Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs Microsoft Teams
Microsoft OneNote
Productivity
Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Microsoft Teams
Communication
Meet, chat, call, and collaborate in just one place
- 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 Teams resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Teams actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Category | Productivity | Communication |
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 Teams
- Chat & channels
- Video conferencing
- Screen sharing
- File collaboration
- Office integration
- Live events
- Phone system
- Apps & workflows
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 Teams
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Microsoft Teams
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Microsoft Teams
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
- Remote meetingsnot Microsoft OneNote
- Team collaborationnot Microsoft OneNote
- Document sharingnot Microsoft OneNote
- Project managementnot Microsoft OneNote
- Webinarsnot 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 Teams
- Resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives
- Limited channel structure; maximum of 200 public and 30 private channels per team
- Cannot invite guest users to specific channels; guest access grants full team visibility
- Unable to chat during screen sharing; limits real-time collaborative communication
- Limited customization options for branding and interface; cluttered UX compared to Slack
- Channels cannot be moved between teams; requires manual replication for reorganization
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Microsoft Teams
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited chat
- 100 participants in meetings
- 5GB file storage
- Microsoft Teams Essentials$4/month
- 300 participants in meetings
- 10GB cloud storage
- Phone & web support
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
- Everything in Essentials
- 1TB OneDrive storage
- Web & mobile Office apps
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard$12.5/month
- Everything in Basic
- Desktop Office apps
- Webinar hosting
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 Teams if
- You need chat & channels.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- You also want video conferencing.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Teams better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Microsoft Teams at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Teams?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Microsoft Teams at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Teams run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Microsoft Teams runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- 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 Teams is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that Microsoft Teams cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, Video conferencing, Screen sharing, File collaboration.
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 Teams: Does Microsoft Teams have a free tier?
Yes. Microsoft Teams offers a free Home tier with unlimited chat, 60-minute group meetings for up to 100 people, 5GB cloud storage, and basic file sharing, though limits are restrictive for growing teams.
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 Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' paid plans?
Microsoft Teams Essentials costs $4/user/month (chat, calling, meetings, 10GB storage). Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7/user/month (includes desktop Office apps, 1TB storage). Premium plans with Copilot start at $23.50/user/month.
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 Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' primary features?
Teams provides real-time chat, video and voice calling, meetings with up to 300 participants, file sharing and storage integration with OneDrive, recording and transcripts, and deep integration with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
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.
Microsoft Teams: What integrations does Teams support?
Microsoft Teams integrates with calendar apps (Outlook, Google Calendar), project management tools (Trello), and works with Zapier for custom workflow automation. Teams also has native connectors to many Microsoft 365 apps and third-party services.
Related pages
More on Microsoft OneNote
More on Microsoft Teams
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