# Cloud Outliner vs zOutline

The clearest difference is rating: zOutline at 5.0 against Cloud Outliner's 4.5. zOutline also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). Cloud Outliner's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 50%) and ratings volume (751 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cloud Outliner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. zOutline asks for nothing beyond the download.

zOutline holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cloud Outliner has 751 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Cloud Outliner's written reviews are positive against 50% of zOutline's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Cloud Outliner ships an update every 6 months, zOutline every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cloud Outliner | zOutline |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (751 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cloud-outliner-nested-lists/id1018143540/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoutline/id1179222435/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **751** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 23 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Denys Ievenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/427936468) | [Zack Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/388860537) |

## What reviewers say

### Cloud Outliner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cloud-outliner-nested-lists/id1018143540)

This app helps you structure your thoughts and tasks into clear, organized lists. It offers visual organization, synchronization across devices, and rich editing features for easy management of your ideas and plans. Share your organized content easily with others.

**Highlights:** Multi-level document management, Drag & drop reordering, Swipe to indent, Rich text formatting, iCloud synchronization, Export to PDF and OPML, Password protection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Pro Features | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 📝 Great for organizing thoughts and ideas
- 🔍 Helpful for creating checklists and to-do lists
- 💻 Works well on both mobile and desktop

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional syncing issues and data loss
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering capabilities
- 💻 Lack of split-screen support on iPad
- 🔄 Frequent prompts to rate the app
- 🎨 Limited customization options for text and formatting

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes on certain devices
- Issues with restoring Pro purchases on new devices
- Inconsistent syncing behavior between iOS and macOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add support for attaching files and images
- Improve export options beyond OPML
- Introduce a true dark mode with black text on dark background
- Add keyboard shortcuts for common actions
- Enhance the ability to move and reorganize outline items


### zOutline

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoutline/id1179222435)

This is a simple outline editor that allows for easy creation and management of hierarchical lists. It supports multiple outlines in tabs, text formatting, and various export options like HTML, RTF, and plain text. The app remembers your progress and allows sharing via email attachments.

**Highlights:** Simple tap and gesture controls, Multiple outlines in tabs, Text formatting (bold, italic, underline), Export to HTML, RTF, and text, Email attachment sharing, Persistent editing state

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cloud Outliner free?

Cloud Outliner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is zOutline free?

zOutline is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cloud Outliner or zOutline?

zOutline is rated higher. Cloud Outliner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 751 ratings, while zOutline averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Cloud Outliner or zOutline have ads?

Neither Cloud Outliner nor zOutline shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cloud Outliner or zOutline?

Cloud Outliner ships an update every 6 months, and zOutline every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cloud Outliner was updated on October 18, 2026 and zOutline on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*