Just the job
I’ve been using the CarbonFin Outliner on iPad and iPhone for over 10 years and cannot fault it. Use it mainly for trips or holiday packing and wouldn’t want to live without it. Can’t think of any negatives so 5/5 from me.
Absolutely one of the essential apps!
I have used this app for many years. I love it! I use it for packing lists, grocery lists, errands, brainstorming notes. I can export a list to my mind mapping app easily.
It has easily moved to various new iPads over the years, with all data intact.
Thank you so much for this app.
It has easily moved to various new iPads over the years, with all data intact.
Thank you so much for this app.
Great outliner, if you have perfect vision
NEW CAVEAT: There is a setting to make font smaller, but not one to make it larger or even largest. Nowadays my vision won't let me work without a bigger font. Developers need to give more thought to accessibility. -- ORIGINAL REVIEW (5 STARS): OmniOutliner is prettier and offers columns, this outliner lets me get real work done fast. It's easy to make and rearrange an outline, and it works with both email and the developer's free online syncing service. Easy to get data in and out with OPML. I actually use OmniOutliner, too, but for specific purposes involving highly formatted documents I create on my Mac. For serious thinking and outlining on the go, whether on my iPad or iPod, this is what I prefer to use, because it gets out of my way and lets me work. Also let's me organize my outlines with tags, which I can treat like folders. Wishes? Dropbox support would be nice. UPDATE: The addition of Dropbox support has been very helpful. Unfortunately, one must opt for Dropbox support on a file-by-file basis, and the syncing is not automatic. Still, it's pretty easy.
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Wonderfully useful app highly recommended
My favorite feature is that it keeps copies in synch, so the shared checklists are always up to date on whatever devices they live on.
A nice to have feature would be to mark a task as in progress but not yet complete. The workaround is just to leave the task open and use notes for progress. One can also micromanage by splitting the task down into two or more sub tasks.
Another nice to have would be counts of how many tasks are in the outline, just informationally.
A nice to have feature would be to mark a task as in progress but not yet complete. The workaround is just to leave the task open and use notes for progress. One can also micromanage by splitting the task down into two or more sub tasks.
Another nice to have would be counts of how many tasks are in the outline, just informationally.
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My favorite app
I have been using this outliner app for 7 years or even more, and this is my everyday tool for all the notes I take.
All my notes are hierarchical, with a deep and detailed hierarchy, and I can’t imagine how other people work with “flat” note-taking apps.
All my notes are hierarchical, with a deep and detailed hierarchy, and I can’t imagine how other people work with “flat” note-taking apps.
Been using it forever, it’s still the best
This is the longest running app I’ve had. It’s so simple and it’s become a part of the way I think. I have other outliner apps and they simply get in the way. Yes they have lots of other bells and whistles but nothing comes close to the simplicity and straightforward way this app works.
Completely recommend this to anyone, and the web interface is icing on the cake. Great stuff.
Completely recommend this to anyone, and the web interface is icing on the cake. Great stuff.
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Once excellent product
I have used this product for a long time now and found it invaluable for managing small or complex projects. Just enough functionality without being overburdened with complexity.
Sadly, I need to connect to OneDrive and that doesn’t work. The developer has stopped responding to support requests and updates are few and far between (been waiting a while to another bug). My feeling is that the product is effectively dead.
Sadly, I need to connect to OneDrive and that doesn’t work. The developer has stopped responding to support requests and updates are few and far between (been waiting a while to another bug). My feeling is that the product is effectively dead.
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Still the best
Been using and relying on this app for years. The web based Outliner Online is super helpful and a nice bonus.
This is the best outliner in the world!
Carbonfin outliner is head and shoulders the best outliner is the world.
It is extremely flexible, a new list or adding an entry to an-9#ting liebteyto a couple of intuitive clicks. The layout on the iPad is especially handy. The powerful season function will jet you manage even long,complex lists easily. This is really a gem!!
It is extremely flexible, a new list or adding an entry to an-9#ting liebteyto a couple of intuitive clicks. The layout on the iPad is especially handy. The powerful season function will jet you manage even long,complex lists easily. This is really a gem!!
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I like Outliner so far
I have only had outliner for a few days but am already impressed. I have the app on my iPad, iPhone and am also using the free carbonfin.com web interface. So this means I can be on both desktop and devices updating my outlines. And I can easily sync my outlines. As a backup I can save my outline to Dropbox — the Dropbox feature is built into the app — a folder is automatically set up in Dropbox for this purpose. And I can also save an outline in plain text if I want to. Importantly, the outline elements are dragable on my devices and can be moved up and down on the web interface . And all of this is very simple to do. Very intuitive. Easy to learn. The developers clearly know what they are doing and must be fans of outline programs — because they have created a superb app. ....Rowby.
