Alternatives to Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's freeform digital notebook with sections, pages, web clipping and cloud sync. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's freeform digital notebook with sections, pages, web clipping and cloud sync.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Microsoft OneNote.
Evernote
A long-running note-taking app with notebooks, tasks, calendar links, search and web clipping.
Evernote offers notebooks, templates, web clipping, tasks linked to a calendar and real-time collaboration on Android, iOS and web, with many features behind paid plans.
Notion
All-in-one workspace combining notes, databases, wikis, and task boards.
Notion is a freemium workspace combining notes, databases, wikis and task boards with real-time collaboration and desktop apps, at the cost of a steeper setup curve.
Apple Notes
Apple's built-in notes app with sync, sketches, and text recognition.
Apple Notes is free and preinstalled on Apple devices with sketches and text recognition, but is tied to the Apple ecosystem with no Windows or Android app.
Joplin
An open source note and to-do app that syncs end-to-end encrypted through storage you already have.
Joplin is free and open source with native apps on all platforms, offline-first storage and end-to-end encrypted sync through storage you choose, plus a web clipper.
Zoho Notebook
A note-taking app from Zoho with card-style notes, checklists, audio, sketches and cross-device sync.
Zoho Notebook uses card-style notes with audio, checklists and sketches, syncs across Android, iOS and web, and stores notes in Zoho's cloud with a Zoho account.
UpNote
A cross-platform notes app with rich text, Markdown support, nested notebooks and automatic sync.
UpNote has native apps on every desktop and phone, nested notebooks, offline use, automatic sync and a web clipper, with the full feature set on a paid plan.
Google Keep
A note service from Google for quick notes, checklists and reminders that sync across devices.
Google Keep is a free Google service for quick notes, checklists and reminders, suited to short notes rather than freeform notebooks with sections and pages.
CherryTree
A hierarchical notebook with rich text and syntax highlighting, storing everything in one file or a folder you control.
CherryTree is a free GPL-3.0 hierarchical notebook for Windows and Linux storing everything locally in one file, with no built-in sync and no official macOS build.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Microsoft OneNote as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
DEVONthink
A document and information manager for Mac and iOS that stores, organizes and searches files.
Microsoft OneNote offers free freeform notebooks with web clipping in the browser, storing notes in Microsoft's cloud rather than managing local document databases.
Notability
A note app combining handwriting, audio recording and transcription with AI summaries, quizzes and flashcards.
Microsoft OneNote is a free freeform notebook in the browser with sections, pages and shared notebooks, storing notes in Microsoft's cloud rather than focusing on handwriting.
Notejoy
A collaborative notes app for individuals and teams with quick find and full-text search.
Microsoft OneNote gives free freeform notebooks with web clipping and shared notebooks in the browser, tied to Microsoft's cloud and ecosystem.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Microsoft Loop
A collaborative workspace app from Microsoft with shared pages and live components across Microsoft 365.
GoodNotes
Handwriting-first notes app for iPad with Apple Pencil support and OCR search.
Craft
Native docs app with real-time collaboration and deep integration into Apple's ecosystem.
