Most Popular Mind Mapping Tool: Xmind

Source: http://lifehacker.com/most-popular-mind-mapping-tool-xmind-477809585

Mind mapping is a great way to brainstorm and organize your thoughts. With the right tool, you can save your map for later or share it with others to help you. Last week we asked you which tool you thought was the best, and then we highlighted the five best mind mapping tools. Now we're back to feature the winner.

XMind, the cross-platform, open-source mind-mapping app, took the top spot with just over 32% of the overall vote. Those of you who voted for it praised the fact that it's survived the test of time well, works the same on OS X as it does on Windows as it does in Linux, and, of course, the price tag for individual users doesn't hurt either.

Right behind it in second place with 25% of the votes cast was Freemind (and its successor, Freeplane), another completely free and cross platform mind mapping tool, that this time runs in Java and is GNU GPL licensed. In third place was Mindjet, bringing in 17% of the vote even though the app is largely aimed towards large organizations and is built to be a fully-featured brainstorming, task management, and project management suite. With 14% of the vote, MindNode came in fourth, offering touch-capable mind mapping for the iPad and elegant brainstorming on the Mac. Finally, bringing up the rear with 11% of the overall vote was Coggle, the free, easy-to-use, and richly featured webapp that brings mind mapping off of the desktop and to the masses.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!