# OmniOutliner 3 — user reviews > 77 indexed App Store user reviews of OmniOutliner 3 by The Omni Group, rated 3.90/5 from 139 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/omnioutliner-3/id1174101450/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/omnioutliner-3/id1174101450.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 81 · 4★ 13 · 3★ 9 · 2★ 21 · 1★ 15 ## What do users think of OmniOutliner 3? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 💡 Powerful hierarchical organization and outlining capabilities - 🎨 Extensive customization and formatting options - 📊 Multi-column support for flexible data management - ⌨️ Excellent keyboard navigation and shortcuts - 🔄 Good integration across Mac and iOS platforms - 👍 Intuitive for brainstorming and project planning - 🎯 Advanced automation with JavaScript support - 💬 Responsive and helpful customer support - 📱 Clean, elegant interface design - 🔒 File-level encryption support **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues - 💰 Expensive pricing model with per-device licensing - 🖼️ Poor handling of images and media - 📱 Weak iOS version compared to Mac version - 🔄 Unreliable sync functionality - ⚙️ Complex and non-intuitive user interface - 📤 Limited import/export capabilities - 🔐 Requires separate account creation - ⏱️ Slow performance with large files - 🎨 Poor text formatting options on iOS - 📋 Horizontal scrolling issues with text overflow - 🔌 Keyboard connectivity issues on iOS **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes in landscape mode on iPhone - Text overflow with horizontal scrolling required - Inspector shows 'Nothing to inspect' error - Long press menu has significant delay - Search feature erases text automatically - Copy and paste functionality broken - Keyboard input lag and disconnection - Data loss during edits and screen sleep - Sync conflicts with duplicate versions - File associations override iOS text file handling - Add Column button cut off in inspector - Stuck loading rows in large files - iOS 18.1 compatibility issues limiting single file opening - Columns inaccessible on iPhone due to UI layout **Most requested features** - iCloud sync instead of proprietary sync server - Direct photo/image capture from within app - CSV and tabular format import support - Better file management and thumbnail previews - Dark mode option - Full text search across all files - Improved split-screen mode support - Better documentation and user guides - PDF export functionality - Batch import for multiple documents - Better keyboard handling in split-screen mode - Dropbox integration ## Newest reviews (13 of 77) ### 3/5 — Struggles w Images *2025-11-13, version 3.13.1* I really want to love you, Omnioutliner, but you struggle when I add images. 😟 ### 3/5 — Unusable on iphone *2024-04-09, version 3.10* Awful user interface makes some columns inaccessible ### 2/5 — I’m looking for a replacement *2023-12-02, version 3.10* Bugs don’t get fixed. Support is minimal. The user interface is horrible. The major advantage is integration between iOS and macOS, however it gets confused about which version is current. ### 4/5 — Mariembourg karting *2023-05-24, version 3.10* Dear Terry I am deeply saddened about your behavior ### 2/5 — Avoid for now *2023-01-08* Although the Mac app is a solid outliner that I highly recommend, I would avoid the iOS version for now. It is very buggy, and the sync function is weak. On the bug side, even though I paid for the pro subscription, the text of your outline bleeds off the screen, so that you’re forced to endlessly scroll horizontally to read your outline. This is a known bug that Omni needs to fix before the software becomes truly usable. Sync is also messed up and constantly forces you to choose from duplicate versions after you use both the iOS and Mac versions, even though you’re only using the iOS version to view your outline, not edit it. Very frustrating and not consistent with Omni’s usual high quality of product. For sure don’t waste your $50 on a pro subscription until the app is updated to address the bugs. I’ve removed the iOS version from my devices. Instead, I cut and paste my outlines into a Craft note and access them there. (BTW, Craft is a solid outliner with 80% of OmniOutliner’s functionality if you don’t need the most powerful though flawed outline ecosystem.) Sorry to be critical, Omni developers, because I love the Mac app, but the iOS version really disappointed me. ### 2/5 — Keeps crashing *2022-12-19, version 3.10* Love this app for its clean simplicity but I can’t trust it now as it keeps crashing on my iPad. ### 4/5 — Very good - almost *2021-12-09* Very useful and I would buy it again. Would give it five stars except one important feature it is missing apparently, is that there is no feature in the app itself to take or access photos directly. You need to take a picture in the other photo app on your phone and then copy paste into this app. ### 3/5 — Useful but - *2021-04-25, version 3.7.3* What the hell have you done with the file manager? Totally spoilt it - sort it out please. You have gone from hero to zero in one update. Well it’s back to carbonfin for me as I absolutely hate the update. This is an overpriced app at best now it’s in my ‘not used’ folder. ### 2/5 — Expensive and buggy *2021-02-27* Don’t become dependent on this app. For the last few years I’ve dished out money for each upgrade which was supposedly optimized for the latest iOS and hardware. But each new version has gotten buggier and more unstable. My usage is very simple: public speaking outlines. No fancy stuff. Nevertheless, the most basic functions of the app are frustratingly slow and unintuitive. Several bugs come to the fore during split screen mode. Additional bugs exist in frequently used UI elements, requiring a lot of patience. It’s like the developers don’t actually