, I can access the link through the desktop; if I add it by Ipad I can access it by Ipad, but not both. This seems like a simple issue that could be fixed and I hope that's true because I enjoy this product and don't want to get bogged down by these kinds of issues. Paid versions here...

by Agalaka

SimpleMind allows users to create mind maps using vivid colors. SimpleMind has various styles for users to chose from. The screenshot of my work includes a mind map about empathy. This is an important topic because as an educator, I want my non-disabled students to understand perspectives of my students that have disabilities. This empathy map can be presented as an anchor chart in the classroom that will help students visualize the information. Students can come up with different ways in order to understand perspectives. In the mind map that I created, it refers to the environment, nonverbal cues, and feelings that we can observe to help us navigate relationships. One of the ways we can be empathetic is by reading social stories. Students can read these as well to gain perspectives.

by Emily Ariela

I think SimpleMind is very useful in creating outlines, word webs etc., in a very aesthetically pleasing and organized way. I especially like that you can move your thoughts around easily on the outline itself. However, using it on an iPhone created a final product that was a bit too small to be useful and other formats. Perhaps it would be better on an iPad. It also seems like the free version includes little of what the normal app provides.

by Owndao

I’ve been looking for an app for years that can support a named directed graph aka semantic network yet it seams that Apple will never get around to supporting more than hierarchical graphs and therefore leaving the developer to extend data views themselves. SimpleMind will allow one to fake a semantic net but then it will not function as such. Please, please either Apple or an app developer implement this.
There is a full blown semantic database for the Mac called Neo4j that is just begging for the iPhone to act as a client. If anyone knows of such a beast please mention it here.

by Not A Happycamper

It’s gets very complicated when your trying to transfer your work from phone to desktop, wish they had a feature to make it easier to place. But buying the premium is worth it for many things.

Would give it more starts for easy access for mobil to computer

by BLUEBUNNYG

Mimdmap beats Onenote, Scrivner and Synology's DS Note. There is one major thing I feel it's lacking, and that is the ability to add a picture to the text page option. All those other note keeping applications have that as a main feature and any note is better with an illustration. I figured out a work-around to this by creating a child-note and then adding the pictures to that. That way I can collapse the images and they don't take up space in an already tight real-estate. Picture in text would be better though...

by Kstorjohann3

It’s a great app, very easy to use. It’d be great if there were more color schemes/templates to choose from, though. It’s also inconvenient that you can’t switch between devices, I have the paid version on my iPad and I’ve made several maps but when I download them on my phone, they’re not there :/ I tried connecting it to my Google Drive but it still didn’t work. If there were an option to create an account where the maps would be wherever I logged in from, that’d be fantastic!

by Zwitterionics

Best and most flexible mind map program I've found so far. Free version worked perfectly, but the paid version had enough extra features I went for it and don't regret it. I use it for a visual map of storylines, so being able to move things around freely is especially necessary. That's the feature that's been hardest to find for some reason.

by Lalalcanthearyou

I used SimpleMind to help organize a list of different animals that I loved. I made this mind map thinking about a conversation I had with my students who struggle with slowing down their ideas or too often have too many ideas and can’t organize their thoughts. By breaking down the different animals based on what kind of animal it is (pet, marine mammal, land mammal, etc) it can help organize their thoughts while also having conversations about what animals fit in which category. I could see this mind map working so well for them on a variety of topics where it’s a serious more academic subject or just a debate between students on favorite games or foods, etc.

by Zisha S

The promotion to upgrade to pro mentioned one of the features that it would sync across all devices. When going to the Mac app store, it says that I have to pay again for pro features, and my current mapping files don’t sync.

Thanks to the developer for getting back. Though, it took a lot of time to get back, this software is definitely worth it and gives you a lot of clarity.

by FridayRocket.

I'm currently a PhD student and this is THE BEST app for my academic purposes. I never write reviews but SimpleMind deserves every accolade I give it.

I use SimpleMind for hours and hours every day. It is extremely user friendly and customizable. I have the desktop version as well and the across-device compatibility is stunning. I've never had a moment of wishing for alternative operation.

These developers knew what they were doing and I look forward to many more years using this program.

by Visay1

I’ve been looking for ways to help with studying, and wish I found this sooner. Downloaded the free trial on my iPhone and was sold before it even ended. Maybe it’s the OCD nerd in me, but my thoughts and notes have to be organized JUST the right way or I can’t function. I’ve tried tabs, highlighters, binders, note cards, quizlets, you name it... nothing did the job until I found SimpleMind. There are soo many features that give you the freedom to organize the clutter in your head; it’s like painting your thoughts onto a screen. I haven’t tried any other mind mapping apps since this is my first one, but I feel like it has everything I need already and don’t even want to venture. I’m pretty satisfied. I now have the paid versions for my iPhone/Ipad and windows pc too. LOVE SimpleMind!

BTW: definitely read the MindMap Editor Help, and FAQ sections so you can truly enjoy the creative power of SimpleMind .

by Viewer34

It's the first mobile mindmap I've used where my thoughts can materialised lightning fast and the visual tools like colored boarder regions helps distinguish the many nodes into groupings. The word wrap tool is also amazing as it helps me shape large chunks of texts into nodes that fit into spaces near sister nodes. It's easy to use, fun, and visually appealing. I was using mind meister but this app is light years beyond with it's user friendliness so much that I had stopped using mind maps for years until I discovered this app.

by Necarie

I found SimpleMind after being disappointed with a couple of the subscription apps. The free versions of those are too limited, but the way I use them makes paying a subscription seem ridiculous. They're for personal use only and I don't need them to be hosted online. And they still weren't functioning the way I wanted.

