In this edition of the Living In The Clouds Series, I am going to talk about my favorite Mind Mapping tool, Mindmeister. The timing of the post is special because Mindmeister released an awesome iPhone application recently. There are many desktop mind mapping tools but there are not many SaaS versions. Of the few SaaS apps in this category, Mindmeister stands out with its striking features and a great stylish user interface (now, I should add the awesome iPhone app too).
This app, coming out of Germany, is one of the best SaaS application I have ever come across. The user interface is as rich as the traditional desktop applications and the service has been reliable in my experience. It is the ultimate way to collaborate while mapping out a strategy.
As it is customary in this series, I will add a video of the app below
As I usually do in this series, I will list out the pros and cons from my point of view.
Pros:
- Rich and stylish user interface. Everything about their interface is great and the preview option stands out even more
- Love the fact that I can import from and export to Freemind, the open source mind mapping tool. PDF export is very handy too
- If you are one of those highly efficient user who uses keyboard shortcuts, you would love their keyboard shortcuts too. Saves quite a bit of time while playing around with the map
- iPhone app, iPhone app, iPhone app,……… Well, I was a free user earlier but I subscribed to their premium account the moment I checked out their iPhone app. The app is a bit on the high end (well, 7 bucks) compared to most of the apps in the app store but it is worth more than the amount. An awesome app for a great product. It is possible to use the iPhone app even without an online account
- For me, personally, the ability to attach files to the map is very useful
- iPhone app has local storage as well as online sync. The local storage is going to be very handy
Cons:
- There is no monthly payment option. You have to pre-pay for a year. In my opinion, it doesn’t fit the Cloud’s pay as you go mantra
- If you are a free user and don’t use it for some period of time, you run the risk of getting your account suspended. however, they do notify you in advance and give a chance to login and make the account active
- They could give the iPhone app free for premium account holders
