Now if we can just get proper mindmapping in Markdown. I've tried all the libraries I could find and while they are pretty neat they still lack linking and other things like you'd get from XMind.
I've had trouble understanding the use case for mindmapping software, so I'd be curious to hear what you use Xmind for! I feel like I'd have to constantly fight with the layout to prevent my diagrams from turning into a big spaghetti mess. For most of the demos on their website, a simple nested list seems just as effective at communicating the same information.
I haven't used XMind recently, but previously I found it great to use for studying or for brainstorming where I could easily show connections or hierarchy within thoughts. When trying to understand complex ideas or even sometimes architecture I find it easier to display in a mind map at first than to use other diagramming software. I think of it like tiling window manager.. rather than manage all the windows myself, the mind map software does it for me.
I sync my .xmind with .md files using homemade python scripts. Lately I went the extra mile to produce reveal.js friendly mds. Very handy. I did not gather enough energy to open source this stuff. But this comment made me realize this pain point I have with Xmind might be more common than I thought.