Bike Outliner vs Dynalist

Bike Outliner

• Mac users who want a fast, minimal outliner
• Writers who draft in outline form with focus and typewriter modes
• People who want outlines kept as open HTML, OPML or text files

Dynalist

• People who think in outlines and nested bullet lists
• Mixing notes with dated tasks in the same list
• A free outliner with no cap on items or documents

Bike Outliner

• It is a Mac app only; the site lists no iPhone, iPad, Windows or web version.
• Rich text, row types, focus and typewriter modes, Shortcuts actions and AppleScript are locked in free mode.
• The one-time license covers one year of updates; later updates need a renewal, offered at half price.
• Copies from the Mac App Store or Setapp are unlocked by subscription only, not by the one-time license.

Dynalist

• The free plan allows 5 bookmarks and leaves out file attachments, version history, recurring dates and Google Calendar sync.
• The changelog's most recent major feature entry is dated June 2020, and the site footer carries a 2021 copyright.
• File attachments need Pro and are limited to 50 MB per file.
• The terms of service say a paid account can be cancelled at any time but is not refunded.

Bike Outliner

Outlining built for speed

Designed to handle very large outlines and to stay quick at basics such as opening files, scrolling and resizing windows.

Rich text and row types

Format text as bold, italic or links, and mark rows as headings, ordered lists, task lists and more. Both are unlocked by a license.

Distraction-free writing modes

Full screen, typewriter and focus modes, with live word counts and other text statistics in the status bar. Focus and typewriter modes need a license.

Open file formats

The native .bike format is HTML that can be viewed in a web browser, and Bike also reads and writes OPML and plain text files directly.

Links and navigation

Deep links into an outline keep working when the file is renamed or moved, and a navigation bar offers back and forward controls and a breadcrumb trail.

Scripts and Shortcuts

AppleScript and Shortcuts actions let other applications control Bike and fit it into existing workflows. Both need a license.

Dynalist

Outlines with notes, tags and colors

Content is arranged as nested bullets that can carry a note, tags and a color label, and lists can be sorted, numbered and edited several items at a time.

Dates and checklists

Any list can become a checklist, and items can be given dates and filtered by them. Recurring dates and Google Calendar sync are Pro features.

Cross-linking and backlinks

Items and documents can link to one another, and an option shows the number of links pointing at an item along with its references.

Markdown formatting

Supports bold, italics, code, images, links and LaTeX, typed as Markdown inside any item.

Sharing and public lists

Documents are shared with collaborators under adjustable permissions, or published so visitors can read them without signing up.

Export, version history and backup

Exports to OPML, plain text or formatted text on every plan. Version history and daily backups to Dropbox or Google Drive need Pro.

Bike Outliner

• Free mode$0

  Core outlining with no time limit: read, write and edit outlines saved as .bike, OPML or plain text files.

• Bike License – Monthly$2.99

  per month, Mac App Store subscription

  Unlocks all features in the Mac App Store copy for as long as the subscription is active.

• Bike License – Yearly$19.99

  per year, Mac App Store subscription

  The same Mac App Store subscription billed once a year.

• One-Time Purchase License$29.99

  one-time, includes one year of updates

  Sold on the Hog Bay Software site. Unlocks all features; updates released within the year keep working unlocked afterwards.

Dynalist

• Free$0

  Unlimited items and documents, internal linking, Markdown, dates, tags, checklists, sharing, export and import, with 5 bookmarks.

• Pro$7.99

  per month, billed annually ($95.88); $9.99 billed monthly

  Adds Google Calendar integration, capture to inbox, recurring dates, unlimited bookmarks, file attachments, version history and daily backups.

Bike Outliner

• Other savings

  License renewal at 50% off

  After the first year, a one-time license can be renewed for another year of updates at half price; the renewal is listed at $14.99 in the vendor's checkout.

• Annual discount

  Yearly subscription costs about 44% less

  On the Mac App Store the yearly Bike License is $19.99 against $2.99 a month, which works out to about 44% less over twelve months.

Dynalist

• Annual discount

  20% off with annual billing

  Pro costs $95.88 a year on annual billing, which works out to $7.99 a month against $9.99 billed monthly. The pricing page labels this 20% off.

• Education

  50% off Pro for students

  Students can request a 50% discount on Dynalist Pro by emailing from a school address. The discount has to be renewed every year.

• Other savings

  Referral credit toward Pro

  Each friend who signs up through an invite link earns $5 of Dynalist Pro credit, which can cover up to half of each payment.