The 10 Best OneNote Alternatives for 2025

Great notes are the foundation of productivity. Whether you’re outlining a project, scribbling down insights in a meeting, or capturing a sudden stroke of genius, having the right notetaking app makes all the difference. 

Microsoft OneNote is a common go-to, but it isn’t for everyone. Maybe it’s too clunky or doesn’t match your style. Luckily, plenty of OneNote alternatives cater to different ways of taking notes — whether you prefer a minimalist, distraction-free writing space or a powerhouse tool packed with features. 

Let’s explore the best OneNote alternatives. Plus, learn how Otter brings notetaking to the next level.

What is Microsoft OneNote?

Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook that allows users to take notes, clip web pages, and organize content into sections and pages. It’s part of the Microsoft 365 suite, syncs across devices, and integrates with other Microsoft tools such as Word, Excel, and Outlook. Microsoft provides 5GB of storage for free, cloud-based storage. Additional storage or local file storage requires a paid plan.

While OneNote offers a range of features, some users may find the interface complex and the learning curve steep. It also has limited integration with third-party applications, which may affect how easily it fits into workflows that rely heavily on non-Microsoft tools, such as Google's suite of services.

10 OneNote alternative apps

If you’re on the hunt for something different than OneNote, you’ve got options. Here are some popular alternatives:

1. Otter.ai

If you take a lot of notes or attend frequent meetings, Otter.ai is your new best friend. It’s perfect for students, professionals, and anyone looking to boost productivity by capturing their meetings or conversations and using AI to generate notes, summaries, action items, and more.

This AI-powered tool automatically transcribes spoken words into searchable, editable text in real time. Otter is impressively accurate in multi-person meetings at distinguishing between different speakers. It can even handle multiple languages and add timestamps for you.

Otter also stores your notes so you can review them later and make revisions, highlight key points, and share files for enhanced collaboration. Whether you’re meeting in person or online, Otter’s AI notetaking feature is hard to beat. You can use Otter in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and for in-person meetings. 

Get basic features for free, including up to 300 minutes of transcription per month — or upgrade to Pro, Business, or Enterprise.

2. Evernote

Evernote is a digital notetaking app similar to OneNote. It offers a structured interface that keeps everything in order, whether you’re saving text, images, web clippings, PDFs, or scanned documents.

Evernote has a search function (which even scans handwritten notes) and syncs across devices. But the free plan is limited to two devices, and some advanced features — like AI-powered search, offline access, more storage space, and task management — require a paid subscription.

3. Notion

Notion is a workspace that combines notes, tasks, databases, and wikis in a customizable layout. Its drag-and-drop interface allows you to play with formatting and structure to create custom layouts. And with features that enhance collaboration, like real-time editing, deadlines and tags, and shared workspaces, it’s an effective tool for managing complex workflows.

While Notion offers a free plan with plenty of features, you’ll want to go for a paid version if you need advanced features like version history and unlimited file uploads.

4. Bear

Bear is a minimalist notetaking app. With a clean interface, Bear allows you to write, organize, and format notes using markdown. Its streamlined design makes it best for creatives and students who need to buckle down and focus without unnecessary distractions.

Bear is free to use, although you need a paid subscription to sync across devices, access custom themes, and unlock other premium features like exports and searchability. It’s also only available for Apple iOS.

5. Simplenote

Simplenote allows users to jot down quick notes without the distraction of extra features. That said, Simplenote doesn’t support multimedia notes — you can only upload text, not images, video, or audio notes. 

Simplenote does allow you to tag and organize notes, and its search function helps you find what you’re looking for. You can also collaborate on notes with others in real time, which makes it a good option for teams. 

6. Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a simple option for iOS and macOS users. It allows you to create checklists, scan documents, draw sketches, and add multimedia files like images and videos. Its integration with iCloud syncs notes across all your Apple devices. 

If you’re an Apple user, you get this app for free. The downside is that Apple Notes doesn’t integrate easily with other applications, as there’s little cross-platform support. And naturally, Apple Notes isn’t available to Android users, so if you need to collaborate across multiple platforms, it might not be your best bet.

7. Google Keep

Google Keep lets you create notes in a variety of formats — including text, web clippings, and photos — and organize them with labels and color coding. But its simplicity can be a double-edged sword. While it’s great for quick, on-the-go notetaking, it lacks the advanced organization and customization features of other apps. 

What sets Google Keep apart is its integration with Google Drive and Google Docs, making it ideal for users who live in the Google ecosystem. Keep also syncs across all devices and is free to use.

8. Zoho Notebook

Zoho Notebook offers a variety of ways to capture ideas. You can create text notes, voice memos, and sketches. While the app is free to use, some users may find it lacks the more advanced features, like collaboration tools, that other apps offer. 

9. Goodnotes

Goodnotes is a notetaking app for iOS users. It offers a simple writing experience and tools for annotating PDFs, creating sketches, and organizing notes in folders or notebooks. Just keep in mind that according to reviews, some users find Goodnotes slightly buggy.

10. Notability

Notability is a notetaking app that combines typing, handwriting, and audio recording. The downsides are that it’s only available to Apple users, and advanced tools require a paid subscription.

Level up your notes with Otter!

Whether you’re in a meeting, lecture, or interview, Otter’s real-time transcription makes sure you never miss a beat. Capture every important word and keep everything organized and synced across your devices. Plus, Otter is the first AI meeting assistant that auto-joins, auto-shares, and auto-summarizes meetings, saving professionals and teams an average of 4 hours a week. 

Get started with Otter today and transform the way you take notes.