With MindNode recently celebrating their 18th birthday, we decided to ask a few questions of Markus Müller-Simhofer about the Past, Present, and Future of this amazing mind mapping software! 

MindNode Past

Q. What was the inspiration for starting MindNode?

MindNode started from a very personal need. At the time I was in the middle of developing another app and had almost too many ideas for it. I was stuck and needed a way to bring those ideas into some kind of structure. After trying various project management tools, I discovered mind mapping and it clicked right away. I started drawing mind maps on paper, but when I looked for a good Mac app for it, I couldn't find one I really liked.

Since my other app idea was stuck anyway, and also used a canvas to display content, I decided to take a three-week break from it and build a simple mind mapping app for myself. That small app was immediately a joy to use and a joy to develop. I never went back to the original project.

Q. What was your background prior to starting MindNode? Did this help you with the project?

I have a degree in computer science, but during my studies my interests gradually shifted away from the purely technical side of CS toward user experience and interaction design. That eventually brought me to the Mac platform, which at the time had a very strong focus on thoughtful user interactions.

As a university project I had already built my first Mac app — a tool for displaying graphical stories on an [infinite canvas](http://www.infinitecanvas.com). That was actually the app I was trying to turn into a commercial product when I got stuck and started working on MindNode instead. So by the time MindNode began, I already had experience building canvas-based interfaces and a fairly clear idea of the kind of software experience I cared about.

(InfiniteCanvas: The original project Markus worked on before moving onto MindNode)

Q. Can you remember any highs/lows in that first year for MindNode?

I initially released MindNode as a free app that people could download from my website — this was before the App Store existed. One of the first big highlights was when Apple featured the app on their Mac software listings. Suddenly a lot more people discovered MindNode and I started receiving emails from users around the world.

A few months later I released the first paid version, and with that came the first negative feedback. Because MindNode felt like my baby at the time, that criticism hit very personally at first. Looking back, learning how to separate yourself from the product was probably an important step.

Q. When did you know that you had something successful, or at least something worth continuing to develop?

Releasing the app for free first gave me a chance to understand whether there was real interest in it and what people actually valued about it.

I was also lucky with the timing. Back then there weren't many mind mapping apps on the Mac, and most of the ones that existed were ports from other platforms. They worked, but they often didn't feel truly native to macOS. MindNode filled a gap for people who wanted a mind mapping tool that actually felt at home on the Mac.

The positive response carried over when I turned MindNode into a commercial product, and that was probably the moment I realised this could become something sustainable.

MindNode Present

Q. You recently celebrated 18 years of MindNode. What are the biggest changes that have affected the business in that time?

As a very Apple-focused company, the launch of the iPhone and later the App Store were probably the biggest external changes for us. Suddenly people could capture ideas wherever they were — during a commute, in a meeting, or while out walking. Mind mapping stopped being something you only did sitting at a desk.

Another major shift was the iPad becoming a serious productivity platform. For a tool built around visual thinking and direct interaction, that platform felt surprisingly natural very early on.

Q. With such a long journey, what are you most proud of in the product and the company today?

I'm very thankful that our customers have allowed us to continue working on MindNode for such a long time. Their support allowed us to remain an independent company without outside investors shaping the direction of the product.

That independence matters a lot to me. It means we can spend time on things because we genuinely think they improve the product, not because they fit into some short-term growth target.

I'm also proud that MindNode still feels like MindNode after all these years. Apps that live this long naturally accumulate pressure to do more and more. We've had to say no to many good ideas over the years to protect the simplicity of the experience. Once a tool becomes overly complicated, it's very difficult to get that feeling back.

Q. For someone who has never tried MindNode, could you summarise the tool and what makes it distinctive?

Starting a project is messy. Sometimes you're staring at an empty canvas without knowing where to begin, and sometimes you have too many ideas at once. MindNode is designed for exactly that stage of the process. You can quickly capture ideas, move things around, and start seeing structure emerge.

A big part of what makes MindNode distinctive is that it feels deeply native to Apple devices. The gestures, animations, keyboard shortcuts, typography — all those small details add up. The goal is that after a few minutes you're no longer thinking about the tool itself and can focus entirely on your ideas. MindNode even has an immersive mode on Apple Vision Pro that allows you to blank out your surroundings and quickly brainstorm ideas.

Q. You have remained focused on Apple as the foundation for your business. Can you give some perspectives on the reasons for this, and what the positives/negatives might be?

The Apple ecosystem has always felt like a natural home for MindNode. Apple users tend to care about details – not just what software does, but how it feels to use. That has always matched the kind of product we wanted to build.

Staying focused on one ecosystem has also helped us build a better app. We can adopt platform technologies early and design specifically for how people use Macs, iPads, and iPhones instead of building for the lowest common denominator across many platforms.

The trade-off is obviously reach. We regularly hear from people who would love to use MindNode on other platforms. But as a small team, focus matters. Trying to support everything changes the product very quickly and spreads the team thin.

MindNode Future

Q. Where will you focus for the next era of MindNode?

I can't talk about specific future features, but it's impossible to talk about the future of software right now without mentioning AI and large language models.

They're already genuinely useful tools for us as developers because they make it easier to prototype ideas and explore different directions quickly.

At the same time, I think there's also a risk that people skip over the messy but important process of developing ideas themselves. The moment where a vague thought slowly becomes a clear direction is still a very human process. That's the space MindNode cares about.

I think AI works best as a kind of sparring partner. When you're stuck in a dead end and your thinking isn't moving, having something that can suggest a different angle or help expand a half-formed idea can be genuinely useful without replacing the thinking itself.

Q. What are some of the biggest challenges for MindNode in the current era?

People's expectations of software are changing very quickly right now. Users increasingly expect apps to actively help them think and work faster, and every product is under pressure to add AI features as quickly as possible.

For us the challenge is figuring out where those tools genuinely improve the experience and where they simply add noise or distraction.

Q. What do you see as the biggest opportunities for MindNode in the current era?

Sometimes when scrolling social media now, everything starts feeling strangely similar. You can already see on platforms like Instagram or TikTok that people are becoming overwhelmed by repetitive AI-generated content. At first it's impressive, but over time it also makes genuinely personal ideas and perspectives stand out much more.

I think that's actually a big opportunity for tools that help people develop their own thinking instead of simply generating output for them. Mind mapping is very good at helping you explore ideas, make connections, and slowly arrive at something that feels uniquely yours.

That's the optimistic way I look at the current moment. I think the value of clear, personal thinking is increasing, not decreasing, and that's exactly the kind of space MindNode has always cared about.

Markus Müller-Simhofer is the Founder of MindNode - a powerful, intuitive mind mapping application available for Apple products. Learn more at MindNode.com