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4 alternatives

4 best open-source alternatives to XMind (2026)

Looking for a free, open-source alternative to XMind? These 4 projects can replace it. Each one passed our quality screening and is explained in plain words, so you can compare stars, license and maintenance at a glance.

How to choose

Decide first whether you want to write mind maps as text or embed an editor in your own product. markmap/markmap turns Markdown into interactive browser mindmaps, with editor and CLI integrations. wanglin2/mind-map and SSShooter/mind-elixir-core are both framework-agnostic JavaScript libraries for editable maps; the former also ships a ready-made Web app built on it.

  • markmapBest for people who already write notes in Markdown and want them rendered as interactive mindmaps in the browser.
  • mind-mapBest for developers who want an MIT-licensed mind map library plus a ready-made Web mind map app built on it.
  • mind-elixir-coreBest for teams embedding interactive, editable mind maps into a web app without tying it to a framework.

Quick comparison

ProjectStarsLicenseLast commit
markmap/markmap★ 13.2KMIT7 hours ago
wanglin2/mind-map★ 12.9KMIT3 months ago
NaoTu/DesktopNaotu★ 5.1KGPL-2.02 months ago
SSShooter/mind-elixir-core★ 3.2KMIT4 days ago

FAQ

Is there a free, open-source alternative to XMind?
Yes. The most popular open-source alternatives to XMind on Repolode are markmap, mind-map, DesktopNaotu.
Which XMind alternative should I choose?
markmap has the most GitHub stars and is released under MIT. Compare the license and last commit of each option in the table above before choosing.

How this list is made: AI reads each project's documentation to match it with products it can replace, every project passes our quality screening, and the list is ranked by GitHub stars. Stars updated Nov 7, 2026. How Repolode works

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