MindManager vs. Whimsical

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MindManager
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
MindManager is a mind mapping and project management tool that aims to boost users’ productivity. It is designed to facilitate a wide range of project types, and includes cross-platform functionality and 3rd party integrations.
$105
per year
Whimsical
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Whimsical is a visual workspace application from the company of the same name in Denver, allowing users to create collaborative wireframes, mindmaps, flowcharts, and sticky notes.
$12
per month per editor
Pricing
MindManagerWhimsical
Editions & Modules
MindManager for Microsoft Teams
$105
per year
Annual Subscription
$179
per year
Organizations
Contact sales team
Pro
$12
per month per editor
Business
$18
per month per editor
Enterprise
$240
per year per editor
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MindManagerWhimsical
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details17% discount for annual billing on Pro and Business plans.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MindManagerWhimsical
Considered Both Products
MindManager
Chose MindManager
GitMind not only has various templates in its library but also lets users work online.
Chose MindManager
MindManager has helped me structure and visualize complex product development workflows more effectively. I’ve mapped out processes, linked documents and data, and tracked tasks across teams. For example, visualizing feedback loops improved collaboration, while task integration …
Chose MindManager
Previously we used and loved Microsoft Visio, but the product has not improved much. The subscription pricing also increased so Visio is only licensed to users who need it. Everybody else now uses MindManager.
Chose MindManager
They do not belong.

Non pertinent
Chose MindManager
Integrates with Microsoft Office suite, network infrastructure, and web links. Remains efficient even after adding multiple links.

