Comparison

Maido Map vs Brain Dump Journal

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

Head to head
About

Maido Map

Features
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Your ideas, beautifully branching. Maido Map is a beautiful idea-mapping app built around one thing: gorgeous, flowing curved branches. Start with a word in the center and grow your thoughts outward. The more you draw, the clearer your thinking becomes — and the whole picture stays easy to read at a glance. Designed for both delightful sketching and polished results. Every map looks like something you'd want to show off — in a presentation, a notebook, or just to yourself. FEATURES • Flowing curved branches — smooth, organic lines that bend with a touch • Intuitive controls — tap to add a branch, drag to bend it, pinch to zoom • Balanced auto-layout — branches never overlap, always easy to read • Themes — Paper, Sepia, and Dark • Presentation mode — reveal branches one at a time as you talk through your map • Center image — drop in a photo or logo as your central image • Sync across devices — pick up right where you left off on iPhone, iPad, or the web • Works offline PRICING • Free — up to 5 maps, all core features included • Premium (one-time purchase) — unlimited maps, PNG/SVG/PDF export, file import/export Pay once, keep it forever. No subscription. Great for brainstorming, studying, planning a trip, prepping a presentation, or just organizing your week. Draw your thinking — beautifully.

About

Brain Dump Journal

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"Brain Dump Journal" is your own private journal for the thoughts, feelings, and second-guesses that come up during the day. No title and no date picker—the date and time are saved for you, so you can write on the commute or right after a meeting. There is no need to write at length. Organizing and digging deeper can wait. PERFECT FOR • Those who leave a meeting with a nagging thought and lose it by lunch • Anyone whose notes app is full of half-written thoughts they can never find again • People with things they can't post on social media, who want a place that is only theirs • Those who want to notice their own patterns instead of letting an app guess them • Anyone preparing for interviews or a career change who needs the raw material FEATURES • Write whatever is on your mind, the way you'd text yourself • The date and time are saved automatically—no need to set them yourself • Tag by work, life, feelings, or lessons—whatever axis you actually think in (10 tags on the free plan) • Filter by date range, tag, or favorites to look back over past entries • "Rediscovery" brings up a past entry at random (10 per day on the free plan) • Attach photos to keep the context of the moment (2 per entry on the free plan, 8 with Pro) • iCloud sync, so your entries follow you to your next iPhone • Write offline, anytime WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS APP 1. One line is enough to clear your head Nothing to format. Half a thought counts. The timestamp is saved for you—a few seconds with one hand, and it's done. 2. Remarkably easy to find again Filter by tag, date range, or favorites, and search the text itself. "What was I thinking that day?" is seconds away. 3. Nothing you wrote gets buried "Rediscovery" brings up a past entry at random, and a thought you'd forgotten becomes something that helps you today. PRIVACY Your entries stay on your device and in your own iCloud. There is no social sharing, and nothing leaves the app unless you export it yourself. Nothing is analyzed or scored by AI—and that is deliberate. PRO PLAN For a more comfortable experience, we offer a Pro Plan that removes ads and unlocks all features. One-time purchase with no monthly subscription. • Ad-free experience • Significantly more image attachments (from 2 to 8 per entry) • Unlimited tags (10 on the free plan) • Pin up to 6 frequently used tags • Unlimited "Rediscovery" • PDF and text export (by date range or tag) Before purchasing the Pro Plan, please review: Privacy Policy: https://giversthankapp.com/privacy-policy-for-reflection-journal-en/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/us/terms.html When you need to think it through, get it off your chest, or figure yourself out— Clear your head with "Brain Dump Journal".

Screenshots

Maido Map4 screens
Brain Dump Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Maido Map at none against Brain Dump Journal's 1. Maido Map also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Brain Dump Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Maido Map asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Maido Map ships an update weekly, Brain Dump Journal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Maido Map versus Brain Dump Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaido MapBrain Dump Journal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTsunehisa NoguchiRYOTA SUZUKI

In-app purchases

None

Maido Map

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Brain Dump Journal

One-time1
  • Pro$12.99

Questions

Is Maido Map free?
Maido Map is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brain Dump Journal free?
Brain Dump Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Maido Map or Brain Dump Journal have ads?
Brain Dump Journal shows ads; Maido Map does not.
Which is updated more often, Maido Map or Brain Dump Journal?
Maido Map ships an update weekly, and Brain Dump Journal every 5 days. Most recently, Maido Map was updated on October 19, 2026 and Brain Dump Journal on October 13, 2026.

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