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Latest updated destroyed what used to be a great product
I have been using CarbonFin Outliner since my iPad 1 and it has always been a great product. Sadly in the latest version they have removed the simple copy and paste feature which enabled used to copy an entire outline into another another file format for editing. Now it converts into am OMPL format but that won't work with any version of Word I have found or Word 365
I used to be able to make this the core app I used to write technology reviews now not only is the current version useless but it has made it impossible for me to do anything with years of notes. An act of total vandalism by the developers who shold be ashamed of themselves.
Do not waste your time or money on this.
I used to be able to make this the core app I used to write technology reviews now not only is the current version useless but it has made it impossible for me to do anything with years of notes. An act of total vandalism by the developers who shold be ashamed of themselves.
Do not waste your time or money on this.
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The best
Apl 2018 The app now has full screen view in landscape, making it officially the best outliner in the App Store. There are apps that make fancier outlines, but frankly on the iPad fussing with formatting is just annoying. Plus they use proprietary formats. This app uses OPML, which with Dropbox sync makes it easy to transfer usable data between all platforms. This plus the ability to fold text (hiding points you're not working on) makes it a great way to get serious writing done on the iPad.
Feb 2016 I've had Outliner since iPad 1, and it's still the best OPML app in the store. And still desperately needs (1) full screen landscape mode and (2) ability to select Dropbox folder for sync. Neither of these are hard.
Older:
This is a really good app. It does outlining, just outlining, really well. Which is why it is so frustrating that after 5 years, the developers still haven't released a version adapted to the IPAD. What you get is two iPhone screens sitting next to each other, crowding the space and making it harder to actually write.
Carbonfin, put in full screen landscape mode in the next version. Please!
Old review: Function-wise, this is the best outliner in the store. Although it doesn't have the fancy formatting of omnioutliner, it also doesn't require their proprietary format. And Dropbox sync means I can avoid Carbonfin's sync services, too--that's good.
Problem: as it's been since the beginning, this app in landscape remains two iPhone screens glued together. Full screen mode in landscape would be easier to use with large outlines, better looking, and would prevent me from unwanted touches on the list of outlines. Please, please give us full screen mode in landscape!--as I've been asking for three years now. All other apps do it, so I know you can too!
Feb 2016 I've had Outliner since iPad 1, and it's still the best OPML app in the store. And still desperately needs (1) full screen landscape mode and (2) ability to select Dropbox folder for sync. Neither of these are hard.
Older:
This is a really good app. It does outlining, just outlining, really well. Which is why it is so frustrating that after 5 years, the developers still haven't released a version adapted to the IPAD. What you get is two iPhone screens sitting next to each other, crowding the space and making it harder to actually write.
Carbonfin, put in full screen landscape mode in the next version. Please!
Old review: Function-wise, this is the best outliner in the store. Although it doesn't have the fancy formatting of omnioutliner, it also doesn't require their proprietary format. And Dropbox sync means I can avoid Carbonfin's sync services, too--that's good.
Problem: as it's been since the beginning, this app in landscape remains two iPhone screens glued together. Full screen mode in landscape would be easier to use with large outlines, better looking, and would prevent me from unwanted touches on the list of outlines. Please, please give us full screen mode in landscape!--as I've been asking for three years now. All other apps do it, so I know you can too!
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Very good
Simple and well implemented outliner with good feature set. No fuss, no problems. Would like to see folders to manage outlines. Just having one list on the left makes me reluctant to keep adding outlines, I tend to use this for set lists that I need occasional access too. Would like to see full width of iPad used in landscape mode, rather than outline list being fixed on the left, this is redundant. Their free web based outliner, back up and sync facility is genuinely useful.
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app great, support stinks
I like the app very much. I use it for my things to do list, with a different outline for different categories. I switched from Toodledo for my to do lists because with Outliner I'm able to manually sort the items.
I'm only giving three stars because the support for the product stinks. I've contacted them many times with product enhancement ideas and never even receive an acknowledgement let alone a meaningful reply. This has happened many times. I haven't seen an upgrade come through for a very long time, also. Is the product still being supported?
UPDATE
Recently the developer has stated that he hasn't thought about this app for a long time but he may get back to it sometime. This is becoming an issue. Apple apps are becoming orphan children as quickly as new apps get designed. It makes you think twice about putting a lot of meaningful data into an app that may not be supported in a little while. When an app is abandoned by its designer, it doesn't even load up on your iPad after an iOS upgrade. I've had apps disappear never to be seen again because they are no longer listed in the App Store.
I'm only giving three stars because the support for the product stinks. I've contacted them many times with product enhancement ideas and never even receive an acknowledgement let alone a meaningful reply. This has happened many times. I haven't seen an upgrade come through for a very long time, also. Is the product still being supported?
UPDATE
Recently the developer has stated that he hasn't thought about this app for a long time but he may get back to it sometime. This is becoming an issue. Apple apps are becoming orphan children as quickly as new apps get designed. It makes you think twice about putting a lot of meaningful data into an app that may not be supported in a little while. When an app is abandoned by its designer, it doesn't even load up on your iPad after an iOS upgrade. I've had apps disappear never to be seen again because they are no longer listed in the App Store.
