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Posted by satis
Jan 27, 2026 at 12:27 AM
That’s an interesting, and odd, reverse course. Less than two years ago, Plottr publicly announced a carefully considered approach to LLM integration, positioning it explicitly as a brainstorming aid offering character names, place ideas, scene prompts, etc. They emphasized that Plottr wouldn’t have its own LLM, wasn’t training models on user data, and would simply rely on external providers via API: “using the API so LLM models don’t train themselves with your story data.”
https://plottr.com/plottrs-ai-future/
They even published multiple blog posts framing this as a creator-friendly, opt-in approach, including “AI for Writing (and the Ways We Use It)” and “Off By Default: AI in Plottr Gives You Control.”
https://plottr.com/ai-for-writing-uses/
https://plottr.com/ai-in-plottr-workflow/
Meanwhile, as we all know the broader software ecosystem has moved rapidly in the direction of LLM integration. In December 2024 a survey of Mac developers showed that 40% cited AI as the single biggest impact on their apps (up from 31% in 2023), and roughly 60% were either actively working on AI features or had already shipped them, up from under half the year before. This isn’t limited to writing tools; it’s a platform-wide shift.
Given that context, it’s striking for a niche app to swim so decisively against the tide, especially after previously announcing planned features that now appear never to have materialized.
And very conveniently, those missing features are now reframed as a principled stand rather than an execution gap.
Cameron’s argument (he said on Instagram, “We don’t want to empower some machine to write the book for you”) is equally hard to reconcile with Plottr’s own earlier framing. It’s not just inconsistent with prior statements; it’s arguably paternalistic.
Treating any LLM assistance as equivalent to “writing the book for you” dismisses how many creators actually use these tools: for ideation, friction reduction, and exploratory thinking, not authorship replacement.
Honestly, this timeline raises questions. API key support was announced in early 2024, yet we’re now told integration won’t happen at all. Was this truly a philosophical evolution, or were there technical or resourcing challenges that never got resolved? If Plottr couldn’t implement promised features, was this change of heart technical or strategic?
Whatever the reason, something about this reversal doesn’t smell right.
Posted by Amontillado
Jan 27, 2026 at 03:46 PM
I have not kept up with Plottr. I bought a very early copy and set it aside. I’ve always thought it’s a great idea, but it didn’t quite fit me, which is a personal problem.
The added Pro features I don’t need. I don’t think I’d buy a lifetime license. It’s a little steep.
If you don’t mind chapters on the vertical axis, Apple Numbers has a categories feature that can be used to emulate at least some of Plottr’s features.
Plottr also does nice outreach with their videos. Great folks.
Posted by Darren McDonald
Jan 29, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Satis, thanks for the information about the new app Notemap. You always come across such great apps!
I tried it out and am liking what I see. Although it is still in development, Notemap is well polished in the features that have been released so far.
I could see myself using it quite a lot if there were a way to export the linked notes attached to the nodes in the mindmap.
(Though it could already be possible, and I haven’t found a way to do this.)
I am sure the developer is working on this feature; he needs to.
I read comments about the integration of AI. I agree that, in my mind, mindmapping itself is the visualization of thinking and discovery of new thoughts based on thoughts that I have. Therefore, the use of AI to assist me in making mind maps and notes would rob me of the new thinking and insight gained through the process of creating a mind map. I can see where AI integration with mind mapping would benefit others, depending on what the goal of mind mapping is in the first place. With Notemap, you have to actively register an API key for an AI provider for the feature to work. So, since I don’t have a key, AI is not an option for me anyway. ;)
satis wrote:
Wasn’t familiar with the app, did a quick search and discovered it was a
>product of Lexis-Nexis and disappeared a decade ago.
>
>But in my serach I came across a new (to me at least) Mac mind-mapping
>app with that name and domain. It looks solid, supports linked notes,
>attachments, Markdown and has optional AI integration. Pricing is $30,
>but there’s a generous permanent free tier. Maps export to formats
>like Markdown, PDF, HTML, and OPML.
>
>https://notemap.com/
Posted by satis
Jan 30, 2026 at 01:13 AM
Darren McDonald wrote:
>Satis, thanks for the information about the new app Notemap. You always
>come across such great apps!
I did not realize this was a brand new app, but on Reddit I just came across a post from today from the dev who is *introducing* it. So it was happenstance that I chanced upon it because of Jon’s post which started this thread.
https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1qqiypz/i_built_a_native_mind_mapping_app_for_mac_free/
The post includes a 4-minute intro video that shows it off (including using AI to help brainstorm new mindmap nodes).
The post includes coupon code MACAPPS for 20% off, making it a one-time $24 purchase price. (I’m thinking about it!)
“Everything stays local. You can sync it to dropbox, iCloud, Git or however you want…. In latest version 1.6.0, you can now import xmind, freemind, opml, Markdown”
Posted by Darren McDonald
Jan 30, 2026 at 09:52 AM
I saw the same post on Reddit today and was about to post the coupon code ... but you beat me to it. ;)
I posted the questions I had yesterday in this forum in the Reddit thread and received an instant response.
The developer indeed plans on being able to export notes and attachments with the mind maps.
This is great news. I purchased the app immediately on hearing this. :)
satis wrote:
>I did not realize this was a brand new app, but on Reddit I just came
>across a post from today from the dev who is *introducing* it. So it was
>happenstance that I chanced upon it because of Jon’s post which started
>this thread.
>
>https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1qqiypz/i_built_a_native_mind_mapping_app_for_mac_free/
>
>The post includes a 4-minute intro video that shows it off (including
>using AI to help brainstorm new mindmap nodes).
>
>The post includes coupon code MACAPPS for 20% off, making it a one-time
>$24 purchase price. (I’m thinking about it!)
>
>“Everything stays local. You can sync it to dropbox, iCloud, Git or
>however you want…. In latest version 1.6.0, you can now import xmind,
>freemind, opml, Markdown”