Mind mapping is a key element of project management and development. Including mind mapping within your workflow helps team members to visualize ideas and understand data. This in turn can help to generate ideas, explore connections between them, and ensure everyone involved in a project understands the target, and their own contribution. 

Pen and paper, or pen and whiteboard, is one way to get to grips with mind mapping. However, a better option is to rely on software. Mind mapping software tools are useful for ideation and brainstorming. They have purposes in business, education, project management, marketing, and strategy and planning.

While some generalized tools have been used over the years, dedicated mind mapping applications are a better option. One such example is EdrawMind, available with free and paid plans, from Edrawsoft, and recently acquired by Chinese company Wondershare.

Known for bloatware and other frustrations, Wondershare has a bit of a bad reputation. Is EdrawMind free of these issues?

EdrawMind: Platforms

EdrawSoft has ensured its software is available pretty much anywhere you have access to a screen. EdrawMind can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux (DEB and RPM). Windows 7 or later, Mac OS X 10.10 and later, and pretty much any current Linux OS will run it. iPhone and Android versions are available, along with a dedicated iPad app. EdrawMind is also available as a browser-based version.

This is EdrawMind Online, which gives you a good feel for the software. However, it is a little similar to Canva Flowchart Maker, and you’ll need to create an account. Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter/X, and PayPal are all login options for EdrawMind Online.

EdrawMind: Plans and pricing

Various plans are available for EdrawMind. These encompass single product and bundles with other efficiency tools in the same stable.

Most significantly is the EdrawMind lifetime, available for $118 (£98.99). This compares well with the annual plan, $59 (£49) every 12 months. Both plans give you access to the software on 3 PCs, 3 mobile devices, and online tools. 10GB of storage is also available. (A semi-annual plan of $39 (£32.99) every 6 months might suit if your requirements are short-term.)

Could more tools be beneficial to your project? If so, EdrawMax, EdrawProj, and EdrawMind are available in a bundle, with a lifetime price of $245 (£203.99).

The software comes with a free version, but unsurprisingly, this has limitations. Key among these are the use of just 2 sheets, the lack of a formula editor, fishbone diagrams, circular, bubble, and sector maps, and custom themes. Check the EdrawMind free vs pro comparison for full details.

EdrawMind: Features

EdrawMind’s collection of features is intended to provide all the tools you need to create effective mind maps. 

It starts with a sleek functional user interface, with ready made templates for basic and advanced purposes. You can work in an infinite canvas, choosing custom themes and layouts relying on 22 structures. Various integrations are provided, too, with Pexels, Iconfont, and support for built-in clipart and emojis. User templates can also be created.

EdrawMind also boasts an AI idea creation tool. This is available in some versions of the app (not Linux) and on the web version.

EdrawMind: Ease of use

Mind mapping with EdrawMind is pleasantly straightforward. Simply select a template and begin mapping. After entering a label, tap TAB to create a subtopic, and build the mind map that way. Alternatively, an Outliner tool is included to create the mind map from a list.

Standard formatting tools are included in EdrawMind, along with different theme colors, styles, and background images and textures. EdrawMind projects can be exported as slideshows and PDFs, and even converted in Gantt charts. Clip art and other visual elements can be incorporated into mind maps.

It’s all as simple as click, drag, and label. Within a few minutes, a useful mind map can be created.

EdrawMind: Creating a mind map with AI

Generative AI provision in EdrawMind is effective. Using a simple prompt, we were able to generate a mind map of 49 individual topics/subtopics. The prompt, “create a mind map for the steps of evaluating software,” required some formatting, but generally had pleasing presentation.

An estimated 30-45 minutes was saved by relying on AI to create that mind map. Generation took less than a minute, making this a significant feature of EdrawMind. It essentially saves time by automating repetitive processes, and is a smart addition to the software.

EdrawMind: Customer support

If you run into any difficulty using EdrawMind, a collection of resources are on offer.

These are available using in-app shortcuts or browsing directly to the online resource. Here, you will find a live chat tool, an FAQ, user guide, video tutorials, and a direct contact option. The EdrawMind support team can handle technical issues as well as account and license questions, renewals and refunds, and sales.

