Scapple is a powerful and easy-to-use mind mapping tool with an intuitive design.
I have covered Scapple in one of my articles and my review was a positive one (well, I’m still positive about it).
However, there are a lot more mind mapping apps just like Scapple. Apps such as XMind, which, I believe, is the best Scapple alternative out there, are worth a trial run.
And I recognize the fact that it can be such a hassle testing them one by one.
That is why I have analyzed a lot of these apps and compiled this list for you—I’m all about making your writing life better for you!
But, before we get to the top 10 Scapple alternatives, let me explain what makes an app a Scapple alternative.
What Qualifies as a Scapple Alternative?
If you are looking for Scapple alternatives, my guess is you have some knowledge of what Scapple can do.
With that in mind, we have to look at what most of the best mind mapping tools have:
Excellent mind mapping features
The tool should be flexible enough for you to draw anywhere and sketch anything, more like on a whiteboard. The tool has to help you maintain a creative, adaptable approach to brainstorming.
Real-time collaborative
Real-time collaborative features and ease of access to your mind maps by authorized third parties. Working as a team has a lot of benefits and a Scapple alternative has to enable multiple users to collaborate in real-time, working together on the same mind map.
Convenient file attachment
It has to allow you to attach external files such as audio files, videos, images, and links to mind maps.
Presentation & sharing features
It has to make it easy for you to present and share your diagrams? After creating your mind maps it should be easy to share mind maps and convert them into presentations.
Diverse template library
Getting started as soon as the idea pops into your head is important at times. Therefore, the tool needs to have already made templates that cover different types of maps, like mind maps, concept maps, UML diagrams, flowcharts, and others.
Simple keyboard shortcuts
Ease of use is also improved by keyboard shortcuts designed to draggy click-and-choose dropdown menu actions.
Integrations
Without integration, using your mind maps in other apps is tedious. Hence the need for the tool’s ability to sync with your other applications, e.g., word processors, data management apps, diagramming tools, and others.
Best Alternatives to Scapple
XMind
XMind is a splendid mind mapping and idea management software that has now been around for more than 14 years.
There are two versions of XMInd, XMind 8 and XMind 2020, the latter being the newest version. They are not very different, just that XMind 2020 comes with some little changes.
XMind comes with a bunch of templates, covering themes like entertainment and life, inspiration and creativity, and learning and thinking.
Xmind just introduced ‘the Hand-drawn style,’ which makes you feel like you are writing on paper. This style also comes with pre-built frames to choose from, but you can also adjust parts of the structure.
In addition, XMind has incredible color themes, including the recently added ‘the smart color themes.’
Supported Platforms
Unlike Scapple, which only supports macOS and Windows platforms, XMind offers extensions for Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux operating systems.
Plans and Pricing
XMind is priced at $59 for all platforms.
Pros
- Clean, easy-on-the-eyes User Interface
- Perfect tool for developers
- Offers an Evernote integration
Cons
- No free trial
- Branch customization and movement of main topics need improving
MindMeister
MindMeister is an easy-to-use and intuitive online mind mapping software tool that comes in handy when you want to quickly organize some ideas.
Whether you want to start with a blank page, use a template, or organize your maps in folders, MindMeister’s features are geared toward making mind mapping easy.
MindMeister wouldn’t be a good mapping software if it didn’t come with beautiful colors and allowed users to embed media.
Plus, it has some convenient collaborative features which enable users to brainstorm in groups, thereby benefiting from one another’s creativity.
I could ramble on about MindMesiter’s focus mode or the outline mode but you just have to find out for yourself.
Supported Systems
Web and Mobile (Android and iOS).
Plans and Pricing
MindMeister offers 4 plans: Basic, Personal, Pro, and Business. The Basic package is free, the Personal plan (for individuals only) costs $2.49 per month, the Pro plan (for individuals and teams) costs $4.19 per month, and the Business package (for enterprises) costs $6.29 per month.
Pros
- Supports web and mobile
- Simple but effective UI
- Easy to use
Cons
- Expensive compared to other mind mapping tools
- The offline mode is not good enough
- Ungenerous free version
Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio is a diagramming tool that you can use to create flow charts, network diagrams, floor plans, and much more.
If you have created mind maps or any other diagramming before, you will find Visio’s templates very convenient and you can use them depending on your needs.
Visio might not look like Scapple, but if you’re a ‘Microsoft Office’ person, then it’s just what you need to quickly make your diagrams.
