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Software

Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

By Jack Wallen February 19, 2014, 2:56 PM PST

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of 7

mindmap_iStock_000004207029Small.jpg
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Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

Image: iStock

Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

Sometimes you need tornsee your thoughts laid out before you so you can come up with the perfectrnsolution. Often, this just means a scrap of paper and a pen. But if you preferrna more organized tool to help sort out your inner chaos, these mind-mapping applicationsrnmay help.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Image: iStock
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Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

Coggle

Coggle

Coggle is a web-based mind-mapping app with arnstraightforward interface. Once you sign in with your Google account, you canrnadd unlimited items (images, check boxes, links, and more), format text, and dragrnand drop items to build your map.rn

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03the_brain_1.png
Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

The Brain

The Brain

The Brain is arnJava-based mind-mapping tool for Windows, Linux, and Mac. There are twornversions: Free and Pro. You get a free, 30-day trial of the Pro version with arnsingle download. After the 30 days, you can add thoughts and notes, but yournwon’t be able to add attachments (such as documents), see additional views,rnsearch with web pages, or use auto-folder visualization and templates.

05freemind_1.png
05freemind_1.png
Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

FreeMind

FreeMind

FreeMind is another cross-platform mind-mappingrntool that runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Released under the GNU GeneralrnPublic License, FreeMind is one of the best open source mind-mapping toolsrnavailable. It’s flexible, consistent across platforms, allows for complexrndiagrams (with nearly unlimited branches), and lets you add links, graphics, icons,rnand encrypted nodes.rn

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07simplemind_1.png
Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

SimpleMind Free

SimpleMind Free

SimpleMind Free is an Android and IOS mind-mappingrntool that offers an easy-to-use interface with drag, arrange, and edit topicrnability on the Mind Map page. You can add multiple mind maps and as many itemsrnas needed.rn

08simplemind_2.png
08simplemind_2.png
Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

SimpleMind Free

SimpleMind Free

SimpleMind Free doesn’t let yournadd hyperlinks or links to files, and there are other limitations as well. But itrndoes let you undo/redo, reconnect topics using drag and drop, cut/copy/paste, andrnapply visual styles. It also offers unlimited page size for maps.rn

09labyrinth_1.png
09labyrinth_1.png
Give your ideas free rein with these five brainstorming apps

Labyrinth

Labyrinth

Labyrinth is a Linux-only mind-mapping tool writtenrnin Gtk and Cairo. It offers a bare-bones interface that allows you to creaternmind maps quickly, with zero learning curve. Labyrinth is the tool you needrnwhen you don’t want bells and whistles getting in the way of creating simple,rnquick mind maps. A mind map can be as large as you need it and you can navigaternaround it using the edge arrows of the Labyrinth window.rn

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By Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.
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