The Microsoft OneNote Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Microsoft OneNote in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Microsoft OneNote
The Insider’s Guide
Microsoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among note-taking apps, read from Microsoft OneNote’s own pages.
Made by Microsoft · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06After you payGetting your money back, getting out, and getting help
- 07The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 08Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 09About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Microsoft OneNote’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Microsoft OneNote’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.8
GPA, above 147 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade
OneNote is Microsoft's digital notebook app for typed notes, handwriting, voice recordings and web clippings. It is free to download on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android and also runs in a browser, with notebooks kept in Microsoft cloud storage so they open on every device. A Microsoft 365 subscription is optional and adds 1 TB of storage, Copilot features in the desktop apps and a few premium tools.
To get you started, here are 10 things to know about Microsoft OneNote, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Reviewers say the notebooks-and-sections layering keeps subjects apart.
- 1
Best for free notebooks on every device
OneNote is a free notebook app for Windows, Mac, phones and the web, with typing, handwriting, voice recordings and web clippings on the same page and no Microsoft 365 needed.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
- 3
There is a free plan
OneNote is free to download and use on every supported platform. A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of cloud storage, shared with OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Typed, handwritten and scanned notes
Pages hold typed text, digital ink from a pen or stylus, pictures and videos. The mobile app also scans documents and extracts their text.
- 6
Voice transcription and dictation
Voice transcription captures spoken notes for later review, and the iPhone and iPad app takes dictation in 27 languages, some of them in preview.
- 7
Copilot in OneNote
Copilot responds to prompts to draft plans, generate ideas, create lists and organize information. Microsoft 365 plans include the desktop apps with Copilot, subject to usage limits.
- 8
Refunds: 30 days
The app itself is free, so the only thing to refund is the Microsoft 365 subscription behind it, and Microsoft's account-wide policy is a generous one: 30 days from the purchase, plus a stated right to your most recent renewal charge back. Two things hold it short of an A.
- 9
A 3.8 GPA, above 147 of 147
That is against the other note-taking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 10
Keep it
To replace Microsoft OneNote you would be making dictation that types into any app on your computer. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft OneNote at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Personal)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365. A credit card is required, and it converts to a paid subscription unless canceled.
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Category
- Note-Taking Apps
- Our grade
- 3.8 GPA, excellent
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 1,066,911 ratings
The report card
Best for free notebooks on every device
OneNote is a free notebook app for Windows, Mac, phones and the web, with typing, handwriting, voice recordings and web clippings on the same page and no Microsoft 365 needed. But sync draws repeated complaints in its App Store reviews, free storage stops at 5 GB shared with OneDrive and Outlook, only the Windows app keeps notebooks on your own drive, and Linux gets the browser version only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | OneNote itself costs nothing on every platform it supports, in a category whose middle plan is $6 a month. The paid route, Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, is less a notes upgrade than 1 TB of storage plus Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Copilot. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The app is free in full on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with no features held back. The cupboard is the catch: a free Microsoft account has 5 GB, shared with your OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments, and plenty of people have hit that already. |
| Features | A | Typed text, pen or stylus ink, pictures, video and voice on one page, voice transcription, dictation in 27 languages, document scanning that pulls the text out, a free Web Clipper for Edge and Chrome, and shared notebooks. Class and Staff Notebooks for schools are something rivals don't offer. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.71 from over a million App Store ratings, which is the top mark on our scale. Reviewers say the notebooks-and-sections layering keeps subjects apart. Sync is the grumble: repeated complaints about notes slow to reach another device. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, the web and a browser clipper, tied into OneDrive, SharePoint, Word and Excel. That's the full set. Linux gets the browser version only. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Microsoft OneNote is for
- Fits if you already have a Microsoft account and want free notes on every device
- Works for writing by hand with a pen or stylus and typing on the same page, or for Class Notebooks in schools
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want notebooks kept on your own hard drive, as only the Windows desktop app can do that
- Tight if your free 5 GB is already full of OneDrive files and Outlook attachments
- Not for you if you're on Linux and want a real app, because there it's browser-only
- Watch out: App Store reviews repeatedly complain about notes slow to sync to another device
- Watch out: the Microsoft 365 trial needs a card and converts to a paid plan, and its AI is for the owner only, with usage limits
Good to know
Good for
- People who already have a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Handwritten notes and sketches with a pen or stylus
- Teachers and students working in Class Notebooks
- Free note-taking across Windows, Mac, phones and the web
Worth knowing
- A free Microsoft account stops at 5 GB of cloud storage, shared with OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments.
