OneNote suits people who think in free-form notebooks, handwrite with a pen, or already live in Microsoft 365. Notion suits people who want notes, databases, task lists and simple web pages in one structured workspace. Both are free to start, but Notion's free plan is aimed at individuals, and OneNote's Copilot features come with Microsoft 365.
Notes apps divide people into two camps: those who want a blank page they can scribble on, and those who want every note to slot into a system. OneNote serves the first group and Notion the second, and each company's own pages make that clear.
Notion and OneNote feature check
| Notion | OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Free to start | Yes, a Free plan for individuals | Yes, free on iPhone and many other devices |
| Account | Notion account | Microsoft account, or your work or school account |
| Structure | Pages, blocks and databases with subtasks, dependencies and custom properties | Notebooks you write, type or draw in |
| Handwriting | Not a focus on the plans page | Digital ink with a pen |
| Voice | Not listed on the plans page | Voice transcription |
| AI | Trial of Notion AI on the Free plan | Copilot Notebooks, tied to Microsoft 365 |
| Uploads on free | Up to 5 MB per file | Not stated on the pages I read |
| Version history on free | 7 days | Not stated |
| Extras | Basic forms, basic sites and Notion Calendar | Sticky Notes and Samsung Notes integration |
How Notion organises your notes
On its plans page, Notion pitches the Free plan for individuals organising personal projects and life. You get databases with subtasks, dependencies and custom properties, so a note can become a task tracker or a content calendar. You can publish a page to the web as a basic site and collect responses with basic forms.
- One workspace for notes, tasks and simple wikis.
- Notion Calendar to bring several calendars together.
- A trial of Notion AI to generate docs and fill databases.
How OneNote organises your notes
OneNote's App Store listing describes notebooks you can type in, draw in with a pen and dictate into with voice transcription. Quick Capture grabs text, voice, ink or images, and the Samsung Notes integration pulls those notes in too. Teachers use it for searchable class notebooks, which tells you how well it handles messy, mixed content.
- Digital ink that feels like writing on paper.
- Copilot Notebooks that chat over your files and summarise meetings.
- Sticky Notes that resurface when you revisit the same source.
Sharing notes with other people
Notion lets you publish a page to the web as a basic site and gather replies through basic forms, so a client brief or a resource list can go public without a separate website tool. OneNote's sharing is built around notebooks: people create together in the same pages, and Microsoft points to teachers who build shareable content libraries for students. If the people you share with already use Microsoft 365, OneNote won't need anyone to learn a new app.
The free plan detail for teams
Notion's plans page says pages and blocks are unlimited for individuals but limited once two or more members share a workspace, and free uploads stop at 5 MB per file. So the Free plan is a personal plan, not a team one. OneNote's App Store listing says it's free on iPhone and many other devices, but Microsoft's OneNote page ties Copilot to Microsoft 365, where AI features belong to the account owner and usage limits apply. Free notes, in other words, doesn't mean free AI in either app.
If you take notes on calls, my piece on what AI meeting notes miss is worth a read before you hand the job to Copilot or Notion AI.
Who should use which
Use OneNote if you sketch, handwrite, study or work inside Word, Outlook and Teams all day. Use Notion if you want your notes to turn into tasks, trackers and pages you can share. Once you've chosen Notion, my guide to making a table in Notion covers the first thing most people build.
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My advice for choosing a notes app
Look at the last ten notes you wrote. If they're mostly scribbles, lists and screenshots, OneNote will feel natural. If you kept wishing they'd link together or turn into to-dos, that's Notion's whole point. Move one project across first and live with it for a fortnight before you migrate everything.
Do you make a note-taking or knowledge app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is OneNote free?
Yes. OneNote's App Store listing says it's free on iPhone and many other devices; you sign in with a Microsoft account or a work or school account.
Is Notion free?
Yes. Notion's Free plan is aimed at individuals, with unlimited pages and blocks for one person, 5 MB uploads and 7 days of page history.
Does OneNote have AI?
Yes. Copilot Notebooks can chat over your files, summarise meetings and create audio overviews, and Copilot is tied to Microsoft 365.
Can I handwrite in Notion?
Notion's plans page doesn't list handwriting. OneNote is built for digital ink and pen input.
