Structured Outliner vs Zettelkasten
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Structured Outliner
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Keep your entire outline in a single portable file you control. No account, no server, no lock-in, future-proof. ORGANIZE IN UNLIMITED DEPTH Build trees as deep as you need. Expand, collapse, and reorder topics with just a few taps. Every topic can have its own notes. Write as much or as little as you like. SEARCH EVERYTHING Search titles or note content at once. The tree expands automatically to show every match in context, so you always know where a result lives in your outline. CROSS-LINK TOPICS Link any note to another topic using the outlook: link format. Tap to jump directly there. Tap the back arrow to return where you came from. OPEN FILES AND URLS Tap any file path or URL inside a note to open it. Connect your outline to existing documents in the folder: PDFs, photos, or anything else you reference. COLOR LABELS Assign a background color to any topic: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, or Purple. The color flows down to all child topics that don't have their own. Use it to visually separate sections at a glance. AUTOMATIC BACKUPS The app writes a .bak backup before every save. Restore at any time from the menu. SYNC YOUR WAY Store your file in iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or any Files-compatible provider. Open it from there on each device. No special sync setup required. MEMPAD COMPATIBLE Structured Outliner uses the same .lst format as MemPad for Windows, a portable outliner that has been around since the early 2000s. Open existing MemPad files directly, no conversion needed. FREE VERSION Structured Outliner is free to use. Development is supported by a small banner ad shown at the bottom of the screen. PRO VERSION Upgrade to Pro to remove the banner ad, unlock Color Labels and Topic + Note Search and future planned features. One-time purchase. Restore on any device from the menu.
Zettelkasten
This app creates a visual knowledge graph from your notes, allowing you to see and explore connections between ideas. It uses wiki-style linking and automatic backlinks to help you rediscover relationships and build a personal knowledge base without relying on traditional folders. Enjoy a private, ad-free experience where all your data stays on your device.
- Visual knowledge graph
- Automatic backlinks
- Wiki-style linking
- Interactive orbit graph
- Full-text search
- Markdown export
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Stop losing ideas in a pile of disconnected notes. NoteOrbit is a linked-notes app that turns everything you write into a living knowledge graph — every note becomes a node you can see, connect, and explore. Most note apps bury your thinking in folders. NoteOrbit does the opposite: type a note, drop a [[wiki-link]] to any other note, and the connection is built for you — both ways. Open any note and you instantly see what references it. Then step back and watch your ideas orbit as a glowing constellation you can pan, zoom, and tap to follow the thread. WHAT YOU GET - Write a note, add a [[wiki-link]], and NoteOrbit autocompletes titles and wires up the connection for you - Automatic backlinks so every note shows exactly what links to it — context folders can never give you - An interactive orbit graph that lays out your notes by how they actually connect - Instant tags with #hashtags to slice your notes any way you think - Hubs and orphans finder that surfaces your most-connected ideas and the notes hanging loose - Full-text search across every note, title, and link PERFECT FOR - Students and researchers building study and reference notes that reinforce each other - Writers and thinkers growing a personal knowledge base or second brain - Zettelkasten and PKM fans who want backlinks without a heavy desktop setup - Anyone journaling ideas and projects who wants to rediscover old connections WHY NOT JUST USE FOLDERS Folders force every note into one place and hide how your ideas relate. NoteOrbit lets a note live in as many contexts as it links to, then draws the map for you — so the connection you made months ago is one tap away, not lost three folders deep. PRIVACY Everything stays on your device. No account, no sign-in, no ads, no tracking. Your notes never leave your phone. FULL ACCESS NoteOrbit Premium unlocks the full experience: unlimited notes and connections, the complete interactive orbit graph, hubs, tags and the orphan finder, plus Markdown export to take your notes anywhere. Choose the plan that fits: - Weekly - Yearly - Lifetime (one-time purchase) Open NoteOrbit, write your first note, and link it — watch your thinking take shape. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Zettelkasten at none against Structured Outliner's shown. Structured Outliner's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Structured Outliner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Zettelkasten sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Structured Outliner ships an update every 9 days, Zettelkasten monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Structured Outliner | Zettelkasten |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Felipe Carraro | Phuc Pham |
In-app purchases
Structured Outliner
- Pro Version$7.99
Zettelkasten
- Weekly$9.997 Days
- Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year









