Project Management · head to head
Basecamp vs Microsoft OneNote
Basecamp
Project Management
Project management & team collaboration software
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Microsoft OneNote
Productivity
Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Microsoft OneNote notes live in a proprietary notebook format on OneDrive or SharePoint and the only exports are a OneNote file, a PDF or a Word document, produced section by section, so a large notebook is effectively unmovable to any other tool.
- They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basecamp | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Platforms | Web | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows |
| Category | Project Management | Productivity |
| Founded | 2004 | 1975 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Basecamp
- Message boards
- To-do lists
- Schedules
- Documents & files
- Group chat
- Check-in questions
- Hill Charts
- Email forwards
Only in Microsoft OneNote
- Free-form page canvas
- Notebook hierarchy
- Indexed handwriting
- Audio recording
- Web clipper and Outlook capture
- Shared notebooks
- Cross-platform clients
- Tags and cross-notebook search
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Basecamp
- Project management for a small team in one placenot Microsoft OneNote
- Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Microsoft OneNote
- Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Microsoft OneNote
- Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote
- Handwritten notes on a pen tablet that you still need to find months later by searching for a word you wrote.not Basecamp
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Basecamp
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Basecamp
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Basecamp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Basecamp
- The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
- Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
- Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
- Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited
Microsoft OneNote
- Notes live in a proprietary notebook format on OneDrive or SharePoint and the only exports are a OneNote file, a PDF or a Word document, produced section by section, so a large notebook is effectively unmovable to any other tool.
- Personal notebooks consume OneDrive quota, which is 5 GB on a free Microsoft account, so a notebook full of scans, images and recordings quietly exhausts the whole account including the space Outlook needs for mail.
- Sync happens at section level and conflicts are resolved by placing both versions on the page, so simultaneous edits to a large or media-heavy section produce duplicated content that somebody has to merge by hand.
- Search behaves differently across clients, so what the Windows desktop app finds inside handwriting, images and attachments is not necessarily what the browser or mobile version finds, and the same query gives different answers on different devices.
- There is no relational structure, no database and no properties, so anything that needs a table of records with fields has to be maintained by hand or moved elsewhere, and OneNote's own tables cannot be queried or filtered.
Pricing, plan by plan
Basecamp
Free- FreeFree
- 1 active project
- 1 GB storage
- 5 maximum users
- Freelancer$25/month
- 3 active projects
- 5 GB storage
- 20 maximum users
- Studio$59/month
- 10 active projects
- 25 GB storage
- Unlimited users
- Pro$99/month
- 25 active projects
- 100 GB storage
- Unlimited users
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Basecamp if
- You need message boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want to-do lists.
Choose Microsoft OneNote if
- You need free-form page canvas.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- You also want notebook hierarchy.
Questions people ask
- Is Basecamp or Microsoft OneNote better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Microsoft OneNote?
- Basecamp starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
- Does Basecamp or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
- Basecamp runs on Web. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- Can I use Basecamp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Basecamp best used for?
- Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
- What can Basecamp do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
- Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Basecamp: Does Basecamp charge per user?
No, Studio tier and higher include unlimited users at no additional charge. The Free plan supports up to 5 users, and Freelancer supports up to 20 users.
SourceMicrosoft OneNote: Is OneNote really free?
Yes. The application is free with a Microsoft account, with no time limit and no feature gate. What you may end up paying for is the OneDrive storage the notebooks consume.
Basecamp: How much storage does each Basecamp plan include?
Free includes 1 GB; Freelancer includes 5 GB; Studio includes 25 GB; Pro includes 100 GB; Unlimited includes 1 TB and can be expanded to 6 TB for an additional $100/month.
SourceMicrosoft OneNote: Can I keep notebooks off Microsoft's cloud?
The Windows desktop app can keep local notebooks, but they will not sync to other devices and any shared access requires OneDrive or SharePoint.
Basecamp: What trial periods does Basecamp offer?
30-day free trial is available for all plans except Unlimited, which offers a 45-day free trial. No credit card required.
SourceMicrosoft OneNote: How do I get my notes out?
Section by section as a OneNote file, a PDF or a Word document. A OneNote package preserves a whole notebook but only for another copy of OneNote. Third-party converters exist and the page layout usually does not survive them.
Microsoft OneNote: Which version should I install?
Microsoft consolidated onto a single OneNote application on Windows after retiring the Store version, so install the one distributed with Microsoft 365 rather than looking for an alternative.
Related pages
More on Microsoft OneNote
Other head to heads
- Basecamp vs Trello
- Basecamp vs ProofHub
- Basecamp vs Freedcamp
- Basecamp vs Hive
- Basecamp vs Nifty
- Basecamp vs Podio
- Basecamp vs Teamgantt
- Basecamp vs Clockwise
- Basecamp vs Reclaim.ai
- Basecamp vs Roadmunk
- Basecamp vs GanttPRO
- Basecamp vs MeisterTask
- Basecamp vs Huly
- Basecamp vs Kanbanize
- Basecamp vs LiquidPlanner
- Basecamp vs Paymo
- Basecamp vs Pipefy
- Basecamp vs Todoist
- Basecamp vs OmniFocus 3
- Basecamp vs Things 3
- Basecamp vs Brain.fm
- Basecamp vs FigJam
- Basecamp vs Bear Notes
- Basecamp vs Samsung Food
- Basecamp vs Bluedot
- Basecamp vs Capacities
- Basecamp vs Kami
- Basecamp vs Google Workspace
- Basecamp vs Bring!
- Basecamp vs Akiflow
- Basecamp vs Any.do
- Basecamp vs Forest
- Basecamp vs HEY
- Basecamp vs Hubstaff
- Basecamp vs Mealime
- Microsoft OneNote vs Trello
- Microsoft OneNote vs ProofHub
- Microsoft OneNote vs Freedcamp
- Microsoft OneNote vs Hive
- Microsoft OneNote vs Nifty
- Microsoft OneNote vs Podio
- Microsoft OneNote vs Teamgantt
- Microsoft OneNote vs Clockwise
- Microsoft OneNote vs Reclaim.ai
- Microsoft OneNote vs Roadmunk
- Microsoft OneNote vs GanttPRO
- Microsoft OneNote vs MeisterTask
- Microsoft OneNote vs Huly
- Microsoft OneNote vs Kanbanize
- Microsoft OneNote vs LiquidPlanner
- Microsoft OneNote vs Paymo
- Microsoft OneNote vs Pipefy
- Microsoft OneNote vs Todoist
- Microsoft OneNote vs OmniFocus 3
- Microsoft OneNote vs Things 3
- Microsoft OneNote vs Brain.fm
- Microsoft OneNote vs FigJam
- Microsoft OneNote vs Bear Notes
- Microsoft OneNote vs Samsung Food
- Microsoft OneNote vs Bluedot
- Microsoft OneNote vs Capacities
- Microsoft OneNote vs Kami
- Microsoft OneNote vs Google Workspace
- Microsoft OneNote vs Bring!
- Microsoft OneNote vs Akiflow
- Microsoft OneNote vs Any.do
- Microsoft OneNote vs Forest
- Microsoft OneNote vs HEY
- Microsoft OneNote vs Hubstaff
- Microsoft OneNote vs Mealime