Blockbench
A free low-poly 3D model editor with texturing and animation.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.5Visit
Category
Best Brainstorming software, apps and tools
166 hand-picked brainstorming tools, apps and resources, each one checked by a real person. 164 of them are free or have a free plan.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
Brainstorming tools help you get ideas out of your head and into a shape you can work with: a mind map, a whiteboard, a sketch, a moodboard or a list you can sort. The best ones make capture quick and let you move, group and connect ideas without fuss, alone or with a team.
This category mixes visual tools such as whiteboards, drawing apps and colour or design inspiration sites with AI tools that suggest, expand or remix ideas. Start wide and judge later: collect as many rough ideas as you can, then group the strongest and pick one to test. Use AI to widen the list, not to choose for you.
All resources
Type
Pricing
Platform
166 resources
p5.js
A free, open-source JavaScript library for learning to code and making art.
FrameworkFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Processing
A free, open-source sketchbook and language for learning to code.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Sonic Pi
A free, open-source way to make music by writing code.
Desktop AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.5Visit
Freeplane
A free, open-source mind mapping app that runs anywhere Java does.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
Xmind
A mind mapping app for every platform with a free plan.
Desktop AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.5Visit
Piskel
A free, open-source editor for pixel art and animated sprites.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.6Visit
Iconoir
A free, open-source icon library with no premium tier or sign-up.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Tabler Icons
Thousands of free, open-source SVG icons with adjustable stroke width.
WebsiteFree planWeb
4.7Visit
bibisco
Novel writing software for planning characters, scenes and timelines.
Desktop AppFree planWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Lucidchart
An online diagramming tool for flowcharts, org charts and process maps.
Web AppFree planWeb
4.5Visit
Lucide
A free, community-made library of clean and consistent SVG icons.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.8Visit
Manuskript
A free, open-source writing tool that helps you plan a novel before you draft it.
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Linux
4.4Visit
Phosphor Icons
A flexible, free icon family for interfaces, diagrams and presentations.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
BrandColors
The official colour codes of hundreds of well-known brands.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
css.gg
Hundreds of open source icons drawn in pure CSS, SVG and Figma.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Freebiesbug
A curated library of free design resources for designers and developers.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Health Icons
Free, open source health and medical icons for any project.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
illlustrations
Open source and premium illustration packs for websites and apps.
WebsiteFree planWeb
4.5Visit
Leonardo
Adobe's open source tool for building accessible colour palettes.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Scratch
MIT's free block-based coding platform for making games and stories.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.8Visit
Witeboard
A fast, shareable online whiteboard with no sign-up needed.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit
BandLab
A free music studio for recording, mixing and sharing songs on any device.
Web AppFree planWeb, iOS
4.5Visit
BeepBox
A free online tool for sketching and sharing chiptune melodies.
Web AppFreeWeb, Offline
4.6Visit
Method Draw
A simple, free vector editor for making SVGs in the browser.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.3Visit
Shapefest
A huge library of 3D shape renders with free packs for any project.
WebsiteFree planWeb
4.5Visit
AutoDraw
A free Google experiment that turns rough doodles into clean drawings.
AI ToolFreeWeb
4.4Visit
Excalidraw Libraries
A free community library of ready-made shapes and diagrams for Excalidraw.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.5Visit
Gradient Magic
A large free gallery of unique CSS gradients you can copy in one click.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.3Visit
Patternico
A free seamless pattern maker for backgrounds, textures and wrapping designs.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.3Visit
Pixelied
A free online design editor with templates, stock photos and graphics.
Web AppFree planWeb
4.4Visit
Teachable Machine
A free Google tool for training simple machine learning models in your browser.
AI ToolFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Untools
A free collection of thinking tools and frameworks for clearer decisions.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.6Visit
Chrome Music Lab
A free set of hands-on browser experiments for learning how music works.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Dark Mode Design
A curated gallery of beautiful dark-themed websites for design inspiration.
