Softwr

Publishing · head to head

GIMP vs Microsoft OneNote

GIMP logo

GIMP

Publishing

Free and open-source image editor

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: GIMP gPLv3 licence requires derivative works to be open-source and freely distributed; 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: GIMP covers Photo 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 GIMP and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.

Attributes where GIMP and Microsoft OneNote differ
AttributeGIMPMicrosoft OneNote
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsGNU/Linux, macOS, WindowsWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
CategoryPublishingProductivity
Founded19951975

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 GIMP

  • Photo editing
  • Digital painting
  • Image processing
  • Batch editing
  • Filters
  • Color correction
  • Layer support
  • Script-fu automation

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.

GIMP

  • Photo editing and retouching with professional colour managementnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformationnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Icon and UI element design for application developmentnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Batch image processing through Python, C, C++, and Scheme scriptingnot 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 GIMP
  • Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not GIMP
  • A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not GIMP
  • Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not GIMP

Where each one falls short

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

GIMP

  • GPLv3 licence requires derivative works to be open-source and freely distributed
  • Community-driven development with no commercial support tier
  • No native CMYK support for professional print workflows
  • Ecosystem depends on community plugins and scripts for advanced features

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

GIMP

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the GIMP review.

Microsoft OneNote

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.

Which should you pick?

Choose GIMP if

  • You need photo editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want digital painting.
GIMP 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 GIMP or Microsoft OneNote better?
Neither clearly leads. GIMP 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, GIMP or Microsoft OneNote?
GIMP starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
Does GIMP or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
GIMP runs on GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use GIMP for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is GIMP best used for?
GIMP is most often used for photo editing and retouching with professional colour management, digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation, icon and ui element design for application development, batch image processing through python, c, c++, and scheme scripting. Of those, photo editing and retouching with professional colour management and digital art creation with power and flexibility for image transformation are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
What can GIMP do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
GIMP covers Photo editing, Digital painting, Image processing, Batch editing. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GIMP: How much does GIMP cost?

GIMP is completely free to use and distribute. The software is released under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3), an open-source license that guarantees freedom to use, modify, and distribute.

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.

GIMP: Can I modify and distribute GIMP?

Yes, GIMP's source code is available for modification and redistribution according to the terms of the GPLv3 license.

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.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on GIMP

More on Microsoft OneNote

Keep looking

Other head to heads