5 Best OneNote Alternatives – Thoroughly Examined & Evaluated

Part 1. OneNote Overview & Its Major Features

Microsoft OneNote is a feature-rich digital note-taking app that allows users to create, organize, and share notes effortlessly. It integrates with other Microsoft Office tools, making it a versatile choice for personal and professional use.

Known for its free-form organization and multimedia support, OneNote caters to diverse user needs. In simple words, you can freely take notes, organize, and share them without looking for any subscription or membership.

Despite this, the application has been made compatible with a variety of devices. You can easily download it on your device without checking its specifications and start writing notes. Isn’t it something that makes OneNote a good approach for a wide range of people?

Instead of these basic features, it also has many other advanced and unique features. We have listed some of the best features of this note-taking app here in the following section.

Multimedia Support

OneNote allows users to insert images, videos, audio recordings, and handwritten notes which makes it a dynamic platform for diverse content creation. This feature makes it a good choice for professionals instead of students only.

Being a professional, you may have noticed that inserting images like graphs is a common task for you while attending meetings. This is where you will find this feature of the OneNote application a life-saving feature for you.

Cloud Syncing

With its integration with other apps, OneNote ensures your notes are accessible across devices for seamless collaboration and editing. Using this app, you can also connect your notes with other apps within your device.

Its cloud synchronization will help you access your content from different devices and apps. Isn’t it something that can help you quickly access your data regardless of where you are?

Customizable Organization

Users can organize notes into notebooks, sections, and pages that enable a highly personalized and structured workflow. You don’t have to rely on the pre-designed features of this application. But you can adjust the settings like menu bar, toolbar, and other sections as per your needs.

Collaboration Features

Real-time editing and sharing options allow teams to work collaboratively, making it a practical tool for group projects and meetings. No denying that OneNote is considered a note-taking app that can help individuals.

But what if you want to share those notes and ask for feedback from your teammates? You have to share the notes with them which is possible because of the collaboration feature offered by the OneNote application.

Part 2. Why Do You Need a OneNote Alternative?

Despite its powerful features, OneNote might not suit everyone. Its complex interface can overwhelm new users, and its reliance on Microsoft’s ecosystem might limit cross-platform functionality.

Additionally, its storage constraints and occasional syncing issues can be a challenge for users with extensive data or those using multiple devices. No doubt, it offers a cloud storage facility but it isn’t enough to carry hundreds of documents or ample files.

You have to extend it by getting a subscription to this specific tool. It may not be possible to bear the expenses of its subscription, especially for students. These drawbacks make it necessary for its users to look for a OneNote alternative to use it to resolve these problems.

Part 3. 5 Best Tools to Use as Alternatives to OneNote

Whenever you search for alternatives to OneNote on the internet, you will see a long list of apps shared by multiple websites. But the thing is you can’t use all of them to choose the right one. This is where you might be looking for a filtered list of tools that you can use as an alternative.

To let you choose the best OneNote substitute, we have tested multiple tools and listed the best one here. You can find the list of 5 best tools in this section and read about them to choose the most suitable one for your tasks.

1.Evernote

Link: https://evernote.com/

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web

Evernote is a leading note-taking tool known for its intuitive interface and advanced search capabilities. It supports multimedia notes, cross-device syncing, and powerful integrations with apps like Slack and Google Drive.

Unlike OneNote, its tagging system simplifies organization, allowing for quick access to notes without complex structures. Additionally, its web clipper tool is perfect for saving online content seamlessly. You can capture important points, facts, and text from the web pages directly instead of writing them.

2.Notion

Link: https://www.notion.so/

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web

Notion stands out with its all-in-one workspace approach, combining note-taking, task management, and collaboration features. Its database capabilities make it a favorite for project management and personal organization.

Unlike other OneNote alternatives, it offers a sleek, minimalist design and the ability to create templates for recurring tasks. With this, you can create templates and use them quickly if you have multiple tasks of the same intent and pattern.

The compatibility of this application with multiple devices makes it easy for you to access this app and use it for taking notes. Overall, it is right to say that this app belongs to the best OneNote alternative apps list.

3.Google Keep

Link: https://keep.google.com/

Compatibility: Android, iOS, Web

It is a lightweight, easy-to-use app perfect for quick note-taking and reminders. It integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, making it an excellent choice for users already invested in Google’s ecosystem.

While it lacks OneNote’s advanced features, its simplicity, voice memo support, and color-coded organization make it a strong OneNote alternative.

4.Zoho Notebook

Link: https://www.zoho.com/notebook

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web

Zoho Notebook offers a visually appealing note-taking experience with its unique card-based interface. Users can create multimedia notes, sync them across devices, and enjoy features like file attachments and sketching.

Unlike OneNote, it is entirely free, making it an affordable alternative with no hidden costs. Its aesthetic appeal and user-friendly design make it a favorite among casual users. In simple words, it is a free solution for every user regardless of their experience with such tools.

5.SimpleNote

Link: https://simplenote.com/

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web

SimpleNote lives up to its name with a clean and distraction-free note-taking environment. It is ideal for users who prioritize simplicity and speed over complex features.

Unlike OneNote, it focuses solely on text-based notes which ensure a lightweight and efficient app. It also supports Markdown which makes it popular among developers and writers. In short, this lightweight OneNote alternative is suitable for a variety of users because of its integration with other apps.

Part 4. How Can You Extract Text from Scanned Files of OneNote Alternative Documents?

So far, you have read about OneNote alternatives that you can use for taking notes or saving important points. However, if you are getting them in scanned format, it may be hard to manage them and extract text from those documents.

This is where you will find PDNob Image Translator a good pick. It is an advanced software that can help you extract text out of images and scanned files. You can easily upload your images or scanned files to get their text in editable format.

Despite this, its built-in translation function will help you change the language of the text. It means if you are getting documents with other language text, you can translate them into your native language. Isn’t this the solution to streamline your learning phase?

For your assistance, we have listed the steps to follow here in this section. Before that, we suggest you click on the following “Free Download” button and install this software by following the on-screen instructions. Once you are done with the installation, this is how you can use this software.

• Open your document using this software by clicking on the “Import” button, which you will get after launching the software.

• Select the image or images by clicking on the “Circle” shown at the top of the image.
• Look for the “Translate Language” box and choose the language from it.

The tool will take only a few seconds to change the language of the text extracted from the scanned document. You can click on the “Export” button to download the file if you are interested in getting it on your device with editable access.

Part 5. Summary

Choosing the best OneNote alternative depends on your specific needs, whether it’s simplicity, advanced features, or cost-effectiveness. The above-mentioned tools are suitable for picking alternatives because all of them have the same functions with minor advancements.

However, if you have picked an alternative to OneNote and looking to get the text from scanned documents like images, you should download and use PDNob image to text converter. This software will help you save the editable file of the text available on the scanned document.