Direct import — free
Your OPML file,
already a map.
OPML is what an outliner hands you on the way out — the nested list, saved in the one format every other app agreed to read. Atlas Red opens it directly and builds the real thing: every item a node you can move, rename and extend. No AI, no credits, no waiting.
How it works
Drop the file in
Any .opml file, straight from the export folder. Nothing to configure and no credits to spend; a free account is all it takes.
Structure comes across
The outline's nesting becomes the map's hierarchy — parents stay parents, children stay children, in the order you had them.
Edit — and send it back
Work on it as a map, then export to OPML again whenever you like. Out and back, as often as you want.
Where your .opml came from
OPML is the lowest common denominator of the outlining world: a plain XML file holding nested items and their text. Almost anything that stores a tree can write one.
- MindMeister Export → OPML. It also writes FreeMind .mm; either works here.
- Workflowy Export on any bullet, OPML among the options — the whole subtree comes with it.
- Dynalist Export → OPML, per document or for the whole file tree.
- OmniOutliner File → Export, OPML in the format list.
- Scrivener Exports the binder outline as OPML.
- MindNode, XMind Both offer OPML alongside their own formats — for XMind, .xmind archives import too.
- RSS readers Subscription lists are OPML by convention — an odd thing to map, but it will open.
If an app has an export menu and holds nested lists, OPML is usually somewhere in it. That is the whole reason the format exists.
It goes back out, too.
Importing from a tool you are leaving is only half of the question worth asking. The other half is whether the next move is just as easy — and with most apps it is not, because export is the feature they keep for paying customers.
Atlas Red exports OPML on every tier, including Free, alongside thirteen other formats: Markdown, plain text, JSON, YAML, FreeMind .mm, XMind, XMindMark, HTML, slides, PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF. Export is never behind the paywall.
Which means the file that got you out of your last app can get you out of this one. That is the point — your maps are never held hostage, and we would rather say so plainly than hope you never test it.
What it costs
Nothing. OPML 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.
Markdown, plain text and TSV, YAML, FreeMind .mm, XMindMark and .xmind archives import the same way — direct and free.
Questions people ask
Is OPML 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.
Which apps export OPML?
MindMeister, Workflowy, Dynalist, OmniOutliner, Scrivener, MindNode, XMind and most RSS readers, among many others. If an app has an export menu and holds nested lists, OPML is usually in there.
Can I export the mind map back to OPML?
Yes, any time, on every tier including Free. OPML is one of 14 export formats and export is never behind the paywall — so the file that got you out of your last app can get you out of this one.
Does it need AI or an internet connection?
No AI is involved — it's a direct format conversion, so the same file always gives the same map. Maps are cached for offline editing, and your edits queue and sync when you're back.
I'm moving from MindMeister. Is OPML the right export?
It's one of two good options — MindMeister writes both OPML and FreeMind .mm, and Atlas Red reads both directly and free. Pick whichever your export dialog offers, and check the result before you delete anything on the old account. More on the move: MindMeister alternative.
What other formats can I import without AI?
Markdown, plain text and TSV outlines, YAML, 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 import OPML for me?
Yes — Atlas Red's MCP server exposes the same import to any connected assistant, so you can ask Claude to bring an outline into your workspace as a map. It's free and never metered.
Also direct and free: FreeMind .mm, Markdown and plain text, and maps built by your AI assistant over MCP. Working from something else? Word, PDF, photos, meeting transcripts.