Freeplane

Free, open-source desktop mind mapping app with deep customisation and scripting.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Freeplane

Freeplane began as a fork of FreeMind and has become the actively developed open-source mind mapper for power users. It goes well beyond drawing branches: nodes can hold attributes, formulas, LaTeX and Markdown, styles can be applied conditionally, maps can be filtered and searched, and Groovy scripting and add-ons let you automate almost anything. People use it for knowledge management, research notes, project planning and code exploration as much as for brainstorming. It is written in Java and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and a portable version can be run from a USB stick. It is free and licensed under the GPL. The downside is approachability: the interface looks dated, the number of options is overwhelming at first, and there is no built-in cloud sync or real-time collaboration.

Best for: Power users who want a free, scriptable mind mapper on any desktop OS.

What works

Free and open source
Attributes, formulas, LaTeX and conditional styles
Groovy scripting and add-ons
Runs on any OS with Java

Why people leave

Dated, crowded interface
Steep learning curve
No cloud sync or real-time collaboration

Top Freeplane alternatives

See all 5

1
FreeMind
The simpler original that Freeplane forked from, with the same file format.
66.5
2
Xmind
More polished, with mobile apps and cloud sync.
62.6
3
TheBrain
Free desktop knowledge mapping for connecting ideas beyond a tree.
59.6
4
MindManager
Commercial alternative with project planning and Office integration.
57.2
5
WiseMapping
Open-source mind mapping in the browser, self-hostable.
55.3

Why people left Freeplane

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Freeplane: common questions

Is Freeplane free?

Yes. Freeplane is free, open-source software.

Is Freeplane open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at freeplane/freeplane.

What platforms does Freeplane run on?

Freeplane is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Freeplane?

The highest-ranked Freeplane alternatives right now are FreeMind, Xmind and TheBrain. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Freeplane alternatives

Freeplane facts

4 of 4 verified

Open source: Yes; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.freeplane.org(opens source in a new tab); “Freeplane is a free and open source software application”
License: GPL-2.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-2.0 (GNU General Public License v2.0).”
Platforms: Any OS with current Java; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.freeplane.org(opens source in a new tab); “It runs on any operating system that has a current version of Java installed.”
Portable use: Can run from a USB drive; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.freeplane.org(opens source in a new tab); “It can be run locally or portably from removable storage like a USB drive.”