Design and diagrams
Xmind alternatives
2 open-source projects that already do this job. Free to use - not free to run, which is what the numbers on the right are for.
The projects
freeplane/freeplane★4,275 GitHub starsGPL-2.0 licenceDesktop application for creating, editing, and exporting mind maps and outlines.Open on GitHub ↗wanglin2/mind-map★12,568 GitHub starsMIT licenceWeb-based interactive mind mapping app with node editing and visual layout features.Open on GitHub ↗
What you give up either way
- Built-in AI copilot credits and integrated AI features (text-to-map, summarize, refine).
- Enterprise-grade certifications and compliance guarantees.
- Polished multi-user real-time collaboration and follow-view features.
- Cross-platform native desktop/mobile apps and offline local-file sync.
- Large template library, history/versioning depth, and branded UX polish.
An open-source project doing the core job proves a replacement is possible. It does not prove it matches Xmind, and it does not prove anyone has run it for a month. How we decide.