Frontier Outpost v. Colony

[WLFobe]

So I just integrated my vassal. It turns out that he had a Frontier Outpost in a system that has a world that is at 90% habitability for my species. And I have a system slot.

So my questions is: What is the relative Border Range of a Frontier Outpost as compared to a Colony?

 

[General Retreat]

As far as I've been able to see, outposts provide about the same as a fully inhabited size 10 planet. When you replace it with a colony, your borders will initially shrink. Despite that, in the long run you'll almost alway end up better off as pop numbers contribute to border push. Plus you're saving influence.

 

[Mitchz95]

I often plonk down FOs just to prevent the AI from snatching up a prospective planet until I can get a colony going. In my experience colonies nearly always provide better border projection.

 

[Morbid Gerbil]

I use outposts in 2 ways

to secure somewhere I plan to expand to
to stop someone expanding in a direction I don't want them to

 

[Alblaka]

Frontier Outpost < Colony

You use former to quickly secure paths or valuable areas you cannot colonize; either because a lack of habitality, lack of ressources (already upping several colonies) or lack of actual planets. And except for latter case you will always want to replace the outposts with colonies asap.

Oh and, as others said, colonys push borders harder then outposts, too.