Outliner for iPad vs Author
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Outliner for iPad
This application is an iPad-exclusive outlining tool. It is a legacy version, with a universal app available for new users. Contact the developer for any inquiries.
- Outlining tool
- iPad exclusive
Read full descriptionHide full description
** This is the iPad only version of Outliner. Outliner is now a Universal app, so new users should purchase that version instead. Please contact us for any questions. Thanks! **
Author
This app serves as a companion to its macOS counterpart, offering a minimalist and powerful writing experience on iOS devices. It allows users to create and manage their written content seamlessly across platforms.
- Minimalist writing interface
- Powerful writing tools
- iOS companion app
- Syncs with macOS version
Read full descriptionHide full description
The iOS companion to Author macOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Outliner for iPad at $4.99 against Author's $19.99. Outliner for iPad also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Author's advantage is device support (4 vs 1). On ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Outliner for iPad costs $4.99 and Author $19.99 up front. Author sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Outliner for iPad asks for nothing beyond the download.
Outliner for iPad holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Outliner for iPad's written reviews are positive against 73% of Author's.
Outliner for iPad ships an update every 4 months, Author every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Outliner for iPad | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better | 3.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better | 73.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CarbonFin | The Augmented Text Company LTD |
Customer experience
Outliner for iPad
Author
User reviews
Outliner for iPad
From 13 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple, intuitive interface
- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance
- 🔄 Seamless syncing across devices
- 💾 Free cloud backup and sync service
- 📱 Works on iPhone, iPad, and web
Room to improve
- 🔤 Font size options too limited
- 👁️ Text too small for accessibility needs
- 🎨 No color or formatting options
- 📱 Separate paid apps for iPhone and iPad
- ⌨️ Poor keyboard support and shortcuts
Author
From 5 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Clean, minimalist interface design
- 💡 Innovative concept mapping and mind mapping features
- 📚 Excellent citation and reference management
- ⌨️ Useful keyboard shortcuts and productivity features
- 🎯 Powerful outlining and document folding capabilities
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss issues
- 📱 iOS/iPad app severely broken and non-functional
- 🔄 Syncing problems between devices
- 🎨 Limited formatting and customization options
- 📊 Poor image handling capabilities
Bugs and requests
Outliner for iPad
Reported bugs
12 issues- Font size settings don't include larger options
- Copy and paste functionality lost in recent updates
- OPML export doesn't preserve outline hierarchy in Word
- Text selection and cursor placement issues
- Sync authentication failures causing data loss
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- App crashes when creating new outlines
- Formatting lost when cutting and pasting
- Dropbox sync not automatic, requires manual setup per file
- Dialog changes don't update until closed
- Slow startup time on iPad
- Small touch targets for expand/collapse buttons
- Multi-line note preview not available
Requested features
20 requests- Larger font size options and accessibility settings
- Color coding and text formatting (bold, italics)
- Folder-based organization for outlines
- Due dates and reminders for tasks
- Password protection and encryption
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- PDF export functionality
- Keyboard shortcuts for navigation and hierarchy changes
- Multi-select and batch operations
- Columns for additional metadata
- Dark mode or customizable color themes
- Gantt chart or timeline view
- Desktop application for Windows/Mac
- Universal app (single purchase for iPhone and iPad)
- Automatic syncing without manual trigger
- Ability to move outlines between lists
- Rich text formatting in notes
- Web link detection and built-in browser
- Image and attachment support
- Numbered list export
- Integration with Google Tasks or iOS Reminders
Author
Reported bugs
20 issues- App crashes frequently, causing data loss
- iOS app shows blank screen and won't open documents
- iPad app completely non-functional
- Text disappears or becomes greyed out during iCloud saves
- Vision OS app lacks cursor for text input
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Ask AI feature shows infinite loading spinner
- Unexpected Russian pricing text displayed to US users
- App doesn't launch or open on some systems
- Files not detected in Downloads folder
- Cannot open documents created in desktop version on iOS
- Automatic file conversion to Liquid format breaks iOS compatibility
- Text rendering issues (white text on white background)
- Table function broken - cannot write in cells
- App lags and deletes lines when typing quickly
- Highlight feature not working
- Citations not resolving automatically
- Markdown export only exports preamble
- Copy-paste functionality issues
- French localization not working despite being advertised
- App not compatible with iOS 18 and latest macOS versions
Requested features
20 requests- iPad and iOS app that actually works
- Typewriter scrolling mode
- Variable screen width for large displays
- Complete LaTeX export with full file support
- Markdown support
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Better image handling and integration
- Find and replace functionality
- Dark mode for older macOS versions
- Inline predictive text support
- Nested list creation and editing
- Paragraph indentation options
- Photo support on macOS version
- Keyboard shortcut reference guide
- Table editing improvements
- Integration with reference management software (Zotero, EndNote)
- Local AI endpoints or BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) for privacy
- Better onboarding and UI guidance for new users
- Typeface options (Courier, American Typewriter, serif fonts)
- Line spacing options (1.5, double spacing)
- Color themes and dark mode options
In-app purchases
Outliner for iPad
No in-app purchases
Author
- Export & AIFree
- Eng$1.99
