Brainstorming Software: 10 Software to Boost Creativity
Ideas and creativity are essential to move forward, develop, and increase your business, but also to improve your work and be more productive on a project.
Companies are always looking for new ideas. They like to encourage their employees to think about specific topics so that they can develop ingenious ideas to increase turnover and expand into new markets.
Undeniably, brainstorming is one of the best ways to generate ideas. Moreover, the idea could come from a Dutch proverb that says that “there are more ideas in two heads than in one”. A quick reminder, according to LInternaute.fr, brainstorming is “a meeting where we collectively look for original ideas”.
The best brainstorming apps
- Bubbl.us
- XMind
- Coggle
- WiseMapping
- MindMeister
- LucidChart
- IdeaFlip
- Popplet
- Mindjet
- Mind42
To facilitate the organization and success of your brainstormings, especially when your employees do not all work on the same site, discover 8 practical and collaborative tools to help you boost the creativity of your teams, facilitate the sharing of ideas, and deal effectively with the various exchanges.
Bubbl.us
Here is a software from Mind mapping simple and effective for your brainstormings. A mind map or mind map in French is a graphic representation of your ideas. This application focuses only on creating mind maps. The advantage of Bubbl.us is that it does not require any download and can be used from any device connected to the Internet.
Bubbl.us offers two plans: one free offering up to three mind maps and basic functions, and the other Premium for around €4.30 ($4.91) per month which offers more options such as real-time collaboration. You can try this tool in Premium for free for 30 days.
XMind
XMind is a professional brainstorming and mind mapping software, considered to be one of the most popular. It has already won over numerous customers, including companies such as Continental, Barclays or Generali.
XMind allows you to clarify your thoughts and helps you organize, evaluate, and connect your ideas in order to better manage and structure them. This online software has several options such as converting your mind maps into a Gantt chart or exporting them to Office or PDF. Your brainstormings are more effective and the presentation of your ideas and projects is done in just a few clicks.
Several pricing options are available on their website:
- XMind ZEN starting at €1.10 ($1.24) per month depending on the version chosen (for desktop, mobile or both),
- XMind 8 Pro for €115 ($129).
Coggle
This online software allows you to easily share complex information. Nothing to download or install, you can start creating right away. You can easily visualize your ideas, share them with as many people as you want and thanks to real-time collaboration, all the changes made appear live.
Coggle offers three formulas:
- Free: free and ideal for occasional use;
- Awesome: offering advanced options for €4.40 ($5) per month;
- Organization: ideal for professional teams for €7 ($8) per month.
WiseMapping
Here is a online mind mapping software and completely free that works perfectly for individual work as well as for teamwork. If you care about the security of your data, it is possible to download WiseMapping directly on your server.
You can also donate to help the software improve, fund options, or request adaptations.
MindMeister
This web-based mind mapping software allows you to think, take notes, turn ideas into tasks, and start a project. You can create maps according to a defined structure and collaborate from anywhere using mobile applications.
Use of the tool MindMeister remains free for up to 3 mind maps. Beyond that, the rates range from €4.99 to €12.49 per month and offer more features.
LucidChart
With LucidChart, you can easily create your organization charts and diagrams online. Chat live with your collaborators, leave comments, integrate your documents into all types of online media (blog, website, wiki, etc.) and make changes in real time. Integrations are possible with Jira, Confluence, G Suite or Dropbox.
Google, Amazon and Netflix have already adopted this collaborative and intuitive solution that is an excellent tool for brainstorming, but not only that.
On their website, rates start at €4.95 per month for basic, individual use and €20 per month for a team of three people and more advanced options.
IdeaFlip
No more boring and counterproductive meetings. IdeaFlip is an online, simple and collaborative application for brainstorming. It allows everyone on your team to share their thoughts and ideas, and to clarify and refine them at any time, regardless of where they are and what medium they are using.
On the price side, count around €8 per month for a Basic package, ideal for individual work or small teams and from €130 for businesses. IdeaFlip can be tried free for 14 days.
Popplet
Capture and organize your ideas in a few clicks thanks to Popplet. Created for iPad and for the web, this online brainstorming application is as well used in the school environment by professors and students as in the professional environment.
Popplet is very visual with the addition of images and colors in maps and flowcharts. The app costs €4.40 ($4.99).
Mindjet
Editor of the Mindmanager solution, Mindjet allows you to brainstorm ideas based on predefined templates (project, chronology, strategy, etc.). Its simple and intuitive interface offers all the functionalities to capture, evaluate, organize ideas and share knowledge.
Prices start at €349 on Windows and €179 on Mac for a perpetual license. You can buy online or contact the reseller partners of this tool. You have the option to try this tool for 30 days.
Mind42
Free, fast and simple, here are the three adjectives used to qualify Mind42 (pronounced Mind For Two or one spirit for two in French). This online brainstorming application offers basic but effective features. Certainly not very aesthetic, this collaborative mind mapping tool will seduce you with its simplicity. It allows you to write down your ideas, organize them and improve them, whether you work alone or in a team.
Is your brainstorming session over and your team full of ideas? It's time to turn your ideas into concrete projects. To do this, gather these ideas and bring them to life with the help of a online project management software such as Wimi. This management solution is the essential complement (or even a substitute) to brainstorming software. It will allow your users to collaborate around projects in optimal conditions of productivity.
Finally, remember this quote from Steve Jobs: “Great achievements are always preceded by big ideas.”
