FREE TOOLS

Freeplane: free open source mind mapping software

By AiCoN | Published 20 October 2026 | Sources checked 20 October 2026

Freeplane is a mind mapping program. Its documentation says it is free and open source and runs on any system with Java.

Official app screenshot

A Freeplane mind map with linked notes and images, from the project's official documentation site. Image supplied by the project, not an AiCoN hands-on test. Open original 1280 × 720 image. Source: official documentation. Media checked 23 October 2026. Independent guide, not sponsored.

What it is

Freeplane is a desktop program for mind mapping. Its documentation calls it "a free and open source software application that supports thinking, sharing information, getting things done at work, in school and at home". You build a map of ideas as connected nodes. It is a desktop program, not a phone app, and it is not an AI chatbot.

Is it free?

Yes, per its documentation: "free and open source software". GitHub lists the licence as GPL-2.0. We saw no price and no sign-in step on the pages we read. The docs point to SourceForge for the download.

What the docs say

It provides "tools for mind mapping (also known as concept mapping or information mapping) and navigating the mapped information".
The docs say it is "a more robust alternative to Xmind, Mindmeister, and similar mind mapping software". That is the vendor's own comparison, and we did not test it.
It is "written in Java" and "runs on any operating system that has a current version of Java installed". The docs have a guide to distributions and Java runtimes, which we did not read in full.
The user guide has sections on first steps, hot keys, bookmarks, links between nodes, styles and templates.
The docs also list an "AI integration" section. We did not read it, and we make no claim on how it works or whether it costs anything.

Our advice

Good for planning a project, revising a subject or sorting your thoughts before you write.
Download it only through the links on freeplane.org, and read the Java note in the distributions guide before you install.

Privacy and data

We read no privacy statement. We make no claim on what data it collects, including through the AI integration section. Maps are files, but we did not check where it saves them.

India

No region limit appears on the pages we read. We did not test it from India. There is no price to convert.

Source code

The GitHub project freeplane/freeplane is under GPL-2.0, per its GitHub page.

AiCoN checkRead the Freeplane documentation home page and the GitHub page on 20 October 2026. We did not install or run it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Freeplane free?

Yes. Its docs call it free and open source software.

Does it need Java?

The docs say it runs on any operating system with a current Java installed.

Is it a phone app?

No. The docs describe a desktop program.

Sources: Freeplane documentation, GitHub. Checked 20 October 2026.

Independent guide, not affiliated.

Scoped recheck 23 October 2026: documentation home page and GitHub repository re-read. The 'free and open source software application' description, the 'more robust alternative to Xmind' comparison and the Java requirement are unchanged; GitHub still lists the GPL-2.0 licence and the latest release is 1.13.3 (July 2026). Links checked.