Brainstorming the next series of blog posts for your company’s website? Or maybe you’re scrambling to structure an upcoming essay?
Regardless of what you’re planning to write, chances are you need an outline first.
Outlines provide structure to any piece of content, transforming stream-of-consciousness word threads into effective and engaging messages. ✍️
The downside to outlining is that it takes a lot of time. And if you’ve got a case of writer’s block, crafting an outline is just as tough as writing the content itself.
But we’ll let you in on a little secret: you don’t have to write your own outlines.
Instead, an outline generator can do the heavy lifting for you. Just enter a few prompts and parameters and the generator handles the rest.
We’ll show you how to spot a quality outline generator, plus share 10 outline generators to level up your writing game. 🤩
10 Best Outline Generators for Content Creators in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look For In Outline Generators?
There are plenty of free outline generator options on the internet for AI, but not all of them are high-quality. When researching options, look for an outline generator that ticks these boxes:
- Multiple content formats: There are strictly essay and article outline generator tools, but if you’re investing in an AI content generator, get your money’s worth. Go for an outline generator tool that can handle everything from essay topics, article outlines, and blog topic generation to product descriptions, FAQs, social media posts, and press releases
- Search engine optimization: If you’re a content creator, you know how important it is to have an SEO tool in your corner that simplifies content marketing. Go for a content or blog post outline generator that build SEO-friendly outlines
- Plagiarism checks: We love AI writing tools, but some of them aren’t great at generating original copy. That can put you in hot water, so whether it’s a research paper or blog, make sure it’s plagiarism-free
- Templates: In a rush? An AI essay writer tool should come with different essay types and content types out of the box. Just select a template, drop in a few details, and the outline generator tool will handle the rest
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Outline Generators to Use in 2024
Artificial intelligence algorithms streamline the writing process by pulling together a lot of information quickly. As a result, you get a solid content roadmap in seconds.
Tools like ChatGPT are popular but they lack the finesse you need in a true AI writer. Try these 10 best outline generators to build more effective outlines.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is the Swiss Army knife of outline generators. You want templates? We’ve got ‘em.
Task management? Check. Collaboration tools? Check. ✅
We even have an AI writing tool that generates high-quality outlines in less time. ClickUp AI is a content generator and smart work assistant. It helps you at every stage of the content creation process, from outlining to blog creation.
It’s special because it’s the only AI writer tailored to specific roles. Whether you’re an engineer, customer support pro, marketer, or project manager looking to leverage AI, our AI writing assistant offers help based on your needs.
Best of all, it integrates with your ClickUp Docs to bring your AI writing and word processing into one place. Edit copy and format it perfectly with ClickUp’s structured headings and tables in no time at all.
ClickUp best features
- The extensive template library will supercharge your writing and formatting process
- The ClickUp AI blog post and article outline generator, tagline creator, and feature naming tools help you create snappier copywriting in less time
- If you need something more visual, ClickUp Whiteboards map out everything to slay the demons of writer’s block
- ClickUp Tasks manages your writing deadlines so you finish that blog post outline on time, every time
- Templates include content calendars, AI prompts, briefs, and more
ClickUp limitations
- ClickUp AI is only available for paid plans
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user, paid annually; $10/month per user, paid monthly
- Business: $12/month per user, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp AI is available on all paid plans for $5 per Workspace member per month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,700+ reviews)
2. Copy.ai
Copy.ai is a SOC II-compliant AI writer and outline generator tool. Since most AI writers are pretty squirrely about how they actually use your data, Copy.ai’s security and compliance-minded approach is refreshing.
It also includes a 100% free version of its AI writer and there’s no credit card needed to get started to create a well-structured outline for brainstorming ideas or to reach a target audience more effectively. Copy.ai makes it easy to avoid starting from a blank page.
Here’s how it works:
- Tell Copy.ai what you want to make with a prompt like “Make me an article outline for a blog”
- Provide extra context on the points you want it to cover
- Select a tone for the content, like friendly or serious
- From there, Copy.ai generates multiple options for you to choose from
From outlining digital ad copy to outlining an email marketing campaign, Copy.ai has numerous use cases.
