App vs App: Evernote vs OneNote?

[gordol]

The last comparison I see on Evernote vs OneNote on iMore is from two~three years ago, and both applications have come some way since then. I'm currently trying them both and I'm finding it hard to decide between them, each has their good and their bad.

The biggest pro on Evernote is the integration and plugin support from other applications. The biggest con is that to get reliable off-line use, you have to spend $45/year. This is a big con when using it on a tablet with only WiFi and WiFi isn't available everywhere you go (some places I'd probably want to access saved items don't even have cellular reception!).

The biggest pro on OneNote is it has that offline usability that free Evernote lacks, and does it for free on mobile devices. For the desktop, the client program needs to be purchased. Stand-alone, it costs less than two years of Evernote Premium, or comes included in newer versions of MS Office. The biggest con to OneNote is that it lacks the integration and plug-in support that Evernote has. IE, there is no "Send To OneNote"

So I'm crowdsourcing opinions. Why do you use one over the other? And I ask this knowing that most people use Evernote, so if you do use OneNote, or a specific reason not to use OneNote, why?

 

[Just_Me_D]

It's been a while since I tried OneNote, but I use Evernote all the time, and yes, I subscribe to Evernote Premium. The monthly subscription fee is worth it to me. The ease of use, the integration with apps, like Reeder, Feedller Pro, Drafts, DocuSign and others, the ability to create forms, the search function, the ease of which I can create new folder and then move my notes at will. It's a no-brainer for "me".

 

[Jaguarr40]

I am very biased about the use of Evernote and it does everything I need and then some. They just came out last week with a new version with some nice customizable features well worth trying.
I darn near use it for everything and keep many things in it. it is web based, Has a desktop version to sync with and of course the app for your phone and it all syncs on the fly.

 

[Jaguarr40]

The last comparison I see on Evernote vs OneNote on iMore is from two~three years ago, and both applications have come some way since then. I'm currently trying them both and I'm finding it hard to decide between them, each has their good and their bad.

The biggest pro on Evernote is the integration and plugin support from other applications. The biggest con is that to get reliable off-line use, you have to spend $45/year. This is a big con when using it on a tablet with only WiFi and WiFi isn't available everywhere you go (some places I'd probably want to access saved items don't even have cellular reception!).

The biggest pro on OneNote is it has that offline usability that free Evernote lacks, and does it for free on mobile devices. For the desktop, the client program needs to be purchased. Stand-alone, it costs less than two years of Evernote Premium, or comes included in newer versions of MS Office. The biggest con to OneNote is that it lacks the integration and plug-in support that Evernote has. IE, there is no "Send To OneNote"

So I'm crowdsourcing opinions. Why do you use one over the other? And I ask this knowing that most people use Evernote, so if you do use OneNote, or a specific reason not to use OneNote, why?

I did do just a small review in here a few days ago on the newest version only to bring it to peoples attention so they would check it out. You can go free or like 'D said he uses Premium if you have the need for more features. Me personally the free version has always suited me.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Jaguarr40's review of Evernote can be read via the following link:

http://forums.imore.com/ios-apps-games/278415-review-evernote-newest-version-just-out.html

 

[taz323]

Really good review by Jag

 

[Jaguarr40]

I am not quite sure how many people that are into Evernote like I am and for the benefit of the OP that this desktop version exists for PC and MAC and is very helpful to sync ALL Evernote apps and web based as well as desktop app like this one.

You can take a quick look at what puts this all together.







As you can see where it all comes together to sync and this is where I write all my guides, Sync them to my Phone, The web and my desktop. By using all the tools that Evernote gives you and constantly updates especially the app on your IOS device there is no reason IMO for any other productivity app, Just wanted to add this to make sure you know what this really consists of. Thank you.

 

[gordol]

I am not quite sure how many people that are into Evernote like I am and for the benefit of the OP that this desktop version exists for PC and MAC and is very helpful to sync ALL Evernote apps and web based as well as desktop app like this one.

Thank you. But I am trying to get an understanding of why Evernote vs OneNote. Is there something that Evernote does for you that OneNote does not?

 

[Jaguarr40]

They are both free, Download them both as their is nothing like hands on and the one you don't like - Simply delete it. I don't know what else to give you. Read and use and that should do it for you.

