NoteCase Pro vs TreeSheets
We give NoteCase Pro and TreeSheets the same GPA: 3.4 out of 4.0. NoteCase Pro grades higher on features. TreeSheets grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
NoteCase Pro
Cross-platform outliner and note manager with Lua scripting
TreeSheets
Open-source hierarchical spreadsheet for free-form notes and data
How we grade them
| 3.4GPANoteCase ProVery good | 3.4GPATreeSheetsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AAll one-time. €7 buys the exact current version on one operating system, €17 covers one major version, and lifetime is €37 for one system or €67 for all of them, Android included. Even the dearest is about a year of a typical $5.99 a month plan here. | AFree and open source under the zlib licence. Every build is a free download from the project's GitHub releases, and there's no paid edition. |
| Free plan and trial | BThere's a free Lite mode, but only on Android, and it drops encrypted documents, attachments, search and sorting. That's tight. On desktop you get a 30-day trial with everything switched on, and then you need a licence. | AThe full app is free on Windows, macOS and Linux, with nothing kept back. |
| Features | AA tree you can reorder, with cloned branches that stay in step. Rich text, pictures and attachments saved inside the document. Tasks with due dates and repeats, tags, encrypted formats, sync, and import from more than 30 formats. Then Lua scripts and plugins with several hundred commands on top. | BAny cell can hold its own sub-grid to any depth, and the mouse wheel zooms into nested ones. Cells resize after every edit, images can sit in cells, and pasting indented text rebuilds it as a tree. Clever. But each cell is one line of text, and files are .cts, so other software needs an XML, HTML or text export. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. The app itself is an install. The buying is the fiddly part: you pick between six licence types, and the key is emailed by the developer personally, which can take up to 24 hours. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It's rows and columns, like a spreadsheet. One snag: the written tutorial on the website is marked as out of date, and the current one is a document that opens inside the app. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, macOS, Linux and several BSD and Solaris systems, plus a separate Android edition that reads the same files. Lua scripting and a built-in MCP server let other things talk to it. No iPhone or web version, and the Android app has fewer features. | BWindows, macOS and Linux, with Debian packages, AppImages and a Flatpak on Linux. The project lists no mobile or web version. |
| Best for | one scriptable outliner across Windows, Mac and Linux | plans and brainstorms that outgrow a flat outline |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: NoteCase Pro and TreeSheets. How we grade
Where they differ
- NoteCase Pro starts at $5 one-time for Android; desktop licenses start at €7 one-time. TreeSheets is free.
- Only NoteCase Pro lists an Android app.
- NoteCase Pro can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- TreeSheets is open source, according to its own site.
- NoteCase Pro also covers templates and tasks.
At a glance
| NoteCase Pro | TreeSheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $5 one-time for Android; desktop licenses start at €7 one-time | Free |
| Free plan | Android only: a free Lite mode without encrypted documents, attachments, search or sorting. The desktop edition needs a license after its 30-day trial. | Free and open source under the zlib license. Every build is a free download from the project's GitHub releases, and there is no paid edition. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the desktop edition with all features enabled | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Miroslav Rajčić | Wouter van Oortmerssen |
| Price read from | notecasepro.com | strlen.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
NoteCase Pro
- People who want one outliner on Windows, macOS and Linux
- Writers who outline and draft long documents in a tree
- Users who like to script their notes program
TreeSheets
- Brainstorming and planning that outgrows a flat outline
- People who want structure in two dimensions, not just indentation
- Desktop users who want a small, fast organizer on any major OS
Worth knowing
NoteCase Pro
- The free Lite mode exists only on Android; on desktop a license is required once the 30-day trial ends.
- The cheaper licenses are tied to one operating system and to an exact version or one major version; only lifetime licenses have no version limit.
- The Android edition has a different code base with fewer features, and the site lists no iOS or web version.
- License keys are emailed by the developer personally, which can take up to 24 hours, and VAT may be added to the listed prices.
TreeSheets
- Desktop only: builds are offered for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the project lists no mobile or web version.
- Each cell is edited as a single line of text with optional word wrap, so it does not work like a rich text editor.
- The written tutorial on the website is marked as out of date; the current one is a document that opens inside the app.
- Documents are saved as .cts files, so using the data in other software means exporting to XML, HTML or text.
Key features
NoteCase Pro
- Outliner tree in tabbed documents
- Notes form a tree that can be reordered with the mouse, branches can be cloned so copies stay in sync, and several documents open in tabs.
- Rich text, images and attachments
- Notes take rich formatting, hyperlinks and embedded pictures. Any number of files can be attached and are saved inside the document file.
- Tasks and tags
- Any note can become a task with a due date, repetition and priority, and tags are used to filter and search notes.
- Encryption and sync
- Encrypted document formats are supported natively, documents sync note by note, and an SSL-encrypted private cloud on your own server shares them between machines.
- Lua scripting and plugins
- Scripts and plugins written in Lua automate the program through several hundred API commands, and an embedded MCP server connects notes to AI agents.
- Import and export
- Imports more than 30 file formats, including Evernote, XMind, TreePad and Tomboy, and exports to formats such as HTML, RTF and OPML.
TreeSheets
- Grids inside grids
- Any cell can hold its own sub-grid, so data nests to any depth while keeping a spreadsheet-like layout of rows and columns.
- Shrinking and zooming
- Text size is relative to nesting depth, cells can shrink to a pixel per character, and the mouse wheel zooms into a nested grid to make it readable.
- Automatic layout
- Cells resize to fit their content after every edit, and a column-width setting controls how the text in a cell wraps.
- Images in cells
- An image can be added to any cell and is stored as part of the document file, then copied to other cells in the sheet.
- Import, export and indented text
- Documents export to XML, HTML or text and import from XML. Pasting text indented by hierarchy level rebuilds that structure as a tree.
- Small footprint
- The author reports about 5 MB of memory on Windows 7 with several documents loaded, so it can stay in the system tray.
Plans
NoteCase Pro
Android license$5
one-time, lifetime, Android only
Removes the Lite mode limits in the separate Android edition. Delivered as a license key file.
Exact version, single OS€7
one-time, single user
Valid only for the exact desktop version available at the time of purchase, on one operating system.
One major version, single OS€17
one-time, single user
Valid across one major version span, roughly two years of updates, on one operating system. €20 adds the Android license.
One major version, all platforms€27
one-time, single user
The same version span, with one installation allowed on each supported desktop operating system.
Lifetime, single OS€37
one-time, single user
No version limit, on one operating system.
Lifetime, all platforms€67
one-time, single user
No version limit on every supported platform, Android included.
TreeSheets
TreeSheets$0
The full app for Windows, macOS and Linux, with Debian packages, AppImages and a Flatpak for Linux.
Ways to pay less
NoteCase Pro
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses with no version limit
A lifetime license costs €37 for one operating system or €67 for all supported platforms including Android, in place of version-limited licenses.
- Other savings
Site licenses for companies
Site licenses for one major version cost €1,000 for up to 100 users, rising to €2,500 for unlimited users in one company. A lifetime site license is €7,000.
TreeSheets
No public discounts listed.
