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12 Best Microsoft OneNote Alternatives for Windows in 2026

Explore 12 alternatives to Microsoft OneNote — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

Compare 12 top Microsoft OneNote alternatives at a glance

Quick answer

Our top note taking software alternatives to Microsoft OneNote are Evernote, Zoho Notebook and Easynote. Evernote ranks first with a SpotScore of 9.8 and 4.25★ from real users. The table below compares all 12 on score, rating, and pricing.

If Microsoft OneNote isn't pulling its weight, this list points you to better options. These 12 note taking software alternatives are ranked by SpotScore (verified satisfaction and market presence), ratings, and pricing model, with editorial review on every entry. Compare them in the table, then read the detail for each pick below.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
EvernoteOrganize your life, anytime, anywhere.9.8★★★★ 4.25(459)Freefrom $7.50/moteams of all sizes
Zoho NotebookOrganize your thoughts effortlessly.9.1★★★★★ 4.54(45)FreeFreemiumteams of all sizes
EasynoteEffortless project management for teams of any size.8.9★★★★★ 4.8(20)Freefrom $29 /User/Monthteams of all sizes
AmanoteOrganize your thoughts, effortlessly.8.3★★★★★ 4.5(9)One-time license · Subscription · Quotation Basedsmall & mid-size businesses
BearEffortlessly manage notes with secure productivity.9★★★★★ 4.61(42)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
Google KeepOrganize, remember, and conquer your day.9Not yet ratedFreeFreemiumsmall businesses
Nimbus NoteCapture ideas, collaborate effortlessly, simplify your life.9★★★★★ 4.88(27)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
MeetingKingStreamline meetings, capture decisions, boost productivity.8.9★★★★★ 4.5(5)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
MilanoteStreamline your note taking, effortlessly.8.9★★★★★ 4.67(36)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedsmall & mid-size businesses
SupernotesPower up your note-taking game.8.8Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Subscriptionsmall & mid-size businesses
HugoEffortlessly organize, create and share notes.8.8★★★★★ 5(2)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
SimplenoteYour ideas, always at hand.8.7★★★★ 4.08(20)FreeFreemiumsmall & mid-size businesses

9.8

SpotScore

Evernote - Note Taking Software

Evernote

Organize your life, anytime, anywhere.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Evernote?

Evernote makes it easy to capture, find, and act on information across all the devices you use. It's available across multiple platforms — smartphones, tablets, computers and even in print. Take notes, create to-do lists, snap pictures and scan documents to save all of your work in one place. ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

9.1

SpotScore

Zoho Notebook - Note Taking Software

Zoho Notebook

Organize your thoughts effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

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What is Zoho Notebook?

Zoho Notebook is a personal note-taking app best suited for individuals already within the Zoho ecosystem -- CRM, Mail, or Docs users -- who need a simple digital notebook for capturing ideas, lists, and tasks across devices. The free tier caps storage at 1 GB, while paid plans remove the ...

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8.9

SpotScore

Easynote - Task Management Software

Easynote

Effortless project management for teams of any size.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Easynote?

Easynote is a task and note management tool for individuals and small teams that want project tracking, shared notes, and basic contact management in a single workspace. Setup is fast and the interface is minimal, making adoption straightforward for teams that do not need workflow automation or ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Easynote offers custom pricing plan

8.3

SpotScore

Amanote - Note Taking Software

Amanote

Organize your thoughts, effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

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What is Amanote?

Amanote is your personal note taking software. It makes it easy to capture ideas as they come to you. Amanote puts your notes in the cloud and synchronizes them across all of your devices, so you're always able to access them from anywhere.It assists making your notes neat and clear, without ...

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Amanote offers custom pricing plan

9.0

SpotScore

Bear

Bear

Effortlessly manage notes with secure productivity.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Bear?

Bear is a dynamic software platform that empowers users to effortlessly generate, manage, and transfer their notes with ease. Whether it's creating documents swiftly and securely or encrypting them for heightened security, Bear offers a comprehensive toolkit to enhance productivity. Seamlessly ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $2.49/month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

9.0

SpotScore

Google Keep - Note Taking Software

Google Keep

Organize, remember, and conquer your day.

Best for: SMB teams

Try for Free

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What is Google Keep?

Google Keep is a note taking app that lets you save and organize all of your notes, lists, photos, and reminders in one place. With this, you can quickly save that new idea you have, without having to type out your thoughts.It also makes it easy for you to add reminders, so you'll never have to ...

Read more about Google Keep

9.0

SpotScore

Nimbus Note - Note Taking Software

Nimbus Note

Capture ideas, collaborate effortlessly, simplify your life.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

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What is Nimbus Note?

Nimbus Note is a software application that helps you to write quickly and store your ideas for later use. The application is very simple, friendly to use and convenient. The program's modern interface provides you with a variety of search, retrieval, tagging, collaboration and sharing options ...

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Starts from $3.99, also offers free forever plan

8.9

SpotScore

MeetingKing - Note Taking Software

MeetingKing

Streamline meetings, capture decisions, boost productivity.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is MeetingKing?

