Overview

Workflowy is best suited to people who think in outlines and want notes, tasks, and reference material in one flexible structure. It is a strong fit when nested lists and programmatic access matter more than a collection of separate notebooks; the free plan’s 100-node monthly allowance may be restrictive for sustained use.

Key features

An outline that can change shape

Workflowy’s single-document approach keeps content in a hierarchy: users can nest items, zoom into a bullet to focus on a branch, and search the document in real time. That structure works well for material that breaks into smaller topics, but may be less natural for teams that prefer separate workspaces or pages.

Bullets can become checkboxes, headings, boards, or tables. Tags and dates help organize items, while backlinks, mirrors, and templates support connections and reuse. This gives one outline more range than a plain list, though all of it remains organized around that list-based model.

Connections, API, and account controls

Workflowy names Readwise, Kindle Highlights, Google Calendar, Web Clipper, Zapier, and Workflowy Desktop MCP among its integrations. Its API can read and write Workflowy data from apps, scripts, or automations, making it relevant to builders who want to connect their content to a broader stack.

Users can enable multi-factor authentication with a six-digit authenticator-app code and receive recovery codes. Workflowy says user-generated content remains the user’s property. Its privacy policy also says content may be shared with LLM providers for certain AI features with explicit opt-in consent. Some information that may contain personal data is stored by AllCloud at AWS in northern Virginia, United States.

Pricing

Basic: 0.00 USD per free, billed Free /forever. It includes 100 nodes per month, 100mb file uploads, and all features. The node cap is the main trade-off for free use: reaching it does not prevent adding nodes, but prompts an invitation to subscribe. It is a sensible way to try the outline model, but a constraint for people adding content regularly.

Pro (annual billing): 6.99 USD per month, billed $6.99 /month (billed annually). It includes unlimited nodes, unlimited uploads, all features, and a 7 Day Free Trial. This removes the free plan’s node and upload ceilings for individual users willing to pay yearly.

Pro (monthly billing): 8.99 USD per month, billed $8.99 /month. It includes unlimited nodes, unlimited uploads, all features, and a 7 Day Free Trial. The monthly term costs more than annual billing, but avoids the annual billing commitment.

Workflowy Teams: 6.99 USD per month, billed $6.99 Per user / month · Paid yearly. Members get unlimited node creation and file uploads; the plan also includes one-on-one team setup and auto-backup to Dropbox. Per-user annual billing makes this the relevant option for teams that want shared onboarding and backups, rather than an individual plan.

Eligible faculty can receive Pro for life and invite students who get Pro while enrolled through that faculty member, an unusually broad route for qualifying education use.

Platforms

Workflowy supports web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and a Chrome extension. That range suits users moving between desktop and mobile environments. Automatic saving and sync across devices support continuity, while note sharing is also available.

Who it's for

Workflowy suits individual note-takers, planners, and teams who prefer to break information into nested bullets and want an API to build automations around that material. It is less compelling for people who do not want their organization centered on an outline, or who need a free plan without a monthly node allowance.

Pros and cons

Pros: A single expandable outline can hold several content forms, including checkboxes, boards, and tables, without abandoning the hierarchy.
Pros: The read-and-write API, named integrations, and broad platform support give builders several ways to connect Workflowy to their workflow.
Pros: The free plan includes all features, and eligible faculty can extend Pro access to enrolled students.
Cons: The free plan allows 100 nodes per month; reaching the limit brings subscription prompts even though new nodes can still be added.
Cons: Unlimited nodes and uploads require a paid plan, with monthly Pro priced above annual Pro.
Cons: The product’s single-document, nested-list model may not suit teams that organize work in separate pages or collections.

Alternatives

For a different note-taking approach, browse Note-taking apps; for outline-focused options, compare Outlining Software and Outliner Software.

Choose Supernotes if a card-based note system is a better fit: its free Starter plan has 100 cards, while Unlimited costs 6.00 GBP per month billed £72 billed annually.

Dropbox Paper is an alternative with a free plan that includes 2 GB storage; its Basic Extra plan offers 50 GB storage and three devices for 0.99 USD per month billed yearly.

Pick Recall if saving content with AI summaries is a better match: its free plan allows 10 AI summaries per month alongside unlimited saved content and notes, plus API and MCP access.

Notion is worth considering for individual projects organized with pages, blocks, and databases on its free plan.

Choose Notability if working with PDFs, documents, and templates is more central; its free Starter plan includes five notes and a seven-day version history.

Obsidian is another option for users considering a synced vault: its Sync Standard plan costs 5.00 USD per month billed annually and includes one synced vault with 1 GB total storage.

Notesnook offers a free plan and a seven-day trial for readers comparing privacy-minded note apps.

For a free, open-source web option, consider StackEdit.

Verdict

Workflowy is a strong choice for outline-first users and teams that want flexible nested content, an API, and access across major desktop and mobile platforms. Its clearest reason to choose it is the combination of a focused list structure with reusable content and programmatic access. Look elsewhere if the node allowance on the free plan is too limiting or an outline is not how your team wants to organize work.

	Outliner	Workflowy
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	—	$6.99/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	Android, api, extension, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
App platforms	web	—
Export formats	OPML	—
Offline access	Yes	—
Navigation modes	collapse/expand, hoist, keyboard navigation, drag-to-reorder	—
Free plan	—	Yes

Outliner vs Workflowy

Outliner

Workflowy