The Best Free Microsoft OneNote AlternativesTop Note-taking Tools & Todo List Managers like Microsoft OneNote

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   

   Official Partner

   PrivacyNotes

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

   Workspace with end-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge security, rich notes, private journal, encrypted file storage, password management, cross-platform browser access, open-source cryptography, optional Pro features, and no recurring subscription fees.

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Online
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • iPad
   • Google Chrome
   • Software as a Service (SaaS)
   • United States

   More about PrivacyNotesVisit website
2. 

   

   Obsidian

    1223 likes

   Privacy-oriented note-taking app for non-linear thinking, blending knowledge graph creation with wiki-style linking. Supports Markdown, end-to-end encryption, and plugins for customization. Offers distraction-free mode, tags, themes, syntax highlighting, and operates offline without tracking.

   348 Obsidian alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application typeApplication types

   • Note-taking
   • Todo List Manager

   Origin

   • Canada

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Android Tablet
   • iPad
   • Snapcraft
   • Microsoft Edge
   • Google Chrome
   • Flathub
   • Safari
   • AppImage
   • Mozilla Firefox

   • Canada

   

   

   

   +6

   

   More about Obsidian  

   

   Good alternative?Is Obsidian a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

    
3. 

   

   NoteLedge

    200 likes

   Note-taking tool tailored for creatives offering idea capture from Pinterest, YouTube, and the web. Allows mood board creation, drawing, and sketching with varied brushes. Present work, share with teams using multimedia and exportable notes in PDF format

   105 NoteLedge alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application typeApplication types

   • Note-taking
   • Todo List Manager

   Origin

   • Taiwan

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • iPad
   • Android Tablet

   • Taiwan

   

   

   

   +5

   

   More about NoteLedge  

   

   Good alternative?Is NoteLedge a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

    

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   1comment

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   NoteLedge vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

   Positive comment by Harry Ryan · Jun 19, 2019

   With this app you can organize everything including your daily activity or special event.

   1 of 1 comments

   

   

   • NoteLedge is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft OneNote is also Freemium and Proprietary
5. 

   

   Zim

    521 likes

   Zim brings the concept of a wiki to your desktop. Store information, link pages and edit with WYSISYG markup or directly typing some lightweight markup syntax and see it previewed as-you-type. Creating a new page is easy by either clicking on the "Create new note"...

   361 Zim alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Note-taking
   • Task Management

   Origin

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • BSD
   • Flathub
   • Flatpak

   • Netherlands
   • EU

   

   

   

   +2

   

   More about Zim  

   

   Good alternative?Is Zim a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

    

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   11comments

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   Zim vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

   Top Positive Comment by LordMax · May 6, 2018

   Wonderful. Every file is a .txt file, so you're in total control.

   Top Negative Comment by Guest · Sep 28, 2018

   Zim is more like simplenote, or a desktop wiki. It is missing most of the functionality of onenote.

   Positive comment by axcqhsbsadoukciozt · Jul 3, 2023

   You are better of using a cellulose notepad rather than OneNote which siphons all your data unencrypted to "the cloud"

   3 of 11 comments

   

   

   • Zim is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft OneNote is Freemium and Proprietary
   • Zim is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
6. Ad

   

   

   Slite

   Designed for remote teams, it streamlines workflows by unifying documentation, discussion, and task execution. Features include a powerful editor, video explainers, sketch tools, integrations with Slack, Google Drive, project man...

   https://slite.com

   Learn More
7. 

   

   sNotes – Students Notes

    124 likes

   Students Notes is a note-taking app designed for online learners to overcome information overload, organization, and memorization challenges.

   131 sNotes – Students Notes alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Note-taking

   Platforms

   • Online

   

   

   

   More about sNotes – Students Notes  

   

   Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

    

   |

   2comments

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   sNotes – Students Notes vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

   Positive comment by dida_james · Mar 26, 2024

   The ability to organize knowledge with snotes and easily save snotes files for later access and review significantly enhances its usability. This makes snotes a strong competitor to OneNote.

   Positive comment by ceka-feyam · Mar 6, 2024

   A Real alternative to OneNote, especially for study purposes.

   2 of 2 comments

   

   

   • sNotes – Students Notes is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft OneNote is Freemium and Proprietary
   • sNotes – Students Notes is Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
8. 

   

   Joplin

    946 likes

   Open source app for managing notes and to-dos with Markdown support. Syncs seamlessly across devices using services like Dropbox and OneDrive. Offers end-to-end encrypted synchronicity, offline access, rich import/export options, and a Web Clipper for browsers.

   227 Joplin alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source

   Application typeApplication types

   • Note-taking
   • Todo List Manager

   Origin

   • France
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Online
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Android Tablet
   • iPad
   • Self-Hosted
   • AppImageHub
   • Snapcraft
   • Google Chrome
   • Flathub
   • PortableApps.com
   • F-Droid
   • Cloudron
   • Homebrew
   • Chocolatey
   • Termux
   • Mozilla Firefox

   • France
   • EU

   

   

   

   +7

   

   More about Joplin  

   

   Good alternative?Is Joplin a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

    

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   13comments

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   Joplin vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

   Top Positive Comment by dasonic · Mar 7, 2020

   Same structure as Onenote, supports images, looks modern.

   Doesn't have all the same features (like drawing on the screen) but also has its own unique features Onenote doesn't have.

   Also runs on Linux, which is the biggest plus for me.

   Top Negative Comment by Martin Ligabue · Oct 15, 2021

   it doesn't have pen input support

   Negative comment by Nuncio Bitis · Jul 17, 2024

   it doesn't do diagrams, and the plain text files it creates are given obscure names so you can't find them.

