Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs Mural
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.; Mural the free plan allows 3 editable murals at a time, so working on a fourth means archiving one
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Mural covers Infinite canvas.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and Mural actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | Mural |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | Productivity | Remote Work |
| Founded | 1975 | 2011 |
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 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 Mural
- Infinite canvas
- Sticky notes
- Shapes & connectors
- Image uploads
- Real-time collaboration
- Templates
- Voting & feedback
- Slack
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 Mural
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Mural
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Mural
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Mural
Mural
- Running collaborative workshops and retrospectives on a shared whiteboardnot Microsoft OneNote
- Mapping journeys and diagrams with a distributed teamnot 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.
Mural
- The free plan allows 3 editable murals at a time, so working on a fourth means archiving one
- Mural AI and the Zoom and Webex integrations require Team+ at $9.99 per member per month billed annually
- SSO and the Okta, Azure and GitHub integrations are Business only at $17.99 per member per month
- Multiple workspaces, SCIM, audit logs and enforced 2FA are Enterprise only with no published price
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Mural
Free- FreeFree
- 1 mural
- Basic shapes
- File uploads
- Team$16/month
- Unlimited murals
- Advanced templates
- Team collaboration
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 Mural if
- You need infinite canvas.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want sticky notes.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or Mural better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Mural at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or Mural?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Mural at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or Mural run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Mural runs on Web, 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 Mural is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that Mural cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. Mural covers Infinite canvas, Sticky notes, Shapes & connectors, Image uploads.
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.
Mural: How much does Mural cost?
Mural Team+ is $9.99 per member per month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly. Business is $17.99 per member per month billed annually. Enterprise is quoted by sales.
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.
Mural: What does the free Mural plan limit?
The free plan allows unlimited murals in total but only 3 that can be edited at a time, and it is restricted to a single workspace with open rooms only.
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.
Mural: Which Mural plan includes single sign-on?
SSO via SAML 2.0 starts on the Business plan at $17.99 per member per month, which also adds unlimited external guests and advanced integrations.
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.
Mural: When do I need Mural Enterprise?
Enterprise adds multiple workspaces, SCIM user and group management and data residency options. Team+ and Business are both limited to a single workspace.
SourceRelated pages
More on Microsoft OneNote
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- Mural vs Kumospace
- Mural vs Mmhmm
- Mural vs Monday Sales CRM
- Mural vs N-able N-central
- Mural vs Pop