Tree for Mac

Tree for Mac lets you map out your ideas and thoughts in a free-flowing yet accessible way. You can easily move keywords and concepts around, relate them to each other in various ways, and build anything from a basic outline to a completely organic thought tree. There are some projects that lists just don't work for, and Tree for Mac is designed to help you deal with just that type of situation.

As soon as you install Tree for Mac, you're ready to get started outlining and planning. Just start typing and move pieces around as you see fit. You can add numbering, and you can build out relationships between terms. Color-coding is also an option, either through changing the color of the text or of the symbols next to each item. Use either the drop-down menus or shortcut keys to manipulate your words and phrases so that they are presented in the most effective way. Various fonts are available, and you can open a new tab if you want to start over or go off on a tangent.

The interface of this app is streamlined and intuitive, which is exactly what you want for a brainstorming session. The full feature version is free to try for 14 days, and it costs $24.99 to continue using after the trial period has expired. It is comparable to other outlining programs available, but the ease of use makes it worth at least trying for the free two weeks.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Tree for Mac 1.9.4.

• Fixed a memory management issue.