PC Week Labs' tests showed that Smart Ideas is better than rival products for larger groups of users because it taps a server to centrally store collaborative data. MindManager, however, is a better choice for more controlled collaboration and has a better range of information sharing options. Like MindManager, Smart Ideas produces diagrams known as concept maps that divide complex ideas into components and display the relationships between ideas. Each idea can be placed in its own box, and related concepts are linked with lines. Because Smart Ideas' server stores maps and related documents, participants can work on a project at their convenience or use the server for collaboration.
Flexibility comes at a cost, however.
Communications options are primitive as well. There is no ability to indicate who composed material or when, and there are no tools for conversations between collaborators. Smart Ideas' compact user interface made it a snap to create a map. Once we created and clicked on a concept item in the map, a set of icons appeared that let us link the item to other concepts and to other Internet information sources, such as Web sites. MindManager has more extensive mapping options, especially in the use of symbols.