OneNote alternatives: A comparison of digital notebooks

Outline requires a fee – which is not that surprising considering the wide range of functions. With its attractive OneNote compatibility, many users are happy to pay for it. Even though the app is extremely reliable, there are occasionally synchronisation errors. In particular, the transferring of hand-written notes is not always successful. Even though Outline has many convincing aspects, the program only catches the interest of Apple users.

Evernote offers many interesting features, such as offline mode or searchable PDF files. However, the majority of the additional functions are only available in the paid versions Evernote Premium and Evernote Business. The free of charge basic rate on the other hand, is massively restricted. With this rate, only the search function, the passcode lock, as well as the ability to share and comment on notes by friends and acquaintances are integrated. Also, you have access to 60MB per month for uploads, and you can only synchronise between two devices. In the fee-based, premium version you receive 10GB or 20GB per month, and you can synchronise your notes limitlessly between all devices.

A further shortcoming is its user-friendliness. Since the software can be connected to countless apps and web applications – for example, the daily weather report – the notebook can quickly become overloaded. However, those who work regularly with Evernote will become accustomed to how it operates.

Even though Notion is primarily aimed at companies and larger teams, the OneNote alternative could also be interesting for individuals - especially since the basic edition is completely free of charge and allows an unlimited number of pages and notes. The synchronisation of data across all devices (macOS, Windows, iOS and Android) can also be enjoyed by non-paying users.

Purchasing a paid Notion subscription is recommended if you need features for collaboration like a shared workspace, an access rights system, or administrator tools. Version management, security mechanisms like SAML SSO or the possibility to add an unlimited number of team members and guests are only available to paying Notion customers.

For the design of the workspace, the alternative to OneNote provides over 40 content blocks and more than 50 starter templates. Whether you want to access your notes and planning via desktop application, app, or via the Notion web application is up to you. One downside is that there are limitations with the size of the file upload - users of the Personal plan have to be content with a maximum of five megabytes.

In terms of the range of functions, Simplenote offers very little in comparison to its competitors. This suits people who prefer a notebook with a simple text format – especially because the program supports the popular Markdown language, which allows for simple design options. However, multimedia features or the ability to insert or edit documents is not available.

Another downside is that you have to log into your Simplenote account every time you use the program if you want to create or share notes.

Google Keep doesn’t just let you make notes and checklists, it also allows you to save photos and documents which you can then share with other users. Use the integrated search bar to find all your notes and content. A plus: the memory function, so you will never forget another appointment.

Memonic is also a very popular digital notebook amongst users. There is a free of charge and a paid version of the program. In the free version you can create up to 100 notes, as well as 3 group projects per month. On top of that, you are permitted 2MB per file attachment. If you opt for the Premium version, you can make unrestricted use of all the features. The file attachment size allowance increases to 20MB per file. Premium users can also use the “collection mode”, which is helpful when undertaking extensive web research.

One of the unique aspects of Memonic is that, similar to social networks, you can choose to make your entries private and visible only to yourself, your friends, or public to all users. You can also make groups and create shared notes. Discuss your projects together directly using the integrated mail function or share your notes over social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. You can save content from the web directly into Memonic using the additional tool Web Clipper.

Memonic also scores big points in terms of multimedia. Not only do you get a multifunctional text tool, but you can also embed documents, graphics, videos etc. at the same time. Tags help you prioritise your notes and locate things quickly on the search list. Last but not least, there is a wide variety of background themes available to choose from.

Memonic has the potential to shine as a OneNote alternative, however, you only get unrestricted access to all the tools and features with the paid version. Since Memonic works as a social network, you should be careful of what notes you want to share with the public: be sure to check the privacy settings. Those who are cautious with security should opt for the private setting and then manually share individual notes.