Which tool should you use?

Notion and OneNote are two of the leading digital note-taking apps that offer project and task management features. Both apps can help you capture ideas, organize information, and keep track of tasks.

While they have some similarities, there are some key differences that make each one better suited for specific use cases. In this article, we highlight the advantages, disadvantages, standout features, and pricing of each software. We also share some tips to help you choose between Notion and OneNote.

Notion vs OneNote: Comparison Table

Notion vs OneNote: Prices

Both Notion and OneNote offer free-for-all versions, as well as paid versions. Notion's pricing is geared more toward businesses, offering three paid plans, including an enterprise tier. OneNote, meanwhile, is included in most Microsoft subscriptions, including personal and business plans.

It's a bit difficult to compare their pricing plans directly since Microsoft bundles a lot of tools and Notion is more of a standalone solution, but I've listed the pricing details below to help you make a decision.

Notion of prices

Notion offers four pricing levels:

• Free: This forever free plan costs $0 and allows you to upload files up to 5MB and offers 7 days of page history.
• Further: This plan costs $10 per user per month billed annually or $12 per user per month billed monthly. It allows you to upload unlimited files and offers a 30-day page history.
• Business: This plan costs $15 per user per month billed annually or $18 per user per month billed monthly. It allows you to upload unlimited files and offers a 90-day page history.
• Company: This plan requires a custom pricing quote from the sales team and includes additional features such as unlimited workspaces and unlimited extensions.

The optional Notion AI plan costs $8 per user per month billed annually, or $10 per user per month billed monthly. A trial version of the Business plan and a demo or trial version of the Enterprise plan are available upon request.

For more information, read our full Notion review and check out our list of Notion alternatives.

OneNote Pricing

OneNote is available to download for free on any device. You need a Microsoft account to use the OneNote app, but it doesn't have to be a paid subscription. However, a paid subscription to Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Business will give you access to additional OneNote features, such as stickers and the ability to store files locally on Windows devices.

Microsoft 365 personal subscription prices are as follows:

• Microsoft 365 Personal: $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the entire year.
• Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99 per month or $99.99 for the entire year.

There are four business plans available for employers to choose from:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 per user per month billed annually or $7.20 per user per month billed monthly.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user per month billed annually or $15.00 per user per month billed monthly.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22 per user per month billed annually or $26.40 per user per month billed monthly.
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: $8.25 per user per month billed annually or $9.90 per user per month billed monthly.

For more information, read our full OneNote review or check out our Insider's Guide to OneNote.

Notion vs OneNote: Feature Comparison

Note taking

Winner: OneNote

Both programs have excellent note-taking capabilities, including multiple note-taking options such as audio and web clippings. However, they differ in the finer details. While I think OneNote offers better free-form note-taking for individuals, Notion provides a better structure for organizing notes and collaborating with others.

A key advantage of OneNote is its optical character recognition (OCR) capability, which allows it to read text from images. This means that when documents with images are uploaded to OneNote, it can read the text from the images to create an editable and searchable document. Notion currently does not offer OCR, and honestly, it's one of the most glaring omissions from the platform.

Predefined templates

Winner: Notion

Notion offers a much wider range of pre-built templates to help teams get started. This includes templates for project roadmaps and checklists, as well as basic note-taking tools. If none of the existing templates meet your needs, you can also create, customize, and share your own templates from scratch.

OneNote offers basic templates and also allows users to create their own templates; however, this feature in OneNote is significantly limited compared to Notion.

Task and project management

Winner: Notion

OneNote is suitable for basic task management, such as creating to-do lists, setting reminders, and assigning tasks. However, its focus on note-taking means that the platform isn’t robust enough for anything more than limited task management, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for project management. In contrast, Notion offers a wide range of project and task management tools, including kanban boards, project tracking, and multiple project views.

Please note that both Notion and OneNote lack some basic project management features, such as Gantt charts and workflow automation. If that’s what you need, I suggest checking out our overview of project management software for other platforms that might better fit your workflow requirements.

Knowledge base and learning content

Winner: Notion

With Notion, users gain access to a more comprehensive knowledge base and learning center, including regular webinars and hundreds of helpful articles. There’s also a vibrant community forum offering peer-to-peer support.

Microsoft offers a dedicated support section for the OneNote app with user manuals, tutorials, and guides. There is also a community forum to provide basic troubleshooting support. However, OneNote does not offer the same level of knowledge base and learning content as Notion.

Security

Winner: OneNote

In OneNote, users can protect specific sections of notes with a password. This helps keep information safe when sharing notes with others. The protected section will not appear in any searches.

Notion doesn't offer any tools to password-protect specific sections of your notes. However, it does allow you to choose who can access different files.

Pros and cons of the notion

Advantages of Notion

• It's easy to collaborate with others on notes.
• Task and project management tools available.
• Many pre-designed templates available.
• Over 90 integrations to choose from.

Disadvantages of Notion

• Without OCR.
• Individual notes cannot be password protected.

Pros and cons of OneNote

Advantages of OneNote

• Works well with the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Excellent for taking individual notes.
• Can you password protect individual notes?
• Provides limited OCR capabilities.

Disadvantages of OneNote

• Knowledge and learning resources are more limited.
• Less integrations than Notion.

Should your organization use Notion or OneNote?

Choose Notion if:

• You need to collaborate with others on notes.
• You want to have lots of pre-designed templates to choose from.
• You need more robust project and task management tools.
• You need a lot of resources of knowledge and support.

Choose OneNote if:

• You are already subscribed to a paid Microsoft plan.
• You are primarily looking for a note-taking app for individual use.
• Want OCR capabilities.
• You want to be able to password protect individual notes.

Review methodology

To compare Notion to OneNote, I created free accounts with each service and tested them for myself. I also looked at product documentation and user reviews. While writing this review, I considered features like note-taking, templates, and task management. I also considered other factors like price and customer support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Microsoft OneNote better than Notion?

Microsoft OneNote is a great option for free note-taking and is a better choice than Notion if you're already a Microsoft user. However, Notion is a better choice for teams that need collaboration features, task and project management, and more integration options.

Is there anything better than OneNote?

OneNote is a note-taking solution that offers a generous free plan and is great for individual note-taking. However, it doesn't have the most intuitive interface and integrations are limited. If OneNote doesn't meet your criteria, we recommend checking out alternatives like Notion, Evernote, and Obsidian.

Is Notion the best note-taking tool?

Notion is a great free option for note-taking. It also includes additional tools for project and task management. If Notion isn't the perfect app for your needs, there are plenty of other options to explore, including OneNote, Evernote, and Obsidian.