Comparison

MapNote2 vs MindNode

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MapNote2

This app offers an infinitely expanding canvas for capturing and organizing thoughts. It's designed to mimic the natural, radial way the brain generates ideas, moving beyond linear note-taking. Ideal for brainstorming, mind mapping, and sketching out concepts.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for idea spreading
  • Radial thinking support
  • Mind mapping
  • Brainstorming tool
  • Idea sketching
Features
Read full description

Using MapNote, you can spread your ideas anywhere on an infinitely spread canvas. I think the way the brain works when thinking about ideas is random and radial rather than linear. Traditional notes that need to be written sequentially from left to right are not very suitable for this process. If you use this infinite size notebook application, you can freely spread your ideas from the center of the page, so you can come up with ideas more naturally. Ideal for creating rough mind maps, brainstorming and idea sketches.

About

MindNode

Visualize and organize your thoughts with an infinite canvas for mind mapping and a linear structure for outlining. Collaborate in real-time with others and access your projects across all your Apple devices. A free editor is available, with an optional subscription for advanced features.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas mind mapping
  • Linear outlining view
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Notes and visual tags
  • Import and export options
Features
Read full description

Your brain doesn't think in straight lines. MindNode doesn't force it to. Capture scattered thoughts, connect them in a mind map, and turn them into a clear outline, plan, or project structure. DESIGNED FOR EVERY KIND OF THINKER • Personal Productivity: organize your week, track life goals, and plan your next vacation • Students & Educators: create study guides, summarize lectures, and plan your essay structure • Business Professionals: visualize project roadmaps, prepare meeting agendas, and plan strategy • Creatives & Writers: outline your novel, plan your content calendar, and brainstorm campaigns THINK: EXPLORE AND CAPTURE • Mind Maps: branch, cluster, and grow ideas freely on an infinite canvas • Outline View: switch to a structured, hierarchical list whenever a linear flow helps • Live Collaboration: brainstorm with others in real time and always stay in sync CLARIFY: STRUCTURE AND REFINE • Visual Tags: categorize ideas and spotlight what matters • Connections: draw links between nodes that go beyond hierarchy • Notes: tuck extra detail into any node, hidden until you need it • Focus Mode: dim everything except the work in front of you • Folding: collapse whole branches for a cleaner view ACT: FROM THOUGHT TO IMPACT • Tasks: turn ideas into actions, synced with Apple Reminders • Apple Shortcuts: automate your recurring workflows • Document Linking: connect nodes across separate documents • Import and Export: OPML, Markdown, PDF, SVG, PNG, and more EXPRESS: MAKE IT YOUR OWN • Themes: choose a curated look or build your own, with automatic light and dark mode • Layouts and Shapes: arrange nodes your way and pick from a range of node shapes • Images, Stickers, and Emoji: enrich your maps with over 250 custom stickers and more AI, A THINKING PARTNER, NOT A REPLACEMENT MindNode treats AI as a sparring partner for your thinking, never a substitute for it. You stay in control of every idea. • Suggest a starting structure or expand a branch with a tap • Turn a finished map into a written draft, or summarize a long document • Powered by Apple Intelligence where available, with its privacy protections built in ON ALL YOUR DEVICES • Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, native on each • On Vision Pro, gather your thoughts as colorful pills floating in space and connect them by hand • Automatic iCloud sync, with offline changes merged when you reconnect • Localized in 13 languages, with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your ideas stay yours. Documents are stored encrypted in your own iCloud, not on our servers, and even live collaboration is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and the people you invite can read your work. MindNode is a small independent team in Europe, owned by its founder and answerable to its users, not investors. FREE • Capture ideas as mind maps, edit, rearrange, fold, and view them as an outline • Sync across all your Apple devices, and export your ideas in open formats so you are never locked in MINDNODE PLUS • Adds outline editing, Notes, Visual Tags and Connections, Tasks, Focus Mode, Apple Shortcuts, Document Linking, SVG export, AI, and full theming, across every platform • Available monthly or yearly QUESTIONS? We value excellent customer support. When you contact us, you will always reach a human. We're always happy to help: support@mindnode.com Terms of Service: https://mindnode.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://mindnode.com/privacy

Screenshots

MapNote24 screens
MindNode4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MindNode at Free against MapNote2's $5.99. MindNode also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). MapNote2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

MindNode is free to download; MapNote2 costs $5.99 up front. MindNode sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MapNote2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MindNode holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MindNode has 316 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of MapNote2's written reviews are positive against 48% of MindNode's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapNote2 ships an update every 6 months, MindNode every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
MapNote2 versus MindNode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapNote2MindNode
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (36 ratings)4.6 (316 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.2% of reviews47.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings36316 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNaoya EnokidaIdeasOnCanvas GmbH

Customer experience

MapNote2

All ratings36 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral18.3%
Negative36.5%

MindNode

All ratings316 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews256 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral18.4%
Negative34.0%

Bugs and requests

MapNote2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

MindNode

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Text rendering issues
  • Syncing problems across devices
  • Incompatibility with older hardware

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add folder structure for organizing mind maps
  • Restore manual layout and positioning options
  • Bring back Apple Watch support
  • Improve export and integration with other apps
  • Provide more customization options for themes and formatting

In-app purchases

None

MapNote2

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

MindNode

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is MapNote2 free?
MapNote2 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MindNode free?
MindNode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MapNote2 or MindNode?
MindNode is rated higher. MapNote2 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while MindNode averages 4.6 from 316 ratings.
Do MapNote2 or MindNode have ads?
Neither MapNote2 nor MindNode shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MapNote2 or MindNode?
MapNote2 ships an update every 6 months, and MindNode every 2 weeks. Most recently, MapNote2 was updated on October 10, 2026 and MindNode on October 18, 2026.

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