FreeMind
FreeMind is a free, open-source mind-mapping application used by students, project managers, researchers and educators to create, visualise and organise hierarchical diagrams, brainstorms and concept maps. It supports customisable node formatting, images, links, icons, and export to multiple formats including HTML, PDF and image files. FreeMind runs on Java and stores maps in its native .mm format, which can be opened by other mind-mapping tools.
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1 suggestionFreeMind version 1.0.1 is built exclusively for Intel processors and has not been updated to support Apple Silicon. The project's development has effectively stalled — there have been no releases for several years. With Apple removing Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (September 2028), FreeMind will stop running entirely on that release. If you use FreeMind regularly, you should plan to migrate to an alternative mind-mapping tool that actively ships native Apple Silicon builds. Excellent options include Miro (free tier available, web and native Mac app), MindNode (Mac App Store, native since 2019), Coggle (browser-based, no installation needed), or OmniGraffle (Mac App Store, native since 2020) for more advanced diagramming. All of these are actively maintained and will continue to work on macOS 28 and beyond. Export your FreeMind maps in a standard format (PNG, PDF, or SVG) now to ensure you can open them in your replacement tool once you transition.
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