Open-source Scapple alternatives

Drawnix is a free, open-source whiteboard that brings mind maps, flowcharts and freehand drawing together in a single workspace. Instead of switching between separate diagramming apps, you can sketch ideas, structure them into diagrams and annotate everything on one infinite canvas that you can zoom and scroll freely.

The editor supports inserting images, undo and redo, copy and paste, light and dark themes, and a layout that adapts to mobile devices. Mermaid syntax can be converted into flowcharts and Markdown text into mind maps, while work is saved automatically in the browser and can be exported as PNG images or as .drawnix JSON files for later reuse.

Drawnix is released under the MIT licence and is built on Plait, an open-source drawing framework from the PingCode team, using a plugin architecture that can work with different UI frameworks. The hosted app at drawnix.com is a minimal version, and the repository includes Docker instructions for people who prefer to run their own copy.

Freeplane is a free and open-source application that supports thinking, sharing information and getting things done, at work, at school and at home. It provides tools for mind mapping, also called concept mapping or information mapping, and for navigating the information you have mapped. It is also used for knowledge management and light project management.

The README presents it as an alternative to commercial mind mapping software such as Xmind and MindMeister, aimed at more demanding users. Capabilities hinted at by the repository topics include Groovy scripting, Markdown and LaTeX support, an outliner view, presentation features and writing aids. It is built in Java on OSGi with a Swing interface, so it runs on any operating system with a current Java installation, and it can run from removable storage such as a USB drive.

Freeplane is licensed under GPL-2.0 and runs locally on your computer, so there is no server or hosted version. It suits students, researchers, writers and teams that want a capable offline mind mapping tool.

Ideon is a self-hosted visual workspace for projects. Instead of abstract folders and tabs, it uses spatial organization: you place blocks on a shared infinite canvas, and what sits close together is related, so a project's repositories, design notes and tasks can be seen on a single map.

Blocks can hold Markdown notes, images, links, files and to-dos, and live integrations embed repositories and issues from GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and Forgejo directly on the canvas. Teams can collaborate in real time, and a time travel feature shows historical snapshots of the workspace to trace past decisions. A hosted demo is available to try without setup.

Ideon runs with Docker and Docker Compose, using a PostgreSQL database and a persistent storage volume, and there is a one-click template for the Easypanel deployment platform. You set a secret key in an environment file before starting the stack and open the dashboard on port 3000. It is written in TypeScript and licensed under AGPL-3.0.