test the app in the real world. Unfortunately, there is nothing close to this app that I’ve found yet. So I’m dependent on it. ### 2/5 — Another Omni app with minimal import capabilities *2021-02-14, version 3.7.2* Basically, for import OmniOutliner supports text files with tab separated columns (TSV’s), RTF’s (ok?) and OPML. The text file import doesn’t support headers (I guess the developer didn’t have all afternoon). There’s no support for importing CSV’s or any other tabular format. ### 2/5 — Powerful, but weak user support *2021-01-19, version 3.7.2* Premium app with a premium price tag. Interesting JavaScript-based automation support on MacOS and iOS. Alas, the user forums are essentially dead, and it’s difficult (impossible) to get a response on their Slack channel or even Twitter. ### 4/5 — A great app but... *2020-11-10, version 3.7* Today I paid for the Pro version of this app because after trying many of the other outliner apps out, Omnioutliner is the most powerful. However, this is by far the most expensive app I’ve ever paid for, and I am disappointed at how infrequently it seems to be updated, as well as noticing there a number of (small) bugs. I am really hoping that my investment in this product pays off, and that the Omnioutliner team will release frequent updates that address bugs and add new features. ### 5/5 — Very useful idea organizer *2020-09-25, version 3.6* I’ve used Omni Outliner on the Mac for 14 years and it is unique in its ability to help me to see my ideas and organize them. This iOS version allows me to look at and modify my lesson outlines right in my pocket. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — iOS 18.1 problems *2024-11-01, version 3.12.1* It only lets you open one file at a tim with iOS 18.1 ### 1/5 — Highway robbery *2024-03-26, version 3.10* Forcing customers to buy an account for each of their devices is outrageous and shows how this company feels about the consumer. Omni wants to gouge its customers, I wish I had known this before buying the desktop version I would have bought something else ! ### 1/5 — huh? another useless app that trips over its own shoelaces? it can’t be!? *2023-09-18, version 3.10* dog-sh having it merely installed completely prevents me from opening ‘.txt’ files in the normal iOS viewing format; upon tapping a ‘.txt’ file the app takes over and says “you actually want to open this in me, don’t you; i’ll go ahead and open this text in a fresh ‘omnioutliner’ doc for you”; app doesn’t even need to be open for this to happen, merely installed is enough; reinstalling the app doesn't even fix it! can’t format text in any way whatsoever that’s been pasted into a document using the app’s text-formatting options. frequently fails to recognise selected rows in the ‘inspector’ and so displays “nothing to inspect” when the ‘inspector’ is selected. text input is laggy. the point about it overriding iOS’s basic file-viewing systems makes it completely unusable as having the app merely installed completely disables an essential function of the iPad thank you for wasting my time you lazy money-craving worthless degenerates ### 1/5 — Why do I have to create an account? *2021-11-21* I have subscriptions to several Mac and iOS apps that I bought on the App Store, all of which have a free trial period before I was charged the subscription fee. While no other app asked me to create an account, OmniOutliner would not me go past the launch page without first creating an account with Omni or just use the free “viewer” (like I need it if I never used Outliner). One of the reasons most off use buy apps ONLY form Apple’s App Stores is that we do not want to create accounts for every app we purchase. I hope the OmniGroup follow the example of other developers and let users try and purchase an use this app without having to create a separate account with Omni, especially since now it appears that we can sync with iCloud instead of Omni’s own sync server. ### 1/5 — Can’t find a way to cancel free trial *2021-01-12, version 3.7.2* Poor UI. Scammy feeling to be trapped into buying something. I don’t want to buy it. ### 1/5 — Don't like *2020-09-07, version 3.5* P[ease discontinue subscription ### 1/5 — Data loss *2020-07-25, version 3.5* Do not use in mission critical situations. I made last minute edits to a speech outline and slept the screen for 5 minutes while I got set up. Came back to it at the podium and it had lost the edits altogether. Offline, no other apps active. Not “professional.” ### 1/5 — Convoluted *2019-04-04, version 3.3.3* I first encountered OmniOutliner on my first MacBook in 2006. Loved the simplicity and format. Now I give up. This is a case of a company piling on features simply to charge more money and to force everyone to continue to pay for updates that most app developers simply include. And trying to find licenses, and old versions, and to open old file versions seems far too complex. I just wasted an hour trying to sort it all out so I could open an old .003 file. Convoluted processes and explanations. Again: I give up. Don’t waste your money. Go with apps that update as a matter of course, not as a matter to charge more. Too bad. The first version really the best. P.S. You cannot even export documents (outlines) as PDF files. ### 1/5 — Terrible sync, badly thought-out, not up to OmniGrouo standards *2018-12-02, version 3.3.2* This app is a functional outliner but has a bunch of really annoying flaws. First, sync is terrible. You have to create a whole separate Omni sync server account (or use a separate WebDAV thing, which nobody uses anymore), and half the time it doesn't sync up. I just had to delete and reinstall to get a document to show up from my iPad. (Also, why do you have to test server compatibility when you log in? It's your own server!!) For Mac, that requires installing a whole separate omnipresence