Brainstorming in the Digital Age: Apps Creatives Can Try
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
TL;DR
In this digital age, brainstorming apps can help creative teams share and align ideas no matter where they are.
Digital brainstorming apps support visual and flexible idea generation while improving collaboration across creative teams.
A curated list of brainstorming tools helps creatives and animators develop ideas beyond the limits of physical whiteboards.
Effective brainstorming sessions rely on clear goals, structured collaboration, and well-organised workflows.
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Picture this: an exciting room buzzing with creativity, with everyone jotting down ideas and pinning them proudly to the wall. Energy is high, and the ideas seem to flow endlessly. But what do you do when it’s time to revisit them or join from a distance as a remote creative? Traditional brainstorming has its limits, and having that same momentum in a digital space can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are brainstorming apps to make the most out of these sessions. Using the right tools allows creatives to capture, organise and expand ideas. Creatives can still sketch, map and visualise concepts with the same freedom as post-its—just in a digital space.
When it comes to brainstorming with creative teams, studies show that while traditional brainstorming boosts collaboration, a digital one can result in more ideas being generated
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of recommended apps to try, along with a few practical tips to help bring more value to your brainstorming sessions.
Why Brainstorming Apps Are Effective
Reason #1: Brainstorming apps can catch up with creatives' non-linear thinking
Many creatives rarely think in straight lines. Their ideas often move in a non-linear way. They tend to jump between concepts, images, and fragments of thoughts.
Compared to the traditional way, brainstorming apps are designed to be more versatile in keeping up with the fast-moving thoughts of creatives. These tools let you put down your ideas in a way that feels natural to you, whether it's through sticky notes, freeform sketches, or visual mind mapping.
Reason #2: They give creatives a safe space to capture all raw sparks
A major benefit of brainstorming apps is that they encourage you to lay out all your raw, unpolished thoughts on your digital workspace without any fear or judgment. This is one of the best ways to surprise yourself when you revisit them later. Those sparks are meant to be kept. When your mind is free to explore, unexpected ideas come—ones that might even solve problems you haven’t seen yet.
Reason #3: No idea gets missed from lost momentum
Another benefit of brainstorming apps is that they can support asynchronous brainstorming. In traditional live sessions, ideas are often shared one at a time, which can cause others to lose momentum while awaiting their turn. Brainstorming apps help reduce this problem. Everyone can contribute at their own pace, capturing ideas the moment they appear.
Reason #4: Creatives can contribute at their own pace
On top of that, not everyone thrives in high-energy, live sessions either. Many creatives are either innately introverted or are more reflective. They tend to contribute ideas better in their own time. The right tool ensures all voices are heard, and no idea gets lost in the noise.
Brainstorming apps do more than just digitise your ideas; they support how creatives think and work. They make the ideation process more flexible, inclusive, and freeing.
Recommended Brainstorming Apps for Creatives
There is no ‘perfect’ or 'one-size-fits-all' brainstorming app. Different tools serve different creative purposes and industry workflows. We’ve gathered a few apps that work well, depending on how your team prefers to create.
Mural
Mural is a platform that sits between a whiteboard app and a facilitation platform. It offers a variety of visual collaboration features, from drawing to running workshops, mapping ideas, and aligning stakeholders.
Users can work on a board or a visual workspace, depending on how they want to use Mural. When it comes to brainstorming sessions, members can simultaneously add sticky notes, shapes, text, images, and more to customise the board to their liking. Thanks to this, everyone becomes more responsive and focused while having a group activity. This makes the brainstorming sessions richer in both ideas and teamwork.
Pros:
A rich template library for different teams and their thought flows
Everyone can join and edit the board at the same time, so distance doesn't matter
Some features support facilitators, such as timers, private mode, and follow-me assistance
Cons:
Possible steep learning curve, not user-friendly for beginners
For large and complex boards, the performance can lag
Limited offline access, which can be an issue for users who don’t have reliable internet access
Storyboarder (Visual Storytelling)
Storyboarder by Wonder Unit is a free, open-source, lightweight storyboarding tool designed to help creatives quickly sketch and sequence ideas into visual narratives. It focuses on simplicity, allowing users to draw, arrange scenes, and build story flow so ideas can be captured and visualised quickly.
