# Big Hairy Goal Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Big Hairy Goal the right Mind Mapping solution for you? Explore 19 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/265437/Big-Hairy-Goal/reviews --- Big Hairy Goal 4.8 (19) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/265437/Big-Hairy-Goal/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated April 1st, 2026 # Reviews of Big Hairy Goal Ease of use 4.7 Customer Service 4.6 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-19 of 19 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Marvin B. Marketing Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great tool to visualize your projects and brainstorm ideas" October 24, 2023 5.0 Pros I absolutely love BigHairyGoal! This software empowers me to craft comprehensive project overviews effortlessly. As a visual thinker, being able to align multiple roadmap steps and brainstorm ideas on a whiteboard-style canvas is incredibly effective. BigHairyGoal's seamless feature for adding connections and groupings, along with its intuitive interface, makes my ideation process smooth and efficient. I never have to search for functions; they're right where I need them. Cons I'm a big fan of the software, and I have just one minor suggestion for improvement. Occasionally, I've noticed that the alignment of arrows can be a bit off. It would be fantastic if you could consider adding more alignment options, such as the ability to hold the Shift button to move elements on only one axis at a time or enabling horizontal and vertical distribution. Currently, the distribution option is greyed out for groups. This enhancement would make aligning multiple groups much easier and enhance my overall experience as a true Monk (for the non-Germans: someone with OCD who overemphasizes neat structures.) Review Source GS Gary S. Princepal Research Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great Value, Simple Diagramming, High Productivity" August 21, 2025 5.0 When I need to create a diagram quickly, for example, I'm in a meeting and trying to capture ideas and relationships quickly, Big Hairy Goal excels. The ease of creating documents and documenting relationships really excels in this app. You need to spend a bit of time with it to figure it out, but when it' clicks, it's really easy to use. It's also an incredible value for the money. I've spent 10X more on apps designed to create diagrams or mind maps. While those apps may have more options for shapes and arrows, I find myself spending more time arguing with the formatting or trying to get something to work than actually creating a diagram. Pros While it starts simple, once I figured out that this was more of a diagramming tool than a simple mind map, it became one of my go-to apps for creating flow charts, diagrams, and brainstorming. Cons The app needs more shape options. I would also appreciate more text format options within process boxes. Switched from [XMind](https://www.capterra.com/p/128088/XMind/) I was looking for something fast and lightweight. Review Source Dane S. Sommilier Wine and Spirits Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Sub-PAr but I do like the interface" May 19, 2023 3.0 Overall I will not continue after my trial ends. I mainly use this for financial roadmaps and personal business. I think this is a basic app and doesn't provide anything more than a simplistic UI. Pros I like that you can move the arrows around and change the format of how you want the bubbles to be arranged Cons The lack of features for the price, There should be an ability to use templates, search user generated templates, maybe a community feed. There should be more with a monthly price for such basic features. In addition there is no 'free' version you have to pay first to decide if you link it, yes the trial is useful, however I think that there could be more features for having to purchase it.In addition to the simplistic features, the text wrapping, box snapping, and overall accessibility of the app is pretty basic and robust. The text isn't centered and it pisses me off. Alternatives considered [Float](https://www.capterra.com/p/136078/Float/) Review Source AC Adri C. Writer Broadcast Media Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "All in one for creative visual thinkers" November 27, 2024 4.0 I was a subscriber for a year in 2020. I liked it but some thing were missed, specially a proper automatic mindmap branching. It has been added since, and I'm a subscriber again. That means a lot to me. The developer is working on it and shows his willingness to do it moving forward. I give some more ideas: - Would be nice if user could select in settings how ENTER should act: as a new line in the same note o as an end of editing the card they are at the moment. - The possibility to export as OPML - A journal option: the app creates a new file for each day. That would make shine the "linking to a card" feature, as a web of notes would refer from one day to another. - The possibility to search in all bhg files so you can use Big Hairy Goal as a pkm software (a like like Heptabase) But the product as it is is still excellent. Pros That it is an all in one for visual thinking. It fits mindmaps, flow charts, brainstorms, and free flowing notes. And it does it in good looking and very smooth handle. Cons Little things that can be improved in next versions: 1.- In flow or chart group, when moving a card all his children should move with it. It's the logic behind every mindmap and should be doable in BHG. 2.- Also in flow or chart groups, the branches should be collapsable 3.- A little delay between CMD-ENTER new card and editing it's text is annoying. When taking notes I write quickly and if I not wait that half of a second other card is selected and I lose the flow. 4.