# Bike Outliner

> Fast outliner and structured writing app for Mac

Bike Outliner is a Mac app for thinking and writing in outlines, made by Hog Bay Software, a one-person company. It is built to stay fast with very large outlines and saves each document as an ordinary file in an open format: its own HTML-based .bike format, OPML or plain text. A free mode with the core editing features never expires, and a license unlocks rich text, row types, focus and typewriter modes, and scripting.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Hog Bay Software (since 2004)
- **Website:** https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Bike Outliner has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29.99 one-time license, or $19.99 per year on the Mac App Store.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Free mode never expires and can read, write and edit outlines. Rich text, row types, focus and typewriter modes, text wrap, sorting, Shortcuts actions and AppleScript need a license.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bike-outliner-writing-app/id1588292384 on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bike Outliner before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **License renewal at 50% off** (Other savings): 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. Source: https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/terms/
- **Yearly subscription costs about 44% less** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bike-outliner-writing-app/id1588292384

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript

**Tags:** One-time purchase, Local-first, Notes

## Alternatives

- [OmniOutliner](https://toolgpa.com/tools/omnioutliner): Outliner for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bike-outliner-vs-omnioutliner)
- [Workflowy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/workflowy): Outliner that keeps notes, to-dos and plans in one nested list. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bike-outliner-vs-workflowy)
- [Dynalist](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dynalist): Outlining app for nested lists, notes and tasks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bike-outliner-vs-dynalist)
- [Zavala](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zavala): Free open-source outliner for Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bike-outliner-vs-zavala)
- [Logseq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/logseq): Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bike-outliner-vs-logseq)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/
- https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/terms/
- https://checkout.paddle.com/api/2.0/prices?product_ids=759899,832009&customer_country=US
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bike-outliner-writing-app/id1588292384
- https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/releases/
- https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/about/
- https://bikeguide.hogbaysoftware.com/using-bike/using-documents.md
- https://bikeguide.hogbaysoftware.com/bike-compatible-apps.md

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/bike-outliner
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).