Tine vs Zavala

Tine8.5Visit Zavala8.4Visit

Higher score Tine #6 in Outliner Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Tine

vs

Zavala #7 in Outliner Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Zavala

• Tine fits best

  Open-source knowledge outliners

• Zavala fits best

  Apple users wanting a free outliner

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Tine 8.5/10 Visit ↗	Zavala 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.5	8.4
Ranking	#6 in Outliner Software	#7 in Outliner Software
Best for	Open-source knowledge outliners	Apple users wanting a free outliner
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android	macOS, iOS
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features Tine 3/4 · Zavala 4/4
Offline access	✓	✓
Markdown support	✓	✓
Real-time collaboration	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Backlinks	✓	✓
Specs
App platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, Android	macOS, iOS, iPadOS
Export formats	Markdown, Org, Text, OPML, HTML, PDF	PDF, HTML, Markdown, OPML
Navigation modes	focus mode, folding, filtering, search, tabs	focus, expand/collapse, search, filtering
Our review
Pros	Reads and writes Markdown and Org files used by Logseq Combines links, queries, views, annotations, and recovery tools Runs offline across Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android	Offline editing with iCloud sync across Apple devices Real-time collaboration through shared iCloud outlines Exports to PDF, HTML, Markdown, and OPML
Cons	The product is still in alpha and not yet 1.0 Linux is the primary, best-tested platform Android is a sideloaded APK, with no public iOS app	Limited to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS iCloud features require iCloud Drive Apple Shortcuts and iCloud shape its ecosystem fit
Our verdict	Tine is a local-first knowledge outliner for people who organize information in nested bullets, tasks, pages, and linked graph structures. It is free, open source under AGPL-3.0, and available on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android. Its… Read the review →	Zavala is an open-source outliner for macOS, iPhone, and iPad, built around hierarchical rows with nested structure. It suits people who want to organize notes, tasks, brainstorming, project plans, documentation, or structured writing in… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Tine — where it wins

  • Reads and writes Markdown and Org files used by Logseq
  • Combines links, queries, views, annotations, and recovery tools
  • Runs offline across Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android

  Where it doesn't

  • The product is still in alpha and not yet 1.0
  • Linux is the primary, best-tested platform
  • Android is a sideloaded APK, with no public iOS app

• Zavala — where it wins

  • Offline editing with iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Real-time collaboration through shared iCloud outlines
  • Exports to PDF, HTML, Markdown, and OPML

  Where it doesn't

  • Limited to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS
  • iCloud features require iCloud Drive
  • Apple Shortcuts and iCloud shape its ecosystem fit

• Tine8.5/10 · Free plan

  A flexible free outliner for Markdown and Org graphs, with Linux as its primary platform.

  Visit TineFull verdict →
• Zavala8.4/10 · Free plan

  A capable offline outliner for Apple users who want syncing, collaboration, and rich exports.

  Visit ZavalaFull verdict →