Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs Notion
Microsoft OneNote
Productivity
Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Notion
Technology
All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases
- 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.; Notion free plan limited to 1,000 blocks for 2+ member workspaces, restricting team usage
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notion covers Rich text editing with blocks.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and Notion actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Web, iOS, Android |
| Category | Productivity | Technology |
| Founded | 1975 | 2016 |
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 Notion
- Rich text editing with blocks
- Customizable databases
- Kanban boards and calendars
- Real-time collaboration
- Template library
- File attachments
- Web clipper
- API access
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 Notion
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Notion
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Notion
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Notion
Notion
- Project managementnot Microsoft OneNote
- Knowledge base creationnot Microsoft OneNote
- Note-taking and documentationnot Microsoft OneNote
- Team collaborationnot Microsoft OneNote
- Content planningnot 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.
Notion
- Free plan limited to 1,000 blocks for 2+ member workspaces, restricting team usage
- Free tier only includes trial AI capabilities; full Notion AI requires paid plan
- Page history limited to 7 days on free plan
- Per-member pricing increases costs for teams compared to flat-rate competitors
- Limited automation capabilities compared to dedicated workflow platforms
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
Notion
Free- FreeFree
- 1000 block limit (2+ members)
- 7-day page history
- 5MB file upload cap
- Plus$10/month
- Unlimited blocks
- 30-day page history
- Unlimited file uploads
- Business$20/month
- All Plus features
- Notion Agent
- AI Meeting Notes
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- All Business features
- Advanced controls
- Audit logs
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 Notion if
- You need rich text editing with blocks.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want customizable databases.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or Notion better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Notion at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or Notion?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and Notion at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or Notion run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Notion 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 Notion is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that Notion cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. Notion covers Rich text editing with blocks, Customizable databases, Kanban boards and calendars, Real-time 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.
Notion: What features are included in the free Notion plan?
The free plan ($0/member/month) includes trial AI capabilities, basic forms and sites, Notion Calendar access, unlimited databases, up to 10 external guests, and 7-day page history.
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.
Notion: What is the difference between Plus and Business plans?
Plus ($10/member/month) adds custom forms, unlimited file uploads, and 30-day history. Business ($20/member/month) adds Notion Agent for autonomous tasks, AI Meeting Notes, and advanced security features.
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.
Notion: How does Notion calculate billing when team members join mid-month?
New members added mid-month incur prorated charges for the current billing period and are included in future billings.
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.
Notion: What is the refund policy for Notion subscriptions?
New users receive a full refund within 3 days for monthly plans or 30 days for annual plans. EU/UK customers get a 14-day refund window per regional policy.
SourceNotion: What happens if a payment fails on my Notion account?
Failed payments are retried up to 8 times before the account automatically downgrades to the free plan.
SourceRelated pages
More on Microsoft OneNote
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- Notion vs Brain.fm
- Notion vs FigJam
- Notion vs Bear Notes
- Notion vs Samsung Food
- Notion vs Bluedot
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- Notion vs Hubstaff
- Notion vs Mealime
- Notion vs ClickUp
- Notion vs Coda
- Notion vs Lucidchart
- Notion vs Asana
- Notion vs Whimsical
- Notion vs Shortcut
- Notion vs Postman
- Notion vs Raycast
- Notion vs RescueTime
- Notion vs Height
- Notion vs Figma
- Notion vs Monday.com
- Notion vs Vercel
- Notion vs Zeta
- Notion vs Attio
- Notion vs CloudAMQP
- Notion vs Dropbox
- Notion vs Eclipse