A brainstorm can happen anywhere, at any time. It can take place in a controlled group environment or while you’re out and about headed to meetings or taking care of other tasks. Whether it’s a scheduled activity or sudden epiphany, you need to be ready to jot down your ideas. Better yet, having a technology available to help you fine-tune your concepts is gold. Fortunately, with the ever-increasing capabilities of mobile apps and devices, users can now have a nearly limitless canvas to scratch out and rearrange ideas.
In this slideshow, we’ve featured 10 iOS apps that are excellent for mind-mapping, diagramming, and connecting the dots to your breakthrough idea. Apps are available for download through the iTunes App Store.
Brainstorming Apps for Apple Devices
Click through for 10 iOS brainstorming apps that can help you jot down and fine-tune your ideas.
MindNode
MindNode helps you create a visual representation of your ideas, starting with a central thought and growing from there. With an intuitive, well-organized interface, you’re able to focus on your primary idea and be as creative as you like, generating and connecting thoughts. The infinitely expanding canvas lets you tackle even the biggest projects and ideas.
Requires: iOS 8.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – offers Apple Watch app for iPhone
Cost: $9.99
Grafio 3
With Grafio, you can create diagrams with the tip of your finger. Draw a rectangle, circle or ellipse and watch Grafio recognize and replace it with a perfectly drawn shape for your diagram or schematic. You’re also able to drag and drop objects onto the canvas for more complex designs, add text and add images to complete your idea.
Requires: iOS 8.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $7.99 – also offers in-app purchases
OmniGraffle 2
OmniGraffle 2 turns your iPad or iPhone into a canvas to quickly create diagrams, process charts, page layouts, website wireframes or any number of other designs. Using simple multi-touch gestures, users can draw shapes, drag in objects, and style everything until it’s just right. The app also keeps lines connected to shapes when they are moved, giving users plenty of flexibility to get ideas down.
Requires: iOS 9.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $49.99 – also offers in-app purchases
Paper by FiftyThree
When inspiration happens, put it on Paper. Paper provides the opportunity to capture and connect your notes, photos and sketches. You can create checklists, spotlight details in photos and sketch diagrams. It’s like a wall of sticky notes for everything that inspires you.
Requires: iOS 8.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: Free – also offers in-app purchases
Grid
Grid is the place to build and organize your creative ideas, especially with friends and fellow builders. Every Grid is a personal sandbox that can hold ideas, small and large, and gives you the space to let your ideas free. Grid also allows you to invite colleagues to join your creative grid and synchronize your data on any device.
Requires: iOS 8.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $1.99
Mindly
Mindly helps you organize your inner universe, give structure to your thoughts, capture ideas, plan a speech and more. You can attach notes, images or icons to any element, creating visual clipboards that can be reorganized to streamline ideas and synchronize with iCloud.
Requires: iOS 8.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: Free – also offers in-app purchases
Popplet
Popplet is an easy-to-use tool that helps you capture and organization your ideas. With Popplet, you can quickly jot down your ideas and sort them visually. With the latest version, you can have as many Popplet boards as you want.
Requires: iOS 6.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $4.99
MagicalPad
MagicalPad is a digital notebook that allows you to visualize and organize your ideas, notes, mind maps, outlines, checklists, etc. It offers full-featured note-taking and authoring tools, advanced mind-mapping tools, and visual task management. You can track and manage your tasks.
Requires: iOS 7.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $2.99
Curator
Curator allows users to collect, organize and present ideas anywhere. The app allows you add websites, images and text notes to a visual interface, use drag-and-drop to quickly move content, present straight from the app, as well as share and collaborate on boards.
Requires: iOS 9.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: Free – also offers in-app purchases
iThoughts
iThoughts is a mind-mapping tool that enables you to visually organize your thoughts, ideas and information. You can import and export ideas to and from popular desktop applications, design multiple layouts and embed documents such as PDF, XLS, DOC, etc. You’re also able to assign tasks and email reports.
Requires: iOS 8.2 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
Cost: $11.99