- Mobile app should match the gestures. For example, hold a card and drag it to another should create a connection the same way long click and drag does it on desktop. Switched from [MindNode](https://www.capterra.com/p/207384/MindNode/)[XMind](https://www.capterra.com/p/128088/XMind/) Wanted more options and a good combination of mindmapping with other forms of visual note taking. Review Source JW John W. Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Love Big Hairy Goal" October 11, 2024 5.0 Love using the app for brainstorming and breaking down complex issues. Pros Flexibility and ability to create many different flowcharts and mind maps. Cons Nothing so far. The app has been stable. Switched from [XMind](https://www.capterra.com/p/128088/XMind/) Ability to build flowcharts and freedom to place data in specific places Review Source CP Christian P. Manager Design Cosmetics Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great and helpful every day gimmick" April 10, 2025 5.0 Ím new and trying every day now. It is intuitiv. Pros The easy way to use it. It makes fun and is helpful. Cons At the moment nothing. There is no problem to use it. Review Source IS Igor S. Software Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "happy user" August 20, 2024 5.0 very positive, my number one tool for thinking Pros Minimalistic approach Cons I like everything Review Source CM Christian M. Teacher Child Day Care Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best concept and kanban app out there" August 11, 2024 5.0 I use it often. You can learn and teach with BHG. Great work! Pros I like the user friendly system and the clear an beautiful forms. BHG ist very effective and it is fun to use the program. I love the possibility to create kanban boards and concept maps (and integrate pictures)! If you are a student or teacher - buy it! Cons I would be happy if the organization of the projects could be more structured. Review Source PJ Pramod J. Security Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "One of the Best Visualization & Note taking Tools" February 28, 2023 5.0 BHG fares really well against the competition. There is no other app that can match the overall features of BHG. It feels like Scapple on steroids. These are the type of features that Scapple should have had, atleast as a consideration, but did not. I would recommend it to people, but I don't suppose many would purchase it due to the high cost and lack of family sharing. Pros BHG has the ability to rapidly brainstorm, connect cards, and group them. The grouping mechanism sets this app apart from the rest of the competition - it can quickly arrange cards into tables, rows and columns, and flow-charts (processes and flows), which is unique to this app. Having Kanban style boards is a plus, as it can quickly be used to visualise the state of a project. Overall, the app is very easy to use, and has some minor quirks (the cards in a table become misaligned, and require us to reselect the table grouping, when the align once again, etc.) Cons BHG currently lacks dates and card attributes (thinking along the lines of Tinderbox) - implementing these would really help make BHG THE tool for note taking. The inability to mix processes and flows for flowcharts is a pain point. The inability to customize the arrows is a pain point - I'd like to make them curve around, rather than pass through other cards while connecting between two cards. This improves readability. At the price point ($50 for a license), it should have included family sharing (absolutely essential, since most apps feature family sharing nowadays) - since otherwise, being a mac app store app, its not easy to even test the collaboration/sharing functionality. Not to mention a separate price for the mobile apps (on iPad and iPhone) make it a rather expensive package. I would say that the cost is reducing the apps reach to, and usefulness for, many people. Review Source LR Liana R. Clinical Lecturer Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Flexible visual thought elaboration" September 26, 2022 5.0 Big Hairy Goal is very helpful to me, and having tried several other mindmapping software packages, it is definitely my favourite. It has the ease and flexibility to let you explore ideas in a nonlinear way, but then makes it easy to find the thread that runs through the ideas, so you can communicate them in a linear way when writing papers or proposals. Pros My go-to tool for brainstorming, expanding on ideas, linking to notes, and then helping me organise my thoughts to make it easier to write papers, grants and lectures. Network/map structure can be hierarchical but also freeform, allows for ideas to expand, but then makes it easy to restructure as you go along. Useful formatting options make it more intuitive to refer to in the future. The developer is responsive and incorporates feedback into future versions. Many keyboard shortcuts allow the ideas to flow without awkward interface interruptions. The MacOS and iOS versions work together well with iCloud integration. Cons Sometimes the map automatic restructuring will move things in a slightly surprising way. Review Source VK Vasileios K. President Motion Pictures and Film Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Untangle your creativity" April 19, 2023 5.0 So far, I find Big Hairy Goal very capable of helping bring complex ideas in a state of being structured and understandable. I am able to oversee the entire structure and expand/fix where is needed. Pros The ease of use is where it shines. At least while I'm setting up a creative project that is to run for years to come. The ability to work, structure and branch it into different directions is something that nearly every other mind mapping software lacks. You are free to