You repeatedly capture web pages and retrieve a document archive
Its clipper and search workflow connect captured material with notebooks and tags.
Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote
This comparison is most useful when you know what goes into your notes. Evernote emphasizes capturing and finding stored material. OneNote offers a notebook canvas for typing, ink and visual content. The subscription decision changes if you already have Microsoft storage or a large Evernote archive.
Which software fits your needs
You mix handwriting with typed notes and sketches
The notebook model and documented ink tools suit visual note taking.
The short answer
Shortlist OneNote for handwriting and a free supported notebook app. Shortlist Evernote for an established capture workflow that earns its recurring price. Check your actual device and migration route before deciding: exporting and handwriting conversion are not identical across platforms.
Prices and billing terms
Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Evernote
Free
Free
No subscription charge
AvailabilityGlobal; account terms apply
50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB storage and 1 device.
SourceStarter — monthly
USD 14.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Apple or Google billing can differ.
SourceStarter — annual
USD 99.00/year
Yearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 5 GB and 3 devices.
SourceAdvanced — monthly
USD 24.99/month
Monthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Safeguard limits apply to unlimited allowances.
SourceAdvanced — annual
USD 249.99/year
Yearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Not the same monthly cost as a cancel-any-month plan.
SourceMicrosoft OneNote
OneNote
Free
Supported apps are free
AvailabilityGlobal; availability varies
Microsoft account storage applies. Some premium features require a separate subscription.
SourceMicrosoft 365 Personal
USD 99.99/year
Annual subscription with automatic renewal
AvailabilityUnited States
Suite bundle for one person with 1 TB cloud storage. This is not a mandatory OneNote fee.
SourceMicrosoft 365 Family
USD 129.99/year
Annual subscription with automatic renewal
AvailabilityUnited States
Suite bundle for up to six people; listed AI benefits are for the subscription owner.
SourceThe details, side by side
13 features
Documented differences. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Platforms
Evernote
Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
Supported apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with a web version.
Vendor documentedSource
Offline use
Evernote
Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
OneNote keeps local notebook copies for offline editing and synchronizes changes later.
Vendor documentedSource
Collaboration
Evernote
Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
Shared notebooks synchronize edits between collaborators through OneNote.
Vendor documentedSource
Export
Evernote
Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
Web notebook export supports personal OneDrive accounts, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint.
Vendor documentedSource
Project portability
Evernote
Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
The documented web notebook importer is deprecated. Exported notebooks can be opened in Windows OneNote.
Vendor documentedSource
Free plan limits
Microsoft OneNote
Supported OneNote versions are free; optional subscriptions unlock premium features.
Vendor documentedSource
Starter limits
Microsoft OneNote
Not yet verified for this product.
Web capture
Evernote
Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags.
Vendor documentedSource
Microsoft OneNote
Not yet verified for this product.
AI features
Evernote
Starter and Advanced document AI Edit and Transcribe; some other AI status labels differ between official pages.
AI Assistant and Semantic Search are listed on the current comparison page but marked coming soon in the plan-transition FAQ. Exact rollout needs an account check.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft 365 Personal lists OneNote with Copilot; Family AI benefits are limited to the subscription owner.
Vendor documentedSource
Search scope
Microsoft OneNote
Not yet verified for this product.
Handwriting
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Microsoft OneNote
Windows supports ink-to-text conversion. This particular conversion is not offered in OneNote for the web.
Vendor documentedSource
Image text
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Microsoft OneNote
Mac OCR uses Microsoft online services and results may take 24–48 hours.
Vendor documentedSource
Windows app choice
Evernote
Not yet verified for this product.
Microsoft OneNote
Use the current OneNote app; OneNote for Windows 10 reached its documented support endpoint in October 2025.
Vendor documentedSource
| Feature | Evernote | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access. Vendor documentedSource | Supported apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with a web version. Vendor documentedSource |
| Offline use | Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks. Vendor documentedSource | OneNote keeps local notebook copies for offline editing and synchronizes changes later. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features. Vendor documentedSource | Shared notebooks synchronize edits between collaborators through OneNote. Vendor documentedSource |
| Export | Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported. Vendor documentedSource | Web notebook export supports personal OneDrive accounts, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include. Vendor documentedSource | The documented web notebook importer is deprecated. Exported notebooks can be opened in Windows OneNote. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | 50 notes, 1 notebook, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB and 1 device. Vendor documentedSource | Supported OneNote versions are free; optional subscriptions unlock premium features. Vendor documentedSource |
| Starter limits | 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 1,000 attachments, 5 GB and 3 devices. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Web capture | Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| AI features | Starter and Advanced document AI Edit and Transcribe; some other AI status labels differ between official pages. AI Assistant and Semantic Search are listed on the current comparison page but marked coming soon in the plan-transition FAQ. Exact rollout needs an account check. | Microsoft 365 Personal lists OneNote with Copilot; Family AI benefits are limited to the subscription owner. Vendor documentedSource |
| Search scope | Advanced search includes filters and attachment text search; an older feature page still uses retired plan names. | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Handwriting | Not yet verified for this product. | Windows supports ink-to-text conversion. This particular conversion is not offered in OneNote for the web. Vendor documentedSource |
| Image text | Not yet verified for this product. | Mac OCR uses Microsoft online services and results may take 24–48 hours. Vendor documentedSource |
| Windows app choice | Not yet verified for this product. | Use the current OneNote app; OneNote for Windows 10 reached its documented support endpoint in October 2025. Vendor documentedSource |
Choose by input, not by feature count
A researcher who saves web articles has a different bottleneck from a student writing equations during a lecture. Evernote's Web Clipper can save and annotate captured material, then place it into a notebook with tags. OneNote's drawing tools let handwriting sit alongside the rest of a page. Neither capability proves that the application will suit your habits. Try ten examples of the material you actually collect: a long article, a scan, a screenshot or a handwritten page. The important result is whether you can find and reuse that material later.