program and keeping it running. It's 2018, almost 2019, why not use iCloud or at least Dropbox, like every other app on earth? Or at least make OmniOutliner sync seamless like OmniFocus is. Also, it's unclear how to actually generate a sync on iOS. Sometimes tapping (or repeatedly hammering) on the little cloud icon does it, sometimes it doesn't, there's very little feedback, no pull to sync. It's just terrible. Second, the outliner itself has a bunch of stupid features. The most obnoxious is that if you start an outline with one of the built in themes, it comes with the filler text shown in that theme, and there's no way to delete it all at once in the iOS app. When I emailed support to ask about this, they essentially said "buy pro and make your own theme without the filler text." So you have to spend thirty bucks to delete filler text. OmniFocus is amazing, it clearly gets a lot more love as a product than OmniOutliner does. Almost like they're from two different companies. I regret spending money for this app. ### 1/5 — Do not buy *2018-05-18, version 3.1* Zero stars. Five black holes. Was an Omni fan (Ten years, outliner, graffle, sketch, upgrades etc. all on Mac) I decided to try Outliner on my iPad (essentials version). Couldn’t even copy and paste some text from a webpage into the outliner. Copy and paste folks! Copy and paste? (Ran tests eg: selected text pasted into other applications just fine eg gmail; opened new outliner files etc). Clearly a bug because on a few occasions when first using app I could copy and paste. Huh? ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Love it *2025-01-13, version 3.12.2* Great customer support as well! ### 5/5 — Omni Productivity *2024-05-10* My senior executive productivity for big projects is super charged with 3 interconnected Omni apps. OmniPlan to plan, map, monitor and update. OmniOutliner to track and identify progress accross multiple metrics. OmniFocus to drive daily focus and effort. In this combination, for me, these Omni apps genrate consistent results and deliver a clear return on my investment in time and money. Thank you The Omni Group. ### 5/5 — Logical information organzier *2023-10-28, version 3.10* We’re using this to create/store information on a hierarchical or branch-like manner. It makes it logical to organise data. Yes, there’s other tools we use like Noto/OneNote, etc. However OmniOutliner is specifically excellent for organising data in structured manner. ### 5/5 — Six Stars *2023-04-05* This app is amazing and awesome. It got me through graduate school and continues to propel my day-to-day work by helping me organize and track my planning. I wish it were updated more; Omni seems to be on the slow burn with this app, as it hasn’t been firing up the carts in the app store. It’s a shame. I get it. If Omni were to release an OmniOutliner 4 Professional with a monthly subscription, I’d jump on it. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2022-05-10, version 3.9.1* Would be even better if with apple keyboard in split app mode, tapping on the other app and then back resumed the keyboard editing position (rather than resigning the keyboard). ### 5/5 — Where I go to think, plan, organize and write *2022-01-20* I never was into outlining before OmniOutliner. In fact, I didn’t even know such software existed, nor how much I would enjoy and benefit from it. The ability to move around my thoughts and notes in a hierarchical way not just helps me organize them, but actually improves the way I can think about them. I was never one for the classroom, but OmniOutliner singlehandedly has made me feel I could be a better student if I ever went back for more graduate studies. Beyond that I love the style settings, the support for extra columns, the ability to record inline, and even the mathematical spreadsheet-like capabilities (which are in a way even better than spreadsheets since you can organize the calculations hierarchically!). This is also a great developer to support. (I have no affiliation with them.) I also personally love OmniFocus and have both it and OmniOutliner on all my Apple devices - in fact, they are the only two pieces of software I have my Mac automatically start when I log in. ### 5/5 — It is such a great outliner *2021-12-13, version 3.8* I have used OmniOutliner Pro on the Mac since the early days of OS X. I’ve been using OmniOutliner Pro on my iPad for a few years. I think sometimes people overlook OmniOutliner because it has been around for quite a while now. However it is IMHO the best outliner for the iPad as well as the Mac. The ability to have multiple columns of various types brings enormous power and flexibility. It is just such a great idea and nobody else does it. Occasionally I try out alternatives but they never seem to be as good as OmniOutliner Pro. I use this app for so many things, lists for packing stuff for bicycle trips is one example. I have a column for identifying the bag on the bicycle the thing goes into. I’m in the middle of a really big writing project now and I’m using OmniOutliner Pro on my Mac and iPad for it and it is working out very well. ### 5/5 — Excellent support *2020-10-10, version 3.7* From time to time I have seen criticism of the Omni Support Humans. This has not been my experience; I have needed them two or three times over the past few years and each time they responded quickly and effectively. They resolved the issues I raised and I could not have asked for more. ### 5/5 — pricy *2020-10-09, version 3.7* Best outliner ever. ### 5/5 — How to reinstall successfully *2020-10-03, version 3.6* Very good App. If you buy a new iPhone or restore a backup, if the App cannot restore it will stop working after 15 days, loading a trial version. Save the files, delete the App and reinstall it from iTunes. It will rework. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*