Bike Outliner vs Workflowy

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

Workflowy

• People who think in outlines and nested lists
• Keeping notes, to-dos and plans in one place
• College faculty and their students, who can get Pro free
• Teams working from a shared outline

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.

Workflowy

• The free Basic plan allows 100 new nodes per month and 100 MB of file uploads; past the limit you are prompted to subscribe.
• Content is organized as one bullet outline, with no separate documents or folders.
• Workflowy describes its API as basic, supporting CRUD operations.
• The optional AI features send prompts and selected content to third-party model providers, named as OpenAI and Anthropic.

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.

Workflowy

Infinitely nested outline

Everything is a bullet that can be indented under another, so the same list works as notes, folders, to-dos and documents without separate files.

Boards, tables and node types

A bullet can be turned into a to-do, heading, paragraph, code block or quote, and a list can be laid out as a kanban-style Board or as a Table.

Tags, dates, links and mirrors

Tags, mentions and date tags filter the outline, links between bullets create backlinks, and mirrors show the same bullet in several places.

Sharing and collaboration

Notes and resources can be shared for real-time collaboration, with comments on bullets and an instant presentation view.

Calendar and quick capture

A Calendar and Timeline lay out dated items, while Quick Add, mobile sharing and Email to Workflowy capture ideas from outside the app.

AI, API and integrations

Optional AI features generate, edit and summarize content. A basic API, Zapier and a Readwise sync connect Workflowy to other apps.

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.

Workflowy

• BasicFree

  All features, with 100 nodes per month and 100 MB of file uploads.

• Pro$6.99

  per month, billed annually ($8.99 billed monthly)

  All features with unlimited nodes and unlimited uploads.

• Teams$6.99

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Unlimited nodes and file uploads for every member, one-on-one team setup and auto-backup to Dropbox.

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.

Workflowy

• Annual discount

  About 22% lower price with annual billing

  Pro is $6.99 per month when billed annually against $8.99 per month on monthly billing.

• Education

  Free Pro for faculty and their students

  College and university faculty can apply for free Pro for life and invite their students, who get Pro at no cost for the duration of their studies.

• Nonprofit

  50% non-profit discount on Pro

  The pricing FAQ lists a 50% non-profit discount on Pro subscriptions, arranged by emailing Workflowy.