Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote: Which is Better in 2026?
OneNote and Evernote both started as digital notebooks, but they have drifted apart on price and philosophy. OneNote is free with unlimited notebooks and is backed by Microsoft's much larger 365 ecosystem, while Evernote, since its 2023 acquisition by Bending Spoons, restricted its free tier and raised prices repeatedly, most recently overhauling its paid tiers into Starter and Advanced plans in late 2025. This comparison is for anyone choosing a note-taking app and weighing cost against Evernote's more mature search and organization tools.
Bottom line: Microsoft OneNote wins this matchup. Our overall Note-Taking pick is Notion AI. Our free Note-Taking pick is Fathom. Pick Evernote if you need a free tier to start with.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
We've tested both tools. Here's who should pick what:
Evernote
The original note-taking app, still kicking after all these years
Best for you if:
- • Long-time Evernote users with existing note archives, and anyone who specifically needs best-in-class search and web clipping and is willing to pay for it
- • You want excellent web clipper for saving articles
- • You want strong search including handwritten notes
Microsoft OneNote
Digital notebook for organizing everything
Best for you if:
- • You want a fully free tool (Evernote requires payment)
- • You want completely free
- • You want great handwriting/tablet support
| At a Glance | Evernote | |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | FreeFree tier available | FreeFree tier available |
Best For | Note-Taking | Note-Taking |
Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.6/5 |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Choose Evernote or Microsoft OneNote?
Choose Evernote if
The original note-taking app, still kicking after all these years
- Long-time Evernote users with existing note archives, and anyone who specifically needs best-in-class search and web clipping and is willing to pay for it
- You want excellent web clipper for saving articles
- You want strong search including handwritten notes
Choose Microsoft OneNote if
Digital notebook for organizing everything
- You want a fully free tool (Evernote requires payment)
- You want completely free
- You want great handwriting/tablet support
| Feature | Evernote | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Free |
| User Rating | ★4.4/5 10,296 reviews | ★4.6/5 3,799 reviews |
| Categories | Note-TakingProductivity | Note-TakingProductivity |
In-Depth Analysis
Evernote
Strengths
- +Search, tagging, and web clipping remain more mature and purpose-built than OneNote's, reflecting over a decade of iteration specifically on note retrieval
- +The Advanced tier includes unlimited notes, notebooks, device sync, and storage plus AI features in a single plan rather than splitting AI access into a separate license
- +Cross-platform apps are consistently rated well for a dedicated, polished note-taking experience distinct from a broader office suite
- +Long-time users have years of accumulated notes and workflows already built around Evernote's specific organization model
Weaknesses
- -The free tier was cut down to just 50 notes, one notebook, and sync to a single device, a severe restriction compared to OneNote's unlimited free tier
- -Starter costs $99 a year and Advanced costs $249.99 a year, following price hikes after the 2023 Bending Spoons acquisition that roughly doubled the old annual personal plan price
- -Public sentiment has been openly negative about the repeated price increases and shrinking free tier, and the tier structure itself was overhauled again in late 2025
- -No meaningful free path for a new user who wants to build a large note archive without paying, unlike OneNote which supports that natively
Best For
Long-time Evernote users with existing note archives, and anyone who specifically needs best-in-class search and web clipping and is willing to pay for it.
Evernote still has the more refined search and organization tooling, but its free tier is no longer a real option for new users, and the price hikes since 2023 make it a harder sell against a free alternative that covers most people's actual needs.
Microsoft OneNote
Strengths
- +Completely free with unlimited notebooks, cross-platform sync, real-time collaboration, and handwriting support, no note count or notebook limit like Evernote's free tier
- +5GB of OneDrive storage is included free, and the Microsoft 365 tier at $6.99/month adds a full 1TB alongside the entire Office app suite, not just more note storage
- +Copilot integration added through 2026 lets users summarize pages, draft agendas, extract action items from handwritten ink, and turn notebooks into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files directly
- +Deep integration with Outlook, Teams, and the rest of Microsoft 365 makes it a natural default for anyone already on that stack
Weaknesses
- -Search and tagging are less refined than Evernote's, which has spent over a decade building web clipping and search features specifically for heavy note archives
- -Copilot features inside OneNote now require a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license on top of the base subscription, adding cost for the AI capabilities specifically
- -Organization structure is more freeform than Evernote's, which some heavy users find less disciplined for large, long-term note archives
Best For
Anyone who wants a fully free, unlimited note-taking app, especially users already inside Microsoft 365 who want notes to connect with Outlook, Teams, and Office documents.
