Bubbl.us
Bubbl.us is a browser-based mind-mapping application serving 7M+ individual and team users worldwide for brainstorming, collaboration, and visual organization. The freemium SaaS platform offers AI-assisted idea generation, real-time collaboration, and multi-format export, operated by LKCollab LLC.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Bubbl.us does
Bubbl.us is a privately-held, browser-based mind mapping application founded in 2006 and operated by LKCollab LLC. The product serves a claimed base of 7 million users worldwide — primarily individual knowledge workers, educators, students, and small-to-mid-sized teams — who use it for brainstorming, note-taking, project planning, and collaborative ideation. Access is entirely through a web browser with no installation required, and the UI is available in English, Spanish, and Russian.
The platform is hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure with HTTPS encryption end-to-end and uses Firebase for real-time collaboration that supports up to 50 simultaneous editors and unlimited read-only observers. Core capabilities include AI-assisted idea generation (introduced August 2023), multi-format import and export (Excel, CSV, text, JPG, PNG, PDF, Word, HTML), KaTeX-rendered math formulas, automatic 5-minute revision-history backups, and a template system. Payments are processed exclusively through Stripe under PCI Service Provider Level 1, and the company itself does not store billing data.
Bubbl.us monetizes via freemium: a free tier capped at three mind maps, a Premium individual subscription with unlimited maps and collaboration features, and a Team Subscription with centralized license management, custom domain sign-in, volume discounts, and 50% educational/non-profit pricing. The company has grown organically since inception with no disclosed institutional funding, acquisitions, or parent company, and maintains a small distributed team across Houston, Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago.
Bubbl.us firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bubbl.us
- Legal name
- LKCollab LLC
- Website
- https://bubbl.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bubbl.us is a browser-based mind-mapping application serving 7M+ individual and team users worldwide for brainstorming, collaboration, and visual organization. The freemium SaaS platform offers AI-assisted idea generation, real-time collaboration, and multi-format export, operated by LKCollab LLC.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bubbl.us industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mind Mapping Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Whiteboarding & Visual Collaboration (BPAMAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools (EDAFAGAD)
Keywords
Where Bubbl.us is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Bubbl.us business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Premium Subscriptions: Individual Premium accounts providing unlimited mind maps, revision history, real-time collaboration, file/image attachments, and priority support. Offered at standard rates with 50% discounts for students, faculty, and non-profit organizations.
- Team Subscriptions: Organization-level plans with centralized license management, single point of payment, transferable licenses, prorated billing, and volume discounts. Includes full-featured access for all team members.
- Freemium (Free Basic): Free accounts limited to 3 mind maps. Used as acquisition funnel to convert users to paid Premium or Team subscriptions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Basic Free - 3 mind maps |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium Individual - Unlimited maps |
| Subscription | Annual | Team Plan - Organization licenses |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Bubbl.us product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bubbl.us is a browser-based mind mapping application that lets users visually organize ideas, brainstorm, take notes, and present information through interactive node-and-branch maps. It offers a freemium consumer tier of up to three maps and sells Premium individual monthly subscriptions plus annual Team subscriptions with centralized license management, custom domain sign-in, and group account administration. The platform adds AI-powered idea generation, real-time collaboration for up to 50 simultaneous editors, multi-format export, revision history, and templates.
Product overview
Bubbl.us is a single, unified web-based mind mapping platform. The core offering is the mind mapping application with three subscription tiers: a Free Basic Plan (up to 3 maps), a Premium Plan (unlimited maps with collaboration features), and a Team Subscription (for organizations with centralized management). Key features include AI-powered idea generation, real-time collaboration supporting up to 50 simultaneous editors, ready-to-use templates, automatic revision history, and multiple export formats including PDF, images, and Word documents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bubbl.us Mind Mapping Platform A browser-based mind mapping application that lets users visually organize ideas, brainstorm, take notes, collaborate in real time, and present information through node-and-branch maps. Targeted at teachers, students, writers, professionals, teams, and organizations.
