Comparison

SimpleMind vs Map Note

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

Head to head
About

SimpleMind

Organize your thoughts, capture ideas, and generate new concepts with this intuitive mind mapping tool. Create unlimited mind maps, customize their appearance, and add rich content like notes, images, and links. Share your maps in various formats or sync them across devices.

Highlights
  • Unlimited mind map creation
  • Customizable appearance and style sheets
  • Add notes, images, icons, and links
  • Collapse/expand branches and outline view
  • Free-form layout and auto layouts
  • Export in PDF, Image, and OPML formats
  • Sync across devices via cloud services
Features
Read full description

Mind mapping helps you organize your thoughts, remember information and generate new ideas. We've created a beautiful, intuitive app, so you can mind map wherever you are and whenever you want. ○ Free Functionality Everything you need to get started with mind mapping • Easy to use. • Create as many Mind Maps as you want. • Change the overall appearance by selecting one of the many style sheets. • Add notes. • Collapse and expand branches. • Outline view. • Brainstorm. • Continuously fine-tuned based on customer feedback. • Upgrade to Pro functionality is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Private by Design • No ads. • No tracking. • No need to sign up for an account. • We do not have access to your Mind Maps. ○ Pro Functionality Create • Place topics anywhere you want in the free-form layout. • Use various auto layouts. • Reorganize and restructure topics. • Connect any two topics with a crosslink. • Label relations. Tools to help you maintain overview • Collapse and expand branches. • Block out distractions with autofocus. • Visually group topics with group borders. • Outline view. • Search and filter. Enrich your Mind Map • Images and photos. • Notes. • Icons. • Link to a mind map, contact, file or webpage. • Checkboxes. Style your mind map • Change the overall appearance by selecting one of the many style sheets. • Create your own style sheets. • Style every detail, exactly how you want it. Share Mind Maps • PDF, Image and more. • Outline text. • Create a slideshow to present your Mind Map (tablet only). • Print. • Exchange as OPML, for example with AI apps. Safely store and sync your Mind Maps • You control where your Mind Maps are stored. • Sync Mind Maps across devices using iCloud, Dropbox or other clouds. • SimpleMind is designed to open your Mind Maps across platforms. • SimpleMind for Mac, and companion apps for other platforms, are sold separately.

About

Map Note

Organize your thoughts on an infinitely expanding canvas. This app is designed for non-linear thinking, allowing you to freely expand ideas radially for brainstorming and mind mapping.

Highlights
  • Infinitely expanding canvas
  • Radial idea expansion
  • Mind mapping
  • Brainstorming
  • Idea sketching
  • Non-linear note-taking
Features
Read full description

Using map notes, you can spread your ideas anywhere on an infinitely spread canvas. I think the brain's work when considering ideas is a random and radial working image 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 expand ideas from the center of the page, so you can make ideas more natural. Ideal for creating rough mind maps, brainstorming and idea sketches. * Please check out MapNote 2 that can add images, add folders, and sync with iCloud.

Screenshots

SimpleMind4 screens
Map Note3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: SimpleMind at Free against Map Note's $2.99. SimpleMind also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 56%) and ratings volume (982 vs 69). Map Note's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On rating, ads and device support 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

SimpleMind is free to download; Map Note costs $2.99 up front. SimpleMind sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Map Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for SimpleMind against 4.5 for Map Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimpleMind has 982 ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of SimpleMind's written reviews are positive against 56% of Map Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleMind ships an update every 2 months, Map Note every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SimpleMind versus Map Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleMindMap Note
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.5 (982 ratings) — better4.5 (69 ratings)
Positive reviews77.2% of reviews — better56.1% of reviews
Number of ratings982 — better69
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB7 MB
Age rating+44+
Developerxpt Software & Consulting B.V.Naoya Enokida

Customer experience

SimpleMind

All ratings981 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews1,393 reviews
Positive77.2%
Neutral8.5%
Negative14.3%

Map Note

All ratings69 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral7.2%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive56.1%
Neutral15.9%
Negative28.0%

Bugs and requests

SimpleMind

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Maps disappearing after device resets
  • Inability to import/export certain file formats

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved syncing and cloud integration
  • More customization options for appearance and layout
  • Keyboard shortcuts and power user features
  • Better support for Apple Pencil and handwriting

Map Note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SimpleMind

One-time1
  • Unlock Pro Functionality$10.99
None

Map Note

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SimpleMind free?
SimpleMind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Map Note free?
Map Note costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SimpleMind or Map Note?
SimpleMind is rated higher. SimpleMind averages 4.5 out of 5 from 982 ratings, while Map Note averages 4.5 from 69 ratings.
Do SimpleMind or Map Note have ads?
Neither SimpleMind nor Map Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleMind or Map Note?
SimpleMind ships an update every 2 months, and Map Note every 4 weeks. Most recently, SimpleMind was updated on November 11, 2026 and Map Note on November 1, 2026.

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