Project Management · head to head
Craft Docs vs Microsoft OneNote
Craft Docs
Project Management
Beautiful document and note-taking app for Apple devices
- 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: Craft Docs primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; limited support for Windows or Android; 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: Craft Docs covers Rich document editing, 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 Craft Docs and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.
| Attribute | Craft Docs | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Web | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows |
| Category | Project Management | Productivity |
| Founded | 2019 | 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 Craft Docs
- Rich document editing
- Beautiful templates
- Collaboration in real-time
- Comments and discussions
- iCloud sync
- Powerful search
- Dark and light themes
- File attachments
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.
Craft Docs
- Productivitynot Microsoft OneNote
- Collaborationnot Microsoft OneNote
- Task managementnot Microsoft OneNote
- Organizationnot 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 Craft Docs
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Craft Docs
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Craft Docs
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Craft Docs
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Craft Docs
- Primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; limited support for Windows or Android
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to Notion or Obsidian
- Collaboration features less mature than dedicated team document platforms
- Requires learning Craft-specific formatting and structure
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
Craft Docs
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Craft Docs review.
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Craft Docs if
- You need rich document editing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Web.
- You also want beautiful templates.
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 Craft Docs or Microsoft OneNote better?
- Neither clearly leads. Craft Docs 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, Craft Docs or Microsoft OneNote?
- Craft Docs starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
- Does Craft Docs or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
- Craft Docs runs on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Web. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- Can I use Craft Docs for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Craft Docs best used for?
- Craft Docs is most often used for productivity, collaboration, task management, organization. Of those, productivity and collaboration are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
- What can Craft Docs do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
- Craft Docs covers Rich document editing, Beautiful templates, Collaboration in real-time, Comments and discussions. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Craft Docs: What platforms does Craft Docs support?
Craft Docs is available on iOS, iPad, and Mac, with deep integration into Apple's ecosystem. A web version is also available.
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.
Craft Docs: Can you collaborate on documents in Craft Docs?
Yes. Craft Docs supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit documents simultaneously.
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.
Craft Docs: Does Craft Docs have AI features?
Yes. Craft Docs includes AI-powered writing assistance and editing features.
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.
Craft Docs: Can you use Craft Docs offline?
Yes. Craft Docs allows offline editing with synchronization when connectivity is restored.
SourceMicrosoft 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
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