Intégration avec la suite Office de Microsoft et les infrastructures réseaux et lien web. Reste performant même après l'ajout de plusieurs liens.
Chose MindManager
MindManager succeeded in every aspect, there is no real comparison possible. The sum of features that can be used with the MindManager is not available in any other product on the market. Based on that and on the continuous improvement of the MindManager there can not really be …
Chose MindManager
Particularly in the area of development and joint collaboration with other customers, this enables us to show, explain and develop content directly to teams, for example. The advantage over other products. It is simply a great simplification in the context of collaboration with …
Chose MindManager
MindManager stands out for its wide range of export options, customization and how they have enriched the format over time. As a constantly evolving tool, and having tried others, I consider it superior for the abovementioned reasons. Its cross-platform nature has been …
Chose MindManager
I have known and followed MindManager developments since 2000 and maintain my knowledge base. I even used it to create my wheel of life based on the Indian model and would also like to use the MM in a VR version. No tool offers comparable holistic functions - as well as - 25 …
Chose MindManager
I used Freemind before. At home I use SimpleMind Pro. Both are not listed in your drop-down. MindManager is the most sophisticated tool I've been working with so far, but the most expensive one, as well.
Chose MindManager
The primary reason for the switch was that I needed a lighter, no-frills tool. I saved big time on the licensing cost. A major need was the cross-OS platform, and this tool works irrespective of MacOS and Windows. I could not have found a better tool. Lucidchart is the next …
Chose MindManager
The choice missing in the above is Lucidchart and Lucispark.
These are powerful tools to brainstorm and map processes. We consider that MindManager is much better for brainstorming and strategic planning.
Lucidspark would easily get cluttered and disorganized.
Chose MindManager
MindManager covers all our needs (information management, brainstorming and planning, project management, sharing and collaboration) in one tool, and we do not have to jump back and forth between different applications. It's a very flexible tool that can be customized to your …
Chose MindManager
- the feature which are relevant for the majority of users are available in MindManager, and these feature can be learned easily and quickly; the alternative tools are more powerful (but have a lot of feature the standard user does not need) and are more expensive and difficult …
Chose MindManager
integration, drag and drop and many other features are not supported by XMind
Chose MindManager
We opted for MindManager many years ago. The main reasons are the product's stability, continuous development, general range of functions, and export options, especially for Office.
Chose MindManager
The continuity in the product maintenance of MindManager and the options offered by the API for add-ins, direct COM access and the use of macros are decisive for us. This allows us to automate business processes without being bound and limited in a universe of a specific …
Chose MindManager
As starte in 2010 as an "early adopter" a lot of experience with MindManager has been gained over time. MindManager is in use as a "working horse" in my environment. While MindManager has pretty well managed to further develop the technology and to adapt with fast changing IT …
Chose MindManager
I used to use AYOA, and I really like the beauty and uniqueness of the maps. However, it does not have the comprehensiveness of MM.
Chose MindManager
I have used a few others in the past (not listed in your product search, such as Freemind). I don't recall all of the Mind Mapping products I've tried, but MindManager definitely felt the most complete as a product and had a much more professional feel.
Chose MindManager
Much more efficient and professional.
Whimsical
Chose Whimsical
Clickup's mind mapping tool was very basic and hard to use from my perspective. Whimsical was by far easier and did what I wanted for a SaaS/cloud-based mind mapping tool. Xmind is fine as a desktop app, but updating the app was a pain whereas, with Whimsical I don't have to …
Chose Whimsical
Miro has a slight edge in UI but Whimsical is not far behind.
Chose Whimsical
Whimsical is so much easier and has a better interface, so I think it's more suited to our workflow if compared to other tools like Google Charts. I really love this tool and I'm looking to learn and use it even more, as it helps us optimize our time, planning, and delivering …
Chose Whimsical
Whimsical is much easier to learn than Lucidchart. We had coworkers up and running on Whimsical with little to no training. It's intuitive and just makes sense and it never freezes or times out, unlike some other tools we've used in the past. The monthly cost is also …
Chose Whimsical
I like the wireframing/web mockups a little better in Whimsical. I still do use Miro for some other uses (simple sprints/onboarding exercises).
Chose Whimsical
Whimsical nails early stage project exploration. Whether it’s mapping, wire-framing, or simply whiteboard collaboration, Whimsical provide a flexible toolset that puts you and your team in the correct mindset to explore ideas without feeling committed to a specific direction. …
Chose Whimsical
I've tried a few different services similar to Whimsical, and like the simplicity of Whimsical - as it's very easy to learn how to use and begin creating. The price is also better than a lot of competitors. There are quite a few options for creating wireframes, flowcharts and …
Chose Whimsical
Whimsical has a flexible interface and a more cost-friendly plan than Lucidchart. Whimsical allows you all the room to create whatever comes to mind in one space, whereas with other products, you have to create a separate document to use the different functions. Other apps like …
Chose Whimsical
Whimsical is simpler and easier to use than InVision. Not as many design capabilities, but much better interface.
Features
MindManagerWhimsical
Mind Mapping
Comparison of Mind Mapping features of Product A and Product B
MindManager
7.5
Ratings
0% above category average
Whimsical
-
Ratings
Cross-Platform Compatibility7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Templates7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Import and Export Options7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Real-time Collaboration Tools6.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Drag-and-Drop Capabilities9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Notes and Attachments7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Color and Style Customization7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Presentation Mode7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Task Management6.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Mind Map Revision History6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MindManagerWhimsical
Small Businesses
Whimsical
Whimsical
Score 9.3 out of 10
Canva
Canva
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Whimsical
Whimsical
Score 9.3 out of 10
Canva
Canva
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Whimsical
Whimsical
Score 9.3 out of 10
Miro
Miro
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MindManagerWhimsical
Likelihood to Recommend
7.8
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(0 ratings)
