markmap
Turns plain Markdown text into interactive mindmaps.
- Stars
- 13.2k
- Forks
- 1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 2 months ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Markmap converts Markdown outlines into mindmaps you can view and explore in a browser. You write headings and nested lists as usual, and it draws them as a branching diagram. It is available as a web editor and as plugins for editors such as VS Code and Neovim.
- Paste a Markdown outline into the online REPL and view it as an interactive mindmap
- Preview a Markdown document as a mindmap inside VS Code using the markmap extension
- Generate a mindmap from a file, URL, or topic through an AI agent using the listed mindmap-skills project
Great for
- People who already take notes or outline in Markdown and want a visual map of them
- Developers who want to embed Markdown-based mindmaps in their own web pages
- Students and writers sketching the structure of a topic from a text outline
- Users of VS Code, Neovim, or Emacs who want to preview mindmaps without leaving the editor
Not ideal for
- People who need a drag-and-drop mindmap editor, since the README describes writing plain text rather than a visual editing interface
- Teams needing hosted collaboration features, which the README does not mention
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/markmap/markmap - 2
Run it
- Open the online REPL at https://markmap.js.org/repl
- Paste or type a Markdown outline with headings and nested lists
- View the generated mindmap and explore it interactively
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Install the VS Code extension (gera2ld.markmap-vscode) to preview Markdown as a mindmap in your editor
- Read the official documentation at https://markmap.js.org/docs for configuration details
- Try the MCP server markmap-mcp-server if you work with AI tools that support MCP
- Use the text2diagram web tool if you prefer describing a mindmap in plain language
Downloads
Strengths
- Uses plain Markdown, so the source stays readable and easy to version in text files
- Available in several editors and tools, including VS Code, Open VSX, Vim/Neovim, and Emacs
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community following
Trade-offs
- The README is short and truncated here, so detailed setup and options are only available in the external documentation
- Several integrations are separate third-party projects with their own maintenance status
- Latest release is listed without binaries, so use is mainly through packages or the web
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| markmap (this) | 13.2k | Library | beginner | 2 months ago | People who already take notes or outline in Markdown and want a visual map of them |
| mind-map | 12.9k | Library | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want to add mind map editing to their own web product |
| mermaid | 91k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who want diagrams stored as text alongside their code and docs |
| drawnix | 15k | App | beginner | 2 months ago | People who want a simple free whiteboard for brainstorming and diagrams |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.