OPML vs RTF
A detailed comparison of OPML Outline and Rich Text Format — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
OPML Outline
Documents & TextOPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is an XML format for structured outlines and lists. It is most widely used for exchanging RSS feed subscription lists between podcast apps and feed readers, and for hierarchical note-taking.
About OPML filesRich Text Format
Documents & TextRTF is a cross-platform document format that supports basic text formatting like bold, italic, fonts, and colors. It is readable by virtually all word processors, making it useful for maximum compatibility.
About RTF filesStrengths Comparison
OPML Strengths
- Standard RSS subscription interchange format.
- Simple XML — easy to parse and generate.
- Highly extensible via arbitrary attributes.
- Supported by every major outline and RSS tool.
RTF Strengths
- Plain ASCII — portable, grep-able, and diff-friendly.
- Supported by every word processor on every OS since 1990.
- Cannot carry macros or embedded code — relatively safe to open.
- Simple enough to parse by hand or generate with a small script.
- Good interchange format when DOCX compatibility is shaky.
Limitations
OPML Limitations
- XML verbosity — larger than a JSON-based equivalent.
- Specification is loose — different tools disagree on edge cases.
- Primary use (RSS reading) has shrunk dramatically since Google Reader.
- No strong central stewardship.
RTF Limitations
- Frozen in 2008 — no modern features (no comments, poor styles, no track changes).
- File sizes are bigger than DOCX for the same content (no compression).
- Images are base64-encoded inline, inflating files further.
- Visual fidelity drifts between Word versions despite the spec.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | OPML | RTF |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | text/x-opml | application/rtf |
| Extension | .opml | — |
| Format | XML with nested <outline> elements | — |
| Standard | OPML 2.0 (2006) | RTF Specification 1.9.1 (2008) |
| Primary use | RSS subscription interchange | — |
| Extensions | — | .rtf |
| Character set | — | ASCII with Unicode escapes (\u) |
Typical File Sizes
OPML
- Typical RSS reader export (50 feeds) 5-30 KB
- Deep outline (Scrivener novel plan) 20-200 KB
RTF
- Short formatted letter 15-50 KB
- 20-page report with styling 150 KB - 1 MB
- Document with embedded images 2-20 MB
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Frequently Asked Questions
OPML (OPML Outline) is a document format used to store paginated text, with optional formatting, tables, images, hyperlinks, headers and footers. It sits in the documents & text family and is typically associated with a specific office suite or publishing pipeline that defined the format and ships the canonical reader.
OPML (OPML Outline) is a document formato used to store paginated text, com optional formatoting, tables, images, hyperlinks, headers e footers. It sits no documents & text family e is tipicamente associated com a specific office suite ou publishing pipeline that defined the formato e ships the canonical reader.
Modern office suites — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, Apple Pages — open most OPML files with reasonable fidelity. If your installed software does not support OPML, convert to DOCX or PDF first using KaijuConverter; both open in virtually every reader, including free online viewers.
Modern office suites — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, Apple Pages — abrir most OPML arquivos com reasonable fidelity. If your installed software does not support OPML, converter to DOCX ou PDF first usando KaijuConverter; both abrir in virtually every reader, including grátis online viewers.
Upload the OPML to KaijuConverter and pick DOCX, PDF, ODT, RTF, HTML, Markdown, or plain text. Our pipeline runs LibreOffice headlessly plus pandoc for text formats — the same engines behind professional document pipelines. Styles, tables, images, and hyperlinks survive the conversion intact.
Yes, to a high degree. Standard fonts, headings, lists, tables, images, hyperlinks and page structure transfer cleanly. Custom fonts substitute to the closest match if not embedded; obscure layout features unique to OPML (frames, legacy macros) may flatten to static content in the target format.