Outlining and Note-Taking Tools
For a quick essay plan, use our free Outline Builder. For notes across many sources, try Notion or Obsidian; for nested outlines, Workflowy; for long projects, Scrivener; for visual planning, Coggle.
Updated 21 October 2026 · EssayWriting.com editorial team
- For a quick essay plan, use our free Outline Builder.
- We compare 6 tools on who they help, features and limitations.
- Price labels appear only where the tool’s homepage confirms them.
Outlining and Note-Taking Tools: quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free or paid |
|---|---|---|
| Notion | Students organising research notes and plans | Free and paid plans |
| Obsidian | Students who like linked notes stored locally | Free and paid plans |
| Workflowy | Students who outline in nested bullets | Free and paid plans |
| Scrivener | Writers of long projects such as dissertations | Free and paid plans |
| Google Docs | Students who need free writing and version history | Check site |
| Coggle | Visual thinkers planning essays | Free and paid plans |
"Free or paid" is shown only when the tool’s own homepage states it; otherwise check the site. These are independent picks, not affiliate links.
1. Notion
Notes, docs and databases for research notes and outlines
- Who it helps: Students organising research notes and plans.
- Key features: Flexible pages, databases and templates.
- Price: Free and paid plans (as stated on its homepage).
- Limitations: Can become a time sink; no built-in citation management.
2. Obsidian
Local Markdown notes with linking, free for personal use
- Who it helps: Students who like linked notes stored locally.
- Key features: Markdown notes with links and graph view.
- Price: Free and paid plans (as stated on its homepage).
- Limitations: Setup takes effort.
3. Workflowy
Infinite nested-list outliner
- Who it helps: Students who outline in nested bullets.
- Key features: Infinite nested lists; easy re-ordering.
- Price: Free and paid plans (as stated on its homepage).
- Limitations: Plain lists only.
4. Scrivener
Long-form writing app with corkboard/outliner for theses and books
- Who it helps: Writers of long projects such as dissertations.
- Key features: Organises long manuscripts into sections; research binder.
- Price: Free and paid plans (as stated on its homepage).
- Limitations: Paid software; formatting final output takes learning.
5. Google Docs
Free online word processor with version history and comments
- Who it helps: Students who need free writing and version history.
- Key features: Real-time collaboration, version history, comments.
- Limitations: Citation management needs an add-on.
6. Coggle
Collaborative mind maps for brainstorming
- Who it helps: Visual thinkers planning essays.
- Key features: Collaborative mind maps.
- Price: Free and paid plans (as stated on its homepage).
- Limitations: Free plan limits private diagrams.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the best outline maker?
For essays, a simple guided builder like ours is fastest. For research projects, a nested outliner such as Workflowy works well.
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