The 5 Best Brainstorming Tools For Startups
Gone are the days when a notebook and a pen were the only tools needed to brainstorm on an idea. The teams are spread worldwide and there's more than just text to note down.
This is where these brainstorming and mindmapping tools come to play. Here's a list of the 5 best brainstorming tools which you can use to brainstorm and create mind maps, time maps, organisation maps, etc. and collaborate with your team irrespective of the place or device they are on.
MindMeister
With over 7 million users, Mindmeister is the best mindmapping tool that lets you capture, develop and share ideas visually. The online web-app has a sleek design and an easier to use interface which lets you perform lots of creative tasks like brainstorming, note taking, and project planning, etc. Moreover, it lets you see a full history of changes, export to various file format and to various services like Dropbox, Google drive, etc. and embed maps on your website or blogs.
The application also lets you present your ideas on TV using the iPhone and iPad applications.
Pricing -
Mindmeister is a freemium tool which lets you create up to 3 mind maps, collaborate in real-time, and get community support in the free plan, while the export, print, custom styles, stats, attachments, and priority support is provided only in the premium plans.
Coggle
Coggle is one of the simplest tools for creating and sharing mindmaps and flow charts. It works directly in the browser and doesn’t require you to download a separate software. It is a freemium application which lets you take structured notes during brainstorming and collaborate and chat with your team members in real time.
Because of these features, Coggle best suits remote teams who have just launched a startup and don’t have much money to spare on big software.
Pricing -
The free version of this brainstorming tool lets you create 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams, over 1600 beautiful icons, full change history and an array of export formats.
Curator
Though not designed solely for brainstorming, Curator is a great visual tool to organise, collect, and present your ideas. It helps you to organise your thoughts visually, refine your visual storytelling, collect inspiration, create mood boards, create presentations, and collaborate.
You can export the visual ideas in PDF format or share them directly in the app or through projector.
Pricing -
The application is only available for iPhone and iPad and comes with a free and two paid plans. Free users get all the basic features and 1GB storage space while the premium users get bigger boards, team options, high resolution PDF export feature and unlimited storage space.
Scapple
Scapple is a perfect tool if you’re brainstorming on the marketing copy or content ideas. It gives you easy options to stack ideas, create lists, connect images with the content, and format content.
This brainstorming tool is heavy on text and shapes and uses a very simple interface. You can export the notes as images, text or PDFs or can drag your notes into Scrivener which is a go-to-app for writers.
Pricing -
Scapple is a premium brainstorming tools which comes with a 30 day trial period. Scapple can be bought by students and academics at $12 and by everyone else at $14.99.
iMindMap
iMindMap is a perfect choice if you’re looking for a tool which lets you brainstorm as well as plan the projects. It takes a step ahead of usual brainstorming tools and lets you visualize and understand data better by using brainstorm view, Mind Maps view, Radial Maps view, organisational chart view, time map view, and fast capture view. IMindMap also has a special presentation view which lets you present your ideas better than just through slideshows.
Pricing -
iMindMap is a premium software starting at $100. You can opt for the free trial before purchasing the actual product.