- Only the Windows desktop app can keep notebooks on a local hard drive; the other versions work with cloud notebooks.
- Microsoft 365 AI features are limited to the subscription owner, with usage limits, even on the Family plan.
- Microsoft lists apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android but none for Linux, where OneNote is browser-only.
What people say
- 4.7on the App Store, from 1,066,911 ratings
What they like
- The layered structure of notebooks and sections is what several reviewers say lets them keep many subjects, classes and lists in order.
- Reviewers and a commenter like mixing handwriting with typed text and imported documents on one page, including writing on top of a PDF or transcript.
- Having the same notes on phone, tablet and computer is a reason reviewers and a commenter give for relying on it.
What they don’t
- Syncing draws repeated complaints: reviewers describe notes or images that are slow to reach another device or do not arrive, in one case after switching accounts.
10 App Store reviews, seven of them more than three years old, and about 5 Hacker News comments from March 2025 to May 2026
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
7
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Microsoft OneNote that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from Microsoft OneNote’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Microsoft Support's OneNote articles (exporting, password protection, recovering deleted notes, copying text from pictures, keyboard shortcuts) and its Microsoft 365 cancellation page on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Leaving
Exporting a whole notebook only works in OneNote for the web
Right-click the notebook in OneNote for the web and pick Export notebook to get a Zip. Microsoft says this only works for notebooks on a personal OneDrive, not work or school OneDrive or SharePoint. Leave several GB free, and split a notebook that's too large.
support.microsoft.com - 2
Leaving
Cancel Microsoft 365 and an over-full OneDrive can be deleted
Cancelling drops you to 5 GB shared across OneDrive and Outlook.com, and that's where your notebooks live. Over it, new files won't upload or sync, and Microsoft warns that after 6 months it may delete your OneDrive and everything in it. Trim or export first.
support.microsoft.com - 3
Privacy
There's no way back from a forgotten section password
You can lock a section, not a whole notebook, and audio and video can't be protected. Microsoft says that if you forget the password, not even its support can unlock the notes. Locked sections also drop out of searches until you unlock them.
support.microsoft.com - 4
Setting
Make password-protected sections lock themselves
In OneNote for Windows, go to Options, then Advanced, then Passwords. You can lock protected sections after a set time without use, or as soon as you move away from them. The second one means a section closes the moment you click elsewhere.
support.microsoft.com - 5
Easy to miss
Right-click a picture to copy the text out of it
In OneNote on Windows, right-click a picture and pick Copy Text from Picture, then paste it anywhere, Word and Outlook included. With a printout you can grab one page or all of them. Microsoft says some results can take 24 to 48 hours to be ready.
support.microsoft.com - 6
Easy to miss
Deleted pages wait 60 days in the Notebook Recycle Bin
In OneNote for Windows it's under History, Notebook Recycle Bin: right-click a page, choose Move or Copy and send it back. Pages and sections can be recovered for 60 days unless the bin gets emptied. A deleted section group's sections come back, but the group doesn't.
support.microsoft.com - 7
Shortcut
Ctrl+1 turns any line into a to-do
In OneNote for Windows, Ctrl+1 adds a To Do tag, Ctrl+2 marks a line Important and Ctrl+0 clears tags. Ctrl+E searches every notebook, Alt+Shift+D drops in today's date and Ctrl+Shift+M opens a Quick Note.
support.microsoft.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8.33
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Microsoft OneNote has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
The app is free in full on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with no features held back.
OneNote
$0
The standalone app on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, used with a free Microsoft account and its 5 GB of cloud storage.
Microsoft 365 Personal
$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
For 1 person: 1 TB of cloud storage and the OneNote, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot, on up to 5 devices at once.
Microsoft 365 Family
$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
For 1 to 6 people, with 1 TB of storage per person (up to 6 TB). AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Microsoft 365 Premium
$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year
Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot chat usage, agentic AI features for research and analytics, and more AI image creation.
The free plan
OneNote is free to download and use on every supported platform. A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of cloud storage, shared with OneDrive files and Outlook.com attachments.
Trying it first
1-month free trial of Microsoft 365. A credit card is required, and it converts to a paid subscription unless canceled.
Read from microsoft.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 17% lower cost with yearly billing
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 per year against $9.99 per month ($119.88 over twelve months). Family and Premium show the same gap between yearly and monthly prices.
Stated on microsoft.comEducation
Free Office 365 Education for students and educators
Microsoft's education site says students and educators with a valid school email address are eligible for Office 365 Education, which includes OneNote, at no cost.
