UpNote vs Zoho Notebook

UpNote

• People who prefer a one-time lifetime purchase to a subscription
• One notes app across Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
• Moving notes over from Evernote, Apple Notes, Bear or Simplenote

Zoho Notebook

• Low-cost note-taking: Pro is $19.99 a year
• People who like notes laid out as visual cards
• Teams already using Zoho apps such as Zoho CRM, Cliq or Mail
• Recording meetings or lectures and getting transcripts on Pro Plus

UpNote

• The free version is limited to 50 notes; attachments, tables, locks and export need Premium.
• There is no end-to-end encryption: notes sync through Firebase and are encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Premium cannot be bought in the Windows or Linux apps; it is purchased on Mac, iOS or Android and then syncs to your account.
• Attachments are limited to 20 MB, and image resolution is reduced automatically on upload.

Zoho Notebook

• The free Essential plan is limited to 500 MB of cloud storage, 10 MB per file upload and 20 versions per note.
• Notebook AI (transcription, mind maps and generative AI) comes with Pro Plus, not with Essential or Pro.
• Whiteboards, the Teams workspace, the admin console and audit logs are part of the Business plan only.
• Prices vary by region and store: the US App Store lists Pro at $2.49 a month or $24.99 a year, above Zoho's web price.

UpNote

Notebooks, hashtags and Quick Access

Notes are organized with nested notebooks and hashtags, can be pinned to the top of a list or added to Quick Access, and are filtered by matching keywords.

Rich text and Markdown editor

The editor offers rich text options, Markdown support, lists, images, links, attachments, quotes, code blocks, text highlighting and collapsible sections.

Sync and offline use

Notes sync automatically across devices after you sign in and can be read and written without a connection. Without an account, notes stay on the device.

Web Clipper

Browser extensions for Chrome, Safari and Firefox save a web page into UpNote.

Version history, backup and export

Version history is saved as you edit, the desktop app keeps automatic local backups, and Premium exports notes to text, PDF, HTML or Markdown.

Focus mode, locks and sharing

Focus mode hides the note list and menus, a note can be shared through a secret web link, and Premium adds locks for notes, notebooks and the whole app.

Zoho Notebook

Note cards

Each note is a card of a set type: text, checklist, audio, photo, sketch, file or Smart Card. Cards sit in notebooks with tags, reminders and nested collections.

Notebook AI and meeting notes

With Pro Plus, recorded or uploaded audio and video is transcribed into structured notes, long notes become mind maps, and text can be drafted, summarized or translated.

Web Clipper

Extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge clip articles, screenshots and bookmarks, attach sticky notes to web pages and summarize pages with AI.

Scanner and search

The camera scans documents, books and business cards for export as PDF. Pro adds OCR and object detection, so search reaches text inside images and documents.

Noteboards and Whiteboards

Noteboards lay notes out in Kanban-style lists, up to 4 lists on the free plan. Whiteboards, a shared canvas for sketching and planning, come with the Business plan.

Sharing and locking

Notecards, notebooks and collections can be shared with other people or sent as public links, and Pro adds co-owner access. Notes and notebooks can be locked with a password, Touch ID or Face ID.

UpNote

• Free$0

  Up to 50 notes with basic features, synced across all your devices.

• Premium$1.99

  per month

  Unlimited notes, attachments, tables and code, locks for notes and notebooks, themes and notebook covers, and export to text, PDF, HTML and Markdown.

• Premium Lifetime$39.99

  one-time purchase

  The same Premium features for a single payment. One purchase covers all your devices once you sign in to your UpNote account.

Zoho Notebook

• Essential$0

  Sync across devices, 500 MB of storage, 20 note versions, 10 MB file uploads, up to 4 Noteboard lists, document scanning, tags and reminders.

• Pro$1.67

  per month, billed annually ($19.99); $1.99 billed monthly

  100 GB of storage, 100 note versions, 1 GB file uploads, OCR search, PDF annotation, emails into notes and co-owner sharing.

• Pro Plus$3.34

  per month, billed annually ($39.99); $3.99 billed monthly

  500 GB of storage, longer audio and video recordings, AI transcription up to 30 hours a month, AI mind maps and generative AI.

• For Business$4.16

  per user / month, billed annually ($49.90); $4.99 monthly

  1 TB of storage for up to 10 users (+100 GB per extra user), a Teams workspace, whiteboards, an admin console and audit log access.

UpNote

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Premium for a one-time $39.99

  Premium can be bought once for $39.99 instead of $1.99 a month. UpNote says existing lifetime licenses will still be honored if its pricing model changes.

Zoho Notebook

• Annual discount

  Save up to 16% with yearly billing

  Zoho's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 16%. Pro is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro Plus is $39.99 a year against $3.99 a month.

• Other savings

  Three-year plans for Pro and Pro Plus

  Pro can be bought for 3 years at $49.99 and Pro Plus at $99.99, which is less than three yearly payments of $19.99 or $39.99.

• Education

  Free plan for students

  Students who sign up with an educational institution email address get a free student plan, and Zoho says they also get Notebook AI at no charge.