Comparison

SimpleMind Pro vs brancho

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
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. 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.

About

brancho

Features
Read full description

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

SimpleMind Pro4 screens
brancho3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SimpleMind Pro versus brancho: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleMind Probrancho
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (451 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings451 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#140 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB8 MB
Age rating+44+
Developerxpt Software & Consulting B.V.NEXT LIMITED LIABILITY CO.

In-app purchases

None

SimpleMind Pro

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

brancho

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year

Questions

Is SimpleMind Pro free?
SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is brancho free?
brancho is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SimpleMind Pro or brancho have ads?
Neither SimpleMind Pro nor brancho shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleMind Pro or brancho?
SimpleMind Pro ships an update every 6 weeks, and brancho every 3 days. Most recently, SimpleMind Pro was updated on November 6, 2026 and brancho on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons