ThinkSpace - Mind Map & Notes

I have been using the iOS version of Thinkspace on my iPad for a while and love it. It fills the mind-mapping app niche in a way that no other app does, so I was pleasantly suprised to see the macOS version in the App Store. The macOS 1.0.0 version seems to be a direct port of the iOS app, and the differences in the desktop versus mobile UIs are apparent. For example, zooming in and out on iOS is a simple pinch gesture that relies on the iOS touch interface. I have not found a way to zoom on the macOS version, since I do not have a multi-touch HID device such as a trackpad on my iMac. I hope to see a mouse/keyboard/menu-based way to zoom in the next update.

The app itself is great but the pro features are not all functional. I need to invite certain individuals to use and collaborate on canvases but the feature doesn’t work. I also can’t sync the canvases across my devices. I have multiple iPads and iPhones that I use for different reasons and the software does not share data between them. If those features actually worked I would be able to give the full 5 stars. But I am paying for features that don’t work. which is a problem.

This is my very first review. I just spent 2 hours searching for an alternative app to draw mind maps because the one that I used is now charging a super high subscription fee. I guess the developer sacrifice efficiency for flexibility. You can organize the map in any way you want. Therefore, the cards are not automatically aligned, and you cannot create a sibling card by just press return which is a feature of other mind mapping apps. I think I can live with this small shortcoming for now. I do hope that a desktop version can be developed. I am not used to do extensive work on iPad.