Best Outliner Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Dynalist is ranked #1 of 31 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Indenta and Legend. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Indenta. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Gingko Writer at $0.81/mo.
Outliner software helps organize ideas and notes into structures you can navigate. Compared on navigation modes, Markdown support, backlinks, and export formats, the entries offer different ways to work with and move outline content. App platforms and offline access can matter across devices or when you work without a connection, while real-time collaboration may be useful for shared work. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing round out the comparison. Dynalist, Indenta, and Legend are among the options to consider. Think about how you capture, connect, and reuse material when comparing their listed features.
31 outliner software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DynalistWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $9.99/mo | 6.8 | |
| 2 | IndentaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 3 | LegendWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $5/mo | 6.8 | |
| 4 | LogseqWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $5/mo | 6.8 | |
| 5 | TineWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 6 | WorkflowyWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $6.99/mo | 6.8 | |
| 7 | outlWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 8 | CheckvistWeb · Android · iPhone · API · Extension | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $3.90/mo | 6.6 | |
| 9 | KindlingWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 10 | TanaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $2,030/mo | 6.6 | |
| 11 | ZavalaMac · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 12 | Org modeWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 13 | Cloud OutlinerMac · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | CrossLineWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | DashwordWindows · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | Fractal NoteWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | Gingko WriterWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | $0.81/mo | 5.3 |
| 18 | Leo EditorWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | OxinotWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | Roam ResearchWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | TreeLineWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 5.3 | |
| 22 | Bike OutlinerMac | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | Cloud OutlinerMac · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | DrummerWeb · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | FocusNoteMac | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | App platforms | Export formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dynalist | 6.8 | Free plan | $9.99/mo | Yes | 7.99 /user/mo | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | HTML, plain text, OPML |
| 2 | Indenta | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Markdown files in ZIP archive |
| 3 | Legend | 6.8 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | — | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | HTML, Plain Text, Markdown, OPML, JSON |
| 4 | Logseq | 6.8 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | Tine | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android | Markdown, Org, Text, OPML, HTML, PDF |
| 6 | Workflowy | 6.8 | Free plan | $6.99/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | outl | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macOS, Linux, Windows, iOS, Android | Markdown, JSON, Hugo |
| 8 | Checkvist | 6.6 | Free plan | $3.90/mo | Yes | 3.9 /user/mo | web, chrome_extension, api, mobile progressive web app | OPML, plain text, Markdown, rich text |
| 9 | Kindling | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macOS, Windows, Linux | Scrivener 3, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown, Obsidian Longform, Treatment DOCX |
| 10 | Tana | 6.6 | Free plan | $2,030/mo | Yes | 30 /user/mo | — | — |
| 11 | Zavala | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macOS, iOS, iPadOS | PDF, HTML, Markdown, OPML |
| 12 | Org mode | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | ASCII, Beamer, HTML, iCalendar, LaTeX, Markdown, ODT, Org, Texinfo, man |
| 13 | Cloud Outliner | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, macOS | PDF, OPML, HTML, plain text |
| 14 | CrossLine | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | HTML, CLDX |
| 15 | Dashword | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS, Windows | — |
| 16 | Fractal Note | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome extension | PDF, Markdown |
| 17 | Gingko Writer | 5.3 | No | $0.81/mo | No | — | web | JSON |
| 18 | Leo Editor | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | windows, macos, linux | HTML, MORE, Markdown, Org mode, reStructuredText, Vim outline |
| 19 | Oxinot | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | windows, macos, linux | — |
| 20 | Roam Research | 5.3 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 21 | TreeLine | 5.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux | HTML, plain text, tab-indented text, CSV, tab-delimited text, TreeLine, XML, ODF, Mozilla HTML bookmarks, XBEL, PDF |
| 22 | Bike Outliner | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS | .bike, .opml, .txt |
| 23 | Cloud Outliner | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, macOS | PDF, OPML, HTML, plain text |
| 24 | Drummer | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | web, macos | OPML |
| 25 | FocusNote | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS | Markdown |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which outliner software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Dynalist is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 6.8. Indenta is second and Legend third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Gingko Writer has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.81/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.