MindManager vs. Xmind

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MindManager
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
MindManager is a mind mapping and project management tool that aims to boost users’ productivity. It is designed to facilitate a wide range of project types, and includes cross-platform functionality and 3rd party integrations.
$105
per year
Xmind
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Hong Kong based Xmind offers their diagramming tool featuring a range of templates, alternate brainstorming and presentation modes, a clip art library, and export to a wide variety of file types (e.g. PDF, JPG, Word or Excel, etc.).N/A
Pricing
MindManagerXmind
Editions & Modules
MindManager for Microsoft Teams
$105
per year
Annual Subscription
$179
per year
Organizations
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MindManagerXmind
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MindManagerXmind
TrustRadius Insights
MindManagerXmind
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

Both XMind and MindManager are mind mapping tools, a type of diagramming software. Each tool includes concept ideation features that aim to help users create topics and visualize relationships between them. MindManager and XMind are both preferred by enterprise businesses on TrustRadius, though XMind offers a forever free version for personal use while MindManager does not. 

Features 

Each product includes a range of mind mapping and productivity features, including: 

  • Various types of mindmap templates (radial map, fishbone, treemap, matrix, timeline, org charts, free-form, concept, flow-chart, etc.) 
  • Ability to export maps as PNG, SVG, PDF, and markdown files
  • Map customization using colors, fonts, stickers, bubbles, themes, boundaries, shapes, etc. 
  • Ability to link to other files or webpages within maps 
  • Ability to add notes to specific topics or relationships within the map 

Both products have a few unique features as well. For example, XMind allows users to view a written map outline, insert chemical and mathematical equations, and directly share their map via email, on social media platforms, and through note-taking applications. The platform also offers mobile and desktop applications and allows users to log into up to five devices with one subscription.

MindManager has a winder variety of mindmap templates than XMind, including templates for ven diagrams, funnels, onion charts, and Kanban-style charts. It also has a set of project planning and management features such as adding resources and priority markers to topics, Gantt charts, topics task tags, start & end dates, task duration and effort levels, and the ability to assign tasks to other users.

Limitations 

When compared with MindManager, XMind’s biggest limitation is the lack of robust project management features, including Gantt charts and task creation and assignment. 

On the other hand, MindManager’s main limitation is that it does not have a flexible pricing model and does not have a forever free version, while XMind does. MindManager also does not offer mobile applications. 

Pricing

Both products have a one-time license fee, however, XMind also offers biannual and annual subscription pricing options as well.  

XMind offers a basic version of its software for free and has subscription-based pricing that starts at $40 per 6 months or $60 per year. Users can also pay a one-time license fee of $129 for access to XMind Pro 8.x. XMind offers a special discount for students, teachers, and education institutions. 

While MindManager doesn’t have a forever free version, it does offer a 30-day free trial. After that, it has a one-time license fee of $349 for Windows and Mac desktop applications. It also has a ‘special licensing program’ for enterprise and government users, though prices for these plans are not disclosed on MindManager’s website. 

Which Is Right For You?

Both products provide users with robust mind mapping features, but each has different ideal use cases. 

XMind is a great option for individuals looking for easy to use mind mapping software for personal use. It’s a good fit for concept ideation and workflow mapping. However, it may not be the right solution for large organizations looking for diagramming software with built-in project management features. 

MindManager is better suited for teams that need software to help them ideate, manage, track, and execute projects. It can also handle complex topics mapping and visualize relationships between topics, tasks, and processes. However, MindManager is not ideal for users looking for a free mind mapping software for personal use.

