Comparison

Author vs MindNode

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

Head to head
About

Author

This app serves as a companion to its macOS counterpart, offering a minimalist and powerful writing experience on iOS devices. It allows users to create and manage their written content seamlessly across platforms.

Highlights
  • Minimalist writing interface
  • Powerful writing tools
  • iOS companion app
  • Syncs with macOS version
Read full description

The iOS companion to Author macOS.

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

Screenshots

Author4 screens
MindNode4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MindNode at Free against Author's $19.99. MindNode also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.0) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Author's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 48%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

MindNode is free to download; Author costs $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and MindNode sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MindNode holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MindNode has 305 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Author's written reviews are positive against 48% of MindNode's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Author ships an update every 2 months, MindNode fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Author versus MindNode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAuthorMindNode
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (5 ratings)4.6 (305 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews — better47.8% of reviews
Number of ratings5305 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB207 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Augmented Text Company LTDIdeasOnCanvas GmbH

Customer experience

Author

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.1%

MindNode

All ratings305 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive47.8%
Neutral19.0%
Negative33.2%

User reviews

Author

From 5 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Clean, minimalist interface design
  • 💡 Innovative concept mapping and mind mapping features
  • 📚 Excellent citation and reference management
  • ⌨️ Useful keyboard shortcuts and productivity features
  • 🎯 Powerful outlining and document folding capabilities

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss issues
  • 📱 iOS/iPad app severely broken and non-functional
  • 🔄 Syncing problems between devices
  • 🎨 Limited formatting and customization options
  • 📊 Poor image handling capabilities

MindNode

From 305 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful brainstorming features
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🌟 Excellent for organizing thoughts and ideas
  • 🌍 Seamless cross-device sync

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Restrictive file management
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔍 Lack of folder organization
  • 🔙 Missing key features from classic version
  • 🐛 Bugs and stability issues

Bugs and requests

Author

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes frequently, causing data loss
  • iOS app shows blank screen and won't open documents
  • iPad app completely non-functional
  • Text disappears or becomes greyed out during iCloud saves
  • Vision OS app lacks cursor for text input
Show 15 more
  • Ask AI feature shows infinite loading spinner
  • Unexpected Russian pricing text displayed to US users
  • App doesn't launch or open on some systems
  • Files not detected in Downloads folder
  • Cannot open documents created in desktop version on iOS
  • Automatic file conversion to Liquid format breaks iOS compatibility
  • Text rendering issues (white text on white background)
  • Table function broken - cannot write in cells
  • App lags and deletes lines when typing quickly
  • Highlight feature not working
  • Citations not resolving automatically
  • Markdown export only exports preamble
  • Copy-paste functionality issues
  • French localization not working despite being advertised
  • App not compatible with iOS 18 and latest macOS versions

Requested features

20 requests
  • iPad and iOS app that actually works
  • Typewriter scrolling mode
  • Variable screen width for large displays
  • Complete LaTeX export with full file support
  • Markdown support
Show 15 more
  • Better image handling and integration
  • Find and replace functionality
  • Dark mode for older macOS versions
  • Inline predictive text support
  • Nested list creation and editing
  • Paragraph indentation options
  • Photo support on macOS version
  • Keyboard shortcut reference guide
  • Table editing improvements
  • Integration with reference management software (Zotero, EndNote)
  • Local AI endpoints or BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) for privacy
  • Better onboarding and UI guidance for new users
  • Typeface options (Courier, American Typewriter, serif fonts)
  • Line spacing options (1.5, double spacing)
  • Color themes and dark mode options

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Author

One-time2
  • Export & AIFree
  • Eng$1.99
2 purchases

MindNode

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

Questions

Is Author free?
Author costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is MindNode free?
MindNode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Author or MindNode?
MindNode is rated higher. Author averages 3.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MindNode averages 4.6 from 305 ratings.
Do Author or MindNode have ads?
Neither Author nor MindNode shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Author or MindNode?
Author ships an update every 2 months, and MindNode fortnightly. Most recently, Author was updated on September 22, 2026 and MindNode on September 23, 2026.

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