To try it, simply follow this link to the program’s download page. Freeplane is a larger download than most, sitting at a bit over 16MB, although you still should not have any problems fitting it on your system unless you are already approaching critical mass. Installation is a breeze, and Freeplane should automatically launch once you have worked through a few quick setup pages.

The first thing that will likely strike you as you look upon the program’s interface is how complicated it appears at a glance. Freeplane has a lot of different buttons, and sorting through them in the beginning can be rather difficult. As such, opening the tab titled User Manual and exploring a mind map that has already been created can be a good first step, even if you do not care to read the manual’s contents. Doing so illustrates how thoughts can topics can be linked together through the mind map layout and what sort of results you can expect once you finish constructing your project.

In attempting to build your mind map you will want to start by learning a few simple ways of manipulating the information on the screen to create a series of nodes that helps you map out your thoughts. The most important of these is the insert function, which allows you to create new nodes from a parent. This allows you to begin constructing branches from your core concept and really start making a mind map that helps you and others follow your thoughts. By pushing the insert key while a node is highlighted you force a branch from it and will automatically be given them option to name it. If you do not like the position of the child node simply click and drag it to somewhere more convenient.

You can similarly create sibling nodes at the same depth as a highlighted node by clicking Enter. Delete nodes with the Delete key.

To be able to get a handle on the program you also need to become familiar with the various functions made possible by the quick keys listed along the top of the program. They allow you to manipulate not only nodes but the content held within the nodes. Take time to experiment with the F-keys to learn more about how they can make building mind maps easier and more thorough as you get more familiar with the program.

Freeplane does not have the snappy graphics that some of its competitors do. For some this may be a problem, but for those who want total control over the creation of their mind maps without having to pay anything Freeplane is a fantastic tool. Charting the mind can be a difficult task, just like trying to keep track of the seemingly chaotic running of your thoughts. With Freeplane, both challenges are made a bit easier.

It is widely used to collect all aspects of a topic and put those aspects into relation. It could be about a company and all of its products, a website and its category or a tv series and its cast. Xmind can be used to create basic mind maps in minutes. It does come with advanced options to include images, relations, attachments, hyperlinks, notes, boundaries and structures to create advanced mind maps that can be used for presentations.

Xmind comes with the possibilities to share the mind map online but also enough options to export the mind map into another format like images, html or text. It is also possible to save the mind map as a template to reuse it for future projects.

There is only one negative aspect that has to be mentioned. The mind mapping software cannot be downloaded before the user creates an account at the website or uses an OpenId to log in. Bugmenot lists two accounts (bugger/bugger) that can be used to download the software. Users who plan to upload their mind maps should create their own account to avoid running into troubles. If you only want to use the software locally you can use the bugger/bugger account to download the software.

Xmind is the right choice if you are looking for a professional mind mapping software. Chance is that your operating system and language is supported by this highly flexible software program.

Then I spotted a post about PersonalBrain over at Rarst’s website entitled Mapping stuff in PersonalBrain and it seemed to be exactly the software that I was looking for. Both applications are written in Java and available for Windows, Linux and Macintosh.

The elements are called thoughts and originate from one home thought in PersonalBrain. Each thought, except for the home thought, consists of a name and at least one link to another node in the system. The user can write down notes for every thought on the map that can contain additional information. There is also the option to add attachments like text documents or web links to each node. Additionally users can add tags, set types and colors for each node separately.

The option to add links as attachments to nodes and the ability to write down additional notes are invaluable for my research. Other users might find other features more interesting but those two are the main ones why I have decided to switch the mind mapping software.

PersonalBrain comes with a lot of build in customizations like themes that can be applied to change the looks of the mind map. Something that might appeal to users who use PersonalBrain for presentations but nothing that adds real value to the application. More interesting than that are the options to filter and search nodes of the mind map.

Another interesting feature is the export function. It is possible to export the mind map as simple html or html with XML Information, the former providing simple access to the core information while the latter displays a static mind map.