Visio comes with a couple of features that simplify your diagramming process. For example, it has the outline tab, which enables you to edit your topics and subtopics.
You can also use the ‘brainstorm’ tab to add topics, move topics to a new page, and change the diagram’s style.
Visio is feature-packed and there are a bunch of tabs in the app’s header that use to tweak almost anything.
Supported Systems
Windows and Web. Mac users can still work on Visio files using their web browser.
Plans and Pricing
Microsoft offers a one-month Visio trial version and other paid plans. Visio Plan 1 costs $5.00 per user/month, and Visio Plan 2 costs $15.00 per user/month. In addition to the two monthly/annual plans, there are two (lifetime) subscriptions: Visio Standard 2021 ($369.99) and Visio Professional 2021 ($719.99).
Pros
- Perfect for organizational structure modeling
- Easy to use
- Effective for Microsoft Office users
- Convenient connectivity to a wide range of data sources
Cons
- Expensive license fees.
- Default shapes are not colorful enough
Gliffy
This app effortlessly gets into this list; an easy-to-use, straightforward flowchart maker and diagramming.
Gliffy is definitely one of the best mind mapping options out there and there are a couple of features that set it apart from other mind mapping tools.
The user interface is one of the cleanest mind mapping UIs I have ever seen, and the colors are just too crisp. Gliffy’s search capabilities are so powerful that every text inputted to the diagram is searchable.
You can use Gliffy made diagrams in the entire Atlassian Ecosystem—make diagrams in Confluence, or add a diagram to a Jira ticket.
Supported Systems
Web.
Plans and Pricing
Gliffy has pricing plans for the online diagramming app and Gliffy’s Atlassian apps.
The online diagramming app’s Professional package starts at $8 per user/month but can go as low as $6 per month if you have 10-50 users. The Enterprise package depends on the size of your company.
Gliffy for Jira and Gliffy for Confluence both start at $10 per month ($3.80 for 11 – 100 Users).
Pros
- Clean UI
- Good-looking flowcharts
- Easy to update and maintain maps
- Integrates with Confluence and Jira
Cons
- Short trial period (only two weeks)
- Focuses on the Atlassian Ecosystem
EdrawMind
EdrawMind, formerly Mindmaster, is a powerful mind mapping software solution and supports a multitude of languages, including English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, and Italian.
EdrawMind also comes with a lot of built-in templates, including radial maps, treemaps, vertical timelines, and bubble maps among others.
I found EdrawMind to contain a lot of convenient accessories such as icons, hyperlinks, the outline tab, and topic summaries.
Once you are done creating your mind maps, you can export them into PDFs, ppt, .docx, and other file formats.
Supported Platforms
EdrawMind is available on all major platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and web).
Plans and Pricing
EdrawMind has 3 paid composite plans. The ‘Individual’ plan costs $59 annually and its lifetime license is $145. The ‘Team and Business’ package costs $79 annually and has a perpetual package, which is a lifetime, at $129. They also offer a Team Enterprise plan that is based on Quotes and a 2-year ‘Education’ package, which costs $79.
Pros
- Has adequate templates.
- A useful project management tool.
- Affordable
Cons
- Has an unappealing dark mode.
Lucidchart
Lucidchart is an incredible collaborative diagramming app for visually organizing and communicating your ideas, systems and processes, and projects.
With Lucidchart, you can easily make diagrams using ready-made templates or starting with blank projects.
Not only does Lucidchart help you in diagramming, but it is also a great tool for data visualization and collaboration with your teams.
So, it’s more than building flowcharts and mockups because Lucidchart offers integrations for a lot of apps, including JIRA, G Suite, Google Drive, Google Docs, Confluence, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Bitium.
Supported Systems
Web.
Plans and Pricing
Lucidchart offers a free plan and three paid plans, namely Individual (Starting at $7.95), Team (Starting at $9.00 per user), and Enterprise (quoted based on your details).
Pros
- Perfect for making attractive and professional-looking organizational charts, presentations, and other illustrations.
- Beginner friendly.
- Offers a variety of integrations.
Cons
- Dragging a couple of objects is tedious.
- Limited free version.
Freeplane
The Freeplane UI is classic and basic, just the tool you need when you want to build simple but effective mind maps.
Freeplane is a great open-source software for mind mapping, the best option for people who want to brainstorm using mind maps without spending a penny.
Although it doesn’t come with a lot of customization features, you can still add embellishments like symbols, icons, and pictures.
