Outline.co / Questions
Questions about Outline.co
What is Outline.co?
Outline.co is a free notes app and task board in one place. Notes are where a thought lands first — a line, a #label, a to-do list, a reminder. Boards are where work moves: a column for each stage, a card for each job, dragged across as it gets done, with a timeline drawn from the dates. If you have used a notes app and a kanban board side by side, it is both, without the second tab.
Is Outline.co free?
Yes. There is no paid tier, no seat count and no trial — everything is in the free version.
What can a note do?
A note has a title and a body, with lists and to-dos you tick in place. Labels sit under it as #tags; status, priority, steps and a due date can be set on it; and a reminder emails you the note at the minute you chose. The month view shows which days you wrote on, and search narrows by label, status, priority or date with a tap.
Is there a timeline or Gantt view?
Yes. Every board is also a timeline, drawn from the dates already on its cards. Give a card two dates and it becomes a bar; drag it to move the work. The card and the chart can never disagree, because they are the same two dates.
Do I need a password?
No. You type your email, we send you a link, and you are in. If you would rather have a password, you can set one in your settings and use either.
Can I use it with my team?
Yes. Invite anyone to a board by email — as an editor who can change it, or a reviewer who can read and comment. They do not need an account first: the invitation signs them in. A note is private unless you choose to show it to everyone signed in, or to anyone with the link.
Does the AI read my work?
Only when you ask, and only on your own account. The assistant runs on open-weights models through your Cloudflare account — nothing goes to a model vendor, nothing is used as training data, and if no model is set up the features simply are not there.
Can I connect Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant?
Yes. Outline.co speaks the Model Context Protocol at https://api.outline.co/api/mcp, over Streamable HTTP, so any MCP client can read your boards, search them and add a card. It is authenticated as you and reaches exactly what you reach. Nothing there can delete a board.
How is it different from Notion, Trello or Jira?
It is smaller, and it is free. Notes and boards, a timeline from the dates, sharing by email, an assistant on your own AI account — and that is the lot. There is no plan to upgrade to, no seat count and no workspace to set up first. If you need portfolios, forms or automations, one of those is the better answer.
Is there an app to install?
No. Outline.co is a web app: open outline.co in the browser on your phone, tablet or computer and sign in. There is nothing to download and no app store — the same account and the same notes and boards on every device.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, properly. It is designed at phone size first: notes, boards and the timeline were built for a narrow screen rather than shrunk onto one, and cards drag with your thumb.