Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs Naver Works
Microsoft OneNote
Productivity
Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Naver Works
Communication
Korean and Japanese business messaging with mail, drive and approval workflows in one licence
- 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.; Naver Works the integration ecosystem is small by comparison with Slack or Microsoft Teams, so any workflow that depends on a long tail of third-party apps will need custom development against the Works API.
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Naver Works covers Messaging with LINE reach.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and Naver Works actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | Naver Works |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Per user per month |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS |
| Category | Productivity | Communication |
| Founded | 1975 | Unknown |
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 Naver Works
- Messaging with LINE reach
- Business mail
- Drive
- Electronic approval
- Calendar and board
- Clova Note
- Admin and audit
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 Naver Works
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Naver Works
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Naver Works
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Naver Works
Naver Works
- A Japanese retailer whose customer service happens over LINE and needs those conversations inside an auditable corporate systemnot Microsoft OneNote
- A Korean company that needs electronic approval workflows in the local style rather than a generic chat tool with a form bolted onnot Microsoft OneNote
- The Seoul or Tokyo office of a multinational that needs a local-language collaboration tool alongside head office Microsoft 365not Microsoft OneNote
- A small team of under 30 people that wants free business messaging with a real upgrade path rather than a message history capnot 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.
Naver Works
- The integration ecosystem is small by comparison with Slack or Microsoft Teams, so any workflow that depends on a long tail of third-party apps will need custom development against the Works API.
- Documentation, support and most community knowledge are in Korean and Japanese; an English-speaking administrator will spend a lot of time in machine translation.
- Pricing is published in Korean won and the buying experience assumes a Korean or Japanese business entity, which complicates procurement for a company incorporated elsewhere.
- The Lite tier omits business email, so the plan that looks cheap is messaging only and the realistic entry point for most companies is Standard at more than double the price.
- Clova Note transcription and several AI features are sold as separate line items rather than bundled, so the quoted per-user figure understates what a team using the full suite actually pays.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Naver Works
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 30 members
- 5GB shared storage
- Limited administration and audit features
- Lite$3000/month
- Unlimited members
- 10GB storage per user
- Messaging, calendar, board and address book
- Standard$7000/month
- 100GB storage per user
- Business email included
- Fuller administration and audit controls
- Standard Plus$11000/month
- 1TB drive per user
- Larger mail quota
- Monthly billing is 13,000 KRW
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 Naver Works if
- You need messaging with line reach.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- You also want business mail.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or Naver Works better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Naver Works at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or Naver Works?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Naver Works at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or Naver Works run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Naver Works runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- 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 Naver Works is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that Naver Works cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. Naver Works covers Messaging with LINE reach, Business mail, Drive, Electronic approval.
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.
Naver Works: Can Naver Works really message ordinary LINE users?
Yes. External connection with consumer LINE accounts is the feature that most differentiates it, and it is the main reason it sells in Japan.
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.
Naver Works: Is Naver Works the same as LINE WORKS?
They are the same lineage under Works Mobile, marketed as Naver Works in Korea and LINE WORKS in Japan and other markets. Feature sets and pricing pages differ by region.
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.
Naver Works: Is there a genuinely free tier?
Yes, capped at 30 members with 5GB of shared storage and reduced administration features. It does not expire.
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.
Naver Works: Does it work for a company outside Korea and Japan?
Technically yes, but you are buying a regional product. Expect Korean or Japanese support, local billing and few connectors to Western SaaS.
Related pages
More on Microsoft OneNote
More on Naver Works
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