   3 of 13 comments

   

   

   • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft OneNote is Freemium and Proprietary
   • Joplin is Privacy focused, Lightweight, Minimalistic and DecentralizedMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
10. 

    

    Notion

     683 likes

    Enhance team collaboration and content organization with Notion. Experience real-time access, intuitive drag-and-drop functionalities, and visually simple interfaces designed for productivity in managing tasks, notes, and databases effectively. Ideal for teams of every size.

    412 Notion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Todo List Manager

    Origin

    • United States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    • United States

    

    

    

    +9

    

    More about Notion  

    

    Good alternative?Is Notion a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     

    |

    5comments

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    Notion vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

    Top Positive Comment by raphaelaguiar · Jul 28, 2017

    Better visualization and flexible organization. Keeps your information in a multi-hierarchical wiki, not in notes,

    Top Negative Comment by Guest · Mar 25, 2020

    Biggest feature of Onenote is drawing & typing everywhere, which Notion doesn't support. Notion is good to store highly structured data, while Onenote is more like a digital paper.

    Positive comment by Leo T · Sep 23, 2022

    Notion is better for vizualisation and is free, but the huge drawback is the desktop application. It is an embedded browser (Chrome actually), so its RAM and CPU usages are far behind OneNote : around 1% CPU average for Notion, vs OneNote with 0% average ; 300Mb RAM usage, vs 60Mb for OneNote. This impacts directly user experience and battery life, and also loading times. OneNote is loading quasi instantly, and Notion is taking 5s to load.

    3 of 5 comments

    

    

    • Notion is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft OneNote is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • Notion is CustomizableMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
11. 

    

    Xournal++

     199 likes

    Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation using pen input and pressure sensitivity, shape drawing, customizable toolbar layouts, image insertion, audio recording, multi-language options, LaTeX integration, and complete export in PDF or PNG formats across all platforms.

    74 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • PDF Reader

    Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub

    • Global

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about Xournal++  

    

    Good alternative?Is Xournal++ a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     

    |

    8comments

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    Xournal++ vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

    Top Positive Comment by violoncello · Dec 31, 2020

    With Xournal++ you own your notes and can save them wherever you want - you are not forced to store them somewhere in the cloud as it's the case with OneNote

    Top Negative Comment by syserss · Aug 18, 2026

    This is really an annotation and sketching tool. While it looks like it may do that well, OneNote has so many more features.

    Negative comment by Guest · May 19, 2022

    In the version available for Chromebooks, the option for typed text is not working.

    3 of 8 comments

    

    

    • Xournal++ is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft OneNote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Xournal++ is Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
12. 

    

    Logseq

     358 likes

    Local-first, privacy-focused notebook supporting Markdown and Emacs Org mode. Offers offline use, encrypted backups, plugin extensibility, LaTeX support, real-time collaboration, and hierarchical organization for personal knowledge management.

    260 Logseq alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Task Management

    Origin

    • United States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid

    • United States

    

    

    More about Logseq  

    

    Good alternative?Is Logseq a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     
13. 

    

    Anytype

     313 likes

    Manage notes, tasks, and projects offline with Markdown support. Enjoy encrypted storage, P2P syncing, and powerful dynamic collections across all devices, while allowing redistribution and modification for non-commercial uses.

    239 Anytype alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Source Available

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Todo List Manager

    Origin

    • Switzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Docker

    • Switzerland

    

    

    

    +6

    

    More about Anytype  

    

    Good alternative?Is Anytype a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     
14. 

    

    Standard Notes

     709 likes

    Secure note-taking app with end-to-end encryption, unlimited syncing across all platforms, offline access, detailed organization through tags, strong passcode and biometric protections, and premium features like encrypted files, themes, web clipper, super note types, and hardware key support.

    218 Standard Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Todo List Manager

    Origin

    • United States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • OpenAPK

    • United States

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about Standard Notes  

    

    Good alternative?Is Standard Notes a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     

    |

    7comments

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    Standard Notes vs Microsoft OneNote Comments

    Top Positive Comment by Guest · Sep 8, 2017

    Encrypted, very lightweight and not owned by Microsoft.

    Top Negative Comment by Guest · Aug 18, 2020

    The free version is only plain text editing - can't even paste images or use bold and italics. There simply aren't enough features in the free one to determine whether I like it enough to pay for premium.

    Comment by k71 · Sep 24, 2022

    Good for those options to store online or sync between devices. Devices: Windows app, web-browser, android app...

    I prefer this one than SimpleNote, in any case, to share between devices nowadays i recommend telegram or protectedtext. For text, Onenote. I didnt like turtl, joplin or elephant.

    3 of 7 comments

    

    

    • Standard Notes is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft OneNote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Standard Notes is Privacy focused, Minimalistic, Security-focused and CustomizableMicrosoft OneNote is not according to our users
15. 

    

    Notesnook

     221 likes

    Offers open-source, end-to-end encrypted notes with device-based privacy, cross-platform support, private vault, secure sync, offline access, markdown editor, exports to multiple formats, automatic backups, organizational tools, and strong encryption.

    395 Notesnook alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Task Management

    Origin

    • Pakistan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    • Self-Hosted

    • Pakistan

    

    

    

    +6

    

    More about Notesnook  

    

    Good alternative?Is Notesnook a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?

     
16. 

    

    Zettlr

     267 likes

    Unified writing platform offering note-taking, easy citations with Zotero integration, LaTeX/Word templates, snippets, themes, dark modes, code highlighting, multi-language support, and knowledge management with Zettelkasten for seamless writing from notes to books.

    248 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Note-taking
    • Text Editor

    Origin

    • Germany
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com

    • Germany
    • EU

    

    

    

    +5

    

    More about Zettlr  

    

    Good alternative?Is Zettlr a good alternative to Microsoft OneNote?