OmniOutliner vs Workflowy

OmniOutliner

• Writers, students and planners who organize their thinking as outlines
• People who work across a Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

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

OmniOutliner

• It runs on Apple platforms only: the site lists Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro, with no Windows, Android or web version.
• Version 6 requires macOS 15, iOS or iPadOS 26, or visionOS 26; older systems need a previous version from the downloads archive.
• Columns, saved filters, style customization, audio recording and automation need Pro, at $99.99 once or $49.99 a year.
• A perpetual license covers 6.x updates only; later major versions are a paid upgrade, offered at a discount.

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.

OmniOutliner

Outlines of unlimited depth

Rows nest to any level, expand and collapse, and reorder by drag and drop. Optional status checkboxes turn an outline into a checklist.

Row notes and attachments

Each row can carry a note of any length, resizable inline images and attached reference files. Pro can also record audio into a document.

Columns and saved filters

Pro documents can hold several columns for pop-up lists, checkboxes, numbers, dates or durations, and filters saved on text, checkbox status or column value.

Templates, themes and styles

Built-in templates and themes adapt to Dark Mode automatically. Pro adds structural and named styles and row numbering for control over appearance.

Import and export

Imports OPML, plain text and RTF, and exports CSV, HTML, OPML, plain text, RTF, Word and PowerPoint, plus Excel with Pro. An OPML mode edits OPML files directly.

Omni Automation and AppleScript

Pro runs cross-platform Omni Automation plug-ins, which can use Apple Intelligence on supported devices, and supports AppleScript on the Mac.

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.

OmniOutliner

• v6 Essentials License$24.99

  one-time purchase, includes all 6.x updates

  Core outlining on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro: unlimited levels, checkboxes, row notes, attachments, themes, keyword filtering and Omni Links.

• Annual Subscription$49.99

  per year, renewing automatically

  The latest Pro version on all four Apple platforms, with no charge for major version upgrades while subscribed.

• v6 Pro License$99.99

  one-time purchase, includes all 6.x updates

  Adds columns, saved filters, style customization, audio recording, the section list, batch find and Omni Automation plug-ins.

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.

OmniOutliner

• Education

  Education licenses at $14.99 and $59.99

  Students, faculty and staff of accredited, degree-granting institutions can buy OmniOutliner 6 Essentials for $14.99 or Pro for $59.99 in Omni's education store. Subscriptions are excluded.

• Other savings

  Quantity discount of up to 30%

  Each perpetual license beyond the first in the same order takes a further 5% off the whole order, up to 30%. Subscriptions do not qualify.

• Other savings

  Upgrade discounts for existing owners

  Owners of versions 1 to 5 can upgrade to version 6 at about half price: the US App Store lists the upgrade at $12.49 for Essentials and $49.99 for Pro.

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.