Stated on microsoft.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Microsoft 365 Personal”, against $9.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺329,99 | $6.71 | 33% less |
| India | ₹ 689 | $7.12 | 29% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 136ribu | $7.61 | 24% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 489.00 | $7.78 | 22% less |
| Brazil | R$ 50,90 | $10.17 | about the same |
| Australia | $16.00 | $11.17 | 12% more |
| Germany | 10,00 € | $11.21 | 12% more |
| United Kingdom | £8.49 | $11.22 | 12% more |
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Microsoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, AI features, transcription, dictation, notes, web clipper.
Class and Staff Notebooks for schools are something rivals don't offer.
- Typed, handwritten and scanned notes
- Pages hold typed text, digital ink from a pen or stylus, pictures and videos. The mobile app also scans documents and extracts their text.
- Voice transcription and dictation
- Voice transcription captures spoken notes for later review, and the iPhone and iPad app takes dictation in 27 languages, some of them in preview.
- Copilot in OneNote
- Copilot responds to prompts to draft plans, generate ideas, create lists and organize information. Microsoft 365 plans include the desktop apps with Copilot, subject to usage limits.
- Sharing and collaboration
- Notebooks are cloud-connected, so they can be shared with other people and opened on a PC, a Mac, a phone, a tablet or in a browser.
- Web Clipper
- A free browser add-on for Edge and Chrome captures web content into a notebook, where it can be edited, annotated and shared.
- Class and Staff Notebooks
- Class Notebook gives each student a personal workspace, a content library for handouts and a collaboration space. Staff Notebook does the same for school teams.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- OneDrive
- SharePoint
- Word
- Excel
Microsoft OneNote is made by Microsoft.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
147/147
Other note-taking apps it is graded above
Microsoft OneNote's GPA of 3.8 is higher than 147 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade.
It stands best on features (A, above 135 of 147) and worst on free plan and trial (B, above 71).
Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 54 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 4.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 148 note-taking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Microsoft OneNote’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 62 of 147
- BFree plan and trialAbove 71 of 147
- AFeaturesAbove 135 of 147
- AEase of useAbove 133 of 147
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 128 of 147
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 note-taking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft OneNote is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Microsoft OneNote you would be making dictation that types into any app on your computer. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.8 is higher than 147 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade. It costs $99.99 a year.
What you could make
- Notes and web clipper: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Dictation that types into any app on your computer.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: handwriting.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Microsoft OneNote’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 06 · Refunds
After you pay
Getting your money back, getting out, and getting help
What happens once you have paid: whether you can get your money back, how to leave, and how to reach a person when something goes wrong. Each is graded from Microsoft OneNote’s own terms and help pages.
Refunds and cancelling
Good · checked Oct 18, 2026
The app itself is free, so the only thing to refund is the Microsoft 365 subscription behind it, and Microsoft's account-wide policy is a generous one: 30 days from the purchase, plus a stated right to your most recent renewal charge back. Two things hold it short of an A. Microsoft hedges with in most cases and only tells you whether you qualify once the cancellation is running, and dropping the subscription cuts your storage to 5 GB, which is where OneNote notebooks live.
- Refund window
- 30 days
- How you cancel
- Yourself, in settings
- Getting your money back
Microsoft's subscription refund policy states that in most cases you may receive a refund within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever is sooner. You are also entitled to a refund of your most recent recurring charge if you cancel within 30 days of that payment, once per Microsoft account per subscription product. Prorated refunds exist only in listed countries.
Stated on support.microsoft.com- How to cancel Microsoft OneNote
A Microsoft 365 subscription bought from Microsoft ends by signing in to the Microsoft account services and subscriptions page and selecting Cancel subscription, shown on some accounts as Upgrade or Cancel. Microsoft says refund eligibility is decided automatically while you cancel. Bought through the App Store, Google Play or a retailer, it is cancelled and refunded by that store instead.
- Sign in to the Microsoft account services and subscriptions page
- Next to the Microsoft 365 subscription, select Cancel subscription or Upgrade or Cancel
- Read the Please review section at the top of the cancellation page
- Go through the rest of the page, including the alternative plans Microsoft suggests
- Confirm at the bottom that you do not want the subscription to continue
- What you keep afterwards
The cancellation article says your storage falls to 5 GB of cloud storage and 15 GB of Outlook.com storage, and that on a Family or Premium plan the people you shared with are cut back too. Over that allowance you cannot upload, edit or sync new files to OneDrive or use Outlook.com email, and after 6 months Microsoft may delete your OneDrive and its files. OneNote itself stays usable on a free account.
