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Productivity · head to head

Coggle vs Microsoft OneNote

Coggle logo

Coggle

Productivity

Simple, Fast, and Powerful Mind Maps. Just Coggle it!

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft OneNote logo

Microsoft OneNote

Productivity

Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Coggle free plan limited to 3 private diagrams; upgrade required for more private diagrams; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Coggle and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.

Attributes where Coggle and Microsoft OneNote differ
AttributeCoggleMicrosoft OneNote
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
FoundedUnknown1975

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Coggle

Nothing recorded that Microsoft OneNote does not also cover.

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.

Coggle

  • Real-time team collaboration on diagramsnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Mind mapping and visual brainstormingnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Process documentation and flowchartsnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Project planning visualizationnot 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 Coggle
  • Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Coggle
  • A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Coggle
  • Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Coggle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Coggle

  • Free plan limited to 3 private diagrams; upgrade required for more private diagrams
  • Organisation plan requires per-member billing with minimum 3-member commitment
  • Enterprise pricing requires email inquiry with no published rates

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

Coggle

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • 3 private diagrams
    • Unlimited public diagrams
    • Real-time collaboration
  • Awesome$5/month
    • Unlimited private diagrams
    • Advanced formatting options
    • Full chat history
  • Organisation$8/month
    • SAML Single Sign On
    • Separate personal workspace
    • Consolidated billing

Microsoft OneNote

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Coggle if

  • You want to start without paying.
Coggle review

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.
Microsoft OneNote review

Questions people ask

Is Coggle or Microsoft OneNote better?
Neither clearly leads. Coggle 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, Coggle or Microsoft OneNote?
Coggle starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
Does Coggle or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
Coggle runs on Web. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Coggle for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Coggle best used for?
Coggle is most often used for real-time team collaboration on diagrams, mind mapping and visual brainstorming, process documentation and flowcharts, project planning visualization. Of those, real-time team collaboration on diagrams and mind mapping and visual brainstorming are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
What can Coggle do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Coggle: How much does Coggle cost?

Coggle offers a free plan forever for up to 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams. Awesome plan costs $5/month for unlimited private diagrams. Organisation plan costs $8 per member per month with team administration features and SAML SSO.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Coggle: Is there a free version of Coggle?

Yes, Coggle Free Forever is available at no cost and includes 3 private diagrams, unlimited public diagrams, real-time collaboration, and PDF/image export capabilities.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Coggle: What does Coggle charge for enterprise plans?

Enterprise pricing is custom and requires contacting [email protected]. No published rates are available on the pricing page.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Coggle: Can multiple team members use one Coggle account?

All plans include real-time collaboration. The Organisation plan ($8/member/month) adds SAML SSO, separate workspaces, and consolidated billing for team administration.

Source
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.

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