Source 1Source 2The free plans are not equivalent
OneNote's supported applications are free, with premium features available through optional subscriptions. Evernote Free currently allows 50 notes, one notebook and one connected device. That makes a quick trial possible but can be restrictive for an ongoing archive. Do not budget using retired Evernote Personal or Professional plans. Also avoid treating Microsoft 365 as a mandatory OneNote purchase. If you already pay for the Microsoft suite, assess what additional benefit a second subscription would provide rather than comparing two unrelated headline prices.
Source 1Source 2Price the size of the archive
The official USD table lists Evernote Starter at $14.99 monthly or $99 annually. Its storage and content ceilings mean it is not simply a discounted unlimited archive. Advanced is $24.99 monthly or $249.99 annually and still has safeguard limits. Microsoft's US page lists Personal at $99.99 a year as a suite bundle with 1 TB. Those annual commitments differ from monthly subscriptions and the suite is not a like-for-like notes-only plan. Check your archive size and existing entitlements before converting any advertised monthly equivalent into a spending decision.
Source 1Source 2Handwriting and recognition need device checks
OneNote documents ink-to-text conversion on Windows, while that conversion is not available in its web app. Mac image OCR uses online services and can take 24–48 hours to become available. This prevents a blanket promise that every recognition task is instant or offline. Evernote also advertises handwriting and attachment search, but an older search page still names retired plans. Test the supported workflow for your plan using your handwriting and scan quality. A feature being documented is useful evidence, but it is not an accuracy result for your own notes.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Prepare offline content before relying on it
Evernote stores synced desktop notes in a local database, while mobile access depends on cached or downloaded content. OneNote also creates local notebook copies and later synchronizes edits. In either case, a new device must first obtain the content. For a class or trip, check a sample page with its attachment on the specific device you will carry. Work through a harmless edit and confirm that it appears after reconnection. That proposed rehearsal is separate from this documentation review, which did not measure sync reliability or conflict handling.
Source 1Source 2Plan the exit before moving the archive
Evernote Free can export through the Mac or Windows app as ENEX or HTML; its web app does not offer that export. OneNote's web notebook export is restricted to personal OneDrive accounts and does not cover organizational OneDrive or SharePoint. Its documented web importer is now deprecated. These limits make migration more than copying text. Keep the original notebooks and test a small collection containing attachments, links and dates. If your content belongs to an employer or school, confirm the permitted export route and ownership before treating a personal-account workflow as applicable.
Source 1Source 2Our take
OneNote is a practical starting point for visual and handwritten notes. Evernote is easier to justify when its capture and retrieval workflow already supports regular work. Archive size, device differences and the migration route should decide the final choice.
Common questions
Do I need Microsoft 365 just to use OneNote?
No. Supported OneNote applications are free. Some premium capabilities and extra storage depend on a separate subscription.
Can free Evernote users export their notes?
Yes, with the desktop app. The documented ENEX and HTML export route does not require a paid plan.
Check the sources
Evidence used for this comparison. A checked date records when we reviewed the source, not a promise that the vendor has made no changes since.
- Evernote Web Clipper (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Evernote collaboration (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Export Evernote notes (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com
- Evernote plan comparison (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com
- Evernote offline notes (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com
- Evernote Starter and Advanced FAQ (opens in a new tab)
help.evernote.com · Official USD monthly and annual prices; third-party billing may differ.
- Evernote search (opens in a new tab)
evernote.com · Page retains retired plan names. Use current plan FAQ for entitlements.
- Export OneNote notebooks (opens in a new tab)
support.microsoft.com
- Take handwritten notes in OneNote (opens in a new tab)
support.microsoft.com
- Copy image text in OneNote for Mac (opens in a new tab)
support.microsoft.com
- OneNote and Microsoft 365 plans (opens in a new tab)
www.microsoft.com
- Sync a OneNote notebook (opens in a new tab)
support.microsoft.com
- Differences between OneNote versions (opens in a new tab)
support.microsoft.com
Keep comparing
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Notion vs Craft: running a workspace or shaping a document?
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Notion vs Obsidian: shared workspace or personal knowledge base?
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