MeetingKing is a simple, fast and intuitive note taking software, which helps you to quickly take notes during meetings. It focuses on the parts of your meeting that matter most by capturing your decisions and agreements as they happen, so you can efficiently manage projects and collaborate ...

Read more about MeetingKing
Free Trial·

Starts from $9.95/Month

8.9

SpotScore

Milanote - Note Taking Software

Milanote

Streamline your note taking, effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

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What is Milanote?

Milanote is a visual workspace designed to help creative professionals organize ideas, projects, and content in an intuitive, flexible way. Built for designers, marketers, writers, agencies, and startups, it enables teams and individuals to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate visually. With ...

Read more about Milanote
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $9.99/Month when yearly, also offers free forever plan

8.8

SpotScore

Supernotes - Note Taking Software

Supernotes

Power up your note-taking game.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

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What is Supernotes?

SuperNotes is note taking software that allows you to quickly capture and store information from anywhere on your computer, even directly from the web. With this it is easy to make assignments, distribute them to students, get instant feedback to evaluate their performance and give ...

Read more about Supernotes
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $8/month when yearly

8.8

SpotScore

Hugo - Note Taking Software

Hugo

Effortlessly organize, create and share notes.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is Hugo?

Hugo is a note taking application which focuses on simplicity and productivity. This visual editor is designed for writing, not coding. At its core is a simple, responsive grid that looks great on all devices. Hugo  also comes with powerful features like multi-language support, RSS feeds, page ...

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Starts from $6/User/Month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

8.7

SpotScore

Simplenote - Note Taking Software

Simplenote

Your ideas, always at hand.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is Simplenote?

Simplenote is the easiest way to keep notes, lists, ideas and more. It's available on computers, phones and tablets.It's available wherever you are, so you can capture fleeting thoughts or write down your next big idea. With Simplenote, your notes are always with you—safe and synced across all ...

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What each Microsoft OneNote alternative is best known for

Evernote9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Evernote has a versatile interface that allows easy access across multiple devices, enabling users to have all their notes, tasks, and reminders synced conveniently.

Watch for: Some users have reported bugs and performance issues, such as slow typing on specific devices, ordering problems with lists, and slow overall app performance, impacting the user experience negatively.

Zoho Notebook9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use and navigate, suitable for both personal and professional needs.

Watch for: Limited integration with external platforms like Google Drive, which could enhance file accessibility.

Easynote8.9Best for teams of all sizes

Clean interface makes task and project management accessible for both beginners and experienced users.

Watch for: Initial setup and interface can feel daunting for first-time users without prior guidance.

Amanote8.3Best for small & mid-size businesses

Cloud synchronization across devices

Watch for: Limited advanced features

Bear9Best for teams of all sizes

Supports markdown for writing, blogging, and exporting, with syncing across devices.

Watch for: Some users may find the app overwhelming due to its rich feature set and customization options without sufficient guidance.

Google Keep9Best for small businesses

Easy note organization

Watch for: Limited formatting options

Nimbus Note9Best for teams of all sizes

Streamlined project and deadline management, enhancing organization and workload handling.

Watch for: Waiting for new versions and additional features like dark mode can be a drawback for some users.

MeetingKing8.9Best for teams of all sizes

Intuitive meeting note capture

Watch for: Limited formatting options

Milanote8.9Best for small & mid-size businesses

Milanote offers a highly visual and intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it ideal for organizing ideas, mood boards, and creative projects with ease.

Watch for: Milanote has limited integrations compared to some project management competitors, which can restrict workflow automation for larger enterprises.

Supernotes8.8Best for small & mid-size businesses

Quick information capture

Watch for: Limited customization options

Hugo8.8Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface

Watch for: Limited advanced features

Simplenote8.7Best for small & mid-size businesses

Very user-friendly with a straightforward interface, ideal for quick note-taking and sharing with collaborators.

Watch for: Lack of advanced features like template customization, reminder settings, and rich text formatting options.

Why teams look for a Microsoft OneNote alternative

The decision to move off Microsoft OneNote usually rests on a few known weak spots:

  • Feature parity across platforms is inconsistent, affecting cross-device experience.
  • Some users find the formatting and customization options challenging, especially for new users.
  • Limited third-party connectors and marketplace options restrict advanced use cases.
  • Exporting notes to other formats and applications is cumbersome.

How to find the right Microsoft OneNote replacement

Here's how the 12 alternatives compare at a factual level: 11 offer a free tier; paid plans run $7.5–$29, with Evernote the cheapest entry point; and Hugo is the highest rated at 5 across 2 reviews.

How each tool earns its spot.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Microsoft OneNote are Hugo (5.0★), Nimbus Note (4.9★), Easynote (4.8★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Microsoft OneNote, prioritize: To-do List, Share Link, File Sharing, Real-time Collaboration, Templates, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Microsoft OneNote is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to choose the right Microsoft OneNote alternative for you

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Evernote, Zoho Notebook and Easynote let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Hugo has the strongest star rating (5★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Evernote has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.8) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Moving off Microsoft OneNote

Before retiring Microsoft OneNote, take the cautious route. Export your data, make sure the new tool accepts it, and confirm the workflows you rely on transfer. Pilot on a free tier or trial, then go all in, leaving Microsoft OneNote active until migration finishes.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].