Our best ideas can happen any time at any place – and with all the different note-taking applications out there, finding the right software for your personal needs may prove challenging. If you’re one of the over 200 million Microsoft users out there, you’ve probably used OneNote a time or two for your ideas, to-do lists, or writing projects.
Microsoft’s OneNote application is an accessible, reliable, and simple choice for your organizational needs. However, it has its drawbacks compared to other options available. If you’re searching for the best Microsoft OneNote alternative for your business, brand, or personal needs, you’ve come to the right place.
Top 14 Best OneNote Alternatives
- Evernote
- Notion
- Ulysses
- Apple Notes
- Google Keep
- Zoho Notebook
- Simplenote
- Turtl
- Dropbox Paper
- Bear
- Slite
- Standard Notes
- GoodNotes
- Material Notes
#1 Evernote – Best Overall Note-Taking App
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $7.99/month
The most impressive OneNote alternative on this list, Evernote, is a multi-platform software perfect for anyone’s note-taking or project management needs. With over 225 million global downloads since launching in 2008, this incredible, encrypted software comes with tons of templates, tools, and features like web clipping and document scanning. It easily integrates with apps like Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Slack, making it easy to capture ideas, keep them organized, and bring them everywhere!
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Limited free version |
| Easy to use with diverse features | Can be difficult to export files |
| Tons of preset & custom templates | Expensive paid plans |
| Powerful tools (web clipping, document scanning, handwriting search) | |
| Easy integrations | |
| Encrypted, shared communication |
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#2 Notion – Best App for Productivity
Pricing: Free Version + Plans starting at $4/month
Notion is an all-in-one workspace your whole team can use to plan, write, and organize projects, documents, and notes. This extraordinary application allows you to build a responsive CRM, develop a company wiki, coordinate projects and releases, catalog assets or design systems, and keep tabs on absolutely everything. Stay completely organized with Notion’s free personal plan or their paid team plans!
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Learning curve |
| Live collaboration | Expensive for teams |
| Incredibly powerful integrations | |
| Tons of preset & custom templates | |
| Markdown support | |
| Diverse features | |
| Multimedia supported | |
| Easy sync between devices |
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#3 Ulysses – Best iOS Note-Taking App
Pricing: 14-day Free Trial, then $5.99/month or $49.99/year
Ulysses is a premier note-taking app for writers and students with Apple devices. With a streamlined interface clear of clutter, this app will help you stay focused on your ideas and writing but still comes packed with powerful tools and features. Ulysses allows you to export your projects with ease and integrate them with your WordPress site or Medium profile to help keep you focused on what’s important – your ideas.
| Pros | Cons |
| Tidy, streamlined interface | iOS/MacOS only |
| Easy sync between devices | No pre-existing templates |
| WordPress & Medium integration | No free version |
| Powerful document management | Sheet-only note-taking |
| Easy, diverse export options | |
| Markdown support | |
| Custom templates | |
| Images supported |
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#4 Apple Notes – Best Free iOS Note-Taking App
Pricing: Free
While the generic Notes app used to be a basic way to create text documents, Apple Notes now offers users a way to take notes, scan documents, embed photos, and markup documents. This simple, powerful tool is ideal for any note-taking needs and is free on all Apple devices!
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy sync between devices | No external tool integration |
| Photos, videos and PDFs supported | iOS/MacOS only |
| Powerful tools (web clipping, document scanning, handwriting support) | No pre-existing templates |
| Live collaboration & web sharing | |
| Easy PDF export | |
| Custom templates |
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#5 Google Keep – Best App for Quick Ideas & Lists
Pricing: Free
Utilizing the Google cloud server, Google Keep is a free, cross-platform note-taking app helpful in creating notes, saving pictures, recording voice memos, setting reminders, making to-do lists, and sharing them with others. This platform offers an online space to replace the sticky notes all over your desk with a bulletin board-style interface.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Limited features/templates |
| Voice memo & image support | Limited formatting |
| Streamlined interface | |
| Keyword & search tools | |
| Document sharing & collaboration | |
| Cross-platform compatible | |
| Completely free |
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#6 Zoho Notebook – Best Free Note-Taking App
Pricing: Free
Zoho Notebook is an aesthetically designed note-taking app supported by Mac, Windows, Android, and Linux. The elegant booklet and notecard-style application comes loaded with powerful tools similar to other powerhouse note-taking apps. Take advantage of Zoho Notebook’s collaboration, multimedia, sketching, scanning, and web clipping features to streamline your ideas in style!
