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Knowledge Management

Notion vs OneNote: Which Note-Taking Tool Fits Your Team in 2026?

A docs-and-databases workspace against Microsoft’s free digital notebook. Here is what each costs per person, what moves between them, and which one a team should standardise on.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 24, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Notion logoFrom $10/mo

Notion

VS
Microsoft OneNote logoFree; in Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)

Microsoft OneNote

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Notion vs OneNoteVerified Sep 24, 2026
Bottom line Editorial assessment

Notion or OneNote, which is better?

Choose OneNote if you want free-form notes, ink and offline notebooks at no extra cost: the app is free and it is included in Microsoft 365. Choose Notion if you want a structured team wiki with databases and linked pages; Plus is $10 per member per month billed annually.

Quick verdict: OneNote costs nothing extra: the app is free, and teams on Microsoft 365 already have it (Business Basic, $7/user/mo annual, includes OneNote on the web). Notion Plus is $10 per member per month billed annually. OneNote is a free-form notebook for capturing notes, ink and clippings; Notion is a structured workspace of pages and databases that doubles as a team wiki and light project tracker. Pay for Notion when you need that structure; otherwise OneNote is the better value.
Verified data

Notion vs Microsoft OneNote: quick facts

At a glanceNotionMicrosoft OneNote
CategoryKnowledge Management
Entry priceFrom $10/moFree; in Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)
Free planNo hard seat cap, but collaboration features gated behind paid tiersYes — the OneNote app is free

Is Notion cheaper than Microsoft OneNote?

OneNote. The app is free, and OneNote on the web is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7/user/mo billed annually. Notion Plus is $10 per member per month billed annually ($12 monthly), and Business is $20 ($24 monthly).

Verified data

Notion vs Microsoft OneNote at a glance

CategoryNotionMicrosoft OneNote
Free planNo hard seat cap, but collaboration features gated behind paid tiersYes — the OneNote app is free
Entry paid planPlus — $10/member/mo annual ($12 monthly)None needed; OneNote on the web is in Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)
Next tierBusiness — $20/member/mo annual ($24 monthly)Microsoft 365 Business Standard $14/user/mo (annual)
StructurePages, blocks and databasesNotebooks, sections and free-form pages
OfflineNot covered on the pages we checkedAll versions keep a cached copy for offline use
Where content livesNotion workspaceOneDrive or SharePoint
Import from the otherOneNote is not in Notion’s import listNo Notion importer; notebook import is deprecated
G2 rating4.6/5 (13,836 reviews)Not listed

Verified September 24, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Notion prices from notion.com/pricing (annual and monthly toggles); OneNote availability from the Mac App Store listing and Microsoft 365 Business Basic page; offline and storage behaviour from Microsoft’s OneNote FAQ; import and export paths from Notion’s and Microsoft’s help centres. All checked September 24, 2026.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

OneNote works like a paper notebook that syncs: notebooks, sections and pages where you can type, draw, paste or clip anything anywhere on the page. Notion works like a set of linked documents and databases: every page is built from blocks, and any list can become a database with properties, filters and views.

What you pay

OneNote is free as an app, and OneNote on the web is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, so for most Microsoft shops the cost is zero. Notion charges per member: Plus is $10 a month billed annually and Business $20, which adds features such as SAML single sign-on.

Offline and storage

Microsoft says every version of OneNote keeps a cached copy of your notebooks on the device, so notes open without a connection and sync later to OneDrive or SharePoint.

Moving between them

Neither tool imports the other. Notion’s import list covers Evernote, Confluence, Trello, Asana, Monday.com, Google Docs and files such as Word, Markdown, HTML, CSV and PDF, but not OneNote. Microsoft has deprecated OneNote’s notebook import and points users to PDF export instead, so expect to move pages as PDF or by copy and paste.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Notion

Pros

  • Databases with properties, filters and views, not just pages
  • Doubles as team wiki and light project tracker
  • Imports from Evernote, Confluence, Asana, Monday.com, Word and more
  • Large review base (4.6/5 from 13,836 G2 reviews)

Cons

  • Costs $10–$20 per member per month on team plans
  • No OneNote importer
  • Collaboration features gated behind paid tiers
  • Structure takes setup and discipline

Microsoft OneNote

Pros

  • Free app; OneNote on the web is in Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  • Free-form canvas for typing, ink and clippings
  • Offline copies on every version
  • Stores notebooks in OneDrive or SharePoint your IT team already manages

Cons

  • No databases, properties or filtered views
  • Notebook import deprecated; exports lean on PDF
  • No Notion importer
  • Harder to use as a structured team wiki
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Notion

 
$0/mo

Microsoft OneNote

 
$0/mo
 

List prices checked September 24, 2026. OneNote is free; the Microsoft 365 options show the cost of a business licence that includes OneNote on the web plus email, Teams and 1 TB storage. Notion prices are per member. Taxes and promotions not included.

Choose Notion if…

You want a structured team wiki with databases, templates and linked pages, and you are willing to pay per member for it.

Choose Microsoft OneNote if…

You want free-form note-taking with ink and offline access, or your team already runs on Microsoft 365 and does not want another bill.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to choose?

OneNote costs nothing to try; Notion has a free plan. Move one real team notebook into each and see which structure your team keeps up to date.

