Microsoft OneNote Alternatives

What is Microsoft OneNote?

Microsoft OneNote is a Mote taking app which you can use to store all your notes, plans, research, information, and other data. Notebooks available in the tool will have unlimited pages Printing, organizing, and sharing notes is also easy. One other important and useful feature is that files are stored online and can be accessed from anywhere and any device.

Price Plans of Microsoft OneNote

Paid plans are available for personal and business and they are given below −

Personal plans

Plan	Price
Microsoft 365 Family	$7.50 per month
Microsoft 365 Personal	$5.92 per month

Business Plans

Plan	Price
Microsoft 365 Business Basic	$1.65 per month
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business	$7.87 per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard	$8.71 per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard	Price available in cart

Why Microsoft OneNote alternatives?

Each app has some drawbacks and same is the case with OneNote. Some of these disadvantages are as follows −

• OneNote has many features which have to be learned

• Finding notes can be difficult

• Syncing process is slow

• Few formatting options

• Not compatible with non-Microsoft applications

• AI features not available

How to choose a Microsoft OneNote Alternative?

OneNote has a lot of benefits and some of them have been listed here.

• Project management is easy

• Work from anywhere due to cloud storage

• Data can be stored and retrieved in a secure environment

• Compatible with different operating systems

• Easy integration with Microsoft Office

• Collaboration on the same notebook is easy

These features along with some additional ones should exist in the alternative of your choice.

Top 10 Microsoft OneNote Alternatives

There are many alternatives to OneNote available and some of them are discussed here in detail.

Alternative 1 – Sticky Notes

Sticky Notes is a note-taking app and is a great alternative to OneNote. You can make to-do lists and save your ideas. It does not have many features in comparison to OneNote but if you want a basic note-taking app, Sticky Notes is better. It can be best used by entrepreneurs and business owners. Paid plans are as follows −

• $9.99 per month

• $99 per year

• $999 for a lifetime

Pros

• Fast performance

• Easy to use

• Browser extensions available for Microsoft Edge and Chrome

• Notes can be formatted with fonts and themes

• Notes are saved automatically on the cloud

Cons

• Works as a browser extension only

• Mobile version not available

• No collaboration features

Alternative 2 – NoteDex

NoteDex is an excellent note-taking app which works in the form of a collection of digital notecards. You can easily create flashcards and digital index cards The notes can be formatted with the help of colors and fonts. You can also do handwriting on this tool. Notes, projects, and workflows can be easily organized. The price plans are as follows:

$2.99 per month

$24.99 per year

$49.99 for lifetime access

Pros

• Stylus can be used for handwriting

• Projects meetings, ideas, etc. can be easily organized

• Cards can be easily shared on the web

Cons

• Suitable only for entrepreneurs and not big businesses

Alternative 3 – Ideanote

Ideanote is a software that can be used for generating ideas for businesses. The tool is helpful for guests, partners, team members, customers, etc. for discussing ideas. It helps businesses to work on the path which customers want. The price plans range between $249 and $2,899.

Pros

• The tool has 100+ templates for treating ideas

• Best ideas can be filtered through collaboration features

• Right ideas can be captured

Cons

• Not suitable for all kinds of businesses

Alternative 4 – Nimbus Note

Nimbus Note is a competitor of OneNote which can be used to collect data of any format and store it. The information can be converted to workflows which helps in easy collaboration. Nimbus can be used by teams for collaboration to complete a task perfectly and easily. The tool can be used to create action plans, save ideas, and make checklists for a particular project, task, or module. All types of data can be stored here.

Pros

• The user interface is easy to use

• The editor has a lot of formatting features

• Give access to your data through various permissions

• Compatible with different operating systems and devices

Cons

• All features are not available in some subscriptions

• Backlink management not available

• It is not easy to ad complicated formulas to tables

Alternative 5 – Notion

Notion is a popular alternative to OneNote and can be used for project and time management. Notion provides you the option to create your own work environment and create more notes related to the project. The tool may be difficult for beginners. Add-ons can help in formatting the notes and giving them a good look. Notion is available for free and paid plans are also available which start from $4 per month.

Pros

• Task management features available

• Search function is easy to use

• Use embedding functions for notes

Cons

• A complex tool for big companies

• Mobile version needs improvement

• Formatting notes may take time

Alternative 6 – Evernote

Evernote is quite a popular note-taking tool an alternative to OneNote. Files can be scanned and saved on this tool. Note storage is simple and users can also add handwritten notes. The tool is compatible with different operating systems like Android, Mac, Windows, and iOS. Three price plans are available with the platform which are Professional, Personal, and Free. The price plans start at $7.99.

Pros

• Note templates can be used for different purposes

• Task tracker helps to keep an eye on everything

• Note search feature is simple and easy to use

Cons

• An outdated note-taking platform

• Personal notes cannot be protected with passwords

Alternative 7 – Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a note-taking app from Apple which has text formatting and document scanning features. People who want to switch from paper notes to digital notes can use this software. It can be a great alternative to OneNote but is compatible only with MacOS and iOS devices. You need not have to pay anything to use the tool. For add-ons also, no payment is needed.

Pros

• Great tool to be used on mobiles

• Search function is easy to use

• Text formatting feature is available

• Can integrate with different types of media files

Cons

• Compatible with Apple devices only

• Storage space is less

• Editing options are very few

Alternative 8 – Simplenote

Simplenote is a platform which can be used on mobile and the web. The tool is an alternative to OneNote and can be used for organizing notes and making action plans. Tagging and search function features are available on the tool. Note history is also available which helps you to track all the changes. Notes can be shared with the help of links. The tool is compatible with Linux, Android, Windows, MacOS, and Windows. The tool is available for free and can be used on any device.

Pros

• Easy to use

• Compatible with different platforms

• Notes can be shared through links

Cons

• Lacks advanced features

• Task management cannot be done

Alternative 9 – Confluence

Confluence is another excellent alternative to OneNote which has been developed for large organizations. It comes with advanced features which help the users in project management. It can integrate with Jira issues, Google services, Trello board, etc. The tool comes with 100 readymade templates along with an advanced search function. Confluence is compatible with different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. The tool is also compatible with different operating systems like Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Pros

• A great tool for a big organization

• Notes and comments can be kept in one place

• It has compatibility with more than 3000 marketplaces

Cons

• In-app search function needs improvement

• Third-party plugins are required for using some functionalities

Alternative 10 – Notejoy

Notejoy has been developed for those users who need real-time collaboration. The features available in the tool include adding reactions, live chats, and web clipper. Task management is easy as users can even import notes from OneNote. Pricing plans are as follows:

• Free − $0

• Solo − $4 per month

• Plus − $8 per month

• Premium − $12 per month

Pros

• Compatible with different types of documents

• Collaborative editing is convenient

• End-to-end encryption

• Notes can be protected through password

Cons

• Text editing feature is limited

• Drawing tools not available

• User interface is complex

Conclusion

Microsoft OneNote is an extensive tool for taking notes. Users can format the notes and store them in the cloud. It is a difficult tool and has to be learned before usage. Formatting options are few and AI features are not available. Due to all these issues, people look for many alternatives to OneNote like Sticky Notes, Notion, Ideanote, and many more.