Freeplane is a free and open source application for organising, visualising and sharing information.
Jim Feist is the recognized leader in the sports information and sports gaming industry. For more than 30 years his acclaim has become unparalleled, with numerous wins in prestigious handicapping contests. For example, on this page you can see XMind’s overall score of 8.6 and compare it against Freeplane’s score of 7.5; or XMind’s user satisfaction level at 97% versus Freeplane’s 93% satisfaction score. The assessment will allow you to see the pros and cons of each application, and decide which one suits you requirements better. Freeplane is one of the best free open-source mind-mapping software. It is also cross-platform compatible, so you can use it in Windows, macOS or Linux. Let’s see how you can use Freeplane to create mind maps. Freeplane – Key Mappings: A quick reference to print out and keep nearby. Physical Styles and Node Formatting F Keys Node Formatting Functions/Styles ShortcutFunction Shortcut Function Shortcut Style Shortcut Documentation F1 Shift+F1 Ctrl+F1 Italicise Ctrl+I Edit Node F2 No Filter Shift+F2 Select Icon Ctrl+F2 Embolden Ctrl+B.
The program is a redesigned version of FreeMind, and can similarly be used to create mindmaps, although with more features and functionality.
You can use Freeplane to build regular, static mindmaps, simple charts and diagrams which structure information. At its simplest you just press Ins to add a node; customise it, with an image, text, or icon; repeat the process to add other nodes, then link and organise them as you like.
Freeplane goes further, though. This starts with smart tools to help you build better maps. So for instance conditional styling allows the program to automatically give nodes your preferred look and feel according to their hierarchical level in the map, as well as their content.
That content can be very active. You can hide information within a node, present it on demand or automatically, organise it in folding branches, and use hyperlinks everywhere to help users navigate.
Built-in calendar and reminder tools are useful for time and project management.
Freeplane Tutorial
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There's DES encryption of individual nodes or the entire map.
The program can be extended with scripts and some interesting addons.
Freeplane Mind Map
And once you've finished, the map can be shared as an image, an HTML page, via Flash and more. (In theory, anyway: from what we saw, the exported maps didn't always bear much relation to the original.)
Verdict:
Wisemapping
Freeplane is a capable mind mapping tool. The interface is occasionally quirky, though, and there's a lot to learn, so be prepared to invest quite some time before you're producing anything useful.
Freeplane Markdown
When creating your diagrams you'll have a multitude of possibilities: quick links between concepts, the creation of new nodules, inserting images and icons, different views (cloud-shaped, classic diagram, etc.) and dozens of formatting options.
Within each of the ideas or tasks you create on the diagram, you'll be able to write a more extensive document on which, thanks to an integrated word processor, you'll be able to write down anything related to that point. This way, you’ll be able to create an apparently small diagram that’s actually loaded with content.
Freeplane is a tool that opens up many possibilities for creating diagrams, although its not-so-pretty interface makes it a little difficult at first.