The short answer
A mind map is for exploring one topic. It starts with a central idea and branches outward into subtopics and details. A concept map is for explaining. It links many concepts in a network, and every link carries a label that states how the two ideas are related.
If you want to capture everything you can think of about a subject, a mind map is quicker. If you want to show how the ideas fit together, and check that you understand why, a concept map is the better tool.
How a mind map works
A mind map puts the main topic in the center of the page. Main themes branch out from it, and each branch splits into smaller details, often with a single keyword per branch. The structure is a tree: every idea has one parent, and everything traces back to the center.
Mind maps were popularized by Tony Buzan in the 1970s. They suit brainstorming, taking notes during a talk, and outlining an essay, because they are fast to draw and easy to extend in any direction.
How a concept map works
A concept map places concepts, usually in boxes, and joins them with lines labeled with a relationship such as “causes,” “requires,” or “is an example of.” Each connection reads as a statement: “deforestation increases soil erosion.”
There is no single center. A concept map can have several important concepts, and any concept can connect to any other. Links between separate branches, called cross-links, are where a concept map shows understanding rather than recall. Concept maps were developed in the 1970s by Joseph Novak’s team at Cornell University as a way to represent what learners know.
The differences that matter
Structure: a mind map is a tree around one center, while a concept map is a network that can grow in any direction.
Links: mind map branches rarely say how two ideas relate, while concept map links always do. That single difference changes what each map can tell you.
Purpose: mind maps help you generate and organize ideas; concept maps help you explain relationships and find the gaps in your understanding.
Effort: a mind map is faster to make. A concept map takes longer because every link needs a label, and that extra effort is exactly what makes it useful for studying.
Which one should you use?
Use a mind map at the start of something: collecting ideas for an essay, opening a project, or summarizing a lecture quickly. Use a concept map when you need to understand or explain: preparing for an exam, teaching a topic, or working out how the parts of a system affect each other.
If you are unsure, do both. Start with a mind map to get everything out of your head, then rebuild it as a concept map by labeling the connections and linking ideas across branches.
Doing both on one board
On a whiteboard the two approaches do not need separate tools. In Canvio you can brainstorm freely with sticky notes around a central idea, then turn the useful connections into labeled relations as the structure becomes clear.
Because relations belong to the board rather than being drawn lines, you can keep reorganizing as your thinking changes, without redrawing anything.