Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Milanote vs OmniFocus 3

Milanote logo

Milanote

Productivity

Board-based visual workspace for creative planning, free up to 100 items for the whole account

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OmniFocus 3 logo

OmniFocus 3

Productivity

Professional task management for complex workflows

From
$74.99/mo
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Milanote has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Milanote the free plan caps the entire account at 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads rather than capping per board, so one properly worked project exhausts it and the tool stops working rather than degrading gracefully.; OmniFocus 3 apple platforms only apart from the web client: macOS 14, iOS or iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 or visionOS 2 and newer are required, with no Windows or Android app
  • They diverge on capability: Milanote covers Infinite board canvas, OmniFocus 3 covers GTD-based task organization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Milanote and OmniFocus 3 actually diverge.

Attributes where Milanote and OmniFocus 3 differ
AttributeMilanoteOmniFocus 3
Starting priceFree$74.99/mo
Pricing modelfreemiumone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebMacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Web
FoundedUnknown1993

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Milanote

  • Infinite board canvas
  • Mixed content
  • Nested boards
  • Templates
  • Web clipper
  • Shared boards with comments
  • Mobile apps
  • Free plan

Only in OmniFocus 3

  • GTD-based task organization
  • Projects and subprojects
  • Contexts and tags
  • Custom perspectives
  • Automation
  • Quick entry
  • Sync across devices
  • Deferred and due dates

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Milanote

  • Moodboards and visual references for a branding or design project, gathered from the web and arranged for a client review.not OmniFocus 3
  • Storyboarding a video or planning a shoot, where the whole sequence needs to be visible at once.not OmniFocus 3
  • Structuring a book, script or long article by physically moving sections around until the order works.not OmniFocus 3
  • A shared board where a small creative team reacts to work in progress without the overhead of a project tool.not OmniFocus 3

OmniFocus 3

  • Getting Things Done style task and project management on Apple devicesnot Milanote
  • Capturing tasks with contexts, defer dates and review cyclesnot Milanote
  • Syncing a personal task database across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watchnot Milanote

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Milanote

  • The free plan caps the entire account at 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads rather than capping per board, so one properly worked project exhausts it and the tool stops working rather than degrading gracefully.
  • The value of a board is its arrangement, and arrangement is the one thing export does not carry, so a PDF gives you a picture and a text export gives you the words while nothing reconstitutes the board in another tool.
  • Pricing is per person and the tool spreads naturally to reviewers and clients who only look and comment, so a team plan ends up covering people who never create anything.
  • There is no database layer, no properties, no filtering and no dependency tracking, so a project that starts on a Milanote board has to be re-entered somewhere else the moment it acquires owners and dates.
  • Offline support is minimal, so a board full of references is effectively unavailable without a connection, which is a real problem for a tool aimed at people who work on location and in meetings away from a desk.

OmniFocus 3

  • Apple platforms only apart from the web client: macOS 14, iOS or iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 or visionOS 2 and newer are required, with no Windows or Android app
  • Web access is not included with a perpetual licence and costs an extra $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year
  • The Pro perpetual licence costs $149.99 against $74.99 for Standard
  • Future major upgrades are a paid discount rather than free for perpetual licence holders
  • The $99.99 per year subscription is the only option that bundles Pro plus web access

Pricing, plan by plan

Milanote

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 notes, images or links
    • 10 file uploads
    • Unlimited shared boards
  • Individual$9.99/month
    • Unlimited notes, images or links
    • Unlimited file uploads
    • Unlimited shared boards
  • Team$49/month
    • Unlimited notes, images or links
    • Unlimited file uploads
    • Unlimited shared boards

OmniFocus 3

$74.99/mo
  • Standard License$74.99/mo
    • Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro access
    • All 4.x updates included
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Pro License$149.99/mo
    • Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro access
    • All 4.x updates included
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Subscription (all platforms + web)$99.99/year
    • Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, web access
    • All Pro features
  • Web-only Subscription$4.99/month
    • Web access only

Which should you pick?

Choose Milanote if

  • You need infinite board canvas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want mixed content.
Milanote review

Choose OmniFocus 3 if

  • You need gtd-based task organization.
  • You work on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Web.
  • You also want projects and subprojects.
OmniFocus 3 review

Questions people ask

Is Milanote or OmniFocus 3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Milanote starts at Free and OmniFocus 3 at $74.99/mo, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Milanote or OmniFocus 3?
Milanote has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Milanote and $74.99/mo for OmniFocus 3.
Does Milanote or OmniFocus 3 run on more platforms?
Milanote runs on Web. OmniFocus 3 runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Web.
Can I use Milanote for free?
Yes. Milanote has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OmniFocus 3 starts at $74.99/mo.
What is Milanote best used for?
Milanote is most often used for moodboards and visual references for a branding or design project, gathered from the web and arranged for a client review., storyboarding a video or planning a shoot, where the whole sequence needs to be visible at once., structuring a book, script or long article by physically moving sections around until the order works., a shared board where a small creative team reacts to work in progress without the overhead of a project tool.. Of those, moodboards and visual references for a branding or design project, gathered from the web and arranged for a client review. and storyboarding a video or planning a shoot, where the whole sequence needs to be visible at once. are not what OmniFocus 3 is typically brought in for.
What can Milanote do that OmniFocus 3 cannot?
Milanote covers Infinite board canvas, Mixed content, Nested boards, Templates. OmniFocus 3 covers GTD-based task organization, Projects and subprojects, Contexts and tags, Custom perspectives.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Milanote: How long does the free plan last?

Indefinitely. It is limited by quantity rather than by time: 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads for the account as a whole, so it ends when you hit the cap rather than on a date.

OmniFocus 3: How much does OmniFocus cost?

OmniFocus offers perpetual licenses at $74.99 (Standard) or $149.99 (Pro) for one-time purchase, or subscriptions at $99.99/year for all platforms plus web, or $4.99/month for web-only access.

Source
Milanote: Can I export a board?

You can produce PDFs and images of a board and extract the text, but the spatial arrangement is not portable, so nothing you export reconstructs the board in another tool.

OmniFocus 3: Does OmniFocus offer a free trial?

OmniFocus includes a 14-day free trial for download, and a 30-day money-back guarantee applies to perpetual licenses.

Source
Milanote: Is it a project management tool?

No. There are no dates, dependencies or workload views. It suits the thinking phase, and the work has to be handed to a tracker once it becomes a plan.

OmniFocus 3: What platforms does a single OmniFocus license cover?

A single OmniFocus perpetual license includes access across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro.

Source
Milanote: Do collaborators need paid accounts?

Shared boards are unlimited even on the free plan, and the paid question is about who creates rather than who looks. Confirm the current plan terms before rolling it out to a client's team.

Share

Related pages

More on Milanote

More on OmniFocus 3

Keep looking

Other head to heads