Notion vs Microsoft OneNote
Notion: Cloud workspace of pages and databases for teams, with Markdown import and export. Microsoft OneNote: Microsoft's digital notebook, free to use and bundled with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
| Notion | Microsoft OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, paid from $10 per member per month | Free to use, Microsoft 365 plans from $9.99 per month |
| Free option | Free plan with limits: 5 MB per file upload, 7 days of page history, up to 10 guests | Microsoft advertises OneNote as free ("Take notes anywhere for free") |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac |
| Notes stored as | Notion cloud, block-based pages (Markdown import and export) | Microsoft cloud notebooks, synced across your devices |
Choose Notion if
- you want docs, databases and tasks in one shared workspace
- you your team needs comments, permissions and guests
- you care more about collaboration than owning plain files
Strengths
- Databases, tables and project views alongside documents
- Built for teams: sharing, comments and guests
- Publish a page to the web as a notion.site page
Limits
- Content lives in Notion rather than in files you own; Markdown is an import and export format
- Workspaces with 2 or more members on the free plan have a block limit
- Per-member pricing adds up for larger teams
Pricing details
- Free: $0 per member per month
- Plus: $10 per member per month billed monthly
- Business: $20 per member per month billed monthly
- Enterprise: custom pricing
- The vendor advertises up to 20% off with yearly billing
Choose Microsoft OneNote if
- you already use Microsoft 365 and want notes next to Word and Outlook
- you take handwritten or annotated notes with a pen
- you want a free notebook that works on every device
Strengths
- Sketch, annotate and highlight freely, which suits handwriting and pen input
- Share and collaborate on notebooks
- Voice transcription, and Copilot to draft plans and organize notes on paid plans
- Part of the Microsoft 365 set alongside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Limits
- Proprietary and tied to a Microsoft account
- Microsoft does not describe Markdown or plain file storage for OneNote, so moving notes to other tools usually means exporting
- Copilot features need a paid Microsoft 365 plan
Pricing details
- Microsoft 365 Personal: $9.99 per month, 1 person, 1 TB cloud storage, OneNote desktop app with Copilot
- Microsoft 365 Family: $12.99 per month, 1 to 6 people, 2 TB shared storage
- Microsoft 365 Premium: $19.99 per month, adds more extensive Copilot and agentic AI usage
- All three plans include a 1 month free trial. Prices checked on the Microsoft OneNote page and may vary by region
Notion
Cloud workspace of pages and databases for teams, with Markdown import and export.
Proprietary
- Price: Free plan, paid from $10 per member per month
- Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- Storage: Notion cloud, block-based pages (Markdown import and export)
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's digital notebook, free to use and bundled with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Proprietary
- Price: Free to use, Microsoft 365 plans from $9.99 per month
- Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
- Storage: Microsoft cloud notebooks, synced across your devices
Details come from each vendor's own website and were checked on 2026-10-18. Confirm current prices on the vendor page.