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Been Using it for Years
I've tried dozens of outlining and mind mapping apps, but always return to Outliner. It just works!
Keep up the good work, guys! This is one of the single most useful apps in my toolkit.
Keep up the good work, guys! This is one of the single most useful apps in my toolkit.
Simple, elegant, fast, but needs COLOUR!
Continues to be one of my most-used apps.
Robust sync and elegant to use.
As my lists get longer/more sophisticated, I am really missing colour and font size options tho
Robust sync and elegant to use.
As my lists get longer/more sophisticated, I am really missing colour and font size options tho
Effective simplicity
Excellent outliner. It has an elegant and practical user interface. DropBox syncing works well. I like it that its native format is OPML so that I can easily pick up files from DropBox on my Mac.
This App gets better and better. Close to perfect !
This is a truly wonderful and very useful and usable app. Compared to it, many other apps for note-taking seem gimmicky. Some are cool, I'll admit, but Outliner is pure Classic in its focus on creating no-fuss outlines to give both great flexibility AND maximum control. The latest version is even more constructively powerful by its ability to focus in on any suboutline you may be working with, removing the surrounding clutter until you're ready to rejoin it. Great search ! And by the way, Outliner is also considerably enhanced by the new Icons feature of IOS8. The icons add flair to your outline, and even better, you can search on the icon. For example, whenever I create an item that has to do with music, I now insert a musical note 🎵. Then later, I can quickly search all the iitems that have musical notes. This is quicker and more intuitive than formal tagging svhemes. Terrific App, all around!
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My favorite outliner!
CarbonFin's Outliner is still my favorite outliner on the iPad. It is by far the easiest to use and works just like the outliners on my Macs twenty or thirty years ago. Except that it is MUCH more fun to use with the iPad's touchscreen. I can outline articles or newsletters or simply jot down ideas much more quickly here in Outliner than in just about any other app on my iPad. Being in outline format, where you can simply tap the triangles to hide or show child items or whole sections, you can quickly find related items and put your new idea in context. Or not.
I've always loved outliners since my first Mac, using "ThinkTank" and "Acta" and "More." Pencil and paper could never match a computer: too much scribbling, erasing and filling in margins. I never got into the habit of cutting the paper into thin strips or using index cards, which were too expensive anyway and better used as flash cards. Once affordable home computers appeared, outlining on pieces of paper was instantly obsolete. Thanks, Steve and Steve! And thanks to Dave Winer for his early easy-to-use outliners!
You can write almost anything with Outliner. I've written articles where I outlined each paragraph. Each sentence was a different item and sometimes even each phrase, so that I could rearrange them until I achieved the impact I wanted. I'm sure that people have written books with it. I've tried, but I never had the endurance, nor the typing speed. For people like me Outliner is better suited to writing poetry or lyrics or short stories. And it should be great for constructing jokes. I use the iPhone version for grocery lists and to jot down or even dictate ideas. Maybe I should try dictating a novel in Outliner on my iPad! That would be doable -- Apple has a great dictation feature using Siri. Might even be fun! When does NaNoWriMo start? Why wait?
I've always loved outliners since my first Mac, using "ThinkTank" and "Acta" and "More." Pencil and paper could never match a computer: too much scribbling, erasing and filling in margins. I never got into the habit of cutting the paper into thin strips or using index cards, which were too expensive anyway and better used as flash cards. Once affordable home computers appeared, outlining on pieces of paper was instantly obsolete. Thanks, Steve and Steve! And thanks to Dave Winer for his early easy-to-use outliners!
You can write almost anything with Outliner. I've written articles where I outlined each paragraph. Each sentence was a different item and sometimes even each phrase, so that I could rearrange them until I achieved the impact I wanted. I'm sure that people have written books with it. I've tried, but I never had the endurance, nor the typing speed. For people like me Outliner is better suited to writing poetry or lyrics or short stories. And it should be great for constructing jokes. I use the iPhone version for grocery lists and to jot down or even dictate ideas. Maybe I should try dictating a novel in Outliner on my iPad! That would be doable -- Apple has a great dictation feature using Siri. Might even be fun! When does NaNoWriMo start? Why wait?
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Elegant and powerful syncing and sharing
I've tried several of the "bigger" outline apps out there and this one remains my favorite. My favorite features:
- instant syncing
- iPhone/iPad apps
- a full featured web app for times when I need web access
- outline sharing
- hiding archived lists
My wife and I mainly use it for sharing lists of todos when we have trips or events we need to plan together. The thing has never crashed and the syncing has been flawless.
- instant syncing
- iPhone/iPad apps
- a full featured web app for times when I need web access
- outline sharing
- hiding archived lists
My wife and I mainly use it for sharing lists of todos when we have trips or events we need to plan together. The thing has never crashed and the syncing has been flawless.
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