We were particularly impressed with the built-in chat tool, which offers swift responses to conversational messages.

However, a couple of things are worth considering. First, Edrawmind doesn’t have a good Trustpilot score, either pre-Wondershare acquisition or since. Second, and perhaps most important, is Wondershare’s reputation for installing software that you don’t need. 

EdrawMind: The competition

Plenty of other mind mapping tools are available, so what makes EdrawMind stand out?

With existing tools such as Mindmaster, Mindmeister, Freemind, and Scapple, Edrawmind really needs to offer something new. The AI feature pretty much covers that, and while important, it is comparatively minor.

While all of these tools offer solid mind mapping, EdrawMind keeps things focused. Generative AI saves time, but the user interface is so pleasing to use you might forget about the AI option.

EdrawMind: Final verdict

Installing EdrawMind on your PC or phone puts you in control of a simple and reliable mind mapping application. It has clear controls, mind maps are easy to edit and style, and AI generation from a single command. If you’re looking for a mind mapping tool, EdrawMind is one to place at the top of your evaluation list. You’ll get a good flavor of what’s on offer from the mobile version.

Although not cheap, the customer support options are good. The only strike against EdrawMind is Wondershare’s existing reputation of bundling crapware. If you want to risk it, EdrawMind provides a good mind mapping experience.

Mind mapping is a key element of project management and development. Including mind mapping within your workflow helps team members to visualize ideas and understand data. This in turn can help to generate ideas, explore connections between them, and ensure everyone involved in a project understands the target, and their own contribution. 

Pen and paper, or pen and whiteboard, is one way to get to grips with mind mapping. However, a better option is to rely on software. Mind mapping software tools are useful for ideation and brainstorming. They have purposes in business, education, project management, marketing, and strategy and planning.

While some generalized tools have been used over the years, dedicated mind mapping applications are a better option. One such example is EdrawMind, available with free and paid plans, from Edrawsoft, and recently acquired by Chinese company Wondershare.

Known for bloatware and other frustrations, Wondershare has a bit of a bad reputation. Is EdrawMind free of these issues?

EdrawMind: Platforms

EdrawSoft has ensured its software is available pretty much anywhere you have access to a screen. EdrawMind can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux (DEB and RPM). Windows 7 or later, Mac OS X 10.10 and later, and pretty much any current Linux OS will run it. iPhone and Android versions are available, along with a dedicated iPad app. EdrawMind is also available as a browser-based version.

This is EdrawMind Online, which gives you a good feel for the software. However, it is a little similar to Canva Flowchart Maker, and you’ll need to create an account. Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter/X, and PayPal are all login options for EdrawMind Online.

EdrawMind: Plans and pricing

Various plans are available for EdrawMind. These encompass single product and bundles with other efficiency tools in the same stable.

Most significantly is the EdrawMind lifetime, available for $118 (£98.99). This compares well with the annual plan, $59 (£49) every 12 months. Both plans give you access to the software on 3 PCs, 3 mobile devices, and online tools. 10GB of storage is also available. (A semi-annual plan of $39 (£32.99) every 6 months might suit if your requirements are short-term.)

Could more tools be beneficial to your project? If so, EdrawMax, EdrawProj, and EdrawMind are available in a bundle, with a lifetime price of $245 (£203.99).

The software comes with a free version, but unsurprisingly, this has limitations. Key among these are the use of just 2 sheets, the lack of a formula editor, fishbone diagrams, circular, bubble, and sector maps, and custom themes. Check the EdrawMind free vs pro comparison for full details.

EdrawMind: Features

EdrawMind’s collection of features is intended to provide all the tools you need to create effective mind maps. 

It starts with a sleek functional user interface, with ready made templates for basic and advanced purposes. You can work in an infinite canvas, choosing custom themes and layouts relying on 22 structures. Various integrations are provided, too, with Pexels, Iconfont, and support for built-in clipart and emojis. User templates can also be created.

