Comparison

Side Notes vs MindMap AI

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

Head to head
About

Side Notes

This app helps you organize thoughts by viewing multiple notes simultaneously. It offers layouts for comparing options, conducting analyses, or structuring complex ideas. Focus on your thinking with a clean, intuitive interface and privacy-focused design.

Highlights
  • Side-by-side note viewing
  • Multiple layout options (Dual, Four, Single)
  • Visual comparison of ideas
  • SWOT analysis and Eisenhower Matrix support
  • Rich text editing
  • Offline functionality
  • Export notes as PDF or text
Features
Read full description

See both sides of every decision at once. Side Notes shows several notes on one screen, so your pros and cons, two options or a SWOT analysis sit side by side instead of hiding in separate lists. Pick a template, start typing, and compare at a glance. Free, with no ads and no account. START FAST WITH TEMPLATES • Pros & Cons: two columns, one clearer answer • Option A vs Option B: compare two choices side by side • SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in one grid • Eisenhower matrix: sort tasks by urgent and important • Retrospective: went well, to improve, ideas, actions • Blank board: any layout, your own structure THREE LAYOUTS FOR THE WAY YOU THINK • Dual: two notes side by side • Four: a 2x2 grid for matrices and frameworks • Single: one full note when you need room to write Tap any note to edit it full screen, then swipe to move to the next one. MADE FOR REAL DECISIONS Should you take the job offer? Which apartment, which laptop, which city? Put every argument where you can see it. Run a SWOT on a business idea or a career move, plan your week with the Eisenhower matrix, and close a project or a sprint with a retrospective. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES, NO SIGN UP Your boards sync with iCloud across iPhone, iPad and Mac. There is no account to create and nothing to log in to. WRITE, THEN FIND IT AGAIN • Rich text formatting such as bold and italic (iOS 26 and later) • Word count on every note • Search board titles and note content, filter by Today or This week • Swipe to duplicate or delete a board, or long press for more options SHARE YOUR THINKING Export any board as a PDF or share it as text, ready for a meeting, a teammate or your future self. MAKE IT YOURS Light or dark mode and the Ink accent color, with Brick, Forest and Ocean in Side Notes Plus. A calm, paper-like design with serif titles. GREAT ON IPAD AND MAC More room to see every note at once, plus keyboard shortcuts on iPad and Mac (Apple silicon). Fully translated into 34 languages and redesigned for the latest iOS with Liquid Glass. GO FURTHER WITH SIDE NOTES PLUS Everything above stays free. Side Notes Plus is an optional upgrade for when you want more: • Advanced templates: weighted decision matrix, OKR, weekly review, 5 whys • Your own templates: save any board as a template • Lock a board with Face ID or Touch ID • All accent colors: Brick, Forest and Ocean • Markdown export to Notion, Obsidian or any editor Choose a yearly plan with a 1-week free trial, a monthly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Side Notes is free, with no ads and no account. Just a clear space to think things through. Side Notes Plus is an optional auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; it renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://side-notes.app/en/privacy

About

MindMap AI

This AI-powered tool transforms your notes, files, and even videos into organized, interactive mind maps. It offers both AI assistance and manual editing, with customizable themes and practical widgets to enhance your visual thinking and planning.

Highlights
  • AI-powered mind map generation
  • Manual edit and customization
  • Custom themes and node styling
  • Widgets, dates, and visual markers
  • Multi-format file upload
  • AI summarization and expansion
  • Export to SVG, PNG, PDF, Markdown
Features
Read full description

