App vs App: Evernote vs OneNote?

gordol

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I am coming late to the party but I was in this exact same situation a couple years ago. I found OneNote to be very helpful detangling my ideas at work. It is very robust. However, Evernote allowed me to sync (literally) between every device in my arsenal, whether it be PC, tablet, phone, etc. While OneNote was more robust, Evernote was more available for me.
That's one of the changes in the past three years: OneNote is now available across the board. Native apps on iOS and Android, both phone and tablet.


I sat down and devised an organizational approach between "notebooks," tags, and note titles.
Tags are a major weak spot in OneNote, you've got the tags Microsoft gives you and that's it. And none of them are really organizationally minded, they're process minded (such as "important", "to do", etc.

And there I go again, flip flopping... I was almost set on using OneNote...
 

fb2

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Additional: I also wanted to mention that OneNote for Windows is the best note taking and organizing tool, but unfortunately it'n not available for Mac, that's why I use the great OneNote Web App, but it's still not the same and depends on a internet connection all the time. There is finally a Mac App which is able to read and also to edit OneNote databases and also directly in SkyDrive. But unfortunately it has a lot of errors and corrupts my database that's why I don't use it. If I would just use Windows and my iDevices then I would only use OneNote, but on a Mac it's easier to quickly input stuff and exchange with other apps with Evernote.
 

applejosh

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I have both. My work PC came with Office 2010 (and obviously OneNote). It is a nice note taking app on Windows, and is structured like many paper based notebook setups. It does integrate somewhat with Microsoft apps (and if you live in Outlook, etc., then it works well). My biggest complaint was that to get real sync, I had to put my notebooks on Sky(One)Drive. I'm not a huge fan of that, to be honest, but I gave it a go. (I also tried Outline+ for iPad with saving my notebooks to Dropbox with some success.)

I have used Evernote (to some extent) for a number of years, and I am a premium subscriber. The benefit for me was that I can access my notes from just about everywhere. When I want to use my personal Mac, I can still access my notes if someone happens to call me for work related items without having to go dig out my PC from the home office (yes, I can be that lazy). While I suppose the Sky(One)Drive web site could be used, I much prefer native apps. Also, I just prefer Evernote on my mobile devices, and I do a considerable amount of data capture there. I also like the ability to forward emails to Evernote and have them appear in my account (from any device, not just from Outlook). I still occasionally use OneNote on the work PC (it is a very nicely done application), but I tend to lean towards Evernote for most things, just because it's everywhere I want it to be, usually through a native app.

While you may have an aversion to Evernote because it is a SaaS, I consider Sky(One)Drive to also be a SaaS since it provides a document syncing/editing service. So I see both almost in the same light. Yes, one is free (but I wonder what about me is being sold to advertisers), but they both hold your data out there in the "cloud" and provide a means for editing that data. For me, the benefits of Evernote (easier capture on mobile devices, tagging, platform availability, to name a few) make it a better choice for my needs.
 

gordol

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I have both. My work PC came with Office 2010 (and obviously OneNote). It is a nice note taking app on Windows, and is structured like many paper based notebook setups. It does integrate somewhat with Microsoft apps (and if you live in Outlook, etc., then it works well).
I don't live in Outlook, not even at work where that is the mail client.
My biggest complaint was that to get real sync, I had to put my notebooks on Sky(One)Drive. I'm not a huge fan of that, to be honest, ...
I have used Evernote (to some extent) for a number of years, and I am a premium subscriber. The benefit for me was that I can access my notes from just about everywhere.
So, what's the difference between trusting Microsoft with your notebooks vs Evernote?


And, in my back and forth between the two apps, I have found that I can access either one from anywhere becaue they both have mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, and both have web apps for use on any desktop/laptop. Accessabiity convenience is the same.
While I suppose the Sky(One)Drive web site could be used, I much prefer native apps.
Me too. But, at least for now, I'm using OneNote on the desktop via the web as if I decide to stick with OneNote, I'll be upgrading Office (I currently have '07 whcih appears to not have OneNote).
Also, I just prefer Evernote on my mobile devices, and I do a considerable amount of data capture there. I also like the ability to forward emails to Evernote and have them appear in my account (from any device, not just from Outlook).
On the iPhone, I find them to be about equal in UI, but on the iPad, I prefer OneNote's UI with the sections and pages layout.


Most of my data capture, at least for now, is on the desktop. And OneNote, if the application is installed, integrates with anything that can call a printer, as it installs the "OneNote Printer" to send the current document to OneNote (If OneNote was in the iOS Send To option, that would probably cinch it).
I still occasionally use OneNote on the work PC (it is a very nicely done application), but I tend to lean towards Evernote for most things, just because it's everywhere I want it to be, usually through a native app.[
It was me starting to use OneNote at work to organize my personal templaces better than I could in Notepad that got me interested in using it or Evernote on my personal stuff, moving some tthings to there that I currently have in a poorly syncing iOS Office app or on one device only in an app that does not work well with the other device.
While you may have an aversion to Evernote because it is a SaaS, I consider Sky(One)Drive to also be a SaaS since it provides a document syncing/editing service.
Any online service is SaaS under that guide. However the issue is that Evernote Premium is a subscription service. That's SaaS. Where you pay a monthly/annual fee to continue to use the software and if you stop paying, you risk loosing your data. In this case, to be able to access your own data offline, you have to pay them a subscription. OneNote, otoh, can be used free forever with offline access via your mobile apps, and the desktop client is a one time purchase that can be used until the Sun goes nova.
 

gordol

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I don't live in Outlook, not even at work where that is the mail client.