EdrawMind also boasts an AI idea creation tool. This is available in some versions of the app (not Linux) and on the web version.

EdrawMind: Ease of use

Mind mapping with EdrawMind is pleasantly straightforward. Simply select a template and begin mapping. After entering a label, tap TAB to create a subtopic, and build the mind map that way. Alternatively, an Outliner tool is included to create the mind map from a list.

Standard formatting tools are included in EdrawMind, along with different theme colors, styles, and background images and textures. EdrawMind projects can be exported as slideshows and PDFs, and even converted in Gantt charts. Clip art and other visual elements can be incorporated into mind maps.

It’s all as simple as click, drag, and label. Within a few minutes, a useful mind map can be created.

EdrawMind: Creating a mind map with AI

Generative AI provision in EdrawMind is effective. Using a simple prompt, we were able to generate a mind map of 49 individual topics/subtopics. The prompt, “create a mind map for the steps of evaluating software,” required some formatting, but generally had pleasing presentation.

An estimated 30-45 minutes was saved by relying on AI to create that mind map. Generation took less than a minute, making this a significant feature of EdrawMind. It essentially saves time by automating repetitive processes, and is a smart addition to the software.

EdrawMind: Customer support

If you run into any difficulty using EdrawMind, a collection of resources are on offer.

These are available using in-app shortcuts or browsing directly to the online resource. Here, you will find a live chat tool, an FAQ, user guide, video tutorials, and a direct contact option. The EdrawMind support team can handle technical issues as well as account and license questions, renewals and refunds, and sales.

We were particularly impressed with the built-in chat tool, which offers swift responses to conversational messages.

However, a couple of things are worth considering. First, Edrawmind doesn’t have a good Trustpilot score, either pre-Wondershare acquisition or since. Second, and perhaps most important, is Wondershare’s reputation for installing software that you don’t need. 

EdrawMind: The competition

Plenty of other mind mapping tools are available, so what makes EdrawMind stand out?

With existing tools such as Mindmaster, Mindmeister, Freemind, and Scapple, Edrawmind really needs to offer something new. The AI feature pretty much covers that, and while important, it is comparatively minor.

While all of these tools offer solid mind mapping, EdrawMind keeps things focused. Generative AI saves time, but the user interface is so pleasing to use you might forget about the AI option.

EdrawMind: Final verdict

Installing EdrawMind on your PC or phone puts you in control of a simple and reliable mind mapping application. It has clear controls, mind maps are easy to edit and style, and AI generation from a single command. If you’re looking for a mind mapping tool, EdrawMind is one to place at the top of your evaluation list. You’ll get a good flavor of what’s on offer from the mobile version.

Although not cheap, the customer support options are good. The only strike against EdrawMind is Wondershare’s existing reputation of bundling crapware. If you want to risk it, EdrawMind provides a good mind mapping experience.

Almost every business needs a flowchart design tool. While the basic idea for one or multiple processes might be outlined on paper, a digital representation is more useful. That’s where the best flowchart software comes in useful.

But there is a potential roadblock. Designing flowcharts typically requires expensive subscription software. If this is something you’re new to, or if you’re looking to bring process overview in-house, you might be considering a tool like Microsoft Visio or Lucidchart.

However, several good quality free tools are available. One of them is Canva Flowchart Maker, a browser-based tool available as part of the Canva design suite.

Canva Flowchart Maker: Plans and pricing

Canva’s Online Flowchart Maker is completely free to use by a single creator. All the usual free Canva options are available with this. All you need to use the tool is a Canva account, which can be created with your own email address, or with a Google or Facebook account.

Note, however, that Canva’s AI illustrator is unsuited to flowchart creation.  

A small number of templates are limited to Canva Pro users. Meanwhile, advanced features such as online collaboration and brand kits require a subscription. Naturally, this will depend on your specific needs and expectations from the tool.

Canva Pro is £100 ($120) per year, per person, whereas Canva Teams is £90 ($100) per year, per person, for a minimum of three. (Monthly prices are from $12.95). The Canva Teams option includes role assignment, ownership transfer, and even user reports, among many other additional features.

