Top 8 free online brainstorming tools for students

Are you missing that creative spark to get started on a project? Say goodbye to the blank page syndrome (much-feared among students) thanks to the ultimate solution: brainstorming! Whether you’re working alone or in groups, on a screen or on paper (brainwriting), brainstorming is an efficient solution to get lots of ideas.

Here’s our list of the top 8 free online brainstorming tools for students! You can choose the one that suits you best.

What is brainstorming?

Brainstorming consists of writing down as many ideas as possible (anything that comes to mind) on a given subject, by working quickly and leaving aside any biases for higher efficiency.

There are a few online brainstorming tools for students that allow you to jot down your ideas and share them with others, helping you work more efficiently, exchange ideas more freely, and discover original concepts. Whether it is within teams or with the whole classroom.

1. Wooclap

Wooclap is a polling tool with many features available –and it’s easy to use! Designed to promote teamwork among classmates or coworkers, the app features a very useful online brainstorming tool that allows:

• Creating interactive presentations (thanks to its multiple features);
• Feeding your brainstorming sessions with AI-generated questions;
• Integrating questions to your brainstorming session to easily share ideas;
• Using brainstorming templates, for those who do not wish to start from scratch.

If you’re a student and need to be able to interact with your team of classmates about a project, Wooclap is the online brainstorming tool you need! Here’s how it works in short: you create a new brainstorming event, you add the topic you want to discuss or the different questions you want to find an answer to, and you share the event with the rest of your group. Online brainstorming has never been easier!

2. Miro

Miro is a comprehensive tool designed to help companies stock their data in one single interface and work on various projects simultaneously. The application offers a dedicated space for brainstorming, including an interactive whiteboard where everyone can participate (share ideas, add notes, share documents) in real time.

Pros:

• Scanning and uploading documents to the app is allowed;
• Free brainstorming tool;
• Customizable tool;
• Preset templates available.

Cons:

• Complex interface;
• Miro is only available in English;
• Hard to share documents with users who do not use the app.

3. Popplet

Popplet is a highly visual tool that allows creating mind maps easily. Images and diagrams help students conceptualize, organize and share their ideas on one single project.

Pros:

• Adding images and videos is possible;
• The software is compatible with any browser.

Cons:

• As for pricing, free trial period only lasts 14 days;
• Popplet is only available in English;
• Limited choice of colors, which reduces the possibilities of classifying topics.

4. Klaxoon

Klaxoon is an interactive tool designed for companies, but its online whiteboard feature is very useful for virtual brainstorming, which makes it great for students too!

Pros:

• Compatible with many platforms and tools;
• Offline mode available, which offers the possibility to access content offline;
• Templates available.

Cons:

• With the free version, the audience is limited to 50 participants per month, and only 5 participants per activity are allowed;
• The app isn’t user-friendly at first.

5. Draft.io

Designed as a flexible and shared workspace, Draft.io is an easy-to-use online brainstorming tool for students.

Pros:

• The “isolation” mode allows students to partake in the brainstorming session without being influenced by their classmates’ ideas;
• The timer makes time management during brainstorming sessions much easier;
• Very comprehensive free version.

Cons:

• Technical support is sometimes poor;
• Certain features lack fluidity.

6. Freeform

Freeform is Apple’s brainstorming tool, and it focuses on its user friendly features and its compatibility with different formats.

Pros:

• Users can draw directly on the app;
• Free app;
• Scanning and directly uploading documents is allowed;
• Documents are available on all Apple devices thanks to the Cloud.

Cons:

• Freeform only works on Apple devices;
• Impossible to draw on a Mac;
• Sync problems.

7. Asana

Asana is a particularly comprehensive online platform for collaborative work. Among its many features, it has a free online brainstorming tool based on a mind map template.

Pros:

• The free version includes many features (creating teams and projects, assigning tasks, creating categories to plan a project’s steps and organize ideas…).

Cons:

• The free version allows for a maximum of 10 participants only;
• Although the app allows creating brainstorming sessions, Asana is not designed with this activity in mind and its use is quite complex.

8. Lucidchart

Lucidchart is an online diagram software, whose features allow discussing more complex concepts easily. Lucidchart includes an online team brainstorming tool: a whiteboard on which students can cooperate in real time.

Pros:

• Extracting content from various sources (YouTube, Dropbox, Facebook) is possible;
• Creating all types of diagrams is allowed.

Cons:

• Good Internet connection is required;
• The free version only gives access to 3 ‘editable’ documents.