See Notion pricing See Microsoft OneNote pricing
Verified data

Notion vs Microsoft OneNote: security, offline & remote work

How Notion and Microsoft OneNote compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedNotionMicrosoft OneNote
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceCertifiedsource
Other certificationsISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018sourceISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018source
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availableEnterprisesourceBAA availablesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesBusinesssourceYessource
SCIM user provisioningYesEnterprisesourceNot published
Two-factor authenticationYessourceYessource
Admin audit logYesEnterprisesourceYessource
Data residency choicesUS, EU, Japan, South KoreaEnterprisesourceAustralia, AT, Brazil, Canada, CL, DK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, IT, Japan, MY, MX, NZ, NO, PL, QA, South Africa, South Korea, ES, SE, Switzerland, TW, UAE, UKAdvanced Data Residency (add-on)source
EncryptionAES-256 at rest; TLS 1.2+ in transitsourceBitLocker disk encryption plus per-file AES-256 encryption at rest (OneDrive/SharePoint); SSL/TLS in transitsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeWorks offlineIn the desktop and mobile apps you can view, edit and create pages offline once they are downloaded to that device; changes save locally and sync automatically when you reconnect.sourceWorks offlineAll OneNote apps keep a cached copy of notebooks on the device so notes can be used offline, and changes made offline sync to OneDrive when you next connect.source
Desktop appsWindows, macOSsourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Offline limitsPages must be marked Available offline per device; automatic download of recent and favorited pages only on Business and Enterprise; databases download the first 50 rowsBusiness (auto-download)source—
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedYesMicrosoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)source
Device & session controlsNot publishedYesMicrosoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)Entra Conditional Access can require MFA, compliant or hybrid-joined devices, approved client apps or app protection policies; SharePoint/OneDrive can block unmanaged devices or limit them to browser-only access with no download, print or sync.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Notion and Microsoft OneNote also hold ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Notion includes it on Business; Microsoft OneNote includes it. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: Notion and Microsoft OneNote will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (Notion: Enterprise).
  • Working offline: Notion and Microsoft OneNote let you keep working without a connection. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Microsoft OneNote can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1). That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: Notion lets you choose US, EU, Japan, South Korea on Enterprise; Microsoft OneNote lets you choose Australia, AT, Brazil, Canada, CL, DK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, IT, Japan, MY, MX, NZ, NO, PL, QA, South Africa, South Korea, ES, SE, Switzerland, TW, UAE, UK on Advanced Data Residency (add-on). This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.

Notion: worth knowing

  • OfflineSharing and permission changes are unavailable offline, so set access before disconnecting. source
  • OfflineOffline databases download only the first 50 rows automatically; other rows must be downloaded individually. source
  • RemoteOffline text edits merge automatically with collaborators' changes; non-text changes may need review. source
  • SecurityGuests cannot use SAML SSO; only workspace members can sign in with it. source

Microsoft OneNote: worth knowing

  • OfflineChanges made to OneNote notebooks while offline sync to OneDrive on reconnect and then appear on the user's other devices. source
  • RemoteWhen access is limited on unmanaged (e.g. personal home) devices, users get browser-only access and cannot open content in the Office desktop apps. source
  • SecurityLocation (IP) and device rules use Entra Conditional Access, which needs Entra ID P1 licenses or Microsoft 365 Business Premium. source
  • SecurityTenants in 27 local region geographies (e.g. Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, UK) can buy Advanced Data Residency for stronger in-country storage commitments. source

Checked September 24, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OneNote free?

Yes. The OneNote app is free (the Mac App Store lists it as “Free”), and OneNote on the web is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7/user/mo billed annually. Checked September 24, 2026.

How much does Notion cost for a team?

Notion Plus is $10 per member per month billed annually ($12 monthly). Business is $20 per member per month annually ($24 monthly). Enterprise is priced by sales.

Can Notion import OneNote notebooks?

Not directly. OneNote is not in Notion’s list of import sources. Notion does import PDF, Word, Markdown and HTML files, so export OneNote pages as PDF or copy and paste them.

Does OneNote work offline?

Yes. Microsoft says all versions of OneNote keep a cached copy of your notebooks on the device and sync changes when you reconnect.

Can OneNote import a Notion workspace?

No. Export from Notion as PDF, HTML or Markdown and rebuild the pages in OneNote; there is no importer in either direction.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.

Switching from Notion to Microsoft OneNote Switching from Microsoft OneNote to Notion
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best note-taking and knowledge tool” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Notion or Microsoft OneNote is the wrong purchase for your team.

Notion

Buy Notion if:

  • You want databases and linked pages
  • You are building a team wiki or lightweight tracker
  • You are moving off Evernote, Confluence or Asana, which Notion imports

Do NOT buy Notion if:

  • You want free note-taking
  • You rely on handwriting and ink
  • Your team already has Microsoft 365 and wants no new tool

Microsoft OneNote

Buy Microsoft OneNote if:

  • You already pay for Microsoft 365
  • You take free-form or handwritten notes
  • You need reliable offline notebooks

Do NOT buy Microsoft OneNote if:

  • You need structured databases and views
  • You want a searchable team wiki with templates
  • You want an importer to move in or out

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

NotionPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›Microsoft OneNotePricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Coda vs NotionHead-to-head comparisonNotion vs ConfluenceHead-to-head comparisonCoda vs ConfluenceHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.116 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.232 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent nine years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 24, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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