Copy.ai best features
- Includes over 90 tools and templates to speed up content production
- The platform is SOC II compliant
- Copy.ai Chat is a ChatGPT alternative trained on real-time data
- It summarizes YouTube videos into bullet points for a detailed outline
Copy.ai limitations
- Some users found the Motto Generator and Audience Refiner tools a little gimmicky
- The rewriter tool scrambles sentences in ways that don’t make sense
Copy.ai pricing
- Free
- Pro: $36/month for five users, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Copy.ai ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (170+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (50+ reviews)
3. Jasper
Jasper is an outline generator that aims to really nail your tone of voice. One of the main gripes people have about AI writers is that they don’t get the tone right.
It takes some training and finessing, but Jasper learns your style over time to write incredibly accurate content for you.
Choose from different tone of voice options when you get started: cheeky, formal, bold, and … pirate. We love a brand with a sense of humor. 🏴☠️
Jasper outlines a lot more than blogs too. You can use this bad boy to throw together an outline for a whole marketing campaign if you want.
Jasper best features
- Generate art and images with text prompts
- Bust writer’s block with the template library of pre-structured content outlines
- Invite collaborators to edit Jasper’s generated content in real-time
Jasper limitations
- Some users say Jasper has a hard time creating specialized or complex content
- The “pirate” tone of voice is fun, but are you really going to use it?
Jasper pricing
- Creator: $39/month per user, billed annually
- Teams: $99/month for three users, billed annually
- Business: Contact for pricing
Jasper ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (1,220+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (1,800+ reviews)
4. Writecream
Writecream is a streamlined outline generator that spits out solid outlines with just a single prompt (in Command Mode). This tool writes articles, generates Facebook and Google Ads, and summarizes copy at the push of a button.
We also like Whitecream’s ChatGenie product, which combines ChatGPT with live Google search results. Start a chat with the AI tool and prompt it to generate outlines for blogs, ads, essays, and more.
Writecream best features
- Writecream has apps for both Android and iOS
- The platform also allows you to create AI art and video voiceovers
- Writecream’s ChatGenie supports 75 languages
Writecream limitations
- Writecream lacks the advanced capabilities that other cohesive outline generator tools offer
- Some users say it isn’t a good value for the money for your writing process
Writecream pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited (Limited Offer): $29/month for unlimited credits
- Standard: $49/month for 200 credits
- Extended: $69/month for 750 credits
Writecream ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (350+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (290+ reviews)
5. Hypotenuse AI
Why generate an outline when you can ask Hypotenuse AI to write an essay for you? Simply plug in a few keywords to write quality content in a few seconds.
If you’re in the e-commerce space, Hypotenuse AI is especially good at generating product descriptions. Feed it a few details about your product category, keywords, target audience, and company; the tool handles the rest.
Hypotenuse AI can also fire off a bunch of outlines when you need them. Use the batch generation tool to instantly generate lots of content. Then upload a spreadsheet with the details.
Hypotenuse AI best features
- Hypotenuse AI generates images or artwork
- The Content Detective feature ensures you only pull factual content
- The summarizing tool helps you write better abstracts and thesis statements in no time—which can be used to generate a better blog post outline
Hypotenuse AI limitations
- Hypotenuse AI doesn’t offer templates
- It can only handle one user at a time, so you can’t edit copy with coworkers
- Not a free outline generator
Hypotenuse AI pricing
- Starter: $24/month for 100 credits, billed annually
- Growth: $49/month for 350 credits, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Hypotenuse AI ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (4 reviews)
- Capterra: 5/5 (1 review)
6. SurferSEO
Surfer SEO bills itself as a lot more than an AI content creation tool—it’s an SEO tool for boosting traffic to your website. Surfer SEO is primarily an SEO content editor that helps brands write SEO-optimized blogs.
The Surfer AI product is hot off the press (they announced it in May of 2024), but it’s already making a splash with content creators as a comprehensive outline generator. 🌊
If you can stomach the $29 per article price tag, Surfer AI will handle just about everything for you. Forget outlines: this content generator writes the content and optimizes it for SEO. It can even insert links and images for you.
SurferSEO best features
- It includes plenty of tools for SEO optimization
- The tool can insert links and images in your copy to save time
- Anti-AI Detection feature ensures your content sounds human
SurferSEO limitations
- The Surfer AI tool is $29/article, which is pretty pricey
- Some users report experiencing bugs and delays
SurferSEO pricing
- Essential: $69/month for two seats, billed annually
- Advanced: $149/month for five seats, billed annually
- Max: $249/month for ten seats, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
SurferSEO ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (460+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (370+ reviews)
7. Rytr
Rytr is an AI writing tool that specializes in copywriting. To use it, select from 40 use cases, add some context, and Rytr handles the rest. If you’re a marketer or salesperson, this is the content tool for you.
