CarbonFin Outliner
CarbonFin Outliner organizes thoughts, tasks, and projects as nested outlines.
What CarbonFin Outliner is
CarbonFin Outliner organizes thoughts, tasks, and projects as nested outlines. Tasks can include subtasks, and parent tasks with subtasks display progress indicators. The editor supports inline changes, cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, drag-and-drop reordering, search, and collapsing or expanding items. Users can tag and filter outlines, search across them, archive older outlines, and optionally number items. Each outline can include notes, with configurable checkboxes, note previews, and numbering. The iPhone and iPad app costs $4.99, paid once. Outliner Online is a free browser companion for syncing, editing, printing, importing, exporting, and sharing outlines. Users can import OPML and export as plain text or OPML, and can sync outlines as OPML files with Dropbox or OneDrive. Outliner users can invite other Outliner users to view and edit shared outlines; published outlines are read-only for anyone with the URL. Shared editing through Outliner Online is limited to iPhone or iPad Outliner users. Native printing is not available in the app, though synced outlines can be printed through Outliner Online in a browser.
Good
- Tasks support subtasks and progress indicators.
- Outlines can be tagged, searched, and archived.
- Imports OPML and exports plain text or OPML.
- Free browser companion supports editing and printing.
- Syncs OPML files with Dropbox or OneDrive.
Watch out
- The app has no native printing support.
- Shared editing through Outliner Online requires iPhone or iPad Outliner users.
Who it suits
It suits people who want to organize projects and tasks as nested lists, with notes and progress indicators. Its sharing and printing options work through Outliner Online, with shared editing restricted to iPhone or iPad app users.
Verdict
Outliner combines hierarchical task organization with notes, search, and OPML support. Buyers should account for its shared-editing restriction and browser-based printing workflow.
Plans and prices
From CarbonFin Outliner's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Outliner Online | Free | browser syncing · editing · printing · importing/exporting · sharing |
| Outliner | $4.99, paid once | iPhone and iPad app · iOS/iPadOS 16+ |
The facts
Each one read from CarbonFin Outliner's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Conflict behavior
- If collaborators change the same item before syncing, the last synchronization wins.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Desktop synchronization limit
- There is no direct desktop-app synchronization; desktop editing uses OneDrive, Dropbox or the browser companion.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- Documentation is provided through an in-app help button, a web help center and an FAQ.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Editor
- The editor supports inline editing, cut/copy/paste, undo/redo, drag-and-drop reordering, searching and collapse/expand controls.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- The iOS app supports outliner:// URL commands to launch the app or open a named outline.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Import and export
- Outliner supports importing OPML files and exporting outlines as plain text or OPML.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Import/export
- Outlines can be imported or exported as OPML and plain text, including through email and the web companion.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- OneDrive and Dropbox synchronization stores outlines as OPML files.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- AlternativeTo classifies CarbonFin Outliner as proprietary commercial software.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: collaboration scope
- An independent legal note-taking guide says collaboration is limited to contributors using iPhone or iPad rather than cross-platform collaborators.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Dropbox outage complaint
- An App Store reviewer reported repeated Dropbox reauthorization caused by short-lived access tokens, later saying CarbonFin fixed it.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: formatting
- A Macdrifter review reports no rich formatting, images, multiple columns or summary rows compared with OmniOutliner.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: missing task features
- A JustUseApp review requests due dates, deadline views and stronger task-management functions.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: printing
- The app does not have native printing support; synced outlines can be printed through Outliner Online and a web browser.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limit: sharing
- Only iPhone or iPad Outliner users can use Outliner Online for shared editing; other people can view a published outline by URL.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limit: usability complaints
- OutlinerSoftware forum users report missing keyboard navigation, a cluttered interface and uncertainty whether the product is for tasks or writing.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Notable release
- Version 3.20 added iOS 27 support, updated Dropbox and OneDrive integrations and included bug fixes in September 2026.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Notes
- Each outline item can contain notes, with options for note previews, hidden notes and compact fonts.checked 15 Oct 2026
- OPML limit
- OPML storage omits some creation/completion dates and unsupported OPML data can be removed after synchronization.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Organization
- Users can tag, archive and filter outlines, and optionally number outline items.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: simplicity
- Apple reviewers repeatedly describe the app as simple, fast, reliable and easy to learn for checklists and multilevel outlines.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: structured notes
- Zapier highlights attaching notes to individual outline rows, note previews, collapse-all and zoom as reasons to choose it for note-based outlining.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: synchronization
- Independent reviewers praise dependable web, Dropbox and cross-device synchronization over many years.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker identity
- The App Store identifies the seller as Jeremy Dewey and the developer name as CarbonFin.checked 15 Oct 2026
Alternatives to CarbonFin Outliner
- 1
Dynalist
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.1From $95.88 a year - 2
outl
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSAPILinux7.9Free plan - 3
Workflowy
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.8From $6.99 a month - 4
Cloud Outliner
Free planiOSmacOS7.7$4.99 one-time - 5
Logseq
Free planAndroidiOSWebLinux7.7From $5 a month - 6
Legend
Free planAndroidiOSWebLinux7.5From $5 a month