OneNote is the easy default for cost-conscious users and anyone in the Microsoft ecosystem, since it gives away for free what Evernote now charges at least $99 a year for.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Pricing
Microsoft OneNote winsOneNote is free with unlimited notebooks, and its paid Microsoft 365 tier is $6.99/month for a full Office suite plus 1TB storage. Evernote's free tier is capped at 50 notes and one notebook, with paid plans at $99/year (Starter) and $249.99/year (Advanced) required for real usage. OneNote wins decisively on cost for equivalent capability.
Free tier usability
Microsoft OneNote winsOneNote's free tier has no meaningful limits for note count, notebooks, or devices. Evernote's free tier is restricted to 50 notes, one notebook, and a single device, which makes it unusable as a genuine long-term note archive without upgrading.
Search and organization
Evernote winsEvernote's search, tagging, and web clipping remain more refined than OneNote's freeform notebook and section structure, a real advantage for users managing a large, long-term archive of clipped articles and research.
AI features
TieOneNote's Copilot integration summarizes pages, drafts content, and converts notebooks into Office documents, but requires a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Evernote's Advanced tier bundles AI features directly into the $249.99/year plan without a separate license. Both charge for AI, just structured differently.
Ecosystem integration
Microsoft OneNote winsOneNote's integration with Outlook, Teams, and the rest of Microsoft 365 gives it a functional advantage for anyone already on that stack, connecting notes to email and meetings in a way a standalone app like Evernote cannot match.
Price trajectory and trust
Microsoft OneNote winsEvernote's pricing has moved sharply upward since its 2023 acquisition, with the old annual personal plan roughly doubling in price and the tier structure overhauled again in late 2025, drawing public backlash. OneNote's free tier has stayed stable and unlimited throughout the same period.
Pricing: Evernote vs Microsoft OneNote
| Plan | Evernote | Microsoft OneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $0 Free | Free Free |
| Tier 2 | $14.99 Starter | $6.99 month With Microsoft 365 |
| Tier 3 | $19.99 Advanced | N/A |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on Evernote pricing and Microsoft OneNote pricing.
Who Should Use What?
On a budget?
Microsoft OneNote is free. Evernote is freemium.
Go with: Microsoft OneNote
Want the highest-rated option?
Evernote: 4.4/5 (10,296 reviews). Microsoft OneNote: 4.6/5 (3,799 reviews).
Go with: Microsoft OneNote
Value user reviews?
Evernote: 10,296 reviews (4.4/5). Microsoft OneNote: 3,799 reviews (4.6/5).
Go with: Evernote
3 Questions to Help You Decide
What's your budget?
Evernote is freemium. Microsoft OneNote is free. Go with Microsoft OneNote if free matters most.
What's your use case?
Both are note-taking tools. Compare their specific features to decide.
How important are ratings?
Microsoft OneNote is rated higher: 4.6/5 vs 4.4/5.
Key Takeaways
Microsoft OneNote
- Higher user rating: 4.6/5 vs 4.4/5
- More user reviews (1)
- Completely free
- Our pick for this comparison
Evernote
- Larger review base (10,296 reviews)
The Bottom Line
Choose OneNote if cost matters at all, if you are already on Microsoft 365, or if you are starting a note archive from scratch and do not want to hit a wall at 50 notes. Choose Evernote if you specifically need its more mature search and web clipping, or if you already have years of notes built up in its system and the migration cost outweighs the ongoing $99 to $249.99 a year. New users with no existing Evernote archive should default to OneNote; long-time Evernote users should weigh the recent price hikes against how disruptive a migration would actually be before switching.
What Users Say
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OneNote really free with no limits?
Yes, OneNote's core product is free with unlimited notebooks, cross-platform sync, real-time collaboration, and handwriting support. The only paid tier, Microsoft 365 at $6.99/month, adds 1TB of storage and the full Office app suite rather than removing a limit.
How much does Evernote cost now?
Evernote's free tier is capped at 50 notes and one notebook. Paid tiers are Starter at $99/year and Advanced at $249.99/year, following a restructuring of the old Personal and Professional tiers in late 2025.
Why did Evernote's pricing change so much?
Evernote was acquired by Bending Spoons in November 2023, and the annual personal plan roughly doubled in price shortly after, from about $69.99 to $129.99, before the tiers were restructured again into Starter and Advanced in late 2025.
Which app has better search for a large note archive?
Evernote. Its search, tagging, and web clipping tools have been refined over more than a decade specifically for retrieving notes from a large archive, an edge OneNote's more freeform notebook structure has not fully matched.
Can I move my notes from Evernote to OneNote?
OneNote supports importing Evernote notebooks through Microsoft's import tools, though formatting and tags do not always transfer perfectly. Anyone considering the move should export a backup from Evernote first and check the import result before canceling an Evernote subscription.