Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote
Evernote and Microsoft OneNote are both note-taking & docs tools. Evernote is aimed at freelancers and creators, while Microsoft OneNote is aimed at freelancers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Veteran note app with web clipping, tasks and AI search
Free freeform digital notebook from Microsoft with ink and sync
| Pricing | Freemium · $15 | Free |
| Starting price | $14.99/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
| Built for | Freelancers, Creators, Small businesses | Freelancers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web, macos, windows, ios, android | web, windows, macos, ios, android |
| Country | US | US · 2003 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Evernote if
Individuals with large existing archives who clip, scan and search far more than they collaborate.
- Excellent capture tools for web pages, scans and email
- Search finds text inside images and PDFs
- Mature apps on every major platform
Look elsewhere if: Teams building wikis and databases or users who want free local files (Notion, Obsidian).
Choose Microsoft OneNote if
Students, teachers and Microsoft 365 users who want a free, pen-friendly notebook that syncs across every device.
- Completely free on every major platform with no note limits
- Best-in-class pen experience for students and tablet users
- Freeform canvas suits mixed media better than linear note apps
Look elsewhere if: Knowledge workers who need databases, linked notes or plain-file ownership (Notion, Obsidian or Evernote suit them better).
Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote pricing
Evernote
- Free$050 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device, 1 GB storage
- Starter$14.99/mo$99/yr billed annually; 1,000 notes, 3 devices, 5 GB
- Advanced$24.99/mo$249.99/yr billed annually; unlimited notes and devices
- Flexible / UnlimitedCustomTeam plans with admin controls, SSO and activity logs
Microsoft OneNote
- OneNote$0Free with a Microsoft account; notebooks sync via 5 GB OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/mo$99.99/year; 1 TB OneDrive and Copilot in OneNote
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/mo$129.99/year; up to 6 people, 2 TB shared storage
Evernote · Key features
- Web Clipper for Chrome, Firefox and Safari
- Document scanning with OCR search inside images and PDFs
- Notebooks, spaces, tags and advanced search
- Tasks and calendar linked to Google and Microsoft calendars
- AI Assistant, semantic search and AI Transcribe
- Meeting note taker and AI rewrite tools in Evernote v11
Cons
- Free plan limited to 50 notes and one notebook
- Monthly billing is expensive compared with annual
- Collaboration and databases trail Notion
Microsoft OneNote · Key features
- Freeform pages where text, images, ink and files can be placed anywhere
- Notebook, section and page hierarchy with color-coded tabs
- Pen and stylus inking with handwriting search and ink-to-text
- Text extraction from images and printouts inserted into notes
- Audio recording linked to notes and tags such as To Do and Important
- OneNote Web Clipper for saving web pages into a notebook
Cons
- Storage is capped by OneDrive, only 5 GB on free accounts
- No databases, Markdown or bidirectional links
- Weak export makes migrating to another app painful
Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote: FAQ
Do Evernote and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan?
Yes, both Evernote and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.