design and structure everything without having to follow a predefined ruleset. This allows me to create starting and ending points for each branch without having to work on a "main trunk." Cons There is a limitation to the formatting of the cards that you can use, which can make categorizations a bit tougher to manager. It would be great if font sizes and formatting could be changed on the fly. In addition, the arrangements/alignments inside containers would be great. Review Source RM Rob M. Director, Product Management Oil & Energy Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Most flexible mind map and ideation software" September 9, 2022 5.0 My every day tool for everything from general note taking two breaking down documenting and sequencing complex logic or projects Pros Freeform establishment of concepts that I can later start to group and organize is essential - while traditional mind mapping utilizes a high article structure to organize nodes or concepts the freedom to not have to organize initial concepts that way is priceless. So many different ways of using BHG.... Cons Inability to export structured data especially from larger documents Review Source SK Sam K. Founder Entertainment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Minimal Interface, Maximum Capability" January 12, 2024 5.0 Pros Big Hairy Goal is entirely clutter-free. The controls are minimal and the "functional" nature of using the software blends into the background soon after getting the hang of it. It feels quite intuitive to use, never feels overbearing, and still I'm sure I haven't yet found (or needed) every feature this application has to offer. Cons The software does have a learning curve. You need to spend a bit of time getting familiar with the controls and shortcuts that are offered. For most things, there is another way to do it but the software is clearly designed to be used "keyboard first". Its not overly complicated or unintuitive though. Review Source AC Antoni C. Architect Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Awesome App" August 30, 2023 5.0 It is one of my favorite apps on my Mac Pros It's easy to use, clean and sleek and does help me to organize all my ideas in a graphical way. Cons Until now I didnt find any cons. Even I search, everything is great. Review Source BB Brian B. CEO Computer Games Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Big Hairy Goals are what change the world" October 27, 2023 5.0 Pros We are about to enter into a time of new and exiting technology and software. Most of the things we will encounter will come from a single idea. That spark that idea then needs to become a part of a story. That is where Big Hairy Goal \[BHG\] steps into the picture. The journey of an idea has obstacles, challenges and victories. Some we can anticipate; most we cannot. Nevertheless we need a guide that will help us build a plan and BGH is that guide. I love building mind maps. I used to use index cards on my bedroom floor. I used to use post it notes on my office wall. Today I use BHG it provides a clear visual picture of my thoughts and ideas and allows me the opportunity to navigate, drill down and adapt the parts while preserving the whole. It is fast. Easy to learn. Plus it has the best icon of any piece of software I have ever used. This is a all around great product for creative thinking and for idea development. Cons I wish that there was a better process to onboard and use the product. The quick tutorial is a great quick start feature, and I would not change that at all. I would love to have had a personal follow up at some point to help once I got the basics down. Maybe a community group would help. Review Source DD Devesh D. Associate Partner Financial Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Necessary addition to your toolkit" September 11, 2023 5.0 Pros The main feature that i liked about Big Hairy Goal is that it allows you to capture your thoughts quickly, allowing for the fluidity that is required, and restructuring may be required. It does that with minimum load required to manage the tool and thus allows us to just think in a focussed and creative way. Cons Image integration and other tools integration will be great. Review Source MH Marc H. Conseiller technique Sports Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Un vrai compagnon dans l'organisation du travail!" August 24, 2022 5.0 Je gagne de la clarté dans l'organisation de mon travail qui regroupe beaucoup de sujets différents à traiter. J'aime avoir une vision globale ce qu'il reste à faire et ce qui a été fait. Je peux organiser l'urgence et le moins urgent en ordonnant le tableau général comme je veux. Pros La vision systémique du travail à accomplir! La possibilité de lier les cartes à des emails, la possibilité de mettre autant de commentaires que nécessaire + le lien direct vers les fichiers concernés représente un gain considérable dans l'organisation du travail au quotidien. J'utilise plusieurs postes (Mac) et retrouve mon travail sur chacun d'entre eux ! 👍🏻 Cons Pouvoir regrouper les cartes dans un "chapeau" auquel on pourrait donner un titre, sans que ce soit une carte. Review Source ナバ ナオト バ. 学生 Computer & Network Security Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "非常に使いやすい" April 26, 2023 4.0 Pros マインドマップの作成やブレインストーミングをするのにに最適 Cons 自分の考えていることを可視化しやすいため特になし Review Source PC Princeton C. Coach/Speaker/Author Media Production Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "I've been looking for something like this for a long time!" December 18, 2022 5.0 I love it! Pros I love what I've been able to see and use so far! Cons I wish it had more options for the titles/box designs. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Mind Mapping](https://www.capterra.com/mind-mapping-software/)