# Outliner vs Purelist

The clearest difference is price: Purelist at Free against Outliner's $4.99. Purelist also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). Outliner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Purelist is free to download; Outliner costs $4.99 up front. Purelist sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Outliner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Outliner holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 41 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Outliner's written reviews are positive against 75% of Purelist's.

Outliner ships an update every 4 months, Purelist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Outliner | Purelist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (88 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outliner/id284455726/reviews)** | [4.6 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelist-notes-and-tasks/id1549367431/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **88** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | **86.7% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CarbonFin](https://appshunter.io/developer/284455729) | [Shintaro Miyake](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549367433) |

## What reviewers say

### Outliner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outliner/id284455726)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Purelist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelist-notes-and-tasks/id1549367431)

This app helps organize thoughts and manage tasks with a minimalist approach. It focuses on core functionality for productivity, offering features like sorting, widgets, and indentation. An optional Pro version unlocks advanced features like reminders and iCloud sync.

**Highlights:** Free item sorting, Home screen widget, Mark important items, Indentation for outlines, Search by item, Swipe to complete/delete, Add item descriptions

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $0.49 | per month |
| Purelist Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $4.99 | per year |
| Purelist Pro | $9.99 | per year |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $24.99 | one-time |
| Purelist Pro | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Outliner free?

Outliner costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Purelist free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Outliner or Purelist?

Outliner is rated higher. Outliner averages 4.8 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Purelist averages 4.6 from 41 ratings.

### Do Outliner or Purelist have ads?

Neither Outliner nor Purelist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Outliner or Purelist?

Outliner ships an update every 4 months, and Purelist fortnightly. Most recently, Outliner was updated on September 25, 2026 and Purelist on June 10, 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.*