Outline vs StackEdit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, we pick Outline: it is third in our ranking of docs and wiki tools, though StackEdit grades higher (3.0 against 2.8) on value for money and the free plan.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Outline grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Outline
Fast team knowledge base and wiki, cloud-hosted or self-hosted
Which one is for you
Pick Outline if
- Fits if you're a team of up to 10, since cloud hosting is a flat $10 a month
- Works for teams that want to host the wiki on their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free hosted plan, because the cloud version turns read-only after its 30-day trial
- Pricey if you're a team of 11, as that one extra member moves you from $10 to $79 a month
- Not for you if you read docs on your phone a lot, since no mobile apps are listed
- Tight if you self-host for free, as the Community Edition has no AI answers, guest users, SAML or audit log
- Watch out: paid self-hosted licenses need at least 10 users, Enterprise 100, and cloud teams over 200 need a quote
Pick StackEdit if
- Fits if you write Markdown notes or posts and want them saved to Drive or GitHub
- Works for one person who needs a quick preview-as-you-type editor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a wiki, as there is no page tree or team permission system
- Watch out: the site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright, so check its activity before depending on it
- Skip it if you need real-time team editing and structure, which are not what it is built for
- Watch out: sync and publishing each need an account with the third-party service
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAOutlineGood | 3.0GPAStackEditVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$10 a month for the whole team, up to 10 members, with SSO, AI answers, the API and the audit log all in. Split ten ways that's a dollar a head, where rivals here charge from $6.30 each. The cliff is sharp, mind: the 11th member takes you to $79. | AFree to use, with no paid plans listed anywhere on the site, which is under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe hosted version has no free plan. You get 30 days, then the workspace turns read-only until you add a payment method. Free means running the Community Edition on your own server, and that leaves out AI answers, guest users, SAML and the audit log. | AThe whole editor, with sync and publishing, is free with no tier above it. Sync and publishing do need an account with the service involved. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole wiki job: a Markdown editor with slash commands and embeds, live co-editing with comments and threads, workspace search with AI answers, groups and permissions, public sharing on your own domain, and unlimited documents and version history on every tier. | DOne narrow function: a Markdown editor with preview, math and diagrams, sync and publishing. For a docs or wiki category it has no page tree, no team permission system and no search across pages. |
| Ease of use | BNo app rating on record, but the cloud version needs nothing set up: sign in and write, with Markdown and slash commands in the editor. Self-hosting is the other road, and that one wants a server administrator. | BNothing to install or configure: open the page and write. No store rating on record, so this rests on the listing alone. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus desktop apps for macOS and Windows, with more than 20 integrations including Slack, Figma, GitHub, GitLab and Zapier, and an API with webhooks on every tier. No mobile apps are listed at all. | BWeb only, with Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk connections, and offline writing. |
| Best for | a Markdown-friendly team wiki at a flat price | writing Markdown in the browser and syncing to cloud drives |
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: Outline and StackEdit. How we grade
Price against what you get
Outline starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StackEdit has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Outline scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Outline for less, and none scores higher than StackEdit for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Outline is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Outline also covers AI search and wiki.
- StackEdit also covers documents and diagrams.
At a glance
| Outline | StackEdit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $10 per month for a team of 1 to 10 members (cloud-hosted) | Free |
| Free plan | The self-hosted Community Edition costs $0, with limited features and no support. The cloud-hosted version has no free plan, only a 30-day trial. | Free to use; no paid plans are listed. |
| Free trial | First 30 days free on the cloud version; the workspace then turns read-only until a payment method is added | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | General Outline, Inc. | Benoit Schweblin |
| Price read from | getoutline.com | stackedit.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Outline
- The cloud version has no free plan: after the 30-day trial the workspace is read-only until a payment method is added.
- Cloud pricing goes by team-size tier, so an 11th member moves a team from $10 to $79 a month, and teams over 200 need a quote.
- The free Community Edition lacks AI answers, guest users, SAML 2.0 and the audit log; paid self-hosted licenses need at least 10 users.
- The download page offers desktop apps for macOS and Windows only; no mobile apps are listed.
StackEdit
- It is an editor, not a wiki: there is no page tree or team permission system.
- The site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright notice, so check the project's activity before depending on it.
- Sync and publishing need an account with the third-party service involved.
Key features
Outline
- Markdown-friendly editor
- The editor supports Markdown, slash commands and interactive embeds. Documents and their version history are unlimited on every tier, including the free Community Edition.
- Real-time collaboration
- Several people can edit a document at the same time, and comments, threads and @mentions keep the discussion attached to the text.
- Search and AI answers
- Search covers the whole workspace, and questions about your documents get direct AI answers. AI answers are in every cloud tier but need a paid license when self-hosting.
- Permissions and public sharing
- Read and write permissions, user groups and guest users control access. Documents can be shared publicly by link, with your own brand colors, logo and domain.
- Self-hosting
- Outline can run on your own infrastructure, either as the free Community Edition or with a paid Business or Enterprise license that adds features such as SAML 2.0.
- Integrations and API
- More than 20 integrations cover tools such as Slack, Figma, GitHub, GitLab and Zapier, and an API with webhooks is included on every tier.
StackEdit
- Markdown with live preview
- Syntax highlighting, formatting buttons and a scroll-synced preview panel.
- Markdown flavors
- Supports Markdown Extra, GitHub Flavored Markdown and CommonMark, each switchable.
- Math, diagrams and scores
- Renders LaTeX math, UML sequence diagrams and flow charts, and ABC musical notation.
- Sync and publishing
- Files sync with Google Drive, Dropbox and GitHub, and can be published to Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk.
- Collaboration and comments
- Shared workspaces merge simultaneous edits, and inline comments can be added to files.
- Offline writing
- The editor keeps working without a connection.
Plans
Outline
Community Edition$0
Self-hosted on your own server: unlimited docs, real-time editing, SSO, integrations and the API, with no AI answers, guest users or support.
Cloud, 1–10 members$10
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
Hosted by Outline with every cloud feature: AI question answering, SSO, templates, groups and permissions, API and webhooks, and a security audit log.
Cloud, 11–100 members$79
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
The same features as the smaller tier. A team moves to this tier automatically once it has more than 10 members.
Cloud, 101–200 members$249
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
The same features for 101 to 200 members. Larger cloud teams are asked to contact Outline for pricing.
On-Premises Business$4
per user / month, billed annually, 10-user minimum
Self-hosted license that adds AI question answering, guest users, SAML 2.0, extra security controls, a Confluence importer and the audit log.
On-Premises Enterprise$5
per user / month, billed annually, 100-user minimum
Everything in On-Premises Business, plus removal of Outline branding and a support contract.
StackEdit
Free$0
The whole editor, with sync and publishing, with no paid tier on the site.
Ways to pay less
Outline
- Nonprofit
30% off for non-profits
Outline's pricing FAQ offers non-profits a 30% discount on request, and says it will sponsor accounts for non-profits working directly on climate change.
- Education
30% off for educational institutions
The same pricing FAQ extends the 30% discount to educational institutions that contact Outline.
StackEdit
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Outline or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $10 a month for each person for Outline. Outline starts at $10 per month for a team of 1 to 10 members (cloud-hosted), and StackEdit is free.
Which has a free plan, Outline or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Outline and StackEdit have a free plan.
Which platforms do Outline and StackEdit run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Outline lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.