- Bubbl.us Team Subscription An organizational subscription tier of the Bubbl.us platform with distinct B2B capabilities: centralized license management, custom domain sign-in pages for branded access, delegated group managers with quotas, prorated billing, transferable licenses, volume discounts, and anonymous account creation for student privacy compliance. Built for schools, non-profits, and small-to-mid-sized organizations needing multi-user mind mapping.
Companies that use Bubbl.us
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bubbl.us technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Bubbl.us partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core infrastructure.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)core infrastructureBubbl.us is hosted on AWS infrastructure with data centers meeting highest security standards including ISO 27001 compliance. AWS provides physical security, network protection using VPC technology, and undergoes rigorous audits including SAS70 Type II.
- Stripecore infrastructureStripe powers all payment processing for subscription billing. Stripe is PCI Service Provider Level 1 certified (most stringent level) and audited by PCI-certified auditor. Billing information is not stored on Bubbl.us servers.
- Googlecore infrastructureGoogle sign-on (SSO) supported for account creation and authentication. Google Chrome browser recommended for best experience.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bubbl.us competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Notion: All-in-one workspace that includes mind mapping and brainstorming capabilities. Competes for the same individual and team planning use cases, especially for documentation-led workflows.
- Miro: Larger visual collaboration and whiteboarding platform with mind mapping among many templates. Significant overlap in real-time collaboration, templates, and team use cases but with broader product scope.
- Lucidspark: Whiteboarding tool from Lucid with mind-mapping and brainstorming templates. Targets enterprise teams with central admin features comparable to Bubbl.us's team subscriptions.
- Mural: Enterprise visual collaboration platform with templates for brainstorming and mind mapping. Overlaps on collaborative thinking workflows and team sales motion.
Regional players
- Concept: Visual collaboration and whiteboarding platform with strength in European markets. Comparable on real-time collaborative canvases and team plans used for brainstorming.
Direct peers
- MindMeister: Cloud-based mind-mapping tool with real-time collaboration and free tier. The closest one-to-one functional competitor to Bubbl.us for individual and team mind mapping.
- Coggle: Browser-based mind mapping with freemium pricing and unlimited collaborators on paid tiers, directly comparable to Bubbl.us in delivery model, target audience, and price point.
- XMind: Cross-platform mind-mapping software with desktop and mobile apps. Comparable core offering (mind mapping, brainstorming, outlining) but with native app distribution versus Bubbl.us's web-only model.
- MindNode: Mind-mapping app focused on Apple ecosystems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS). Direct category competitor targeting individual creators and students with similar brainstorming workflows.
Emerging players
- Whimsical: Visual workspace combining mind maps, wireframes, and docs. Shares the small-team, design-led, web-first approach that Bubbl.us embodies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bubbl.us social profiles
Digital presenceBubbl.us compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Bubbl.us financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bubbl.us leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Bubbl.us funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bubbl.us M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bubbl.us
What does Bubbl.us do?
Bubbl.us is a browser-based mind mapping application that lets users visually organize ideas, brainstorm, take notes, and present information through interactive node-and-branch maps. It offers a freemium consumer tier of up to three maps and sells Premium individual monthly subscriptions plus annual Team subscriptions with centralized license management, custom domain sign-in, and group account administration. The platform adds AI-powered idea generation, real-time collaboration for up to 50 simultaneous editors, multi-format export, revision history, and templates.
Is Bubbl.us a public or private company?
Bubbl.us is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bubbl.us founded?
Bubbl.us was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bubbl.us based?
Bubbl.us is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bubbl.us make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Premium Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are team Subscriptions and freemium (Free Basic).
Who are Bubbl.us's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Notion, Miro, Lucidspark and Mural. Concept is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are MindMeister, Coggle, XMind and MindNode. Whimsical is listed as an emerging player.
Does Bubbl.us have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bubbl.us.
What industry is Bubbl.us in?
Bubbl.us's product category is Mind Mapping Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAMAI, Whiteboarding & Visual Collaboration, with a secondary code of EDAFAGAD, Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools. Its NAICS code is 5132.