Comparison

MindNode vs MindFly

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

Head to head
About

MindNode

Capture and organize your thoughts with a visual mind map or a structured outline. This app helps you brainstorm, plan projects, and create study guides. It offers real-time collaboration and integrates with Apple Reminders and Shortcuts.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas mind maps
  • Outline view
  • Live collaboration
  • Visual tags and connections
  • Task management
  • Import/Export options
  • AI-powered suggestions
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

MindFly

This app offers a minimalist and distraction-free environment for brainstorming, organizing research, and planning projects. It features a unique cloze mode for active recall study and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.

Highlights
  • Minimalist interface
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Cloze (Fill-in-the-blank) Mode
  • iCloud and Git synchronization
  • Cross-device compatibility (Mac, iPhone, iPad)
  • Privacy-focused, client-side software
Read full description

MindFly: Simplify Your Thoughts, Amplify Your Ideas. Tired of bloated, overly complex mind-mapping tools? MindFly is built for those who value speed and clarity. Whether you're capturing a fleeting spark of inspiration, organizing academic research, or architecting a complex project, MindFly provides a fluid, distraction-free environment to build your knowledge base. 【Focus on What Matters】 Experience a minimalist interface designed to eliminate clutter. Stop fighting with menus and start flowing with your ideas. 【Built for the Apple Ecosystem】 Developed natively in Swift, MindFly delivers lightning-fast performance across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Enjoy a seamless experience with full Apple Pencil support for a natural, hand-drawn feel. 【Master Your Learning】 Boost your retention with our unique "Cloze" (Fill-in-the-blank) Mode. Transform your mind maps into active recall study aids—perfect for medical students, law students, and professional certifications. 【Pro-Grade Sync & Versioning】 Deep iCloud integration ensures your data is everywhere you are. Powered by an embedded Git engine, MindFly offers a robust synchronization framework that handles your data with developer-grade reliability. 【Your Choice: Subscription or Lifetime】 We believe in flexibility. Choose a plan that fits your budget with our affordable subscriptions, or unlock the full experience forever with a single one-time purchase. ## Use Cases - Students: Reading notes, thesis outlining, exam preparation, and complex concept breakdown. - Professionals: Meeting minutes, OKR planning, project roadmapping, and business strategy. - Creatives: Scriptwriting, storyboard architecture, brainstorming, and world-building. ## Privacy and pretty UI are equally important Personal privacy is very important too. MindFly is a pure client-side software and does not rely on special servers. You can synchronize and backup data across devices through iCloud or Git, or disable synchronization. All data belongs to you. MindFly will avoid any unnecessary privacy permission requests. MindFly strictly stays in the sandbox environment of the system, uses the minimum privacy authorization, and reduces a bit of convenience, but it will make users feel securer. - - - - - - - - - - - - Privacy Policy: http://markeditor.com/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: http://markeditor.com/page/terms.md

Screenshots

MindNode4 screens
MindFly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MindFly at 100% against MindNode's 48%. MindFly also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. MindNode sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and MindFly sells 4 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, MindFly every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MindNode versus MindFly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindNodeMindFly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (335 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings335 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIdeasOnCanvas GmbHHangzhou Quanduan Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

MindNode

All ratings335 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews261 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral18.0%
Negative33.7%

MindFly

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

MindFly

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
4 purchases

MindFly

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Member3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Yearly Member3 Days trial$1.991 Year
One-time2
  • MindFly 终身版闪购$2.99
  • MindFly Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is MindNode free?
MindNode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MindFly free?
MindFly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MindNode or MindFly have ads?
Neither MindNode nor MindFly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MindNode or MindFly?
MindNode ships an update every 2 weeks, and MindFly every 11 days. Most recently, MindNode was updated on November 14, 2026 and MindFly on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons