The best Microsoft OneNote alternatives in 2026

1

Kalend

To-dos, calendar, habits and a journal in one free app 9.6 +1.5 vs Microsoft OneNote

• More private +2.5
• Faster +2.0
• Better design +1.8
• More features +0.9

Best for: People who want tasks, habits and a journal in one private, free app

2

Obsidian

Private, local-first notes linked like a second brain 9.3 +1.1 vs Microsoft OneNote

• More private +2.4
• Faster +1.7
• More features +0.8
• Better design +0.7

Best for: Writers, students and researchers building a long-term personal knowledge base

3

Todoist

Clean, cross-platform to-do list with natural language input 9.0 +0.9 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Faster +1.8
• Better design +1.5
• More private +0.9
• Worse value -0.6

Best for: People and small teams who want a fast, reliable task list on every device

4

Notion

Docs, wikis and databases in one flexible workspace 8.9 +0.8 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Better design +1.6
• More features +1.2
• Faster +0.7
• Worse value -0.4

Best for: Teams who want docs, wikis and task boards in one place

5

Things 3

Beautifully designed task manager for Mac and iPhone 8.8 +0.7 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Better design +1.9
• Faster +1.9
• More private +1.7
• Worse value -1.2

Best for: Apple users who want a calm, personal task manager without a subscription

6

TickTick

Tasks, calendar, habits and focus timer in one app 8.7 +0.6 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Faster +1.4
• More features +0.7
• Better design +0.7

Best for: Students and planners who want tasks, calendar, habits and focus in one app

7

Craft

Polished docs and notes that look great by default 8.6 +0.5 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Better design +1.8
• Worse value -1.4
• Faster +0.9
• More private +0.9

Best for: Writers and Apple users who want beautiful notes and docs with little effort

8

Jotter

A fast notes app with lists, handwriting and voice notes 8.4 +0.3 vs Microsoft OneNote

• More private +2.2
• Fewer features -1.1
• Faster +0.9
• Better design +0.4

Best for: iPhone and iPad users who want a quick, private notepad with handwriting

9

Evernote

Veteran note app with strong search and web clipping 7.6 -0.5 vs Microsoft OneNote

• Worse value -3.6
• Less private -0.5

Best for: Long-time users with large archives of clipped articles and scanned documents