# MindMax

> MindMax is an AI workspace for reading, thinking and writing. The desktop app (macOS & Windows)
> works inside a folder you already own — no import, no proprietary store, no vector database — and
> three browser apps (Read, Think, Write) handle one document at a time with no install.
> PDFs, EPUB, Kindle books, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images and Markdown are read in place. Every AI
> conclusion carries verbatim quotes checked against the source; every AI edit arrives as a tracked
> change. The app is free; AI work uses a subscription or your own key. A local MCP server connects
> AI apps to your library.
>
> History: MindMax is made by the same team as FunBlocks. "FunBlocks MindMax", the earlier AI visual
> thinking suite under this domain, is its predecessor in spirit; the current product is rebuilt
> around your own documents. Desktop vs browser differences: https://mindmax.me/press/#desktop-and-web

Site: https://mindmax.me/
Full version: https://mindmax.me/llms-full.txt
Download: https://mindmax.me/download/
Pricing: https://mindmax.me/pricing/
Docs: https://mindmax.me/docs/intro/
FAQ: https://mindmax.me/faq/
About: https://mindmax.me/about/
Press: https://mindmax.me/press/
Blog: https://mindmax.me/blog/
Changelog: https://mindmax.me/blog/tags/changelog/

## Core concepts
- [Checked quotes](https://mindmax.me/concepts/checked-quotes/): AI conclusions tied to verbatim quotes; 12-case [test fixture](https://mindmax.me/downloads/quote-check-fixture.json) + [scorer](https://mindmax.me/downloads/quote-check.mjs).
- [Full-text-first answering](https://mindmax.me/concepts/full-text-first/): a document that fits is read whole, not in fragments.
- [Edits wait for you](https://mindmax.me/concepts/edits-wait-for-you/): changes wait for you; new material is added.

## Glossary
[All terms](https://mindmax.me/glossary/): RAG, vectorless RAG, semantic search, grounding, hallucination, OCR, mind map, agent skills, track changes, local-first.

## Features
- [AI PDF reader](https://mindmax.me/features/pdf-reader/): reads the whole paper; cites page and sentence.
- [AI EPUB and Kindle reader](https://mindmax.me/features/epub-reader/): whole books by chapter; .mobi/.azw3 too.
- [PPTX reader with AI](https://mindmax.me/features/slides-reading/): slides laid out as built, explained page by page.
- [Images](https://mindmax.me/features/images/): ask about screenshots and charts.
- [OCR for scanned PDFs](https://mindmax.me/features/scanned-pdf-ocr/): with per-page quality.
- [Box a region and ask](https://mindmax.me/features/region-questions/): a chart, table or equation.
- [AI annotation](https://mindmax.me/features/annotations/): guide, critique or study lens over a document.
- [AI document review](https://mindmax.me/features/ai-document-review/): review a colleague's draft, send back Word comments.
- [Chat with your documents](https://mindmax.me/features/chat-with-documents/): one file or a folder, answers with checked quotes.
- [Search](https://mindmax.me/features/search/) across every file.
- [Local AI knowledge base](https://mindmax.me/features/local-knowledge-base/): the folder or vault you already have.
- [Translate a whole book](https://mindmax.me/features/document-translation/): one run, one glossary, side by side.
- [AI mind map canvas](https://mindmax.me/features/canvas/): a question in the middle, branches filled in.
- [Read as a mind map](https://mindmax.me/features/mind-map-reading/): a book or paper laid out on a canvas.
- [AI thinking models](https://mindmax.me/features/thinking-models/): SCAMPER, first principles, red team as AI Skills.
- [Markdown editor with inline AI](https://mindmax.me/features/markdown-editor/): links, tables, math, history.
- [Tracked changes](https://mindmax.me/features/tracked-changes/): every AI edit marked, to accept or reject.
- [Whole-document revision](https://mindmax.me/features/ai-revisions/): revise from comments or one request.
- [Word and PDF revision](https://mindmax.me/features/edit-word-documents/): edits land in .docx as Word tracked changes.
- [Request review](https://mindmax.me/features/request-review/): send a draft as a link; comments return on the passages.
- [AI writing](https://mindmax.me/features/ai-writing/): editable plan, checkable quotes, asks instead of inventing.
- [Export to Word and PDF](https://mindmax.me/features/export/): real tables, Word equations, numbered sources.
- [AI quick notes](https://mindmax.me/features/ai-quick-notes/): corrects, files and tidies notes.
- [Voice notes](https://mindmax.me/features/voice-notes/): one shortcut to dictate from any app.
- [Skills](https://mindmax.me/features/skills/): a method written once as plain text, used everywhere.
- [MindMax Agent](https://mindmax.me/features/agent/): one step, or a whole job.
- [Bring your own API key](https://mindmax.me/features/bring-your-own-key/): every feature on your key, no account.

