Checkvist vs Dynalist

Checkvist

• People who would rather not take their hands off the keyboard
• Outlining projects, research notes and checklists in nested lists
• Publishing or sharing a checklist and following its progress

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

Checkvist

• There are no native desktop or mobile apps. Phones use an offline-capable progressive web app at m.checkvist.com.
• Repeating tasks, task assignment, Google Calendar sync, due reminders and file storage all need PRO.
• Subscriptions are quarterly or yearly. The pricing page shows $3.9 a month and $39 a year without saying which billing the monthly figure applies to.
• The PRO team plan, with user management and group access rights, is marked as coming soon.

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.

Checkvist

Keyboard-driven commands

Actions run from short key combinations, such as dd for a due date or ll for lists, and pressing Shift twice opens a command palette for everything else.

Endless hierarchy with focus

List items nest without limit. You can expand to a chosen level, focus (hoist) on one branch, sort a list or branch, and filter the list as you type.

Markdown, notes and links

Items take Markdown formatting, code and tables, with notes, links and backlinks, image previews and file attachments. File storage of 2 GB comes with PRO.

Sharing and publishing

Lists are shared privately or publicly, by email or link, read-only or with write access, and can be embedded in a webpage. Passwords and link expiry need PRO.

Due dates, repeats and calendar sync

Due dates accept smart syntax such as +4d. Repeating tasks, due task reminders and two-way Google Calendar sync are part of PRO.

Email, clipper and open API

Tasks can be added by email or with the Web Clipper for Chrome and Firefox. An open API and Zapier connect other apps, and PRO adds Save from Slack.

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.

Checkvist

• Free$0

  Unlimited hierarchical lists and sharing, keyboard shortcuts, Markdown, notes, due dates, tags, search, the mobile web app and the open API.

• PRO$3.9

  per person / month as displayed; $39/year shown below it

  2 GB of file storage, task assignment, repeating tasks, Google Calendar sync, reminders, bulk operations, 30-day backups and an MCP server.

• PRO team$6.9

  per person / month as displayed; $69/year shown below it

  Marked as coming soon: centralised data ownership, user management, group access rights, spaces, list locking and priority support.

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.

Checkvist

• Annual discount

  Lower PRO price on the yearly figure

  PRO is listed at $3.9 per person a month with $39/year beneath it. The yearly price works out to $3.25 a month, about 17% below the monthly figure shown.

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.