# How to Vibe Code Your Own SimpleMind (and Stop Paying for It)

> Cross-platform mind-mapping application designed for personal thoughts and projects

- Site: https://simplemind.eu
- Category: Productivity
- Verdict: **Solid side project** (75/100 vibecodeable)
- Estimated effort: 2-4 weeks part-time

## Verdict

Build a web-based subset of SimpleMind, but keep paying if you need polished native mobile and desktop clients.

Replicating a high-performance native vector canvas with automatic tree layouts across multiple operating systems is a substantial engineering challenge. However, vibecoding a web-based canvas clone using React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS is entirely feasible as a solid side project. The single biggest catch is writing the layout algorithms and rendering math for smooth zooming, panning, and automatic branch positioning without stuttering.

### What you can't replicate

- 18 years of cross-platform native UI rendering optimization
- App Store distribution footprint and consumer brand loyalty

## What it does

A cross-platform mind-mapping app with a free-form canvas, automated layouts, and local-first data ownership.

### Core features

- Infinite free-form and automated canvas layouts (horizontal, vertical, radial, top-down)
- Topic editing with custom colors, borders, and lines
- Media attachments including images, icons, checkboxes, and notes
- Cross-links connecting arbitrary topics across the map
- Branch collapsing, expanding, and filtering with autofocus
- Local file persistence and export options (PDF, image, outline)

## The business

### Pricing

- SimpleMind Free: Free
- SimpleMind Pro (Single Platform): $29.99
- SimpleMind Pro Bundle: $54.99

Founded 2008.
Team size: Micro-team.

## The hard parts

- High-performance native canvas rendering across varied client environments
- Automatic node-tree auto-layout arrangement math with collision detection
- Smooth infinite canvas pan and pinch-to-zoom physics

## How to vibe code SimpleMind

### Prerequisites

- Node.js (free): Required for running the frontend development server and package manager.
- Cursor (free): AI-native code editor for iterative frontend and canvas development.
- GitHub (free): Version control and repository hosting.

### Recommended AI tools

- Cursor: Ideal for iterative component layout, canvas state management, and debugging UI interactions.
- Claude Code: Useful for generating complex data structures, layout calculation algorithms, and file export utilities.

### Stack

- Frontend: Next.js
- Backend: Next.js API Routes
- Database: Turso
- Auth: better-auth
- Payments: none
- Other: Tailwind CSS, HTML5 Canvas or SVG renderer

### Hosting

- Vercel (Hosting the Next.js web mind-mapping application frontend and serverless endpoints.): $0/mo

### Build guide

1. **Project Scaffolding and Layout Structure** — Initialize the Next.js project with Tailwind CSS and establish the primary application layout and canvas viewport shell.

```
Scramble a fresh Next.js project configured with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and Lucide React icons. Create a clean desktop application layout featuring a top command toolbar, a left-hand collapsible mind map navigator sidebar, and a full-screen primary workspace area intended for an infinite canvas. Ensure responsive styling and set up standard project directory structure for components, hooks, and types.
```

2. **Infinite Canvas Engine with Pan and Zoom** — Implement a high-performance vector canvas supporting smooth pan inertia, mouse-wheel zoom, and coordinate transformation.

```
Build an infinite canvas component using React and HTML5/SVG or an optimized DOM container that supports panning via mouse drag and zooming via mouse wheel. Maintain canvas transform state (panX, panY, scale) with boundary constraints and smooth matrix scaling. Implement helper utility functions to convert screen coordinates to canvas world coordinates accurately.
```

3. **Mind Map Data Model and Node State** — Define TypeScript interfaces for mind map nodes, branches, styles, and local state management for topics.

```
Create TypeScript definitions for a mind map document containing a central root node, child topic nodes, connection lines, notes, checkboxes, and styling properties. Implement a React context or Zustand store to manage the active mind map state, supporting actions for adding child nodes, updating topic text, deleting elements, and toggling branch collapse states.
```

4. **Topic Rendering and Interactive Editing** — Render individual mind map topics on the canvas with inline editing, color customization, and child connectors.

```
Develop a TopicNode component that renders on the infinite canvas based on its world coordinates (x, y). Support inline text editing on double-click, selection highlights, drag-and-drop repositioning for free-form layouts, and dynamic SVG bezier curve connection lines linking parent nodes to child nodes. Include a floating topic toolbar for quick actions like adding a sibling or child topic, changing colors, and inserting notes.
```

5. **Auto-Layout Algorithms and Cross-Links** — Implement automated layout arrangement calculations and custom cross-links between arbitrary topics.

```
Implement automatic layout calculation algorithms (horizontal tree layout and radial layout) that compute node positions recursively based on hierarchy depth and sibling count. Add support for creating direct cross-links (dashed or styled connector lines) between any two arbitrary topics on the canvas regardless of hierarchy tree structure.
```

6. **Local Storage Persistence and File Export** — Enable local file persistence using browser storage and export capabilities for outlines and images.

```
Implement local-first persistence using browser LocalStorage and JSON file import/export features so users can save and load their mind map documents locally without a backend server. Add an export utility to generate a plain text hierarchical outline or download the canvas view as an image.
```

### Cost vs paying

**Starting costs (one-time):**

- Cursor Pro (1 month): $20
- Total: $20 one-time

**Ongoing costs (monthly):**

- Vercel Hobby Hosting: $0
- Total: $0/mo

- Paying for the SaaS instead: $29.99 one-time (per platform)
- Build time: 35-50 hours
- AI tool credits: $20
- Break-even: N/A (Perpetual software)

## Sources

- [SimpleMind Official Website](https://simplemind.eu)
- [SimpleMind Features & Pricing](https://simplemind.eu/features-and-pricing/)