## Your own AI app (MCP)
- [MindMax MCP](https://mindmax.me/mcp/): a local MCP server lets AI apps read your library, cite pages and propose edits you review. Nothing uploaded.
- [Connect an AI app](https://mindmax.me/docs/getting-started/connect-an-ai-agent/): one click in Settings, two access levels.
- [Tools an agent can call](https://mindmax.me/docs/reference/agent-tools/): every tool by access level, plus its own-model methods.
- [Model Context Protocol](https://mindmax.me/glossary/model-context-protocol/): what MCP standardises and what it does not.
- [Four jobs for a connected agent](https://mindmax.me/use-cases/revise-with-your-own-ai-agent/): comments, tracked changes, a canvas, a marked-up book.

## Choosing between tools
- [How MindMax compares](https://mindmax.me/vs/): a decision tree by material and goal.
- [AI PDF readers compared](https://mindmax.me/vs/ai-pdf-readers/) · [AI mind map tools compared](https://mindmax.me/vs/ai-mind-map-tools/)
- [vs. ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for PDFs](https://mindmax.me/vs/chatgpt-for-pdfs/): one-off answers vs. a shelf you return to.
- [vs. NotebookLM](https://mindmax.me/vs/notebooklm/): bounded, zero-install project vs. a folder you keep working in.
- [vs. ChatPDF](https://mindmax.me/vs/chatpdf/): one file and question vs. notes that accumulate.
- [vs. Heptabase](https://mindmax.me/vs/heptabase/) · [vs. MarginNote](https://mindmax.me/vs/marginnote/) · [vs. Immersive Translate](https://mindmax.me/vs/immersive-translate/) · [vs. a self-built RAG setup](https://mindmax.me/vs/local-rag-setup/)
- [Using MindMax with an Obsidian vault](https://mindmax.me/works-with/obsidian/): the vault opens in place, read by both apps.

## Use cases
- [All use cases](https://mindmax.me/use-cases/): papers, drafts, study, translation.

## Open source
- [Is MindMax open source?](https://mindmax.me/open-source/): the PDF → Markdown engine is Apache-2.0; the app is proprietary.
- [@mindmax/pdf-markdown](https://mindmax.me/open-source/pdf-markdown/) · [corpus results](https://mindmax.me/open-source/pdf-markdown/benchmark/): no runtime deps, open defects listed.

## In the browser, no install
- [Web editor](https://mindmax.me/tools/online-markdown-editor/) · [All online tools](https://mindmax.me/tools/): PDF/Word export, PDF to Markdown, diagrams; free, no account.
- App descriptions (Markdown): [Read](https://mindmax.me/read.md) · [Think](https://mindmax.me/think.md) · [Write](https://mindmax.me/write.md).

## Pricing
- Free — 100 credits per week, all models except Deep, 1 device.
- Starter — US$10/month, 2,000 credits per week, adds limited Deep and web search, 1 device.
- Pro — US$20/month, 6,000 credits per week, adds full Deep, 2 devices.
- Max — US$100/month, 36,000 credits per week, 3 devices.
- Your own API key: every feature, no account, no weekly allowance.

## What MindMax is not
- Not a mobile app. Folders and cross-file AI are desktop-only; MindMax Read and the web editor take one document at a time.
- Not a team workspace, database or wiki; a single-person tool for documents.
- Not a general-purpose assistant. It does documents.
- Not a cloud library: the folder stays on your machine, and a connected AI app reads it locally.