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Education · head to head

Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote

Evernote logo

Evernote

Education

Remember everything and tackle any project

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: Evernote free tier limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces; 20GB storage with Single device sync; 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: Evernote covers Note creation and organization, 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 Evernote and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.

Attributes where Evernote and Microsoft OneNote differ
AttributeEvernoteMicrosoft OneNote
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, SafariWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
CategoryEducationProductivity
Founded20081975

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Evernote

  • Note creation and organization
  • Web clipper
  • Document scanning
  • Handwriting recognition
  • Audio notes
  • Templates
  • Tags and notebooks
  • Advanced search

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.

Evernote

  • Cross-platform note-taking and organisationnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Web clipping and content capture with web clipper extensionnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Task management and calendar integrationnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Document scanning with OCR capabilitynot Microsoft OneNote
  • Real-time collaboration with team membersnot 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 Evernote
  • Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Evernote
  • A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Evernote
  • Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Evernote

Where each one falls short

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

Evernote

  • Free tier limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces; 20GB storage with Single device sync
  • AI features (AI Assistant, Semantic Search, Transcription) only available in Advanced plan
  • Advanced and Enterprise plans require custom pricing for enterprises
  • Note limit constraints in Starter plan: 1000 notes vs unlimited in Advanced

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

Evernote

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 notes
    • 1 notebook
    • 1GB storage
  • Starter$null/mo
    • 1,000 notes
    • 20 notebooks
    • 5GB storage
  • Advanced$null/mo
    • Unlimited notes
    • Unlimited storage
    • Unlimited device sync

Microsoft OneNote

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Evernote if

  • You need note creation and organization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
  • You also want web clipper.
Evernote 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 Evernote or Microsoft OneNote better?
Neither clearly leads. Evernote 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, Evernote or Microsoft OneNote?
Evernote starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
Does Evernote or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
Evernote runs on Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Evernote for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Evernote best used for?
Evernote is most often used for cross-platform note-taking and organisation, web clipping and content capture with web clipper extension, task management and calendar integration, document scanning with ocr capability. Of those, cross-platform note-taking and organisation and web clipping and content capture with web clipper extension are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
What can Evernote do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
Evernote covers Note creation and organization, Web clipper, Document scanning, Handwriting recognition. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Evernote: Does Evernote publish specific pricing for its paid plans?

No. Evernote's pricing page displays plan tiers (Starter, Advanced, Enterprise) with different features but does not disclose any dollar amounts, subscription costs, or pricing information.

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.

Evernote: What storage limit comes with Evernote's free plan?

The free plan includes 1GB of storage, 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, and 20 tags with access limited to 1 device.

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.

Evernote: What are the key differences between Evernote's free, Starter, and Advanced plans?

Free includes 1GB storage and 50 notes. Starter adds 5GB storage and 1,000 notes. Advanced provides unlimited storage, notes, and devices with full AI features.

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.

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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