outlineStill waiting for Slab’s next update?
Outline is the open source alternative to Slab with new features every month, so your team’s knowledge base keeps getting better – on-premises or in the cloud.
Where Outline goes further than Slab
Shipping every month.
Since Slab’s last product update in July 2025, Outline has shipped split view, present mode, toggle blocks, PDF embeds, a built-in MCP server and more.
Built in public.
Outline’s code is on GitHub with hundreds of contributors, so you can see exactly what’s being worked on and where it’s heading.
Your data, your choice.
Run Outline in our cloud or on your own servers, and export everything as Markdown, HTML, or JSON at any time.
Great looking docs, without even trying.
An easy to use editor with markdown shortcuts, slash commands, and media embeds that looks great by default.
Access control & permissions.
Manage access with read & write permissions, user groups, guest users, public sharing, and more – on every plan.
Structured & instantly searchable.
Nest documents in a hierarchy, automatically build a network of backlinks and search across everything in ms.
AI answers & built-in MCP.
Get instant answers from your knowledge base, or connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other AI assistants to search, read, and edit docs with the built-in MCP server.
Cloud hosted or on-premises.
Outline is available as a cloud hosted service that’s always up-to-date or as a self-hosted install on your own network. Slab is available only in the cloud.
Outline vs Slab, feature by feature
| Outline | Slab | |
|---|---|---|
| Content & collaboration | ||
| Multiplayer collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical structure | Yes | Yes |
| Team templates | Yes | Yes |
| Version history | Unlimited | 90 days–Unlimited |
| Google Drive search sync | No | Yes |
| Security & admin | ||
| SAML single sign-on | Yes | Business plan |
| Audit log | Yes | Enterprise only |
| Install on-premises | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| AI & integrations | ||
| MCP server | Yes | No |
| AI answers | Yes | Business plan |
| API & webhooks | Yes | Business plan |
Bring your Slab content with you
Export your Slab workspace and import it into Outline in a single step. Formatting, images, and links between documents are preserved, and the folder structure is recreated as collections.
Frequently asked questions
Is Slab still being updated?
Slab’s most recent product announcement was in July 2025. Outline has shipped new features every month since then, and every change is visible in the public changelog and on GitHub.
Can I move my content from Slab?
Yes. Export your Slab workspace and import it from Outline’s settings. Formatting, images, and links between documents come across, and the folder structure is recreated as collections.
Can I self-host Outline instead?
Yes. Outline can be installed on your own network. Slab is only available as a cloud service.
Ready to move from Slab? Get started in minutes…
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