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Weak exporting abilities |
| Diverse features (web clipper, document scanner) | Web clipper not supported by all sites |
| Multimedia supported | Limited formatting options |
| Note sharing & collaboration | |
| Booklet & card-style interface | |
| Completely free |
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#7 Simplenote – Best App for Quick Note-Taking
Pricing: Free
Simplenote is what it sounds like – a simple way to take notes. Although this note-taking app lacks the tools and templates of software like Evernote or OneNote, this free, cross-platform app is perfect for simple to-do lists and other quick notes. Simplenote keeps the user focused with minimal distractions yet efficient with tagging, search tools, and markdown support.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Does not support multimedia |
| Easy, streamlined interface | Limited features/templates |
| Markdown support | |
| Tagging & search tools | |
| Note sharing & collaboration | |
| Completely free |
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#8 Turtl – Most Secure Note-Taking App
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $3/month
Turtl is an incredibly secure, collaborative notebook that uses high-end cryptography to protect your files, passwords, bookmarks, and other sensitive data. It is a powerful alternative to OneNote with markdown and multimedia support, cross-platform compatibility, and easy import and export solutions. Best suited for content management and marketing teams, Turtl brings a new feel to project management collaboration.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Learning curve |
| Custom reports & analytics | Difficult mobile accessibility |
| Markdown & multimedia support | |
| Easy data import & export | |
| Document sharing & collaboration | |
| Secured with cryptography |
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#9 Dropbox Paper – Best Note-Taking App for Creators & Presenters
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $9.99/month
Dropbox paper is a note-taking app developed by Dropbox as a new way to organize, collaborate and work anywhere. With valuable tools that support rich media and integrations with all of your favorite apps, Dropbox Paper is one of the best software available for creators and presenters. Connect to Slack, Google Drive, Trello, Youtube, InVision, Vimeo, and much more to get the most out of this powerful, cross-platform compatible note-taking app.
| Pros | Cons |
| Multiple formatting options | Limited free storage |
| Easy to use interface | Can be difficult to format documents |
| Multimedia supported | |
| Powerful & diverse integrations | |
| Document sharing & live collaboration | |
| Presentation mode | |
| Cross-platform compatible | |
| Free version |
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#10 Bear – Best Note-Taking App for iPad
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $1.49/month or $14.99/year
Bear is an intuitively simple yet elegant note-taking app exclusive to iOS and macOS. With markdown and multimedia support, broad options for exporting files, and beautiful themes and formatting, Bear is a superior note-taking software for Apple device users and iPad users specifically.
| Pros | Cons |
| Elegant, streamlined interface | Subscription required for syncing |
| Easy to use | Limited free version |
| Easy sync across devices | Limited organization features |
| Markdown & multimedia supported | iOS/macOS only |
| Multiple exporting options | |
| Secure encryption | |
| Several themes | |
| Smart data recognition |
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#11 Slite – Best Collaborative Note-Taking Appp
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $6.67/month
Slite is an impressive note-taking and communication tool for remote teams. Geared toward project management, Slite has various tools, templates, and features to help you and your team stay focused, organized, and efficient. With markdown and multimedia support along with some advanced formatting options, Slite is an excellent option for collaborating with others.
