Miro turned the whiteboard into a serious planning tool, an endless canvas where teams drop sticky notes, sketch diagrams, and connect ideas with lines instead of typing everything into a list. We built Idea Board, a free mind-mapping canvas that runs right here in your browser. It loads with a small example map already in place, so you can start moving nodes and drawing connections immediately. No install, no signup.
Play Idea Board now
Double-tap or double-click any empty spot on the canvas to add a node, drag a node to move it, and drag from the dot on its right edge to another node to connect them. Pinch or scroll to zoom.
How to use it
Idea Board opens on a small starter map: one root idea connected to three branches, so you see the shape of a mind map before you touch anything. Double-tap or double-click empty space to drop a new node and start typing right away. Drag a node by its body to reposition it, or grab the small dot on its right edge and drag to another node to draw a connection between them. Tap a node once to select it; a panel appears with four color options (indigo, slate, sky, and amber) and a delete button that removes the node along with any connections attached to it. On a keyboard, Tab moves between nodes, Enter opens the selected node for editing, arrow keys nudge its position, and Delete removes it. Pan by dragging empty canvas, and zoom with the scroll wheel, a pinch gesture, or the plus and minus buttons in the toolbar. Every change saves instantly to your browser’s local storage, so closing the tab and coming back later puts your board back exactly as you left it. Nothing you draw is ever sent anywhere.
How it compares to Miro
Idea Board keeps the part of Miro that most people actually use for quick thinking: an endless canvas, nodes you drop and connect freely, and a live view of how ideas branch off each other. That loop, drop a node, connect it, watch the map take shape, is available here with zero setup and zero account.
What we left out is everything that makes Miro a team platform rather than a personal scratchpad. There is no real-time collaboration, so nobody else can see or edit your board with you. There is no template library, no sticky-note voting, no video chat, no integrations with other apps, and no cloud sync between devices. Miro’s board lives on its servers and follows you to any device you sign into; Idea Board’s board lives only in the local storage of the browser you are using right now, so it will not appear on your phone unless you open this same page there.
Use Idea Board when you want a fast, private way to sketch out a mind map by yourself, no account and no waiting for a page to load. Get Miro when a team needs to plan together in real time, when you want a library of ready-made templates, or when your boards need to follow you across a laptop, tablet, and phone. If you are comparing mind-mapping tools more broadly, our roundup of best apps for mind mapping on desktop covers several other options worth trying, Miro included.
Get the full app
Miro is free to use with a generous free tier that covers a handful of boards, with paid team plans that add unlimited boards, more integrations, and admin controls for larger organizations. It runs primarily as a web and desktop app at miro.com, with real-time collaboration, a large template library, and cloud sync across every device you sign into, none of which Idea Board attempts to replicate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a mind map online without downloading anything?
Yes, Idea Board runs the moment this page loads, with no install and no account. Miro itself also works in a desktop browser at miro.com, but that requires creating an account first.
Is this the real Miro?
No. Idea Board is an original tool we built, inspired by Miro’s canvas-and-sticky-notes layout, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Miro in any way. For real-time team collaboration and a full template library, get Miro from the store link above.
Does Idea Board work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, the whole board runs locally in your browser and reads and writes to your device’s storage, so it keeps working without an internet connection. Nothing is sent to a server.
Is Idea Board free?
Yes, completely, with no signup and no limit on how many nodes or connections you create. Your board is stored only in your browser’s local storage.
Can I use Idea Board on my phone?
Yes. It works with touch for double-tapping to add nodes, dragging to move and connect them, and pinching to zoom. Keep in mind your board is saved to that one device’s browser; it will not appear on a different phone or computer unless you open the same page there.