You can also add hyperlinks to connect some of the ideas to local files or web pages.
Supported Systems
Freeplane supports Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.
Plans and Pricing
Free.
Pros
- Free!
- Intuitive mind mapping features.
- Natural text editing.
- More features compared to other free tools.
Cons
- Usability needs some improvements.
MindMup
MindMup is a JavaScript-based—and web-based—mind mapping tool.
With MindMup, you can create mind maps just the way you like them; you can nest nodes, expand or collapse them, drag them around, or change your map’s colors.
I found MindMup’s productivity theme to be a good feature, which helps you do more without doing more. It helps you make levels and branches distinguishable and fit more information on a single screen.
You can connect MindMup with your Google Drive and share your mind maps in slack channels. You can also export them for offline use.
But… there’s more!
MindMup for Microsoft Teams makes it easy for teams to collaborate inside their team’s channels.
Supported Systems
Web.
Plans and Pricing
MindMup has a free version and three paid plans: Personal Gold, Team Gold, and Organizational (domain) Gold. Personal Gold costs $2.99 per month and $25 per year; Team Gold costs $50/year for 10 users, $100/year for 100 users, and $150/year for 200 users; and Organizational Gold costs $100/year for a single authentication domain (all users included).
Pros
- Easy to share maps and work collaboratively.
- Simple intuitive UI
- Time-Saving Shortcuts
- Cost-effective tool
Cons
- Less sophisticated than Scapple, XMind, and others.
- No desktop application
Mindomo
I had to find a tool that would help you visualize your thought processes, present concepts, take and record notes, study, brainstorm, and many other tasks.
And all of this has to be done on your mobile phone or your tablet!
Mindomo offers support for all major operating systems, including Windows, OS X, Android, iOS, and Linux.
But it is the fact that it’s on mobile that gives it an extra oomph.
With Mindomo, you can continuously adjust the color themes; change the shape of your maps; add images, notes, and links; and synchronize your mind maps with the cloud and all your devices that have the supported systems.
Supported Systems
Windows, OS X, Android, iOS, and Linux.
Plans and Pricing
Mindomo offers a free version and three other paid plans: Premium, Professional, and Team. The Premium package costs €5.5, the Professional plan costs €13.5, and the Team package costs €16.5
Pros
- A versatile tool for brainstorming, collaboration, and organization.
- Easy to use.
- Can copy and paste whole branches to other mind maps.
- Supports all major operating systems.
Cons
- Mobile app limited compared to Desktop app
MindGenius
MindGenius is a diagramming tool that is also used for project planning by small businesses and other enterprises.
MindGenius combines mind map creation features with project planning features such as Gantt charts, kanban task views, and other basic project reporting features.
As a mind map building tool, MindGenius comes with several features for moving and editing topics, formatting, highlighting, adding images and icons, and other useful features.
This video contains everything you need to know to complete the Biggerplate Certification process using MindGenius, which is a great next step if you want to test and validate your new software skills!
MindGenius has integrations for Microsoft Office, making it easy for you to export project data and mind maps to Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project.
MindGenius also has Twitter, Facebook and Dropbox, One Drive, and Google integrations, which help you effortlessly share your brainstorming documents with others.
Supported Systems
Windows.
Plans and Pricing
MindGenius offers two pricing plans: Perpetual and Subscription. The Perpetual plan costs $256, and the Subscription plan costs $160 in the first year but goes down to $56 annually from the second onwards. They also offer paid updates, and they cost £60 in the first year of the Subscription plan, £42 in year 2 onwards of the Subscription Plan, and £120 for the Perpetual plan.
Pros
- Mind maps can be easily exported to an MS Project.
- Has a user-friendly UI.
- The update options are rip-offs
Cons
- Only available on Windows.
Notable Mentions
There is a bunch of other mind mapping software that can ably rival Scapple out there, but I can’t mention them all, can I now?
Anyway, here are some of the notable mentions:
Final Words on Scapple Alternatives
Focus on the ideas, your thoughts, and the concepts, not the tool you’re using, but there should be criteria for choosing a Scapple-like mind mapping tool.
A good mind mapping tool such as XMind should allow you to revisit and edit your maps, help you with comprehension of complex topics, and have collaborative features.
A mind mapping software tool should also be fairly priced or—for cheapskates like me—completely free!
But if you find a tool that covers all your mind mapping needs, the price shouldn’t really be a problem, especially if you want some professional work done.