Therefore, organizations wishing to use Canva Online Flowchart Maker in a collaborative sense will need to subscribe. 

Canva Enterprise is also available, with quotes available upon request.

Canva Flowchart Maker: Features

Canva Online Flowchart Maker is a relatively straightforward tool. It offers the choice of starting from scratch, or relying on a number of templates, with appropriate elements.

Templates

These cover everything from workflows and roadmaps to SWOT analysis and other visual presentation tools. In total, 25 templates are available, which can be dragged into Canva’s main area. From here, they can be restyled, edited, and adapted at will.

Elements

Canva provides a set of contextual elements depending on what you are designing. For flowcharts, this means lines and shapes, which can easily be dragged into the design window. Elements can be added to templates, or used to build a brand new flowchart from scratch.

Editor

The main design window features various editing tools to adjust the size, color, type face, and position of each element. Text can be added to flowchart shapes, arrow length adjusted and repositioned, elements grouped, moved, and resized.

Border thickness can be adjusted, lines dashed and broken, and flowchart elements brought forward or pushed backward in the design. Context menu tools and menu bar options provide complete control over every aspect of the flowchart.

Meanwhile, Canva’s drawing and uploading features can be applied, as can branding templates.

Canva Flowchart Maker: Ease of use

As you will have gathered, getting started with this flowchart tool is easy enough. You have a choice between selecting and editing a template, or starting entirely from scratch.

With the first option, simply select a suitable flowchart from the templates list. Color schemes and fonts are easily changed in the editor, and you should soon have the the flowchart looking good.

Starting from scratch is a little different. With this option, you need to build the flowchart shape-by-shape, adding color and text as you go. Arrows can also be added to the mix, until you have a flowchart that does the job.

But while straightforward to use, Canva Flowchart Maker lacks some advanced flowcharting features. For example, the selection of templates are limited to pure meeting-room flowcharts. Diagramming isn’t an option, and there is no way to handle linked data with Canva. This makes Canva Flowchart Maker a comparatively flat, basic option – much like an introduction to flowcharts.

In that regard, it is an excellent tool.

Canva Flowchart Maker: Customer support

No dedicated support for Canva Flowchart Maker is provided. Instead, you will need to access the main Canva support pages to gain assistance.

Support covers every aspect of the design website, from billing to design. Direct chat is not an option for support, however. Fortunately, there is also the provision of a vast, searchable knowledgebase, available by visiting Solutions to most issues can be found here.

If not, you will need to log an issue, complete with categorization and description, optional screenshot, and await a solution. While the quality of Canva’s support responses (sent via email) are good, they can take time to arrive.

Canva Flowchart Maker: The competition

Plenty of flowchart alternatives are available. Canva Flowchart Maker’s main competitors include Microsoft Visio, available both as a desktop tool and as a browser app. Other options include Zapier Canvas and draw.io, and all three cover basic flowcharting and more advanced features.

Zapier Canvas and draw.io both lean heavily into AI features, something that Canva Flowchart Maker does not. This is despite Canva having an increasingly prominent generative AI feature. It probably won’t be long before AI is an option for creating flowcharts in Canva, but it isn’t available at the time of writing.

But these are just a handful of the competing flowchart apps. Canva Flowchart Maker is simple enough to use, but it lacks the depth of the competition.

Canva Flowchart Maker: Final verdict

Canva is a hugely popular tool that has revolutionized desktop design, opening up a collection of resources to the world. Desktop design has been democratized, industry  tricks opened to the public, and Canva Flowchart Maker is an element of that.

If your opinion of Canva is more cynical, you may feel that the flowchart tool is merely a sales funnel. Whether that is the case or not, Canva Flowchart Maker remains a simple flowchart designer. It’s an excellent entry-level tool.

While it isn’t as comprehensive a flowchart and illustration tool as some competing offerings, it can handle basic designs. As the tool is free aside from a few advanced features, this makes it a top choice for flowchart design.

We list the best mind map software.