Having effective note-taking and organizational tools is critical. The right tool can significantly boost your productivity, streamline workflow, and foster efficient collaboration. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into a head-to-head comparison between Notion and Microsoft OneNote, two prominent players in the productivity app space.
THE QUICK ANSWER: Choose Notion for structured and organized notes and projects, and opt for OneNote if you’re a beginner seeking a flexible and intuitive note-taking app.
Introduction
Think of Notion and OneNote as two superheroes, each with their unique powers. Notion is the versatile newcomer, while OneNote is the seasoned veteran. Both offer note-taking and organization abilities, but their differences lie in their approach to project management, collaboration, and user experience. After perusing this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to decide which tool is the perfect ally for your productivity quest.
Understanding the Differences: Notion vs OneNote
Distinguishing between OneNote and Notion is paramount before diving deep into their individual features. OneNote is primarily a note-taking app designed for quick and easy creation and organization of notes. It shines with its seamless integration with Microsoft Office, making it a viable choice for users already familiar with other Microsoft apps.
On the flip side, Notion adopts a more flexible approach, enabling users to create an array of content, including notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. It is often leveraged for project management and collaboration, given its customizable layout and robust features for content management. In essence, Notion is a versatile, feature-packed tool, while OneNote is a traditional, user-friendly note-taking app.
In-Depth Analysis: Notion vs OneNote
To give a fair verdict on the Notion vs OneNote debate, we’ll scrutinize their offerings based on various parameters. Let’s get started!
Pricing Plans
Notion and OneNote offer both free and paid plans. Notion’s pricing begins at $8 per user per month, scaling up to over $15+ per user per month for more advanced features. There’s also an Enterprise plan tailored for large organizations.
OneNote, on the other hand, is free, with an optional upgrade to Microsoft 365’s paid plans for full functionality. Personal plans start at $6.99 per month for a single user, while the Business plans range from $6 to $22 per user per month.
From a cost perspective, OneNote emerges as the more affordable option at $6/user/month, compared to Notion’s $8/user/month.
Free Versions
Notion’s free plan is quite generous, offering unlimited blocks and pages, real-time collaboration, and various content types. However, file uploads are capped at 5 MB.
OneNote’s free version provides all core features, including custom tags, annotation, and various note-taking formats. The only limitation is the 5GB storage limit.
In this context, OneNote edges out Notion with its more comprehensive free version.
Customer Support
Notion provides multiple customer support channels, including live chat, email, and Twitter. All paid plans, except Personal, offer Priority Support. For sales-related queries, you can contact their sales team via phone.
OneNote, on the other hand, offers 24/7 live chat and phone support for paid Microsoft 365 account holders.
Notion takes the lead in this category due to its Priority Support feature on paid plans.
Learning Resources
Notion boasts an extensive knowledge base with over 100 articles, webinars, and a community forum for peer-to-peer support. They also facilitate local group events for in-person interactions.
Microsoft’s official support center provides a dedicated section for OneNote, featuring user guides, manuals, tutorials, and a community forum.
Notion slightly outperforms OneNote here, offering opportunities for in-person learning.
Ease of Use
OneNote’s user-friendly interface resembles other Office apps, making it easy to navigate. It provides a familiar Office-style menu with all controls at the top of the screen.
Notion, although powerful, requires a learning curve. New users may find the platform overwhelming due to its blank canvas approach and advanced features. However, a plethora of templates can aid in setup and customization.
OneNote wins this round due to its straightforward and intuitive interface.
Product Limitations
Both Notion and OneNote have their own limitations. Notion lacks built-in automation features and robust customization options for databases. Its integrations with popular apps like Google Calendar are also limited.
OneNote, meanwhile, lacks workflow automation and comprehensive customization options.
This category is a tie as both tools have their drawbacks.
Online and Desktop Versions
Both Notion and OneNote offer online versions accessible via multiple web browsers, including Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. They also provide mobile apps for on-the-go access.
Regarding desktop versions, both tools are compatible with Windows and macOS, offering additional features not available on their web versions. Linux users, however, are left out.
This category is a tie as both platforms offer similar online and desktop accessibility.
Templates
Notion offers a wide array of templates, categorized into areas like design, marketing, personal, school, and more. Users can also create and share their own templates.
OneNote, too, offers built-in page templates, including decorative backgrounds, planners, and to-do lists, with customization options.
Although both tools offer templates, Notion’s extensive gallery gives it an edge.
Task Management
Notion outshines OneNote in task management, offering features like Kanban boards, task lists, calendars, and sprint organizers. However, it lacks support for recurring tasks and workflow automation.
OneNote, while it can be used for basic project and task management, does not provide advanced project management features.
Notion takes the lead in this category with its advanced task management features.
Integrations
Notion integrates with popular tools like Jira, Google Drive, Gmail, and Slack, and connects with over 4,000 apps via Zapier.
OneNote integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products and popular cloud services. It also connects with thousands of apps via Zapier.
This round is a tie, as both tools offer extensive integrations.
Note-Taking Features
Notion provides an extensive range of note-taking features, allowing users to create to-do lists, set reminders, add images and code, and more.
OneNote, while offering a wide range of note-taking features, lacks the ability to create headings.
In this context, Notion holds a slight advantage due to its extensive note-taking features.
Wikis and Databases
Notion excels in creating detailed wikis and documents, using blocks and pages. OneNote, while it can create wikis and databases, lacks the advanced features offered by Notion.
In this category, Notion clearly outperforms OneNote.
Security Measures
OneNote offers password protection for specific note sections, adding a layer of security. Notion, while it doesn’t offer password protection, allows you to control access to different files.
OneNote leads in this category due to its password protection feature.
Collaboration Tools
Notion provides several collaboration tools, such as real-time collaboration, mentions, and comments.
OneNote also supports collaboration by allowing note-sharing via email.
Notion tops this category due to its advanced collaboration features.
Storage
OneNote stores data in the cloud (OneDrive), offering 5GB of storage in its free plan. Subscribing to a paid plan provides up to 6TB of storage.
Notion’s free plan limits file upload size to 5MB, which is removed in all paid plans offering unlimited file upload.
This category is a tie as both platforms come with their own storage or file upload limitations.
Notion vs OneNote: The Verdict
After this exhaustive comparison, it’s clear that both Notion and OneNote serve different purposes. While Notion is a versatile tool suitable for project management and collaboration, OneNote excels as a simple, user-friendly note-taking app.
The final decision rests with the user. If you value structure and organization in your notes and projects, opt for Notion. If you’re a beginner seeking a flexible and intuitive note-taking app, OneNote is your best bet.
Regardless of your choice, both apps are available for free, with premium versions offering added features. We recommend trying out both apps to determine which one suits your needs best.
Notion Templates
If you’re struggling to get started with Notion, check out our range of both Free and Premium Notion Templates.
