SimpleMind Pro vs brancho
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimpleMind Pro
Organize thoughts, remember information, and generate new ideas with an intuitive mind mapping tool. Add images, documents, and customize styles. Store and sync maps securely across devices.
- Free-form layout for topics
- Add images and documents
- Customize mind map styles
- Collapse and expand branches
- Sync across devices via cloud
- Export in PDF, Image, and OPML formats
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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. SimpleMind Pro for iPad&iPhone is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Highlights • Easy to use. • Add images and documents. • Share Mind Maps. • Customize the style of the Mind Map. • Continuously fine-tuned based on customer feedback. • Tools to help you maintain overview. Private by Design • No ads. • No tracking. • No need to sign up for an account. • We do not have access to your Mind Maps. 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.
brancho
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For people who love mind mapping. Brancho is a true mind mapping app. Brancho is a modern mind mapping app built to stay faithful to the principles of mind mapping invented and systematized by Tony Buzan. Did you know that many tools calling themselves “mind maps” or “mind mapping apps” are not really mind maps? A mind map is not boxes or circles of text connected by lines. It is not a hierarchy like an org chart or logic tree, nor a flowchart. A true mind map grows radially from a central image. Branches use color, varied thickness, and imagery, with text placed along them. Put one theme at the center, add ideas as branches in any order, then add new ideas from each branch as sub-branches. Mind mapping is said to resemble how the brain works. The brain does not always think linearly or logically; many thoughts arise at once in all directions, especially for right-brained thinkers. Mind mapping aims to capture those thoughts without interrupting their flow or losing ideas. Brancho was created to bring that experience into the digital world. We hope Brancho reaches people who love mind maps; creators and business professionals who want to express their own originality rather than rely on AI that can produce standardized output; right-brained thinkers; people with high IQs; and anyone looking for a note app that can keep up with the speed of thought. ■ How to Use We recommend using a keyboard. 1. Tap or click the central image or the branch you want to edit. 2. Enter text, or change branch color, thickness, or curvature. 3. To add a sub-branch, tap Sub-branch in the top menu. 4. Save once. After that, the map is saved automatically. That is the basic workflow. Repeat it as your thoughts develop. ■ More Ways to Use Brancho • Auto-save. • View change history from file creation to now, and view or restore the map at any point. Use it to recover from mistakes or revisit your thinking. • Replay the creation process from start to present, like a frame-by-frame video. • Add sticky notes. Mind mapping is radial and divergent, but sometimes you need logical, convergent thinking. Open a sticky note and write in sentences to think logically. Brancho supports both lateral thinking and logical thinking. • Attach images to branches from Photos, Files, or the clipboard. Attached images can be resized and rotated. • Auto-layout. As maps grow, branches can overlap or crowd one area. Select the central image and tap Auto Layout. Brancho adjusts branch positions, lengths, and curvature based on balance and overlap. • Import data from other mind map apps: FreeMind/Freeplane .mm, XMind .xmind, and iMindMap .imx. Imported files can be rendered and edited with the Brancho engine, so you can keep using past and legacy mind maps. • Use Brancho on iPhone. Previously, it was for iPad and Mac only. On iPhone, mind maps can be viewed directly but are read-only; editing is done in an iPhone-specific list view. We chose this design because direct map editing on a small iPhone screen was extremely difficult to use. • Task management on branches. Although this may seem to conflict with our commitment to Tony Buzan-style mind mapping, branches can also manage tasks. Brancho can be used for task management, TODOs, project management, and GTD. • Keyboard shortcuts. With iPad Magic Keyboard or Mac, you can build maps without repeatedly reaching for a mouse or trackpad. Tab: Create a sub-branch Return: Create a parallel branch at the same level Delete/Backspace: Delete a branch and select its parent Arrow keys: Move between branches Monthly and annual plans are available. Subscription periods and prices are shown on the in-app purchase screen. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.next-healthcare.co.jp/?page_id=363
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: brancho at Free against SimpleMind Pro's $10.99. brancho also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). SimpleMind Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#140 vs unranked). On 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
brancho is free to download; SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99 up front. brancho sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. SimpleMind Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.
SimpleMind Pro ships an update every 6 weeks, brancho every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimpleMind Pro | brancho |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (451 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 451 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #140 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | xpt Software & Consulting B.V. | NEXT LIMITED LIABILITY CO. |
In-app purchases
SimpleMind Pro
No in-app purchases
brancho
- Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year









