Comparison

Thoughtree vs Kanso

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

Head to head
About

Thoughtree

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A mind map for brainstorming, planning, and organizing your thoughts on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It opens your .itmz files as they are. Thoughtree is built in Swift for Apple devices. Get your thoughts out, shape them into branches, and pick up the same map on any device. CAPTURE Add child and sibling topics in a keystroke and keep typing. Start a title with an emoji and it becomes the topic's icon. ORGANIZE Drag branches into place, reorder in the outline, and collapse a whole map to a display level (1–9). Add Markdown notes, relationship lines, boundaries, callouts, images, and tasks. BRING YOUR MAPS WITH YOU Open your .itmz files and keep working on them, topics, notes, and images included. Also imports OPML, Markdown, FreeMind, XMind, CSV, plain text, and browser bookmarks. ANY DEVICE Maps sync through your own iCloud Drive across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. No account, no sign-in. SHARE Export PNG, PDF, and plain text, or print (with a small watermark in Lite). FREE IN THOUGHTREE LITE Unlimited maps, all editing, iCloud sync, every import format, the built-in library of 313 images, two themes (Sapling and Aurora), and the "Create Mind Map" and "Open Mind Map" shortcuts. MORE WITH THOUGHTREE PRO - All 12 themes - Search across every map, plus Spotlight and the "Search Mind Maps" shortcut - Watermark-free PNG / PDF export and printing, plus Markdown and OPML export - Quick Entry: paste an outline and expand it into branches in one step - Edit task attributes and conditional formatting - Home Screen widgets for your recent maps (iPhone and iPad) PURCHASING Choose a one-time Lifetime purchase or an auto-renewing yearly plan. There's no monthly plan. One purchase works on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac signed in with the same Apple ID. The yearly plan renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and payment is charged to your Apple ID. Manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings. REQUIREMENTS - Mac: macOS 13 or later - iPhone / iPad: iOS 16 or later Terms of Use: https://thoughtree.nijizo.dev/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://thoughtree.nijizo.dev/privacy-policy

About

Kanso

Features
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思いつきを、和紙の上に。 Kanso - Canvasは、付箋を自由に並べながら考えを整理するアプリです。文章、画像、リンクを集め、コルクボードでまとめたり、矢印でつないだり。広いキャンバスで、アイデアの関係を見渡せます。 【無料で使える機能】 ・キャンバスを2枚まで作成 ・文章や画像を付箋にして、好きな場所へ配置 ・淡い12色、タグ、吹き出し、赤い丸で整理 ・コルクボードと矢印で、まとまりやつながりを表現 ・スターやしおり色でキャンバスを見つけやすく ・すべてのキャンバスを検索し、目的の付箋へ移動 ・付箋を1枚ずつ大きく見返す ・他のアプリの共有メニューから文章、リンク、画像を取り込む ・自動保存、取り消し/やり直し、バックアップ・復元 ・最近削除した付箋を30日間復元 ・自作テンプレートを1個保存 保存したテンプレートは、内容の更新、名前の変更、削除、繰り返し利用ができます。利用回数の制限はありません。複製やテンプレートからの作成も、キャンバス合計2枚の範囲で利用できます。 バックアップはすべての内容を保存します。復元は追加または置き換えを選べ、無料版では復元後もキャンバス2枚・テンプレート1個までです。置き換える前の内容は端末に退避します。 【Canvas Pro:一度の購入で解放】 ・キャンバスとテンプレートの保存数の上限解除 ・キャンバス全体やボードをPNG/PDFに書き出し ・自分の端末間で使える、任意のiCloud同期 Canvas Proは買い切りのアプリ内購入です。定期的な支払いはありません。購入価格はアプリ内に表示されます。同じApple Accountを使うiPhone・iPad・Macで利用でき、設定から購入を復元できます。 データは端末内に保存します。ProでiCloud同期をオンにすると、同じApple Accountの自分の端末間でも使えます。共同編集の機能ではありません。無料版の上限を超える保存済みの作品も、削除・非表示にせず、閲覧・編集できます。 日本語と英語に対応。企画、学び、制作のメモを、自分に合った並べ方で。

Screenshots

Thoughtree4 screens
Kanso4 screens

Verdict

The call

Thoughtree and Kanso 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. Thoughtree sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Kanso sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thoughtree ships an update every 3 days, Kanso every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Thoughtree versus Kanso: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThoughtreeKanso
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNIJIZOYutaro Kawahara

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Thoughtree

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Thoughtree Pro (Lifetime)$29.99
1 purchases

Kanso

One-time1
  • Canvas Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Thoughtree free?
Thoughtree is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kanso free?
Kanso is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thoughtree or Kanso have ads?
Neither Thoughtree nor Kanso shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thoughtree or Kanso?
Thoughtree ships an update every 3 days, and Kanso every 5 days. Most recently, Thoughtree was updated on October 25, 2026 and Kanso on October 24, 2026.

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