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.4Visit
IRA Design
A free illustration builder with gradient characters and objects.
Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit
- Lummi
- Mockup World
- Avataaars Generator
- Mermaid
- Visuwords
- 1001 Fonts
- Collletttivo
- D2
- Fontesk
- DaFont
- Flourish
- FontSpace
- Noun Project
- RAWGraphs
- Vecteezy
- WebGradients
- Cool Backgrounds
- Free Design Resources
- HTML Color Codes
- Instant Domain Search
- ManyPixels
- Milanote
- Namechk
- Are.na
- Resource Boy
- ASCIIFlow
- Blush
- Codrops
- Httpster
- MindMeister
- Namelix
- Awwwards
- Coggle
- FontPair
- Muzli
- Paletton
- Animista
- Colormind
- Humaaans
- Pattern Monster
- TOOOLS.design
- Blobmaker
- Get Waves
- Gradient Hunt
- One Page Love
- Rnote
- Whimsical
- Diagram Design
- fffuel
- Fontjoy
- Happy Hues
- Khroma
- Open Peeps
- uiGradients
- Workflowy
- Adobe Color
- Lapa Ninja
- reladraw
- Storyset
- Color Hunt
- Coolors
- Haikei
- Huemint
- Markmap
- Realtime Colors
- draw.io
- tldraw
- Canva
- Dribbble
- Krea
- Pexels
- Picsart
- Pixabay
- ProtoPie
- Unsplash
- FontBrief
- Free Faces
- Minimalny
- Open Foundry
- 404s.design
- BentoGrids
- DesignMD.ai
- Footer.design
- Scrolltide
- Unsection
- VibePrompt
- Refs.Gallery
- UX Pilot
- 3dicons
- IDEM
- Viewport UI
- Excalidraw for Obsidian
- Superdesign
- A1 Gallery
- ASCII Magic
- Design for B2B
- DialKit
- Logggos
- Paper Shaders
- SearchSystem
- SparkBites
- tweakcn
- Umanmade
- UNCUT.wtf
- vibe-to-ui
- ASCIInator
- Gradientool
- Lemo Opuscar
- Minimal Gallery
- Skillry Opus 5.5 Videos
- IP as Logo Skill
- Excalidraw CLI
- Book of Shapes
- Iconly
- Algorithmic Art Skill
- Canvas Design Skill
- Atlas
- Taskade
- Figma
- MindNode
- Orb
- Sandcastles AI
- 60fps.design
- OGFolio
- Seesaw
- Pi.ai
- Lexica
- AFFiNE
- Miro
- Excalidraw
Showing 36 of 166
Brainstorming at a glance
Counted from the listings on this page.
- Pricing
- Of 166 picks, 122 are completely free, 42 have a free plan and 2 are paid.
- Highest rated
- Unsplash (4.8/5), Figma (4.8/5) and Scratch (4.8/5) have the highest ratings in our reviews.
- Formats
- Most common: Website (77), Web App (52), AI Tool (16) and Desktop App (10).
- Often also listed under
- Workflows (50), Learning (27), Research (22) and Personal Productivity (21).
- Platforms
- Most listed: Web (153), macOS (25), Windows (23) and iOS (16).
- Best for
- Picked most often for Designers (126), Creators (96) and Developers (80).
- Learning curve
- 142 beginner-friendly, 22 intermediate and 2 advanced.
- Newest addition
- Blockbench, added 13 November 2026.
Brainstorming tools: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask before picking a tool.
- What are the best brainstorming tools?
- The highest-rated brainstorming picks in the directory right now are Unsplash, Figma and Scratch. Each one is checked by hand, and the full list above is sorted by our recommendation.
- What is the best free brainstorming tool?
- Scratch and Lucide are the top-rated completely free options. If a free plan is enough, Unsplash is also worth a look.
- How many brainstorming tools are listed?
- 166 brainstorming resources are listed: 122 completely free, 42 with a free plan and 2 paid. New ones are added as they are checked.
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