The blog post from earlier this week offer little info on what separates the two apps, but apparently they're going to offer both apps simultaneously as part of their subscription.

https://mindnode.com/post/mindnode-is-becoming-mindnode-classic

I'm always nervous when an app doesn't say up front whether or not it depends on cloud support. It's a personal failing. I don't want the possibility of anyone seeing any of my creative writing in progress.

I get it. Nobody is looking at me and nobody cares. Part of my process is the freedom to try silly things, and, boy, have I written some stinkers. Weaponized unicorns, what was I thinking?

If MindNode becomes a cloud-first application, I'm out. Curio's mind mapping is much more powerful, anyway. You have to look to find some of Curio's power, like notes associated with mind map nodes.

I still like MIndNode and it has a slightly more refined look than Curio's mind maps. On the other hand, synced text figures appearing as mind map nodes, that's pretty awesome.

MindNode documents can be kept anywhere the user wants to store them. They are individual, stand-alone documents, and not part of a database.

Amontillado wrote:

I'm always nervous when an app doesn't say up front whether or not it
depends on cloud support.

That's good to hear, Paul. Thanks for the clarification.

Note to self - "investigate" before "grumpy" next time. ;-)

I installed MindNode Next. It is essentially the same as MindNode Classic. The only major new feature requires an Apple Vision Pro. (Spatial Brainstorming) There is a subscription program that unlocks some of the features in the base Classic and Next products, for $24.95/year. However, if the user has a SetApp subscription, MindNode Classic with all the subscription features are included already.

Sounds like MindNode Classic will continue to serve.

I use it in outline mode at least as much as MindMap view. One thing I like about it as an outliner is I can add newlines in the notes for a node without having to remember to use shift or option enter.

Just got an email from MindNode about the new app. It "enables new features like seamless sync, live collaboration, new Shortcuts app integration, and soon linking directly to nodes in other documents.... MindNode Next also adds an inline inspector for easier styling, the ability to highlight text, and SVG export (to share on the web or import into graphic applications). We also improved and modernized existing features like Tags and Connections."

"The first major new feature in MindNode Next is the ability to collaborate with others on the same document. Invite your peers to work on the same mind map or outline together. Additionally, you can enable Live Collaboration (currently in Beta) to see live interactions. Even users who never collaborate with others will benefit from this feature. Making changes on multiple devices will no longer bring up the sporadic conflict resolution messages. Even when your devices were offline, changes are later seamless merged together."

"MindNode Next has not yet reached feature parity with our current MindNode version – which we are now calling MindNode Classic - and document management has changed significantly. Your documents are no longer files on disk but are managed in MindNode, stored in a database, and synced securely using CloudKit."

Putting documents in a "database" synced with CloudKit is retrograde motion, in my opinion. I've struggled with apps that use CloudKit sync, which in my experience is unreliable. I see no benefit to having individual mindmap documents in a database.

satis wrote:

Just got an email from MindNode about the new app.

"MindNode Next has not yet reached feature parity with our current
MindNode version – which we are now calling MindNode Classic - and
document management has changed significantly. Your documents are no
longer files on disk but are managed in MindNode, stored in a database,
and synced securely using CloudKit."

Paul Korm wrote:

Putting documents in a "database" synced with CloudKit is retrograde
motion, in my opinion.

This is one reason I won't return to TheBrain, which I used enthusiastically years ago. As I understand, there is one Brain database instead of separate files.

I use or have used several Mac/iOS apps which use their own databases and are synced via CloudKit. A few years ago I'd have agreed that the tech was fragile but my current experience is that, properly coded, it's quite robust.

Bear, Day One, Things, Drafts, GoodNotes, Notability, OmniFocus and Ulysses are just a few high profile, high-quality apps that employ this structure, not to mention Apple using it for Notes, Reminders and Freeform (which are pretty bulletproof).

Some apps, like Ulysses, offer the ability to save to external folders (while losing certain Markdown XL-related functionality like being able to embed images, or attach notes or sheet-specific goals).

So this change in MindNode doesn't concern me. Their introduction of the new app missing functionality of the old app does, however. And I never updated my copy after they introduced subscription pricing.