Dynalist

dynalist.io
Knowledge Management
Weekend Project

The best outlining app for your best work

How to Replace Dynalist

Overview

Dynalist is an outlining and organization app that helps users capture, flesh out, and realize brilliant ideas. It combines powerful organizational tools with a clean, keyboard-shortcut-focused interface designed for productivity and focused work.

Features

35 features across 14 categories

Accessibility(1)

Desktop appPremium

Access and work on your stuff even when offline

Also in: Justinmind, Justworks, Notion

Collaboration(1)

Sharing & collaboration

Share lists with flexible permissions for team collaboration

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Content Management(2)

Image and file attachmentsPremium

Upload files up to 50 MB in size

Note

Keep extra info handy in a note

Also in: Juro, Notion, WordPress.com

Core(1)

Unlimited items & documents

Create unlimited items and documents without restrictions

Customization(5)

Custom CSSPremium

Customize the CSS across all platforms

Custom date display formatPremium

Customize how dates are displayed

Custom mobile toolbarPremium

Access extra options and rearrange the mobile toolbar

Custom shortcutsPremium

Override the default shortcuts

Themes

Choose from Dark, Sepia, Sci-Fi, Sakura, and more themes

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Data Management(3)

Daily Dropbox & Google Drive backupPremium

Get daily backups sent to Dropbox or Google Drive

Export & import

Export to OPML, plain text, or formatted text

Version historyPremium

See past changes to a document and restore any version

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Efficiency(1)

Multi-select

Manipulate multiple items at once

Also in: Melio, monday.com, Juro

Formatting(3)

Color label

Color-code anything for visual organization

Markdown formatting

Support for bold, italics, code, images, links, and LaTeX

Numbered list

Number your items for easy counting

Integration(1)

Google Calendar integrationPremium

Sync dates in Dynalist to your Google Calendar

Navigation(4)

5 bookmarks

Bookmark items for super fast access

Item finderPremium

Navigate to any item within keystrokes

Quick finder

Go to any file or bookmark within keystrokes

Unlimited bookmarksPremium

Unlimited bookmarks for super fast access

Organization(6)

Cross linking

Conveniently link to anywhere in your Dynalist

Internal linking

Link to other items and documents within Dynalist

Move item

Move items between locations in your outline

Sorting

Sort items by various properties

Tag panePremium

See all your tags in one place and sort them

Tags

Quickly group and filter items using tags

Productivity(4)

Capture to inboxPremium

Quickly capture items to an inbox

Checklist

Convert any list to a checklist for task tracking

Dates

Add dates and filter by date and time

Recurring datesPremium

Managing repeating tasks made easy

Sharing(1)

Public list

Visitors don't have to sign up to see your lists

Support(2)

Community support

Access to community support channels

Priority email supportPremium

Priority support via email

Pricing

Free

Free
  • Unlimited items & documents
  • Move item
  • Internal linking
  • Markdown formatting
  • Dates
  • Tags
  • Checklist
  • Sharing & collaboration
  • Export & import
  • 5 bookmarks
  • Community support

Pro

Popular
$7.99/mo billed annually or $9.99/mo billed monthly
  • Everything in Free
  • Google Calendar integration
  • Capture to inbox
  • Tag pane
  • Recurring dates
  • Unlimited bookmarks
  • Image and file attachments
  • Version history
  • Daily Dropbox & Google Drive backup
  • Item finder
  • Custom shortcuts
  • Custom mobile toolbar
  • Custom CSS
  • Custom date display format
  • Priority email support

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Dynalist

Monthly$9.99/mo
Yearly$120/yr
5-Year Total$599

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$120
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$360
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$599
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 35 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Dynalist alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 35 features.

Buy Dynalist

Better Value
Monthly cost$99.9/mo
3-year total$3,596.4
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Dynalist saves ~$33,363.6 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 35 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

3 known integrations

DropboxGoogle CalendarGoogle Drive