Mind42. Free and collaborative mindmapping tool

Last updated on 12 May 2026

Mind42 is a free tool that can be used online and Create mindmaps or mind maps alone or with others in collaborative mode.

Mind42 is a serious solution to start creating and using mindmapping alone, with his colleagues or with his students. Mind42’s aesthetics are not the most playful or modern, but the essential functions of such tools are there.

Mind42 allows you to create, but also to distribute your cards. These can be exported in various useful formats, but they can also be hosted on the platform by default. The homepage of the site also offers the latest user creations that can serve as inspiration.

The editor of Mind42 goes to the essentials, the rendering is quite austere and without frills. The lines of the links are straight lines and only straight lines with slightly pale colors. The icons provided by the platform are not very numerous, but the integration is done with a single click. You can embed images, but they need to be online for you to use and insert its URL in Mind42, which is rather impractical.

Beyond these small details, the ergonomics remain satisfactory. A branch is added via the + sign at the bottom of the subject. Move them by dragging and dropping. Zoom function and global view make it possible to navigate quite efficiently by moving from a detail to a global view simply. Mind42 allows you to create rich notes and insert multimedia add-ons via links.

If you regularly use Mind42, you will gradually learn to use any a series of keyboard shortcuts to go even faster in your creative work.

Real added value of this mindmapping tool, the possibility to create and edit a mind map in collaborative mode and in real time. This is done through an email invitation system. When working in a group, an icon with the name of each participant indicates who is online and who is active.

Also very convenient is the possibility to view the different versions of the same card over time. Mind42 automatically saves all changes to your mindmap. You can then, via a menu at the bottom of the screen, view the intermediate versions and go back in time.

In the end, a serious and comprehensive tool that does not lack assets. Taking charge requires learning time, but nothing is discouraging. Mind42 is free with advertising. You can get rid of it for a few euros a year.

Link: Mind42