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A long overdue update for Outline
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Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 4, 2023 at 01:44 PM
Well, this is amusing.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… there was once a OneNote clone called Outline, available for macOS and iOS.
And after the removal of (quite a few) bugs, syncing irritations and other issues, it turned out to be a reasonably capable app. But by that time, very few people used it any more.
I happen to have it on my machine (mainly because aesthetically, it’s actually rather lovely – more so than OneNote IMHO – and I’m a total dope for nice UXes).
And guess what? They’ve just updated it. The two main updates are (a) a vastly improved search function (that generates an instant as-you-type list of all instances of your search term in neatly encapsulated fragments), but also (b) a subscription model. Previously, Outline was a one-off purchase.
Now, Outline is strongly inspired by OneNote (more or less identical functionality, but with protected sections, too), and is even compatible with OneNote files. But there are So. Many. Good. Outliners out there – for macOS in particular, but also open-source like, heh, Obsidian, LogSeq, etc. However, I feel it would be remiss of me not to draw your attention to this latest update. The subscription prices aren’t outrageous, but neither are they especially low (GBP 49.99 for “Standard”, GBP 99.99 for “Pro”).
So there you go!
Cheers,
Bill
Posted by bartb
Sep 4, 2023 at 02:34 PM
Darn it ... another one goes subscription only! It is a nice app but I’m not a fan of subscription only model. Looks like Keep It and Growly Notes are still non-subscription.
MadaboutDana wrote:
Well, this is amusing.
>
>A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… there was once a OneNote
>clone called Outline, available for macOS and iOS.
>
>And after the removal of (quite a few) bugs, syncing irritations and
>other issues, it turned out to be a reasonably capable app. But by that
>time, very few people used it any more.
>
>I happen to have it on my machine (mainly because aesthetically, it’s
>actually rather lovely – more so than OneNote IMHO
>– and I’m a total dope for nice UXes).
>
>And guess what? They’ve just updated it. The two main updates are (a) a
>vastly improved search function (that generates an instant as-you-type
>list of all instances of your search term in neatly encapsulated
>fragments), but also (b) a subscription model. Previously, Outline was a
>one-off purchase.
>
>Now, Outline is strongly inspired by OneNote (more or less identical
>functionality, but with protected sections, too), and is even compatible
>with OneNote files. But there are So. Many. Good. Outliners out there
>– for macOS in particular, but also open-source like, heh,
>Obsidian, LogSeq, etc. However, I feel it would be remiss of me not to
>draw your attention to this latest update. The subscription prices
>aren’t outrageous, but neither are they especially low (GBP 49.99 for
>“Standard”, GBP 99.99 for “Pro”).
>
>So there you go!
>
>Cheers,
>Bill
>
>
Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 4, 2023 at 03:17 PM
Ah, bad news there, I’m afraid: Keep It is now subscription – in fact, two subscriptions, because you need a separate one for the Mobile version.
Growly Notes is still free as a bird, fortunately. And a very nice, tightly programmed piece of software it is! Although, alas, he abandoned the mobile version (lack of take-up, I believe).
Counting up one’s subscriptions is a worthwhile exercise, as it happens – I’ve wiped quite a lot of money off mine after realising they had crept into the silly-money zone. It’s a shame to do away with certain amazing apps, but if you’re not using them much, it simply doesn’t make sense to keep them.
But I do keep notes on any apps I stop subscribing to, just in case they become the CRIMPer’s Ultimate Dream (the CRUMP?) at some point in the future… {sigh}
bartb wrote:
Darn it ... another one goes subscription only! It is a nice app but I’m
>not a fan of subscription only model. Looks like Keep It and Growly
>Notes are still non-subscription.
Posted by steveylang
Sep 5, 2023 at 05:00 PM
Interestingly, if you’re okay with iCloud the free version is pretty fully-featured.
Posted by satis
Sep 5, 2023 at 05:46 PM
I’m surprised and impressed that the free tier generously includes sync to the upcoming iOS app revision. As long as the imposed font selected in the free version isn’t terrible this could be a nice alternative to OneNote for casual users.
A shame that it (still) doesn’t transparently sync back and forth to OneNote databases. I hope the import is improved over v.3, whose import was convoluted *at best*.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljMa9qPoVUA
If the devs are deriving income for a OneNote alternative that starts at $50/yr it’s competing directly against Microsoft 365/Personal, which for $20/yr more also bundles in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and 1Tb storage. And for $100/yr - the price Outline charges for the only version that allows printing[?!?!]) - Microsoft’s 365/Family plan offers its personal plan for up to six people, withh 1Tb storage for each person.