MindMap AI is an AI mind map maker that turns PDFs, notes, videos, documents, and ideas into clear mind maps in seconds. Trusted by 1M+ users worldwide. Type a topic, paste text, or upload a file. MindMap AI creates a structured visual map, then hands you full control to edit, move, rename, expand, summarize, and organize every branch. - Free to start Manual mind mapping is always free, so you can build and edit your maps without paying. Every account also gets 50 AI credits a month to try AI generation, summaries, and the Copilot, with more available when you upgrade. - An AI mind map generator that keeps working with you With Thinking Mode, context awareness, and continuous chat, the AI Copilot reasons step by step to brainstorm ideas, expand a branch, or reshape your map, while your manual edits stay exactly where you put them. You can even chat with an uploaded PDF and ask questions about it, not just map it. - Create a mind map from PDFs, text, and more Upload PDFs, documents, images, audio, video, Markdown, or CSV files and turn them into editable mind maps. Advanced document analysis lets you work through long files and compare multiple sources in one map. - Summarize long content into a map The built-in AI summarizer pulls the key points out of dense material, the PDF summarizer condenses reports and research papers, and the text summarizer turns long notes and articles into clear takeaways, each one laid out as a map you can expand, focus, or edit. - A study and note-taking app, made visual Turn class notes, readings, and lectures into a visual study map. Focus on a single topic or expand one node into a detailed explanation, so complex material is easier to review and remember. - Brainstorm ideas faster Start with one idea and let the AI help you branch out. Organize thoughts, connect related ideas, and turn rough notes into a structured plan. - Mind maps, concept maps, logic charts, and org charts Create branching mind maps, use the concept map generator for study notes, or build top-down logic charts and organization charts. Switch to outline view to think in text and watch the map update. Choose the structure that fits your thinking. - Edit everything manually Add, delete, drag, reorder, and rename nodes anytime. You stay in control of the canvas. MindMap AI builds around your edits instead of overwriting them. - Style your map with simple prompts Change themes, colors, fonts, shapes, arrows, and branches using natural language. Add your own images or royalty-free visuals from Pixabay to make maps easy to scan. - Plan and track work inside your map Add priorities, task status, dates, times, icons, links, and relationships. Turn a brainstorm into a project plan, study plan, or personal goal map. - Import, export, and share Import maps from Xmind, MindManager, SimpleMind, Freeplane, Mapify, Coggle, and FreeMind. Export as PNG, SVG, PDF, CSV, or Markdown. Share by email or public or private link, so others can view your map without an account. - Team workspaces for organizations On a team plan, your organization gets a shared workspace to collaborate in one place. Pay for members centrally, add or remove people, and keep the whole team's maps together. - Works across devices and languages Use MindMap AI on the web and on iPhone, iPad, and Android. Create and edit mind maps in 29+ languages and sync your work across devices. Great for: - Students creating study notes, revision maps, and concept maps - Professionals brainstorming projects, workflows, meetings, and strategy - Researchers summarizing PDFs, papers, and long text - Creators planning content, outlines, scripts, and ideas - Anyone who wants a clearer way to think and take notes visually Download MindMap AI and turn PDFs, notes, videos, and ideas into editable mind maps you actually control.

Screenshots

Side Notes4 screens
MindMap AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MindMap AI at every 2 weeks against Side Notes's every 2 months. MindMap AI also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Side Notes's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and ratings volume (22 vs 4). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for Side Notes against 4.0 for MindMap AI. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Side Notes has 22 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Side Notes's written reviews are positive against 60% of MindMap AI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Side Notes ships an update every 2 months, MindMap AI every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Side Notes versus MindMap AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSide NotesMindMap AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (22 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings22 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStraw Technologies3axislabs, Inc.

Customer experience

Side Notes

All ratings22 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral28.6%
Negative14.3%

MindMap AI

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

None

Side Notes

No in-app purchases

None

MindMap AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Side Notes free?
Side Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MindMap AI free?
MindMap AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Side Notes or MindMap AI?
MindMap AI is rated higher. Side Notes averages 3.9 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while MindMap AI averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Side Notes or MindMap AI have ads?
Neither Side Notes nor MindMap AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Side Notes or MindMap AI?
Side Notes ships an update every 2 months, and MindMap AI every 2 weeks. Most recently, Side Notes was updated on October 11, 2026 and MindMap AI on October 16, 2026.

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