| Pros | Cons |
| Seamless integrations | Somewhat difficult exporting |
| Advanced formatting options | Copy & paste formatting difficulties |
| Cross-platform compatible | Limited free version |
| Simple, organized interface | Expensive paid plans |
| Markdown & multimedia supported | |
| Project management tools | |
| Diverse templates | |
| Easy importing & live collaboration |
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#12 Standard Notes – Best App for Coding
Pricing: Free version + Plans starting at $2.48/month
Standard Notes is an incredibly simple note-taking app with cross-platform capabilities primarily used as a scratchpad, journal, or coding notebook. With paid plans, this software is an incredible encrypted option for any note-taking or coding purposes.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cross-platform compatible | Extremely limited free version |
| Markdown support | Poor customer service ratings |
| Customizable themes | |
| Powerful editor & formatting | |
| Instant backup to Dropbox & Google Drive | |
| 2FA support with AES-256 encryption | |
| Online/Offline access | |
| Multimedia supported with paid plans |
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#13 GoodNotes – Best Whiteboard Note-Taking App
Pricing: Available on the App Store for $7.99
GoodNotes is a note-taking app that allows iOS/macOS users to take searchable, handwritten notes with a whiteboard-style interface that’s easy for anyone to use. Ideal for students and business professionals alike, GoodNotes comes packed with powerful features, tools, and formatting suitable for anyone and everyone. With incredible personalization and organization features, GoodNotes is one of the most impressive note-taking software on the market, though it is only available to Apple users.
| Pros | Cons |
| Handwriting search | Handwriting difficulty for lefties |
| Whiteboard-style interface | No free version |
| PDF & PPT annotation | Cannot choose backup file formatting |
| Various organizational tools | No voice recording |
| Side-by-side document view | No page auto-lock |
| Markdown & multimedia supported | |
| Note sharing & collaboration | |
| Easy importing & exporting |
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#14 Material Notes – Best Android-Exclusive Note-Taking App
Pricing: Free
Material Notes is the best option for Android users looking for a simple, aesthetically pleasing software to keep quick notes, to-do lists, and documents. While it may be difficult to sync across devices, Material Notes is a reliable tool with markdown support, custom themes and fonts, and a streamlined interface.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Android only |
| Simple, colorful interface | Difficult to sync across devices |
| Free version | |
| Custom themes & fonts | |
| Widgets for quick access | |
| Markdown support |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What can I use instead of OneNote?
There are several free and paid alternatives to Microsoft OneNote available. For Apple users, Ulysses and Apple Notes are the top iOS exclusive note-taking software. Some cross-platform alternatives to OneNote are Evernote, Notion, Google Keep, Zoho Notebook, and Simplenote.
Is there a Google alternative to OneNote?
While many OneNote alternatives are cross-platform compatible, Google Keep is a Google-based note-taking app with similar essential functions. While OneNote has web clipping abilities and some other beneficial tools that Google Keep lacks, the Google alternative is nevertheless remarkable for keeping and sharing quick notes, to-do lists, voice memos, and images.
What is Apple’s equivalent to OneNote?
Every Apple device comes with Apple Notes, a powerful note-taking app with web clipping, document scanning, and note sharing. Apple Notes also supports multimedia, handwriting via Apple Pencil, and PDF exporting. Ulysses is another alternative for iOS and macOS users; however, the Germany-based software is not developed by Apple Inc.
What is better than OneNote?
Microsoft OneNote is an excellent tool for essential note-taking and document collaboration. However, some software are more powerful than Microsoft’s note-taking application. Evernote is a more well-rounded note-taking software than OneNote due to its extremely powerful tools, templates, and integrations. Notion is superior to OneNote for team collaboration and project management. Depending on your note-taking needs, you may find another app on our list superior to the others.
What is the best note-taking app?
The best overall note-taking app is Evernote. With its compelling templates and tools like the web clipper, document scanner, and handwriting search, combined with effortless integrations with your favorite apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, this note-taking software pioneer has the edge over its competitors in nearly every category, with very few drawbacks or weaknesses.
What’s the best free note-taking app?
The best free, cross-platform note-taking app is Zoho. With various tools, multimedia support, and beautiful aesthetics, there aren’t many free software that compare. For a more basic, streamlined note-taking app, Simplenote is the best option. The most impressive note-taking app on the market, Evernote, has a limited free version that lacks some of the powerful features included with paid plans, and Notion has a limited free version for personal use.
Is OneNote free?
OneNote is available for use by anyone with a Microsoft account – free or paid. Microsoft OneNote can be downloaded for free on Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android with virtually zero limitations. While a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription gives the user 1TB of storage across all apps, free OneNote users are awarded 5GB of cloud storage.