This tool helps bridge the gap between brainstorming and visual storytelling. Instead of listing raw ideas, teams can start visualising scenes and how they connect during the early ideation stage. This helps with the refinement of ideas and concepts from the get-go, making it useful for early-stage development where speed and flexibility are key.
Pros:
FREE to use, perfect for small teams on a budget and independent creatives
Simple interface that supports fast idea sketching
Compatible with Photoshop integration
Cons:
Not a cloud-based platform, limiting real-time collaboration
Lacks advanced features like 3D visualisation
Requires external tools for project management and workflow tracking
Mindomo (Visual Thinking and Mind Mapping)
Mindomo is designed for those who prefer structured, visual thinking. It works well for people who like organising ideas in a hierarchical way rather than using freeform whiteboards. It’s a mind mapping and concept mapping tool with built-in project management capabilities, helping to connect early ideas with structured execution.
Mindomo sits between idea generation and structured planning. Teams can start with loose brainstorming, then gradually turn those ideas into structured mind maps, outlines or project plans in one app. It also supports real-time collaboration and cross-platform access, helping teams stay aligned while working together.
Pros:
Simple and clean user interface that’s easy to navigate
Supports cross-platform access between desktop and mobile apps
Wide range of template selection from mind maps to diagrams (timeline, fishbone, Gantt chart, etc.)
Cons:
The structured approach may limit open-ended, free-form brainstorming
Limited template editing options on the free plan
The Gantt chart feature is only available on the Professional plan, which can be costly for teams with limited budgets
Miro (Freeform Digital Whiteboard)
Miro is a digital whiteboard designed for real-time visual collaboration, where teams can create, organise, and develop ideas in a shared infinite workspace. You can add sticky notes, shapes, diagrams, templates and images to build vision boards that suit different brainstorming and planning needs.
This app helps teams move from early-stage idea generation to structured thinking in one space. Starting a vision board from scratch can be time-consuming, but Miro offers a wide range of templates and organisation tools to help turn your loose ideas into clear plans. It is especially useful for bridging gaps between ideation and execution.
Pros:
Great for visual thinkers
Highly customisable and adaptable to different workflows
Many available ready-to-use templates for brainstorming
Cons:
Can feel overwhelming for first-time users due to too many features
Requires some learning time before teams can use it efficiently
Per-user pricing may not suit large teams with limited budgets
Related article: How to Choose the Best Productivity Tools for Creative Teams
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the top-rated applications for digital brainstorming?
Top Freeform Visual Collaboration: Miro is known for its versatile infinite-canvas digital whiteboard with ready-made templates and integrations with many other apps.
Best Structured Mind Map Tool: Mindomo, a tool that combines mind mapping and project management features, turning loose ideas into structured plans.
Best for Visual Sequencing: Storyboarder, a lightweight storyboarding tool that turns quick sketches and sequence ideas into visual narratives.
What are the best brainstorming apps for remote teams?
Besides Miro, brainstorming tools like Mural and FigJam are also go-to brainstorming apps. Remote teams need features that allow synchronous and asynchronous collaborations. Like Miro, Mural and FigJam encourage creative brainstorming. They have ready-made templates and features that allow creatives to go ham on visual ideas.
How to choose a brainstorming app for creative professionals?
List out what is important for you and your creative professionals.
Consider the type of brainstorming methods to use as well.
Take note if they need structure over flexibility or remote features with an unlimited ‘playing field’ for them to dump ideas.
Once you know which features are your priority, you can choose and drop apps that don’t quite match your needs.
Author Bio
Alison Chai is a marketer at TESSR, an artist, and a gaming creator with a finance background. She enjoys exploring the intersections of creative work, structure, and mental well-being. Drawn to the idea of "organised chaos”, she believes that the right systems can elevate creative expression rather than limit it. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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