So, what's the difference between trusting Microsoft with your notebooks vs Evernote?
I had settled on OneNote a couple weeks ago, the cincher for me was a specific defect in EverNote's desktop client that was mangling my note titles.

I had been procrastinating over purchasing the desktop OneNote program, and now I'm glad I did as it went freeware as of yesterday (as long as you don't need Outlook or Sharepoint integration, which I do not).
 

Amamba

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OneNote on PC is an immensely powerful application, there's nothing that even comes close. The integration with Outlook, the way you can turn any line into Outlook task with a simple click, the freestyle placement of components like screenshots - Evernote is a child's toy by comparison.

Yet, I use Evernote for personal stuff. For two reasons.

First, OneNote misses lots of functionality on Android (which I still use for my phone) and I assume on iPad also. E.g. no hand written notes. I can use Skitch to quickly jot down someone's phone #, and will find it in Evernote later.

Second, OneNote files are huge, and rely on OneDrive for sync, which can get slow. Evernote syncs to some cloud somewhere, so I am not worried about getting a 2 GB file on my phone.
 

gordol

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Yet, I use Evernote for personal stuff. For two reasons.

First, OneNote misses lots of functionality on Android (which I still use for my phone) and I assume on iPad also. E.g. no hand written notes. I can use Skitch to quickly jot down someone's phone #, and will find it in Evernote later.
This is changing. The Engadget article where I found OneNote went freeware, was actually about the Livescribe SmartPen's new ability to send handwritten notes to OneNote. Send notes to OneNote with your Livescribe 3 smartpen if you're interested. But for me, it's a non-issue. My handwriting is bad enough on real paper, it's even worse on a touchscreen. I write too fast and small for it to be picked up reliably on my phone or tablet. :)

Second, OneNote files are huge, and rely on OneDrive for sync, which can get slow. Evernote syncs to some cloud somewhere, so I am not worried about getting a 2 GB file on my phone.
EverNote uses Evernote's servers. At a guess, I'd say they're leasing "cloud space" from Amazon's service but I have no actual info on that.

For me, one of the key feature differences is that I can access my data offline. This is important if you're somewhere without cellular or wifi. To do that with Evernote you have to pay a subscription fee, and that has always been free with OneNote.
 

Amamba

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This is changing. The Engadget article where I found OneNote went freeware, was actually about the Livescribe SmartPen's new ability to send handwritten notes to OneNote. Send notes to OneNote with your Livescribe 3 smartpen if you're interested. But for me, it's a non-issue. My handwriting is bad enough on real paper, it's even worse on a touchscreen. I write too fast and small for it to be picked up reliably on my phone or tablet. :)


EverNote uses Evernote's servers. At a guess, I'd say they're leasing "cloud space" from Amazon's service but I have no actual info on that.

For me, one of the key feature differences is that I can access my data offline. This is important if you're somewhere without cellular or wifi. To do that with Evernote you have to pay a subscription fee, and that has always been free with OneNote.

That's true, but the install of OneNote and a sample notebook is almost 600 mb ! That's insane, I got a 32 GB mini but I don't want to use up a whole gig on one program.

There was a paid app somewhere - not awfully expensive, just a couple $ - that claimed you could get offline Evernote with it. Not sure if it worked, though.

However, I am not sure I want all my notes offline. Again, I may be mistaken, but I think OneNote doesn't let you specify what goes offline - every notebook you sync is available offline. I can see the storage space being eaten up in a hurry that way. One of the biggest nasty surprises when switching to iOS from Android was that iOS apps are insanely bloated - a typical large Android app is 20mb, the iOS is easily 10x that size, so while I was fine using an 8 GB Nexus 7 for over a year, I had to exchange my initial 16 GB rMini for a 32GB one. So I'd be wary of eating up all that space by old receipts.

PS: You can get offline access for free in Springpad. I don't like their visual organization or the fact that you can't add checklist to the note after you started it, but if offline access is important and you don't want a huge chunk of your space taken up, this may be the one for you.
 
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Amamba

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Yesterday, I decided to give OneNote yet another try, disregarding the space requirements. While it feels much snappier than what I remember, I also ran into a couple of major (for me) limitations. There's no way that I can find to export a note from iPad - only a link. Many organizations are blocking OneDrive, so if I use OneNote for taking meeting minutes or writing any docs I need to share with others, I can only do it from a computer. With Evernote, I can email the page from iPad. Second, OneNote doesn't appear in the list of programs I can send to, so I can't add a file from Dropbox or upload a hand written sketch from GoodNotes. To me, these limitations are unacceptable. I want to be able to, say, open a PDF attachment from an email, mark it up in a meeting in GoodNotes, upload it into my main info storage program, add some typed notes, and send it out to 20 different people from different companies that are part of that ongoing meeting. And when I have a follow up meeting, open up the record, update it, and send it out again, all from the iPad without having to go back to my PC.

Evernote does this. OneNote would be a much better record organization tool if it did this. I will reinstall Springpad and see how it compares; it doesn't have some of the best features of Evernote and Onenote, like OCR search in PDF, and the overall interface is clunkier, but the offline access is free.
 

Zug3349

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I tried Onenote but uninstalled it because of its huge space and because Springpad in Chrome and Iphone works much better. In the past I also tried Evernote, but I wanted something free then I switched to SpringPad which makes more or less the same things.
When (hopefully) Google will launch Google Keeps for iOS I will also drop Springpad.
 

Alex Meander

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Evernote. I haven't heard of OneNote before but Evernote is simple to use. I find the side bar to be annoying though but I assume it's there until I decide to upgrade to Premium for a cost.
 

Tre Lawrence

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Evernote (for my needs). The third-party accessories (notebooks, scanners) etc are fantastic.

The integration with other apps is unmatched as well in my usage.