Direct import — free
Your outline,
already a map.
You already wrote the structure. Any indented text — headings, bullets, a pasted outline — is a mind map that hasn't been drawn yet. Atlas Red reads your Markdown and builds the real thing: every bullet a node you can move, rename and extend. No AI, no credits, no waiting.
How it works
Drop the file in
Any .md file — or paste the outline straight from your editor. Nothing to configure and no credits to spend; a free account is all it takes.
Structure comes across
The heading becomes the title, bullets become nodes, indentation becomes hierarchy — and your prose becomes map node notes rather than being discarded.
Edit — and send it back
Work on it as a map, then export to Markdown again whenever you like. Out and back, as often as you want.
What it reads
No special dialect and no front-matter — just the Markdown you already write:
A leading # heading becomes the map's title. Bullet lines become nodes, nested exactly as you indented them. A plain line after a bullet attaches to it as a note — which means the half-finished thinking between your bullets survives the trip instead of being thrown away.
One-way converters lose the point.
Most "Markdown to mind map" tools are a one-way street: paste text, get a picture, and if you want to change something you go back to the text and start over. The map is output, never a document.
Atlas Red's Markdown importer is built to read Atlas Red's own Markdown export. That single fact changes what the feature is for. A map can go out to a file, get edited in your editor, in a pull request, or by a script — and come back in as a map, structure and notes intact. Your outline and your map are the same document in two shapes, and you pick whichever one suits the moment.
That's the house rule the whole product is built on: your maps are never held hostage. Markdown is simply the most portable proof of it — a plain text file, readable in any editor, on any machine, forever.
What it costs
Nothing. Markdown import is a direct format conversion, not an AI feature — no credits, no trial to burn, no credit card. It behaves identically on the Free edition and on Pro, and the same is true of export. Only photo and PDF import ever cost anything, because those need a model to read them.
Plain text and TSV, YAML, OPML, FreeMind .mm, XMindMark and .xmind archives import the same way — direct and free. And every map exports to any of 14 formats on every tier, including Free.
Questions people ask
Is Markdown to mind map conversion free?
Yes — completely. It's a direct format conversion, not an AI feature: no credits, no trial, no credit card. It works on the Free edition exactly as it does on Pro. Only photo and PDF import ever cost anything.
What Markdown does it understand?
A leading # heading becomes the map title. Bullet lines become nodes, nested by indentation. A non-bullet line following a bullet attaches to it as a note, so your prose survives the trip instead of being thrown away.
Can I export the mind map back to Markdown?
Yes, any time, on every tier including Free. The importer is built to read Atlas Red's own Markdown export — so a map can go out to a file, be edited in your editor, and come back as a map. A genuine round trip, not a one-way conversion.
Does it need AI or an internet connection?
No AI is involved — it's a deterministic parser, so the same file always gives the same map, instantly. Maps are cached for offline editing, and your edits queue and sync when you're back.
Can I turn plain text into a mind map, not just Markdown?
Yes — plain text and tab-separated outlines import the same way, free and without AI. Indentation becomes hierarchy exactly as it does in Markdown, so an outline pasted from a notes app or a spreadsheet column works without reformatting.
What other text formats can I import?
Plain text and TSV outlines, YAML, OPML, FreeMind (.mm), XMindMark and .xmind archives — all direct, all free, no AI. Photos and PDFs use AI and are the only imports that cost credits.
Can my AI assistant create maps from Markdown for me?
Yes — Atlas Red's MCP server exposes the same import to any connected assistant, so you can ask Claude to turn an outline into a map in your workspace. It's free and never metered.
Also direct and free: build maps from your AI assistant over MCP. Working from something else? Word, PDF, photos, and meeting transcripts.