Summary

This free AI outline generator turns a topic into a structured outline in seconds. Pick a content type, blog post, how-to guide, listicle, comparison, or review, and a target word count, and it reserves 180 words for the intro and conclusion, then splits what is left into 3 to 10 sections of about 200 words each. It will not write your paragraphs. It hands you the headings and the word budget per section so you stop staring at a blank page and start writing the first sentence.

AI Outline Generator: Turn Any Topic Into An Outline

Pick a content type and a target word count. Get headings sized to fit, section by section, in your browser, before you write a single paragraph or open a blank document.

Build your outline

Type a topic, pick a content type and a target length. The outline updates as you type, no button to click.

The math behind every outline

200w
average length of a body section before it needs its own subhead
3-10
H2 sections generated per outline, based on your target length
$0
cost per outline, no account and no signup
How it works

How the outline gets sized

You give it a topic and a shape

Type your topic or working title, pick a content type, blog post, how-to guide, listicle, comparison, or review, and a target word count.

It reserves the intro and the close

180 words are set aside up front, about 100 for the intro and 80 for the conclusion, before the body sections get counted.

The rest is split into sections

What is left is divided by 200 words per section, a common rule of thumb for when a section needs its own subhead, then capped between 3 and 10 sections so a long target does not turn into an unreadable wall of H2s.

Each content type pulls its own angles

A how-to guide gets numbered steps and a troubleshooting section. A listicle gets best-overall and best-for-X picks. A review gets pricing and a verdict. Same math, different shape.

From topic to outline in three steps

  1. 1

    Type your topic

    Use the working title you already have. Two or three words is enough to get a first pass, and you can refine it once you see the sections.

  2. 2

    Set the content type and length

    A how-to guide and a listicle need different section angles, so pick the closest match, then set your target word count from the short, medium, or long presets.

  3. 3

    Read the outline, then edit it

    Swap or drop any heading, reorder sections, or merge two that overlap. The word budget per section still holds even after you rename it.

Common questions

Is this AI outline generator free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. No account, no credit card, and nothing is sent to a server beyond the anonymous tool-run beacon used for usage stats.
Where does the word-count math come from?
From a simple editorial rule of thumb: a body section usually runs 150 to 250 words before it needs its own subhead. We use 200 as the midpoint, reserve 180 words for the intro and conclusion, and divide the rest.
Does it write the actual paragraphs for me?
No. It builds the skeleton, the headings and the word budget per section. You still write the sentences, which is where an AI writing assistant like ours saves the most time.
Why does it cap the outline at 10 sections?
Past 10 H2s, most readers lose the thread and most articles need splitting into sub-pages anyway. If your target length pushes past 10 sections, narrow the topic instead.
Can I change the topic after I generate an outline?
Yes. The outline updates as you type or change a dropdown. Nothing is saved, so refreshing the page clears it.
What if I disagree with one of the section headings?
Treat it as a starting point, not a rule. Rename or delete any heading. The word budget per section still applies even after you change the wording.
Does it work for topics in languages other than English?
You can type a topic in any language, but the section headings themselves are generated in English. Translate them by hand if you are writing in another language.
Why 200 words per section instead of a fixed number of headings?
A fixed heading count ignores length. A 2500-word comparison and an 800-word comparison should not get the same 5 headings, one would be padded, the other would feel thin. Sizing sections by word budget keeps each one long enough to say something and short enough to stay readable.

Write the sections yourself, faster

Content Assistant turns an outline into a first draft, section by section, then helps you tighten what you already wrote instead of starting each paragraph from nothing.