Features
MindManagerXmind
Mind Mapping
Comparison of Mind Mapping features of Product A and Product B
MindManager
7.3
Ratings
1% below category average
Xmind
7.4
Ratings
1% above category average
Cross-Platform Compatibility7.30 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Customizable Templates7.40 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Import and Export Options7.00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Real-time Collaboration Tools6.60 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Drag-and-Drop Capabilities8.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Notes and Attachments8.00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Color and Style Customization7.70 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Presentation Mode7.10 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Integration with Task Management6.90 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Mind Map Revision History6.90 Ratings4.00 Ratings
User Ratings
MindManagerXmind
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
6.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MindManagerXmind
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well suited for a quick prototype of product/development planning to show relationships amongst the APIs used. This helps developers understand the impact of the product changes and identifies the need to update integration components to avoid erroneous deployments. I have not personally experienced a less appropriate scenario at the moment.
Read full review
Well suited:
  • Organizing information.
  • Doing research.
  • Organizing goals.
  • Planning tasks.
  • Planning meetings.
  • Structure for writing documents.
Less appropriate:
  • Sharing documents among the teams/multiple users.
  • General-purpose infographics.
  • Writing longer paragraphs in the note field is very limited.
  • Integration with GitHub.
  • Integration with Confluence.
  • XMind uses a proprietary document format which is not indexed by search programs on a PC or a Mac. This means that one cannot search in the content of the XMind documents.
Read full review
Pros
  • Mapping content, user flows and customer journeys.
  • It enables us to rapidly reconfigure maps in MindManager to inform new information architectures, navigational systems, and content strategies.
  • Connect User Research and analytics precisely to screens.
  • Dissect flows and screens into their component parts and research them.
Read full review
  • Easy to use, simple flowcharts.
  • Multiple functions, flowcharts can be edited to be suitable for a variety of tasks.
  • Displays information in a dynamic and interesting way.
Read full review
Cons
  • There should be some more functionality in the Notes window, such as a "Paste Special " Icon in the notes area to maintain format control.
  • Although I create many of my own Web export templates, an add-on for web export design would be great, as I regularly create Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETP) in HTML export format.
  • The ability to sync Map shortcuts between devices would also be welcome. I use MM on three devices, and I have to add or amend the Map list individually. My maps are on OneDrive, so using them should not be that hard if they are cloud-based.
Read full review
  • Functionality to show when topics are in-line with eachother
  • Unable to save colour schemes on the website
  • An ability to see previous versions of the mindmap, save history
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
I feel the main issues of the old Mindjet seem to be gone with the
Corel purchase. With the huge advance of sharing via browser HTML even 1
user can affect many. And, actually, using MM kind of forced my rigid
brain to rethink how I categorize and classify information/projects.
The
idea of paying $69USD for an annual cost is more than fair and a great
model for Corel/Mindjet to keep rolling out improvements!
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
MindManager is very intuitive. The user interface is not cluttered and the ribbon icons are easy to understand. Several excellent "how-to" videos are available on the MindManager site as well as on YouTube. MindManager starts quickly and the user interface is very responsive. Launching other programs from MindManager such as Excel is very fast and issue free. The browsing feature is lightning fast. The drag-and-drop capability is also very fast and reliable.
Read full review
Commands and controls extremely easy to navigate and use. Ability to import mindmaps and collaborate also contribute to a very pleasant usability experience
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
We have had no issues with the application's availability
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
The application is quick and responsive. We are able to produce mindmaps and reports with ease. The program is not complicated at all and integrates well with software and programs like Microsoft Outlook and Teams, which we truly appreciate.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
I have called technical support a few times. During the COVID Crisis, I called a few times repeatedly due to a rush request. The technical support guy called me back in minutes. He somehow knew that I had called repeatedly and wanted to make sure my issue was resolved immediately
Read full review
The support around a bug in the tool which prevented the correct printing of diagrams. Support came back after a few days, and there was no workaround. Eventually, the bug was fixed in a future release. The company does not pay much attention to user forums. With better support and plugin mechanism for user contributions, the product would be more convincing.
Read full review
Online Training
The videos are not well categorized...I had to do a bit of digging to get what I wanted and many videos on older versions. If Mindjet was to improve the titles used that would help.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Easy implementation
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
MindManager stands out for its wide range of export options, customization and how they have enriched the format over time. As a constantly evolving tool, and having tried others, I consider it superior for the abovementioned reasons. Its cross-platform nature has been decisive, and although there are many alternatives in the form of web applications or the like, MindManager presents itself as a more complete and robust option.
Read full review
As Xmind draws a specific focus on mindmaps its functionality is very clear and easy to use. Other mindmap systems make you connect the topics and arrows yourself which can be very frustrating and finnicky. Its presentation is very clear and displayed cleanly
Read full review
Scalability
A team can collaborate on the same project but cannot create a shared project file. It would be helpful for that feature to be added.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • MindManager allowed me to impress my audience by presenting complex cyber-security and information security concepts in a different and straightforward way. It meant income as instructor since I got the same diploma engagement three times in a row with the Mexico City government.
  • In March 2021, the CEO of GSB Solutions, a former employer, invited me to design an innovation program for the company. I used MindManager to create the program, explain the concepts, and the implementation plan. All in one mind map. After presenting it to the CEO, I was promoted from Operations Coordinator —a part-time position— to Innovation Manager —a full-time position— earning four times my initial salary. The same mind map served to visually manage the program for 18 months.
Read full review
  • Increased productivity of employees.
  • Provided structure and clear thought processes.
  • Reusable content.
Read full review
ScreenShots

MindManager Screenshots

Screenshot of MindmapScreenshot of Reverse BrainstormingScreenshot of MindManager for Microsoft TeamsScreenshot of MindManager SnapScreenshot of MindManager GoScreenshot of Mind Maps in MindManager