FreeMind is one of the most popular and widely used mind mapping freeware. It is a cross-platform open-source application coded in Java and is available under the GNU General Public License. Thus, you can modify the source code, or install multiple instances free of cost as per your requirements. To use this application, you would require the Java Runtime Environment. Being cross-platform, the application can run on Windows, Linux and Mac as systems, but there might be a slight change in appearance and usage depending on the operating system in use. The application is extremely user friendly and easy to use. The latest version available is version 0.8.1.

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PROS:
The keyboard shortcuts are very straightforward, and are used for all the basic functions of creating a flow chart.

It is the most easy to use and widely accepted mind mapping tool.

CONS:
The application is very heavy and may tend to slow down your system.

There are very few customization options that can be applied to the nodes of your mind map.