Comparison

Outliner vs Cloud Outliner

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Outliner

Organize your thoughts, tasks, and projects with a powerful outlining tool. Create structured lists, track project progress with visual indicators, and collaborate with others. Sync your work across devices and cloud storage for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Create structured outlines
  • Track project progress with pie charts
  • Sync with cloud storage (OneDrive, Dropbox)
  • Collaborate with other users
  • Drag and drop editing
  • Search and filter outlines
  • Archive old outlines
Features
Read full description

CarbonFin Outliner allows you to organize your thoughts, tasks, and projects. Easily create a todo list for today, or track an entire project anywhere you are. Share your outlines, edit them online, and collaborate with other Outliner users. Highlights • Create outlines full of notes, structured lists, tasks, or detailed projects • Sync your outlines automatically to Outliner Online, OneDrive, or Dropbox for web or desktop editing • Get a quick view of project progress - tasks with subtasks show a pie-chart indicating percent completed Organize • Search through all your outlines or an individual outline • Tag your outlines, and filter based on tag • Archive old outlines to hide them from view without deleting Easy-to-use Editor • Drag and drop to move items within an outline • Copy, paste • Undo, redo • Expand all, collapse all • Optional outline numbering • Zoom in to focus on a single subtree Outliner Online • Securely synchronize your outlines with Outliner Online • View and edit your outlines in any web browser • Import and export outlines as plain text or OPML • Keep all your devices synchronized • Share an outline with other Outliner users to collaborate OneDrive and Dropbox • Sync your outlines with OneDrive or Dropbox to allow quick import/export • Seamlessly access and edit across your iOS devices and PCs -= Recent version history =- Version 3.20 • iOS 27 support • Updated Dropbox and OneDrive integrations • Bug fixes Version 3.19 • iOS 26 support and adoption of liquid glass Version 3.18 • iOS 18 support • Dark and tinted app icons Version 3.17 • Minor bug fixes Version 3.16 • Minor bug fixes • iOS 17 support Version 3.15 • Fixed Dropbox integration • Show a warning when unlinking Dropbox/OneDrive if there are unsynced outlines • iOS 16 support Version 3.12 • Dark mode • Added confirmation to "Delete Completed" • Changing "Archived" won't update the outline's modification time • iOS 13 support Version 3.11 • OneDrive sync support Version 3.10 • Sync the order of outlines across devices (CarbonFin outlines only) • iOS 12 support Version 3.9 • iPhone X support • iOS 11 support Version 3.8 • Open In... support • Ability to hide the outline list on iPad • Minor UI tweaks

About

Cloud Outliner

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
Read full description

Cloud Outliner helps you turn ideas and tasks into clear, structured lists. Capture thoughts instantly, organize them visually, and keep everything synchronized across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad with iCloud. With rich editing, intuitive gestures, and easy sharing, staying organized has never been easier. Install Cloud Outliner and bring clarity to your work and life. Key Features Organize and Protect • Multi-level document manager • Color tags for quick highlights • Password protection • Custom templates • Duplicate documents Powerful Outline Editor • Drag & drop to reorder • Swipe to change indentation • Multi-select for bulk actions • Checkboxes and auto-numbering • Notes for list items • Rich text formatting and highlighting • Collapse or expand any level • Filters, undo/redo, copy/paste • Link and phone number detection • Read-only mode • Wireless keyboard support with shortcuts Sync and Share • Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud* • Mac version available • Export to PDF, OPML, plain text • Import OPML files • Print via AirPrint • Share by email or messenger Extra • Light and Dark mode • Clean, intuitive design • Portrait and landscape support * Sync with Mac requires Cloud Outliner Pro for macOS, sold separately.

Screenshots

Outliner4 screens
Cloud Outliner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cloud Outliner at Free against Outliner's $4.99. Cloud Outliner also leads on ratings volume (751 vs 88). Outliner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Cloud Outliner is free to download; Outliner costs $4.99 up front. Cloud Outliner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Outliner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Outliner holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cloud Outliner has 751 ratings behind it against 88, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Outliner's written reviews are positive against 80% of Cloud Outliner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Outliner ships an update every 4 months, Cloud Outliner every 6 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Outliner versus Cloud Outliner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOutlinerCloud Outliner
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (88 ratings) — better4.5 (751 ratings)
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings88751 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCarbonFinDenys Ievenko

Customer experience

Outliner

All ratings88 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.1%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews323 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.2%
Negative7.1%

Cloud Outliner

All ratings751 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews420 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral9.0%
Negative11.0%

User reviews

Outliner

From 88 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast, simple, and intuitive
  • 🔒 Reliable and stable
  • 👍 Excellent outlining functionality
  • 👍 Seamless sync across devices
  • 👍 Clean and uncluttered interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and data loss issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about data security and privacy
  • 👎 Limited customization options (e.g., no color coding)
  • 👎 Clunky data entry and navigation in some cases

Cloud Outliner

From 751 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

Outliner

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unexpected error: 500 when saving data
  • Pane that lists outlines won't go away or resize
  • Keyboard takes up too much screen space

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add due dates and priority levels for tasks
  • Improve export and sharing options (e.g., PDF, Word)
  • Implement better organization and search capabilities
  • Introduce a desktop companion app for easier editing
  • Add support for voice notes and other multimedia

Cloud Outliner

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

Outliner

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Cloud Outliner

One-time1
  • Unlock Pro Features$4.99

Questions

Is Outliner free?
Outliner costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cloud Outliner free?
Cloud Outliner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Outliner or Cloud Outliner?
Outliner is rated higher. Outliner averages 4.8 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Cloud Outliner averages 4.5 from 751 ratings.
Do Outliner or Cloud Outliner have ads?
Neither Outliner nor Cloud Outliner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Outliner or Cloud Outliner?
Outliner ships an update every 4 months, and Cloud Outliner every 6 months. Most recently, Outliner was updated on September 22, 2026 and Cloud Outliner on September 22, 2026.

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