Use the Blog Idea & Outline use case to access a ready-made framework for your content in just a few clicks. Select your language, tone of voice, use case, and keywords to instantly generate an outline.
Ryter also offers a browser extension. Stop flipping through different platforms: use Rytr within your email inbox, Facebook Messenger, Google Docs, WordPress, and social media accounts.
Rytr best features
- Rytr uses copywriting formulas like AIDA to generate flawless copy
- Make your text presentation-ready with Rytr formatting
- Add collaborators to your account to manage copy in one place
Rytr limitations
- Rytr isn’t capable of generating long-form content (i.e. blog post)
- Its SEO tools aren’t as strong as other AI writers
- Some users don’t like the simplicity of the Ryter interface
Rytr pricing
- Free
- Saver: $9/month, billed annually
- Unlimited: $29/month, billed annually
Rytr ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (760+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (16 reviews)
8. Clearscope
Clearscope is the most expensive tool on this list, but you get a lot for the money. Like Surfer, Clearscope is primarily a content optimization tool for SEO.
To use Clearscope, enter a keyword and wait for the platform to generate a report. Go to the Outline tab to see several content outline options in one go.
You’ll still need to structure the blog yourself, but Clearscope does a lot of the work for you. The Research tab also lists common themes and questions that relate to your target keyword so you can add more pizzazz to the copy when it’s time to write. ✨
Clearscope best features
- Optimize your content for SEO with the right headers, keywords, and word count
- Quickly generate content briefs and blog post outline documents
- Understand competitors’ blog post content in one view
Clearscope limitations
- Clearscope’s $170/month price tag is expensive, especially for amateur creators or students
- It can take a few minutes for Clearscope to generate a report
Clearscope pricing
- Essentials: $170/month for one seat
- Business: Five seats, contact for pricing
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Clearscope ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.9/5 (80+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (60 reviews)
9. StoryLab.ai
StoryLab.ai is the dark horse on our list of top outline generator tools, but don’t let its humble design fool you. This AI writer handles outlines, blog posts, emails, and paid ads with ease.🍃
For a blog outline, go to the Blog Post generator and select Outline as an option. In 30 seconds, the AI will generate an effective outline for your selected topic.
Plus, you can start using StoryLab.ai right now for free. You get three free AI Runs per month, so it’s great if you need an occasional essay outline generator.
StoryLab.ai best features
- Generate paid ad copy, emails, and blogs in just a few clicks
- Convert blogs into engaging social posts with the Blog to Social Posts feature (paid)
- Use the paid Campaign Builder to generate content ideas, shorten or expand text, or change the tone of your text
StoryLab.ai limitations
- Some features are only available to premium members
- StoryLab.ai lacks the sophistication and complexity of other AI tools and outline generator options
StoryLab.ai pricing
- Free
- Pro: $15/month for 100 AI Runs
- Unlimited: $19/month for unlimited AI Runs
StoryLab.ai ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
10. Writesonic
Writesonic is one of the most prolific AI writing and outline generator tools in the world. It has an incredible number of features, ranging from AI blog outlining to website copy to real estate listings. It even follows copywriting frameworks like AIDA and PAS.
If you need images for your copy, Writesonic handles that too. Just prompt the AI with a little bit of text and it’ll generate graphics in a few seconds.
Writesonic best features
- Write 1,500-word long-form blogs with Writesonic
- Use the Growth Ideas feature to come up with innovative ideas for your business
- Try the Listicle Ideas feature to brainstorm ideas for future blogs and essays
Writesonic limitations
- Some users report grammatical mistakes in the AI-generated copy
Writesonic pricing
- Free Trial
- Unlimited: $16/month for one user, billed annually
- Business: $12.67/month per user, billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Writesonic ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (1,800+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (1,700+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseCreate the Perfect Outline With Clickup
There are plenty of online tools that generate essay outlines for writing projects. But even then, you have to flip between your outline generator and your actual work.
Where’s the fun in that?
Save time and streamline your workflow by going with ClickUp. We combine AI writing tools with all of the other tools you need to perform your best. 🏆
But don’t take our word for it—see the difference for yourself. Sign up for ClickUp now. It’s free!
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.