Best Cloud Outliner Alternatives in 2026
15 outliner software our editors would look at instead of Cloud Outliner, in our ranking order.
Cloud Outliner: A focused Apple outlining app with structured editing, exports, and synchronization. Where it falls short: available on iOS and macOS, with no other platforms listed.
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Best forFeature-rich collaborative outliners
A flexible collaborative outliner with unlimited nesting, offline access, and low-cost task features.
- Real-time collaboration
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
10.0/10★★★★★Visit Checkvist -
Best forCross-platform power users
Deep outlining and cross-platform access make Dynalist a strong fit for power users.
- Real-time collaboration
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
10.0/10★★★★★Visit Dynalist -
Best forMature general-purpose outlining
A mature outliner with broad platform coverage, sharing, exports, integrations, and AI tools.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit Workflowy -
Best forOffline-first collaborative outlining
A broad, offline-first outliner with collaboration, views, backlinks, and cross-platform apps.
- Real-time collaboration
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Legend -
Indenta not yet scored
Best forFree users wanting modern outlining
A free, cross-platform outliner with strong offline, linking, and on-device AI features.
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
- Offline access
—not yet scoredVisit Indenta -
Tine not yet scored
Best forOpen-source knowledge outliners
A flexible free outliner for Markdown and Org graphs, with Linux as its primary platform.
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
- Offline access
—not yet scoredVisit Tine -
Zavala not yet scored
Best forApple users wanting a free outliner
A capable offline outliner for Apple users who want syncing, collaboration, and rich exports.
- Real-time collaboration
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
—not yet scoredVisit Zavala -
Best forFree private Markdown outliners
A free, private Markdown outliner with encrypted sync, backlinks, and AI-tool connections.
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
- Offline access
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit outl -
Logseq not yet scored
Best forKnowledge-graph-oriented outliners
A flexible local-graph outliner for linked notes, tasks, research, and publishing.
- Offline access
—not yet scoredVisit Logseq -
Org mode not yet scored
Best forPlain-text productivity power users
A free, open-source outliner for users who want tasks, code, tables, and publishing in plain text.
- Markdown support
—not yet scoredVisit GNU Project -
Fractal Note not yet scored
Best forVisual and database-style outliners
A flexible local-first outliner for users who want structured Markdown notes.
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
—not yet scoredVisit Fractal Note -
Best forStructured Apple outlining professionals
A capable Apple-native outliner for structured work, with paid tiers for advanced controls.
- Offline access
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit OmniOutliner -
Best forMac users wanting graph-enhanced outlining
A free Mac outliner with deep navigation, backlinks, graphs, and Markdown export.
- Backlinks
- Offline access
5.6/10★★★☆☆Visit FocusNote -
Best forApple users wanting rich offline outlines
A capable offline Markdown outliner for Apple users, without collaboration features.
- Backlinks
- Markdown support
- Offline access
8.0/10★★★★☆Try Kosshi Outliner -
Best forAI-assisted desktop outlining
A flexible desktop outliner for AI-assisted research, writing, and structured thinking.
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit AI Outliner
Cloud Outliner Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Cloud Outliner?
Checkvist: #1 in our Outliner Software ranking, with an editor score of 10.0 out of 10. A flexible collaborative outliner with unlimited nesting, offline access, and low-cost task features.
Is there a free alternative to Cloud Outliner?
Yes. Checkvist, Dynalist, Workflowy, Legend and Indenta have a free plan or a free tier (12 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Cloud Outliner?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Checkvist starts lowest, at $3.9/user/mo.
Cloud Outliner vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | App platforms | Export formats | Offline access | Markdown support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Cloud Outliner | Yes | — | iOS, macOS | PDF, OPML, HTML, plain text | — | — | 3.8 |
| 1 | Checkvist | Yes | $3.9/user/mo | web, chrome_extension, api, mobile progressive web app | OPML, plain text, Markdown, rich text | Yes | Yes | 10.0 |
| 2 | Dynalist | Yes | $7.99/user/mo | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | HTML, plain text, OPML | Yes | Yes | 10.0 |
| 3 | Workflowy | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | 6.0 |
| 4 | Legend | Yes | — | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | HTML, Plain Text, Markdown, OPML, JSON | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| not scored | Indenta | Yes | None | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Markdown files in ZIP archive | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Tine | Yes | None | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android | Markdown, Org, Text, OPML, HTML, PDF | Yes | Yes | — |
| not scored | Zavala | Yes | None | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | PDF, HTML, Markdown, OPML | Yes | Yes | — |
| 8 | outl | Yes | None | macOS, Linux, Windows, iOS, Android | Markdown, JSON, Hugo | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| not scored | Logseq | Yes | None | — | — | Yes | — | — |
| not scored | Org mode | Yes | None | Windows, macOS, Linux | ASCII, Beamer, HTML, iCalendar, LaTeX, Markdown, ODT, Org, Texinfo, man | — | Yes | — |
| not scored | Fractal Note | — | None | macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome extension | PDF, Markdown | — | Yes | — |
| 12 | OmniOutliner | No | — | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS | CSV, HTML, Dynamic HTML, OPML, plain text, RTF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX | Yes | — | 6.0 |
| 13 | FocusNote | Yes | — | macOS | Markdown | Yes | — | 5.6 |
| 14 | Kosshi Outliner | No | — | macOS, iOS (iPhone, iPad) | Markdown, Rich Text, TextBundle, Plain Text, OPML | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 15 | AI Outliner | No | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | OPML, PowerPoint, Word, PDF | — | — | 5.0 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026