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.
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.
Based on the documented differences below. Your priorities can change the choice.Its clipper and search workflow connect captured material with notebooks and tags.
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 1,000 attachments, 5 GB and 3 devices.
SourceThe notebook model and documented ink tools suit visual note taking.
Web notebook export supports personal OneDrive accounts, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint.
SourcePublished prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
No subscription charge
AvailabilityGlobal; account terms apply
50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB storage and 1 device.
SourceMonthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Apple or Google billing can differ.
SourceYearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 5 GB and 3 devices.
SourceMonthly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Safeguard limits apply to unlimited allowances.
SourceYearly subscription
AvailabilityUSD official price table
Not the same monthly cost as a cancel-any-month plan.
SourceSupported apps are free
AvailabilityGlobal; availability varies
Microsoft account storage applies. Some premium features require a separate subscription.
SourceAnnual subscription with automatic renewal
AvailabilityUnited States
Suite bundle for one person with 1 TB cloud storage. This is not a mandatory OneNote fee.
SourceAnnual subscription with automatic renewal
AvailabilityUnited States
Suite bundle for up to six people; listed AI benefits are for the subscription owner.
SourceEnter the offers you see at checkout. These are your estimates, separate from our sourced prices above. Use the same currency and region for every offer. This worksheet supports monthly bills, annual bills and purchases that cover the full year. Day-based passes and introductory rates need their actual renewal schedule checked separately.
The scenario starts with a payment today and assumes 12 months of use at the same entered price, including any renewal. Monthly extras repeat 12 times; one-time extras are counted once. It excludes discounts, price changes, refunds, cancellation fees and anything you have not entered. Amounts are rounded to the currency’s usual precision. Confirm the actual charge and contract with the vendor.
Entries stay in this page while it is open. They are not saved or included in shared links.
13 features
Row headings group related topics. Each answer keeps its specific scope. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Devices
Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access.
Devices
Supported apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with a web version.
Offline access
Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks.
Offline access
OneNote keeps local notebook copies for offline editing and synchronizes changes later.
Sharing
Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features.
Sharing
Shared notebooks synchronize edits between collaborators through OneNote.
Export
Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported.
Notebook export
Web notebook export supports personal OneDrive accounts, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint.
Export batches
Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include.
Restore limits
The documented web notebook importer is deprecated. Exported notebooks can be opened in Windows OneNote.
Free plan limits
50 notes, 1 notebook, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB and 1 device.
Free app
Supported OneNote versions are free; optional subscriptions unlock premium features.
Starter limits
1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 1,000 attachments, 5 GB and 3 devices.
Not yet verified for this product.
Web capture
Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags.
Not yet verified for this product.
AI availability
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.
Copilot
Microsoft 365 Personal lists OneNote with Copilot; Family AI benefits are limited to the subscription owner.
Not yet verified for this product.
Not yet verified for this product.
Handwriting
Windows supports ink-to-text conversion. This particular conversion is not offered in OneNote for the web.
Not yet verified for this product.
Image text
Mac OCR uses Microsoft online services and results may take 24–48 hours.
Not yet verified for this product.
Windows app choice
Use the current OneNote app; OneNote for Windows 10 reached its documented support endpoint in October 2025.
| Feature | Evernote | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Devices Apps are available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with browser access. Vendor documentedSource | Devices Supported apps cover Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with a web version. Vendor documentedSource |
| Offline use | Offline access Synced desktop notes are stored locally. Mobile needs cached content or deliberately downloaded notes and notebooks. Vendor documentedSource | Offline access OneNote keeps local notebook copies for offline editing and synchronizes changes later. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Sharing Evernote documents note sharing and real-time teamwork; Enterprise adds organization features. Vendor documentedSource | Sharing Shared notebooks synchronize edits between collaborators through OneNote. Vendor documentedSource |
| Export | Export Free users can export ENEX or HTML from Windows and Mac. Web export is not supported. Vendor documentedSource | Notebook export Web notebook export supports personal OneDrive accounts, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | Export batches Export up to 100 selected notes or an entire notebook. Choose which metadata to include. Vendor documentedSource | Restore limits The documented web notebook importer is deprecated. Exported notebooks can be opened in Windows OneNote. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | Free plan limits 50 notes, 1 notebook, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB and 1 device. Vendor documentedSource | Free app Supported OneNote versions are free; optional subscriptions unlock premium features. Vendor documentedSource |
| Starter limits | 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 capture Web Clipper saves articles, PDFs and screenshots into a selected notebook with tags. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| AI features | AI availability 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. | Copilot Microsoft 365 Personal lists OneNote with Copilot; Family AI benefits are limited to the subscription owner. Vendor documentedSource |
| Search scope | 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. | Handwriting 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. | Image text Mac OCR uses Microsoft online services and results may take 24–48 hours. Vendor documentedSource |
| Windows app choice | Not yet verified for this product. | Windows app choice Use the current OneNote app; OneNote for Windows 10 reached its documented support endpoint in October 2025. Vendor documentedSource |
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 2OneNote'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 2The 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 2OneNote 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 3Evernote 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 2Evernote 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 2OneNote 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.
No. Supported OneNote applications are free. Some premium capabilities and extra storage depend on a separate subscription.
Yes, with the desktop app. The documented ENEX and HTML export route does not require a paid plan.
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.
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help.evernote.com · Official USD monthly and annual prices; third-party billing may differ.
evernote.com · Page retains retired plan names. Use current plan FAQ for entitlements.
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Note-taking · Shortlist Joplin when you want an open-source notebook and a choice of storage service. Keep Evernote in the shortlist when capture and archive retrieval are already valuable enough to justify the plan. Do a representative migration test before canceling or deleting anything.
Note-taking · Choose Joplin when notebook organization and an Evernote import route fit your archive. Choose Obsidian when direct access to ordinary Markdown files is a firm requirement. Both offer free local use. Cloud sync is a separate decision, with different storage limits and currencies. This is a documentation comparison, not a matched speed or reliability test.
Note-taking · Shortlist Notion when structured records and managed access are central to the work. Shortlist Craft when the document is the main deliverable. Both have usable free entry points, but their limits and paid billing need careful interpretation rather than a universal cheaper label.
