Comparison

MindNode vs Brain Dump

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

Brain Dump

Read full description

Start before you're ready. That's the whole idea. FocusTimer is a Pomodoro-style focus timer built for the part everyone else skips: actually starting. Write down what's pulling at your attention, pick the one thing you're doing next, and go. No rigid 25-minute lock-in, no to-do list to organize first, no tree that dies if you look away. WHAT'S PULLING AT YOU? Brain Dump gets everything out of your head in one pass: one line, one thing, no pressure to sort it. Stamp the one you're taking, and the room goes dark around it. Everything else is still there when you come back to it. A TIMER THAT BENDS, NOT BREAKS Every session is adjustable: pause without penalty, add time mid-session, finish early and it still counts. Rigid 25/5 lock-in is the thing every other Pomodoro app charges you to escape. Here it's just how the timer works, free, always. STREAKS, NOT GUILT TRIPS FocusTimer tracks what you actually did. No cartoon pet to starve, no tree to kill, no streak-loss shame for a bad day. A missed day costs you nothing but a missed day. FOCUSTIMER PRO Three things, all built, all real: • Presence: your session on the Lock Screen and Home Screen. Live Activity, Dynamic Island, and widgets, no need to open the app. • Patterns: where your focus actually goes. By task, by time of day, and week over week. • Sound: room tones (rain, café, white noise) and a choice of end chime, on top of the one you already get free. The timer, the brain dump, your streaks, and your full session history are free, always, with no limit and no account. Pro is never a wall on what you've already built, only the tools around it. FocusTimer Pro is a one-time purchase. Buy it once and it's yours on this Apple ID, forever. No subscription, no renewal, no recurring charge. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://digitaldoctorltd.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

MindNode4 screens
Brain Dump4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: MindNode at 5 against Brain Dump's 1. MindNode also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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 Brain Dump sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MindNode ships an update every 2 weeks, Brain Dump fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MindNode versus Brain Dump: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMindNodeBrain Dump
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (327 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings327 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIdeasOnCanvas GmbHDigital Doctor LTD

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

Brain Dump

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
1 purchases

Brain Dump

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is MindNode free?
MindNode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brain Dump free?
Brain Dump is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MindNode or Brain Dump have ads?
Neither MindNode nor Brain Dump shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MindNode or Brain Dump?
MindNode ships an update every 2 weeks, and Brain Dump fortnightly. Most recently, MindNode was updated on October 30, 2026 and Brain Dump on October 31, 2026.

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