Comparison

MindNode vs Petaltide

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

Head to head
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

About

Petaltide

Features
Read full description

Grow a garden, one focus session at a time. Petaltide is a calm, Pomodoro-style focus timer. Start a session and a seed is planted. Stay with your task and it grows through five stages, from Seed to full Bloom. Leave the app mid-session and your plant begins to wilt: a gentle nudge back to what matters. FREE • 15-minute Quick Reset focus sessions with a growing plant • Three plant styles: Blossom, Sunflower and Lavender • A daily focus goal with streaks • Garden milestones as your blooms add up • Session tags and short notes • Your three most recent sessions in Garden History • An optional noise check before you start (nothing is recorded or stored) • Home Screen widgets, a Control Center control, and Siri & Shortcuts • Apple Watch app and complications • Focus time saved as Mindful Minutes in Apple Health, if you allow it • Private iCloud sync across your devices • English, Turkish, German, French and Spanish PETALTIDE PREMIUM • 25, 45 and 60-minute sessions, plus your own custom presets • Automatic breaks between focus rounds • Full Garden History with insights and detailed analyses • Weekly Focus Review • Flexible daily, scheduled and weekly goals with rest days • Scheduled focus routines and reminders • Session alerts and Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • Ambient sounds: rain, ocean waves, forest and white noise • Independent focus sessions on Apple Watch Petaltide Premium is available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://petaltide.net/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MindNode4 screens
Petaltide4 screens

Verdict

The call

MindNode and Petaltide are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. MindNode sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Petaltide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MindNode ships an update every 2 weeks, Petaltide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
MindNode versus Petaltide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindNodePetaltide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (327 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings327 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIdeasOnCanvas GmbHEmre Durukan

Bugs and 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

Petaltide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

MindNode

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

Petaltide

Subscriptions2
  • Petaltide Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Petaltide Premium Yearly7 Days trial$6.991 Year

Questions

Is MindNode free?
MindNode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Petaltide free?
Petaltide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MindNode or Petaltide have ads?
Neither MindNode nor Petaltide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MindNode or Petaltide?
MindNode ships an update every 2 weeks, and Petaltide weekly. Most recently, MindNode was updated on October 27, 2026 and Petaltide on October 25, 2026.

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