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Documentation · head to head

Outline vs Plane

Outline logo

Outline

Documentation

Team knowledge base under the Business Source Licence, self-hostable or vendor hosted

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Plane logo

Plane

Technology

Open-source project management tool

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Outline the Business Source Licence is not an open source licence, so anyone planning to host Outline for clients, resell it or embed it in a commercial service is prohibited until the per-release change date passes, and this is regularly discovered only at legal review.; Plane self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
  • They diverge on capability: Outline covers Structured collections, Plane covers Issue tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Outline and Plane actually diverge.

Attributes where Outline and Plane differ
AttributeOutlinePlane
Pricing modelFree to self-host, per user per month when hosted by the vendorfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Docker, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
CategoryDocumentationTechnology
FoundedUnknown2022

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Outline

  • Structured collections
  • Block editor
  • Search
  • Backlinks and mentions
  • Templates
  • API and webhooks
  • Single sign-on

Only in Plane

  • Issue tracking
  • Cycles (Sprints)
  • Modules
  • Views & layouts
  • Pages (Docs)
  • Analytics
  • API access
  • Webhooks

Both cover

  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Outline

  • Running an internal wiki on your own infrastructure when documentation cannot leave a specific jurisdictionnot Plane
  • Replacing a general-purpose workspace tool with something narrower where search speed and writing flow matter mostnot Plane
  • Keeping engineering decision records and postmortems in templated documents that link to each other automaticallynot Plane
  • Giving a company already standardised on Google or Okta a wiki that inherits identity and group membership directlynot Plane

Plane

  • Project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiativesnot Outline
  • Documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project worknot Outline
  • Sprint planning and issue triagenot Outline
  • Cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboardsnot Outline
  • Migration target from Jira, Linear, Monday, ClickUp, or Asananot Outline

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Outline

  • The Business Source Licence is not an open source licence, so anyone planning to host Outline for clients, resell it or embed it in a commercial service is prohibited until the per-release change date passes, and this is regularly discovered only at legal review.
  • There is no local password authentication, so self-hosting requires an identity provider to be in place first, which turns a small internal wiki into a project with a dependency on Google, Okta, Entra or a Keycloak instance somebody has to run.
  • Self-hosting needs Postgres, Redis and S3-compatible object storage together, so the operational footprint is larger than the single database most internal wikis require.
  • The hosted plans offer no customer-selectable hosting region, so buyers with data residency obligations are pushed to self-hosting even when they would have paid to avoid running servers.
  • It is built for internal knowledge rather than public documentation, with no versioned documentation sets, no static output and limited public publishing, so it will not serve as a product documentation site.
  • Because it is a single-vendor project rather than a foundation-governed one, a future licence or pricing change applies to new releases and the only defence is staying on an older version.

Plane

  • Self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
  • Cloud Free tier caps at 12 users and 500 AI credits per seat per month
  • Substantial feature gating by tier: custom work item types, workspace wiki, time tracking, dashboards, initiatives, teamspaces, and integrations require Pro or above; LDAP, granular access control, and multi-workflow approvals require Enterprise Grid
  • Guest-to-paid-member ratio capped at 1:5 on the Pro plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Outline

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Source available under the Business Source Licence
    • No licence fee for use inside your own organisation
    • Requires Postgres, Redis and S3-compatible storage
  • Team (hosted)$undefined/month
    • Charged per user per month
    • Hosted and maintained by the vendor
    • Single sign-on through Google, Slack or Microsoft
  • Enterprise (hosted)$undefined/month
    • SAML single sign-on and provisioning
    • Administrative controls and audit visibility
    • Negotiated terms and support

Plane

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 AI credits per seat
    • Max 12 users
    • Unlimited projects
  • Pro$6/seat per month
    • 1,000 AI credits per seat
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom work item types
  • Business$13/seat per month
    • 2,000 AI credits per seat
    • Unlimited users
    • Project templates, recurring work items
  • Enterprise Grid$null/mo
    • Flexible AI credit allocation
    • Private deployments
    • Granular access control

Which should you pick?

Choose Outline if

  • You need structured collections.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, iOS, Android.
  • You also want block editor.
Outline review

Choose Plane if

  • You need issue tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want cycles (sprints).
Plane review

Questions people ask

Is Outline or Plane better?
Neither clearly leads. Outline starts at Free and Plane at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Outline or Plane?
Outline starts at Free and Plane at Free.
Does Outline or Plane run on more platforms?
Outline runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker, iOS, Android. Plane runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Outline for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Outline best used for?
Outline is most often used for running an internal wiki on your own infrastructure when documentation cannot leave a specific jurisdiction, replacing a general-purpose workspace tool with something narrower where search speed and writing flow matter most, keeping engineering decision records and postmortems in templated documents that link to each other automatically, giving a company already standardised on google or okta a wiki that inherits identity and group membership directly. Of those, running an internal wiki on your own infrastructure when documentation cannot leave a specific jurisdiction and replacing a general-purpose workspace tool with something narrower where search speed and writing flow matter most are not what Plane is typically brought in for.
What can Outline do that Plane cannot?
Outline covers Structured collections, Block editor, Search, Backlinks and mentions. Plane covers Issue tracking, Cycles (Sprints), Modules, Views & layouts. Both handle Self-hosting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Outline: Is Outline open source?

No, not in the OSI sense. It is source available under the Business Source Licence, which permits internal use and self-hosting but not offering it as a service to others, with each release converting to an open source licence after its change date.

Plane: Does Plane offer a free plan?

Yes, Plane's free tier includes 500 AI credits per seat, support for up to 12 users, and access to projects, work items, cycles, modules, layouts, views, estimates, and pages.

Source
Outline: Can I run it for free?

Yes, for your own organisation. Self-hosting carries no licence fee, only the cost of running Postgres, Redis, object storage and an identity provider.

Plane: How much does Plane Pro cost?

Plane Pro costs $6/seat per month and saves 25% when billed annually. It includes 1,000 AI credits per seat, unlimited users, and access to custom work item types, wiki, time tracking, and integrations.

Source
Outline: Can I choose where the hosted version stores data?

No. The hosted plans do not offer a region choice, so residency requirements mean self-hosting.

Plane: What is the difference between Plane's paid tiers?

Pro ($6/seat/month) includes 1,000 AI credits and workspace wiki. Business ($13/seat/month) adds 2,000 AI credits, project templates, and recurring work items. Enterprise Grid offers custom pricing with multiple workflows and LDAP support.

Source
Outline: Does it work for public product documentation?

Poorly. It has no versioned documentation sets or static site output, so it is best kept for internal knowledge.

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