Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs Microsoft Start
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: 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.; Microsoft Start no pricing information available
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Microsoft Start covers Personalized news.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Start actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | Microsoft Start |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Web, Ios, Android, Windows |
| Category | Productivity | News |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (1975).
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 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
Only in Microsoft Start
- Personalized news
- Topic following
- Weather updates
- Sports scores
- Finance news
- Microsoft Edge
- Windows 11
- Microsoft Account
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft OneNote
- Handwritten notes on a pen tablet that you still need to find months later by searching for a word you wrote.not Microsoft Start
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Microsoft Start
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Microsoft Start
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Microsoft Start
Microsoft Start
- Daily newsnot Microsoft OneNote
- Topic trackingnot Microsoft OneNote
- Weather updatesnot Microsoft OneNote
- Quick informationnot Microsoft OneNote
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Microsoft Start
- No pricing information available
- Service appears to be consumer-facing rather than commercial product
- No pricing model published
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Microsoft Start
Free- FreeFree
- Personalized news feed
- Topic following
- Cross-device sync
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Microsoft Start if
- You need personalized news.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
- You also want topic following.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Start better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Microsoft Start at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Start?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Microsoft Start at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Start run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Microsoft Start runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
- Can I use Microsoft OneNote for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Microsoft OneNote best used for?
- Microsoft OneNote is most often used for handwritten notes on a pen tablet that you still need to find months later by searching for a word you wrote., lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time., a team already inside microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval., collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.. Of those, handwritten notes on a pen tablet that you still need to find months later by searching for a word you wrote. and lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time. are not what Microsoft Start is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that Microsoft Start cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Topic following, Weather updates, Sports scores.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Microsoft Start: How much does Microsoft Start (MSN) cost?
Microsoft Start (formerly MSN.com) is a free service with no subscription required. The platform provides news, weather, and personalized content at no cost to users.
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.
Microsoft Start: Does Microsoft Start offer any paid services or premium features?
Microsoft Start does not publish any paid tiers or premium features. The service is entirely free to access and use without any payment or subscription.
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 Start: Are there ads on Microsoft Start?
Microsoft Start provides personalized news and content free of charge. Any advertising present on the service helps support the free platform offering.
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
More on Microsoft Start
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- Microsoft Start vs Things 3
- Microsoft Start vs Brain.fm
- Microsoft Start vs FigJam
- Microsoft Start vs Bear Notes
- Microsoft Start vs Samsung Food
- Microsoft Start vs Bluedot
- Microsoft Start vs Capacities
- Microsoft Start vs Kami
- Microsoft Start vs Google Workspace
- Microsoft Start vs Bring!
- Microsoft Start vs Akiflow
- Microsoft Start vs Any.do
- Microsoft Start vs Forest
- Microsoft Start vs HEY
- Microsoft Start vs Hubstaff
- Microsoft Start vs Mealime
- Microsoft Start vs Feedly
- Microsoft Start vs Beehiiv
- Microsoft Start vs Inoreader
- Microsoft Start vs Chartbeat
- Microsoft Start vs Google News
- Microsoft Start vs News Break
- Microsoft Start vs SmartNews
- Microsoft Start vs Apple News
- Microsoft Start vs Flipboard
- Microsoft Start vs HARO
- Microsoft Start vs Revue
- Microsoft Start vs TinyLetter
- Microsoft Start vs Readwise Reader
- Microsoft Start vs Steno
- Microsoft Start vs The Old Reader