So I found this one and it seems to be exactly what I wanted. It is easy to use, has lots of options, has beautiful templates, and the pricing is a very reasonable one time fee.

by Amadhia

I’m a visually-oriented person, and am knee-deep in a huge, huge project. I’d used post-its and whiteboards and sketchbooks to try to keep on top of what needs doing, but they all ended-up being so much chicken-scratches.

I’ve been using SimpleMind for about a month now, and being able to zoom in to see project details, checkboxes and completion spinners; and then zoom out to see an over-view of where it is and what is coming next has been a huge help!

I can say that this project is most definitely not the last I’m going to be managing with SimpleMind.

by Jazzlitprof

I had been looking for another mind map application for a while and I wasn’t happy with what I found. They were either too simplistic and unsophisticated in appearance or they were so complicated that I spent more time going back to the directions than building content.

I gave a presentation using Simple Minds to a large room of people and they were mesmerized, not only by how good it looks, but also by the way it communicated exactly what I was saying with succinctness and clarity. In this moment of global pandemic, I plan to use it with greater frequency for my classes and lectures.

by ClubPDA

I enjoyed discovering SimpleMind. I liked how I did not have to create an account and I can immediately create webs. I also enjoyed the different colors, fonts, and styles I can create. It was nice to see how easy and quick it was to learn, and although it was a bit confusing at first, I feel like I got the hang of it quickly. I wish there was a video or such tutorial explaining the different features, since the initial map was a bit confusing at first. While I got the hang out it, I do think of my students that may require extra scaffolding. Overall, I greatly enjoyed getting to know SimpleMind!

by Anonnnnnymousss

SimpleMind really helped me get my thoughts in ordered and once I opened SimpleMind and got the hang of it. I tuned into my flow state and my usually scattered thoughts on scratch paper is now properly organized, concise, easy to comprehend and when I figured out there was the outline feature, my jaw dropped because that’s just the cherry on top! I know that I’ll be using SimpleMind to help me plan out my ambitions for 2021 and onward!

Ultimately, it’s simple to use and mind mapping is such a brilliant concept to adopt from paper to a digitize form that you can take on the go when creativity strikes you! If you like mind mapping on paper or digitally, I highly suggest SimpleMind!

by Rocsl

Thank you so so much for SimpleMind. I’ve used SimpleMind for probably several years. I have it on my iMac, my Windows computer and multiple tablet/phone devices. If you could please integrate the Apple Pencil so that we can do freestyle brainstorming on the iPad it would be utterly amazing. I know I can use the pencil to make Apple Pencil images which then get pulled in but that’s multiple steps. Still absolutely wonderful though. Still finding amazing ways to use it.

by Paul Peter Pan

Latest iPad version has broken the ability to add an image so it can be viewed larger than 320 pixels. It is stuck at 320 pixels. This worked great until an update tonight.

Update. Developer wrote back and told me how to add an image which I already had been doing successfully before the upgrade. Developer. Please try this for yourself. Thank you.

The windows version on windows 10 is expensive and has lots of issues. Not great as it cost 25 euros. Hope they fix that as the iPad version is all I can use at the moment without crazy problems.

by Laura_lynne

I really like using SimpleMind and I love how easy it is to get my thoughts down (and they look pretty too). However I feel like syncing my devices should be a free feature. It’s not very useful to me to have this awesome app on my iPad if I can’t access any of my work from my phone. I know this is currently a paid feature but it’s not worth the money when most notes apps sync for free. I really hope this turns into a free feature, I would LOVE to make this my main note-taking app!

by Onetallglassofwater

I like SimpleMind . The only thing I wish it could do is air drop from my phone to my iPad or at least have an easier way to share with my other devises. I had to play around with SimpleMind for over an hour to figure out how to get the file to send to my iPad in its native form. The website was not helpful in directing me how to transfer files to other devises.

by Jayem01

I have tried almost every mind mapping app out there. This is by far the best. I love the freeform layout - I don’t have to wrestle with SimpleMind to position my topics anywhere I want which was very frustrating with some other apps I have tried. The only feature on my wishlist is the summary feature, which XMind has, that allows to add a summary note to a group of topics.

Keep up the good work.

by Cyberpsyche

An excellent application for putting together maps for a variety of projects. I have used it for mapping out classes, course structures, and papers. Highly recommended, but like any other tool, it relies on the imagination to make full use of it. If I were to make one recommendation, it would be to make the iPad version more similar to the version one can get on the laptop or desktop.

by NoFakePhone

I have tested over a dozen iOS mind mapping tools and this is the best of breed.
Like all such apps it has its quirks (text and graphic formatting are awkward). Like all it needs more important and export options. However it remains a tool I use daily and often in preference to more robust tools on my workstation (XMind--interchange between the two requires little cosmetic clean up).

by Fred & Lisa

Bc of all the seizures I deal with and the problems that come along with the medication I take I have plenty of difficulty with thinking and problem solving. Plenty Of Difficulty. This was much needed. I suggest it to anyone who needs to make thinking, note taking, remembering, and problem solving easier.