Communication · head to head
Flock vs Microsoft OneNote
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: Flock the Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10; 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: Flock covers Team chat, 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 Flock and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.
| Attribute | Flock | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows |
| Category | Communication | Productivity |
| Founded | 2014 | 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 Flock
- Team chat
- Channels
- Threads
- File sharing
- Polls
- Integrations
- Mobile apps
- Slack
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.
Flock
- Team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharingnot Microsoft OneNote
- Running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspacenot Microsoft OneNote
- Video conferencing and screen sharing for small teamsnot 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 Flock
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Flock
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Flock
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Flock
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Flock
- The Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10
- Starter storage is 5 GB for the entire team, against 10 GB per member on Pro and 20 GB per member on Enterprise
- Starter allows a single team admin and a single approved domain
- Group video calls and screen sharing require the Pro plan; Starter is limited to 1-1 video calls
- Group video calls are capped at 20 participants even on Enterprise
- Single Sign-On and Active Directory sync are Enterprise only
- Enterprise is quote only, with no published rate, and is positioned for organisations with 100 or more members
- Unlimited auto-join and announcement channels require Enterprise; Starter and Pro get one of each
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
Flock
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited chats
- Channels
- File sharing
- Pro$5/month
- Everything in Free
- Advanced search
- API access
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Flock if
- You need team chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- You also want channels.
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 Flock or Microsoft OneNote better?
- Neither clearly leads. Flock 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, Flock or Microsoft OneNote?
- Flock starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
- Does Flock or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
- Flock runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- Can I use Flock for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Flock best used for?
- Flock is most often used for team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing, running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace, video conferencing and screen sharing for small teams. Of those, team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing and running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
- What can Flock do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
- Flock covers Team chat, Channels, Threads, File sharing. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Flock: Does Flock offer a free plan?
Yes, Flock's Starter plan is free and supports teams with 1-20 members, including 10,000 searchable messages and 5 GB storage.
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.
Flock: What does Flock's Pro plan include?
The Pro plan supports teams with 20-100 members and offers unlimited messages, 10 GB per team member storage, and a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
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.
Flock: How does Flock charge for external guests?
External guests are free for 90 days from date of invitation. After 90 days, guests are charged at the same rate as other team members.
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
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