Stated on support.microsoft.com- Renewals
Microsoft bills on the renewal date, monthly or yearly by plan, for as long as recurring billing is on. Turning it off stops the next charge while the subscription keeps working normally until the expiry date. No reminder before a renewal is mentioned, and a subscription paid for with a download code or single-use token cannot have recurring billing turned on.
Stated on support.microsoft.com
In your favour
- Thirty days from the purchase to change your mind, which is at the generous end for this category.
- A renewal charge is refundable too if you cancel within 30 days of it, which Microsoft states plainly.
- You cancel it yourself in your Microsoft account: no notice period and nobody to write to.
- OneNote keeps working on a free Microsoft account after the subscription ends.
Watch out for
- Microsoft says not all cancellations end in a refund, and decides that during the cancellation itself.
- The refund on a renewal charge can only be claimed once per account, per subscription product.
- Storage drops to 5 GB, and files over the allowance may be deleted after six months.
- Subscribed through the App Store, Google Play or a retailer? They handle the cancelling and the refund.
Customer support
Good · checked Oct 18, 2026
Every paying customer can get to a person: Microsoft's contact page offers live chat with a specialist once you have been through the self-help suggestions. It stays a B because no hours and no reply time are published for that chat. Business admins are the only ones given hours and a phone number, and OneNote users on the free app get the help site and the forum rather than a queue.
Ways to get help
Live chat
The Contact Us page says self-help options come first and that further help, including live chat with a Microsoft specialist, is available after them. No hours are given for the chat.
Stated on support.microsoft.comPhone
Microsoft publishes support phone numbers by country for admins of a Microsoft 365 for business subscription, with a PIN check if the call comes from a number the admin centre does not hold. Consumer plans get no number on these pages.
Stated on learn.microsoft.comHelp centre
The OneNote help and learning site holds written articles and training on notebooks, sections, pages, syncing, the web clipper and troubleshooting across Windows, Mac, web and mobile, readable without signing in.
Stated on support.microsoft.comCommunity or forum
Microsoft Q&A has a public Microsoft 365 and Office tag where users and Microsoft staff post and answer questions, open to anyone.
Stated on learn.microsoft.com
Not listed on Microsoft OneNote’s pages: email, contact form or ticket.
- When people answer
Only the business pages give hours: technical support in English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with local languages varying by country, and billing support in English from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday, in most countries. The consumer contact page states no hours at all.
Stated on learn.microsoft.com- How fast it says it replies
Its pages do not say.
- What depends on your plan
The phone and ticket routes are for admins of a Microsoft 365 for business subscription, and the page says those who bought through a partner should go to that partner. It also says an admin picking a contact method is shown the expected wait time. Everyone else, including people using the free OneNote app, goes through the general Contact Us page.
Stated on learn.microsoft.com
In your favour
- The contact page says a Microsoft specialist answers the chat, not a bot.
- Business admins get a published phone number and English technical support around the clock.
- The OneNote help site and the Microsoft Q&A forum are open to free users, not just subscribers.
Watch out for
- No hours and no reply target are published for the consumer chat.
- You have to work past the self-help suggestions before a chat is offered.
- Consumer plans get no phone number: the published numbers are for business admins.
- A business plan bought through a reseller sends you to the reseller for support.
What these two grades rest on. Read on 18 October 2026: Microsoft's subscription refund policy, its articles on cancelling a Microsoft 365 subscription and on recurring billing, the Services Agreement, the Contact Us page, the Microsoft 365 for business support page, the OneNote help site and the Microsoft Q&A Office tag. OneNote has no policy of its own, so these are the account-wide rules. Nobody here cancelled a plan or contacted its support. They are graded apart from the five that make the GPA. How we grade refunds and support.
Part 07 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Evernote, Notion, Google Keep, Apple Notes and Goodnotes
The 5 tools Microsoft OneNote is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Evernote
Free plan · from $99/yr
Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search.
- Microsoft OneNote also covers transcription and dictation.
- Evernote also covers templates, tasks and calendar.
- 3.2GPA
Notion
Free plan · from $10/mo
Workspace for docs, wikis, databases and projects with built-in AI.
- Microsoft OneNote also covers transcription, dictation and web clipper.
- Notion also covers databases, wiki and templates.
- 3.2GPA
Google Keep
Free plan · from $7/mo
Google's app for quick notes, lists and reminders.
