Software Alternatives & Reviews

Pencil Project VS FreeMind

Compare Pencil Project VS FreeMind and see what are their differences

Pencil Project logo Pencil Project

Single-user mockup / wireframing / diagramming tool

FreeMind logo FreeMind

FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java.
  • Pencil Project Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • FreeMind Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

Pencil Project videos

Pencil Project | Free UI Mockup Design Software

More videos:

  • Demo - Wireframing with Pencil Project Demo

FreeMind videos

Introduction to how to use Freemind (Free Mindmap Software)

More videos:

  • Review - Freemind Review Mind Mapping Software - Visual Mapping Review Series 2013

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pencil Project and FreeMind)
Diagrams
100 100%
0% 0
Brainstorming And Ideation
Flowcharts
100 100%
0% 0
Idea Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pencil Project and FreeMind

Pencil Project Reviews

10 Best Visio Alternatives for Cost Effective Diagramming [2022]
Pencil Project is one of the best Visio alternatives which is open-source GUI prototyping software suitable for developers to create mockups, flow charts, floor designs, etc. It has a rich set of shapes and designed collections that make it easier to draw.

FreeMind Reviews

Best Mind Mapping Software For Classrooms and Learning
FreeMind is an open source mind mapping software written in Java that supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. Students and business people use it to brainstorm ideas; when writing essays; to keep track of projects; to manage information; to create knowledgebase notes; and for gathering and bookmarking internet research data.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pencil Project should be more popular than FreeMind. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pencil Project mentions (11)

  • Uizard: Figma alternative with low learning curve
    I am a software developer, so doing UX is never my strength. From time to time though, I would resort to using the open source tool Pencil (https://pencil.evolus.vn/) to get a low fidelity mock-up. Lately I've been encountering bugs where images would come out broken when I re-open my wireframe in Pencil. Frustrated of the issue on Pencil, I tried out uizard yesterday, and have been really happy with it. It's... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Quick UI-design tool for mockups?
    Thanks for your replies. I checked some of them out, but I found one on my own that fits me perfectly: Pencil. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Best practice to draw/describe UIs in plain text?
    I wouldn't use text to illustrate a GUI. We use Pencil with the crayon-styled stencils to make quick mockups. The crayon styling makes it clear that they're just mockups so people don't poke at the style aspects of the design. We've gotten great feedback from our clients that these are effective illustrations too. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Simple tool for network documentation?
    I use MS Visio at work and Pencil (free) at home. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • A blog web design with Inkscape, what do you think about it?
    Thank you ! Of the ones I have tested, the only one that really works is Pencil, unfortunately, it lacks a lot of functionalities, and it is still far from being as practical as Figma, adobe xd etc. I think Inkscape is much more practical and powerful, but maybe it's just because I'm used to it :). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

FreeMind mentions (3)

  • Looking for node/link (mind mapping?) software for Linux.
    Freemind and Freeplane are two mind mapping applications that have been around for years. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Are you using somekind mindmap software?
    Download: https://sourceforge.net/projects/freemind/. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • what is this organization system called, like what factorio uses, to organize interconnected tasks with prerequisits.
    Some others you might be interested in are yEd, or Freemind or other mind-mapping software. Possibly see whether BPMN is relevant. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pencil Project and FreeMind, you can also consider the following products

draw.io - Online diagramming application

Xmind - Xmind is a brainstorming and mind mapping application.

SuperNotecard - Introducing SuperNotecard. SuperNotecard is an online writing tool that features virtual notecards to help arrange facts or scenes, track details, organize paragraphs, and clarify your composition process.

MindMeister - Create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps with MindMeister, the leading online mind mapping software. Includes apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Linked Ideas - A macOS/iOS apps to treat ideas as links of concepts.

MindManager - With MindManager, flexible mind maps promote freeform thinking and quick organization of ideas, so creativity and productivity can live in harmony.