CrossLine vs Leo Editor
CrossLine
github.comLeo Editor
leo-editor.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | CrossLine | Leo Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Outliner Software | 8.6 (#5) | 8.0 (#16) |
| License | The repository lists GPL-2.0 and GPL-3.0 licenses. | Leo is distributed under a license described by its maker as the MIT license and allows use, modification, distribution, and resale, including commercial use. |
| Platforms | The project lists precompiled downloads for Windows x86 and x64, Linux x86 and x64, and Mac x64 and M1. | The installation guide explains how to install and run Leo on Windows, Linux, and MacOS. |
| Product | CrossLine is an outliner with cross-link capabilities, in the tradition of Ecco Pro. | Leo describes itself as a programmable editor, outliner, and knowledge base for organizing code, writing, and research in a flexible outline. |
| Support | The author directs users to the GitHub issue list or to email for support, issues, and feature requests. | The installation guide directs users with installation problems to Leo’s help forum. |
Plans
In their own words
CrossLine
CrossLine is a free, open-source outliner for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It arranges text as parent, child, and subtopic nodes that can be collapsed or expanded, and supports cross-links and Ted Nelson’s transclusion concept. CrossLine also works as a full-text database with a built-in search engine; Lucene can be added as an optional alternative when building the application. Navigation includes search, history, and back/forward controls, with backlinks supported. HTML and CLDX are listed export formats. Precompiled downloads cover Windows and Linux in x86 and x64 versions, plus Mac x64 and M1. The compressed executable can be unpacked and run without installation or special privileges. The README says the Windows build runs on Windows 7 without a separate Microsoft runtime. On Mac, startup requires the context menu’s open command. The project links to a demo repository, provides source-build instructions using LeanQt, and directs support questions to GitHub issues or email. Licenses listed are GPL-2.0 and GPL-3.0.
Leo Editor
Leo Editor is a free, open-source programmable editor, outliner, and knowledge base for arranging code, writing, and research in flexible outlines. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, through an API, and as self-hosted software. Cloned nodes allow one idea to appear in several outline locations while remaining synchronized. Navigation includes expanding and collapsing, hoisting, promoting, clones, and clickable links, with backlinks available for related sections. Users can automate workflows with Python scripts, commands, and plugins. Outlines export to HTML, MORE, Markdown, Org mode, reStructuredText, and Vim outline formats. Jupyter integration lets @jupytext nodes represent notebook cells and save changes back to .ipynb files. The leoBridge module exposes Leo content to Python host programs. A WebSocket server accepts JSON queries and changes, using password challenge-response authentication; TLS is optional. Leo requires Python 3.9 or later and is distributed under the MIT license.