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Remote Work · head to head

Gather vs Microsoft OneNote

Gather logo

Gather

Remote Work

Virtual spaces for remote collaboration

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: Gather no native desktop or mobile app; browser-based only; 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: Gather covers Proximity video 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 Gather and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.

Attributes where Gather and Microsoft OneNote differ
AttributeGatherMicrosoft OneNote
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
CategoryRemote WorkProductivity
Founded20201975

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 Gather

  • Proximity video chat
  • Customizable spaces
  • Interactive objects
  • Screen sharing
  • Calendar
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • Web support

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.

Gather

  • VR Gamingnot Microsoft OneNote
  • AR Marketingnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Virtual Trainingnot Microsoft OneNote
  • 3D Visualizationnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Immersive Experiencesnot 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 Gather
  • Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Gather
  • A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Gather
  • Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Gather

Where each one falls short

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

Gather

  • No native desktop or mobile app; browser-based only
  • Limited API documentation compared to enterprise competitors
  • Scaling large virtual offices can impact performance

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

Gather

Free
  • 30-Day TrialFree
    • Up to 50 team members
    • All features included
    • Meetings and chat
  • Essential$12/month
    • All features
    • Meeting recordings starting at 20 hours
    • Meeting transcriptions starting at 30 hours

Microsoft OneNote

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Gather if

  • You need proximity video chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want customizable spaces.
Gather 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 Gather or Microsoft OneNote better?
Neither clearly leads. Gather 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, Gather or Microsoft OneNote?
Gather starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
Does Gather or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
Gather runs on Web. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Gather for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Gather best used for?
Gather is most often used for vr gaming, ar marketing, virtual training, 3d visualization. Of those, vr gaming and ar marketing are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
What can Gather do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
Gather covers Proximity video chat, Customizable spaces, Interactive objects, Screen sharing. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Gather: What is a free trial of Gather like?

Gather offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required that includes up to 50 team members and access to all features including meetings, chat, AI meeting notes, and full office customization.

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.

Gather: How does Gather reduce meeting load?

Gather recreates natural office dynamics through spatial audio and proximity-based interactions, allowing colleagues to bump into each other and have quick conversations without scheduled calls. Teams report shorter, more organic conversations that wrap up in under 10 minutes.

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.

Gather: What platforms and devices does Gather support?

Gather works on web browsers and integrates with Slack and Google Chat. The platform supports audio/video calls, screen sharing, and custom workspace design.

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.

Gather: Does Gather work offline?

Gather is a web-based platform that requires an internet connection to function, though it emphasizes quick connection and low bandwidth requirements compared to traditional video conferencing.

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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