Opinionated list of tools to keep and organize ideas

September 26, 2015

There are a lot of tools out there, mind maps, notes taking apps, list managers or some uncategorized solutions

I will start with the most common and popular tools and will add some rare apps to the mix in the end.

Evernote

evernote_web

Is the first thing that usually comes to mind when talking about notes taking app. Great application, available on different devices, sync all your content from everywhere to everywhere. If you want to organize things, you need some discipline to keep things in the proper folders and use tags if you want to implement a more sophisticated system. Has support for audio records, some kind for drawing system on the phone. Browser plugin can be handy as well to save things you may find on the internet

Workflowy

workflowy

Very unique list manager. Simple design and interface, but at the same time very powerful if used properly. Allows to hide complexity or regular notes by using a hierarchy.

Mindmeister

mindmeister

Probably the best online mind mapping tool out there. One of those that have better design (but not an apple quality type) and it's built with relatively modern technologies (no flash).

Lucidchart

lucidchart

Online solution to make all kinds of diagrams. Similar to MS Visio, but works in browser on any platform.

Pocket

pocket

Read it later solution, it also works better than regular links managers.

Wunderlist

wunderlist

Very good looking task manager. Was recently sold to Microsoft, so be expected to see it soon included with the next version of Windows.

Simple Mind

simplemind

The best Android mind mapping app that I could find so far.

bubbl.us

bubblus

Mind mapping (and or concept mapping) online app. Has a unique design, but was built with flash and can become slow if the map is getting too big.

Prezi

prezi

Presentation software, very different from anything out there.

The Brain

thebrain

Very unique approach of storing and navigation information or to be more specific - thoughts. It's not a mind map, it's more like a group of ideas. It is mostly a desktop app (for different platforms), but the interface is not so easy and somewhat ugly.

Checkvist

checkvist

One of the best text outliners.

Creately

creately

Very sophisticated diagram builder, has a lot of functionality, maybe too much. Looks like a popular solution in the corporate world.

Blank Canvas

blankcanvas

New and interesting solution, mostly focused on sticky notes placed on different canvases. Can be a great tool for brainstorming sessions and sticky notes lovers.

Mindmup

mindmup

Mind mapping online app with some unique features, like an attempt to connect mind map and spreadsheets, where you can assign numbers to different nodes and run calculation number

Other mind mapping apps

mind42.com - simple and free, maybe too simple. mindomo.com - powerful, but very complicated. mindnode.com - only for Apple devices, loved by some

Promising but not really there yet

Mohiomap

moh

a way to visualize all the information stored in the cloud; good idea, ugly implementation

This list is not complete

Some of the apps I didn't include on purpose, especially those that are not much different from what was listed. Let me know about "good" tools that I missed.

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