- Only Microsoft OneNote lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Microsoft OneNote also covers dictation.
- Google Keep also covers tasks.
- 3.4GPA
Apple Notes
Free
Apple's free notes app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web.
- Only Microsoft OneNote lists Windows and Android apps.
- Only Microsoft OneNote lists a browser extension.
- Microsoft OneNote also covers dictation and web clipper.
- 3.6GPA
Goodnotes
Free plan · from $11.99/yr
Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant.
- Only Microsoft OneNote lists a browser extension.
- Goodnotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft OneNote also covers dictation and web clipper.
Part 08 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
21
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Microsoft OneNote free?
Microsoft OneNote has a free plan. OneNote is free to download and use on every supported platform.
How much does Microsoft OneNote cost?
Microsoft OneNote lists 4 plans. OneNote: $0.
What platforms does Microsoft OneNote work on?
Microsoft OneNote is available on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Does Microsoft OneNote offer any discounts?
Microsoft OneNote publicly lists the following: About 17% lower cost with yearly billing; Free Office 365 Education for students and educators.
How is Microsoft OneNote rated?
Microsoft OneNote's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1,066,911 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 7, 2026.
Is Microsoft OneNote any good?
We have not tested Microsoft OneNote, so this is what reviewers say. Often praised: The layered structure of notebooks and sections is what several reviewers say lets them keep many subjects, classes and lists in order.
Does Microsoft OneNote have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft OneNote is listed for Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Is Microsoft OneNote open source?
Microsoft OneNote is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Microsoft OneNote work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does Microsoft OneNote integrate with?
Microsoft OneNote's listing names OneDrive, SharePoint, Word and Excel.
Does Microsoft OneNote have a student discount?
Free Office 365 Education for students and educators. Microsoft's education site says students and educators with a valid school email address are eligible for Office 365 Education, which includes OneNote, at no cost.
Does Microsoft OneNote have a free trial?
Yes. 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365.
Who makes Microsoft OneNote?
Microsoft OneNote is made by Microsoft.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft OneNote?
The closest alternatives to Microsoft OneNote in our directory are Evernote, Notion, Google Keep, Apple Notes and Goodnotes.
Does Microsoft OneNote give refunds?
Microsoft's subscription refund policy states that in most cases you may receive a refund within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever is sooner.
How do I cancel Microsoft OneNote?
A Microsoft 365 subscription bought from Microsoft ends by signing in to the Microsoft account services and subscriptions page and selecting Cancel subscription, shown on some accounts as Upgrade or Cancel.
What happens to my data if I cancel Microsoft OneNote?
The cancellation article says your storage falls to 5 GB of cloud storage and 15 GB of Outlook.com storage, and that on a Family or Premium plan the people you shared with are cut back too.
How do I contact Microsoft OneNote support?
Microsoft OneNote's pages list these ways to get help: live chat, phone, help centre and community or forum.
How does Microsoft OneNote compare with other note-taking apps?
Microsoft OneNote's GPA of 3.8 is higher than 147 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade.
Is Microsoft OneNote good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Microsoft OneNote A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 54 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Microsoft OneNote?
To replace Microsoft OneNote you would be making dictation that types into any app on your computer.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Microsoft OneNote’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Microsoft's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Microsoft's OneNote page would not load for our reader on 9 October, so the prices are as the listing has them. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-17.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices change, so check microsoft.com before you buy.
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onenote/digital-note-taking-app
- onenote.cloud.microsoft/
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/what-s-the-difference-between-the-onenote-versions
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/frequently-asked-questions-about-onenote-in-office-2019-and-microsoft-365-6582c7ae-2ec6-408d-8b7a-3ed71a3c2103
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/getting-started-with-the-onenote-web-clipper-5696609d-c5ae-4591-b3af-1f897cb6eda6
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-storage-faqs-8fca6272-3427-4cce-a437-2c5ed84550a9
- microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/onenote
- apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246
Part 09 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Microsoft OneNote, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-onenote
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Microsoft OneNote: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-onenote
Know someone choosing between note-taking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-onenote/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded note-taking apps after Microsoft OneNote, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Note-Taking Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 148 note-taking apps we grade, compared
- Goodnotes Insider's GuideHandwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant3.6 GPA
- Joplin Insider's GuideOpen source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose3.6 GPA
- Obsidian Insider's GuideMarkdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device3.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Microsoft OneNote’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Microsoft OneNote is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices and plans change: check microsoft.com before you buy.