5.7
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MindManagerWhimsical
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well suited for a quick prototype of product/development planning to show relationships amongst the APIs used. This helps developers understand the impact of the product changes and identifies the need to update integration components to avoid erroneous deployments. I have not personally experienced a less appropriate scenario at the moment.
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It's extremely well-suited for rapid wire-framing of concepts, as product teams can quickly collaborate on any idea and create a visual blueprint of it. Whimsical could provide more intuitive feature prioritization templates. The current templates lack the necessary detail and could be further enhanced from a UI/UX standpoint.
Read full review
Pros
  • Mapping content, user flows and customer journeys.
  • It enables us to rapidly reconfigure maps in MindManager to inform new information architectures, navigational systems, and content strategies.
  • Connect User Research and analytics precisely to screens.
  • Dissect flows and screens into their component parts and research them.
Read full review
  • Simple to use
  • Tons of uses
  • Can be customized with themeing
  • Can organize all your boards pretty much however you want
Read full review
Cons
  • There should be some more functionality in the Notes window, such as a "Paste Special " Icon in the notes area to maintain format control.
  • Although I create many of my own Web export templates, an add-on for web export design would be great, as I regularly create Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETP) in HTML export format.
  • The ability to sync Map shortcuts between devices would also be welcome. I use MM on three devices, and I have to add or amend the Map list individually. My maps are on OneDrive, so using them should not be that hard if they are cloud-based.
Read full review
  • It can be a little frustrating trying to line things up exactly right but that's probably more user error than anything
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
I feel the main issues of the old Mindjet seem to be gone with the
Corel purchase. With the huge advance of sharing via browser HTML even 1
user can affect many. And, actually, using MM kind of forced my rigid
brain to rethink how I categorize and classify information/projects.
The
idea of paying $69USD for an annual cost is more than fair and a great
model for Corel/Mindjet to keep rolling out improvements!
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
MindManager is very intuitive. The user interface is not cluttered and the ribbon icons are easy to understand. Several excellent "how-to" videos are available on the MindManager site as well as on YouTube. MindManager starts quickly and the user interface is very responsive. Launching other programs from MindManager such as Excel is very fast and issue free. The browsing feature is lightning fast. The drag-and-drop capability is also very fast and reliable.
Read full review
Whimsical is overall very easy to learn and remember. One issue with the usability occurs when you attempt to move connected boxes around the workspace. Frequently connections break or do not add easily, causing further disconnects. You can manually fix these issues, but it's a oprobem that seems would have an easy fix
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Reliability and Availability
We have had no issues with the application's availability
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
The application is quick and responsive. We are able to produce mindmaps and reports with ease. The program is not complicated at all and integrates well with software and programs like Microsoft Outlook and Teams, which we truly appreciate.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
I have called technical support a few times. During the COVID Crisis, I called a few times repeatedly due to a rush request. The technical support guy called me back in minutes. He somehow knew that I had called repeatedly and wanted to make sure my issue was resolved immediately
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I reached out to support, as I was interested in possibly investing in the organization, and they quickly and happily informed me they are a bootstrap organization and do not take on investors at this time. The swift response and information readily available for my consumption was extremely helpful and shows how solid the team behind it is.
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Online Training
There is a wide range of online training through webinars led by expert users. They are particularly useful for explaining how to use new features and using MindManager 'in the real world' for projects, tasks etc.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
better backup and exporting functions
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
MindManager stands out for its wide range of export options, customization and how they have enriched the format over time. As a constantly evolving tool, and having tried others, I consider it superior for the abovementioned reasons. Its cross-platform nature has been decisive, and although there are many alternatives in the form of web applications or the like, MindManager presents itself as a more complete and robust option.
Read full review
ClickUp's mind mapping tool was very basic and hard to use from my perspective. Whimsical was by far easier and did what I wanted for a SaaS/cloud-based mind mapping tool. Xmind is fine as a desktop app, but updating the app was a pain whereas, with Whimsical I don't have to worry about that. Also, I wanted to continue working on a mind map wherever I was, even if I didn't have my laptop or device with me and Whimsical allows me to do that.
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Scalability
A team can collaborate on the same project but cannot create a shared project file. It would be helpful for that feature to be added.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • MindManager allowed me to impress my audience by presenting complex cyber-security and information security concepts in a different and straightforward way. It meant income as instructor since I got the same diploma engagement three times in a row with the Mexico City government.
  • In March 2021, the CEO of GSB Solutions, a former employer, invited me to design an innovation program for the company. I used MindManager to create the program, explain the concepts, and the implementation plan. All in one mind map. After presenting it to the CEO, I was promoted from Operations Coordinator —a part-time position— to Innovation Manager —a full-time position— earning four times my initial salary. The same mind map served to visually manage the program for 18 months.
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  • We've been using free version, so it's a no brainer.
  • As it helps us focus on the information organization process, we don't lose time redoing work due to the lack of planning before doing design or code.
  • We can collaborate on the same project, so it's easier to get things done as we're working from home as well.
Read full review
ScreenShots

MindManager Screenshots

Screenshot of MindmapScreenshot of Reverse BrainstormingScreenshot of MindManager for Microsoft TeamsScreenshot of MindManager SnapScreenshot of MindManager GoScreenshot of Mind Maps in MindManager