Productivity · head to head
Microsoft OneNote vs SmartNews
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.; SmartNews no specific pricing published for SmartNews+ subscription
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, SmartNews covers Machine learning curation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft OneNote and SmartNews actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft OneNote | SmartNews |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Platforms | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows | Ios, Android |
| Category | Productivity | News |
| Founded | 1975 | 2012 |
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 SmartNews
- Machine learning curation
- Smart Mode
- Local news
- Breaking alerts
- Offline reading
- Social sharing
- News publishers
- Ios support
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 SmartNews
- Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not SmartNews
- A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not SmartNews
- Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not SmartNews
SmartNews
- Daily newsnot Microsoft OneNote
- Local newsnot Microsoft OneNote
- Breaking newsnot Microsoft OneNote
- Quick readingnot 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.
SmartNews
- No specific pricing published for SmartNews+ subscription
- Requires visiting separate product page for pricing details
- Subscription service model described but not detailed with costs
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft OneNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.
SmartNews
Free- FreeFree
- Trending news
- Local news
- Smart Mode reading
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 SmartNews if
- You need machine learning curation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android.
- You also want smart mode.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft OneNote or SmartNews better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and SmartNews at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft OneNote or SmartNews?
- Microsoft OneNote starts at Free and SmartNews at Free.
- Does Microsoft OneNote or SmartNews run on more platforms?
- Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. SmartNews runs on 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 SmartNews is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft OneNote do that SmartNews cannot?
- Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording. SmartNews covers Machine learning curation, Smart Mode, Local news, Breaking alerts.
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.
SmartNews: How much does SmartNews cost?
SmartNews does not publish specific subscription pricing on its main website. The vendor offers SmartNews+, described as a subscription service aggregating paid business news and coupons, but cost details must be found on the dedicated SmartNews+ product page.
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.
SmartNews: Does SmartNews offer a free tier?
SmartNews provides free access to curated news content. For additional business news and coupons, the vendor offers SmartNews+ as a paid subscription service. Pricing and trial details for SmartNews+ are available on the dedicated subscription product page.
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 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
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- SmartNews vs Parse.ly
- SmartNews vs PR Newswire
- SmartNews vs Prezly
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