Maybe this will help you as well:

http://www.imore.com/microsofts-onenote-hits-app-store

One hopefully lastthing to remember is you have you use Microsoft in order to use OneNote since it is a Microsoft Product.

 

[zerog46]

For me like most have said it's the integration and the ease of use. I use it for everything, it's on both my iPhones, my Mac Air and both my Work PC and laptop. It work so well for me. And I get MS Office from work and I still prefer Evernote.

 

[taz323]

No expert on OneNote, Evernote has just been my go to, it works with ease and it updated offten.

 

[fb2]

I use both of them and they're both awesome, but have different principles and features.

If you're on Mac, then you have the small problem; there's no Mac version of OneNote, but there's a awesome OneNote Web app

Evernote is cool, feature rich, but you're limited to their layout and it's just one endless page with one column with informations.

OneNote has almost all features of Evernote but you don't have limitations. The pages are endless big and you can have a arbitrary number of columns and can place text, picture, sounds, files and lot more However you like without limitations. You also have categories and subpages etc.

I use OneNote for personal and important stuff and Evernote for less important stuff which have to be organized but where I don't need much features like in OneNote, like summaries of books etc.

You should try them booth and see yourself

 

[gordol]

They are both free, Download them both as their is nothing like hands on and the one you don't like - Simply delete it. I don't know what else to give you. Read and use and that should do it for you.

I am trying them both out. And I'm finding it hard to decide between them. They each have what is to me a big flaw. The problem is, they are essentially opposite flaws. Evernote is SaaS (Software As A Service) which I do not like, and OneNote lacks integration with the device it's installed on and appears to lack meaningful tagging of notes/articles.

On the desktop and on the iPad I prefer the UI of OneNote, but on the iPhone I prefer that of Evernote.

Maybe this will help you as well:

Microsoft's OneNote hits the App Store | iMore

Saw that in my initial search of iMore for an Evernote vs OneNote review. That article is three years old, doesn't compare the apps, and both apps have been upgraded since then.

One hopefully lastthing to remember is you have you use Microsoft in order to use OneNote since it is a Microsoft Product.

I have no problem with that. I use Windows, I have Office '07 installed (cost is the only reason I never updated to '10).

And I'm flip-flopping. As soon as I start to lean towards one, it's lack/flaw drives to the other, then the same thing happens that sends me back again. That's why I'm asking for why people use one vs the other. For my current usage, they're too evenly matched.

 

[gordol]

I use both of them and they're both awesome, but have different principles and features.

Why do you use both? I can understand if you used one at work and the other at home, but both in the same environment? How do you keep track of what is in which?

 

[Jaguarr40]

I am trying them both out. And I'm finding it hard to decide between them. They each have what is to me a big flaw. The problem is, they are essentially opposite flaws. Evernote is SaaS (Software As A Service) which I do not like, and OneNote lacks integration with the device it's installed on and appears to lack meaningful tagging of notes/articles.

On the desktop and on the iPad I prefer the UI of OneNote, but on the iPhone I prefer that of Evernote.


Saw that in my initial search of iMore for an Evernote vs OneNote review. That article is three years old, doesn't compare the apps, and both apps have been upgraded since then.


I have no problem with that. I use Windows, I have Office '07 installed (cost is the only reason I never updated to '10).

And I'm flip-flopping. As soon as I start to lean towards one, it's lack/flaw drives to the other, then the same thing happens that sends me back again. That's why I'm asking for why people use one vs the other. For my current usage, they're too evenly matched.

Nobody can further help you but you, We have given you more info than I can think of, You have to make a decision and stick with it.

 

[Ledsteplin]

I'd like to add one thing. I use a great keyboard note app called Swiftkey Note. It syncs with Evernote. It makes typing a breeze and saves time. But I'm always on wifi.

 

[Just_Me_D]

I'd like to add one thing. I use a great keyboard note app called Swiftkey Note. It syncs with Evernote. It makes typing a breeze and saves time. But I'm always on wifi.

I recently started using it, and I like it a lot. I've replaced the native Notes app with it, but now I'm trying to justify keeping it AND the Drafts app installed. Drafts is similar but can send notes to a slew of services, including Evernote. I've had it installed for a while and I doubt I'll be getting rid of it anytime soon….

 

[fb2]

And I'm flip-flopping. As soon as I start to lean towards one, it's lack/flaw drives to the other, then the same thing happens that sends me back again. That's why I'm asking for why people use one vs the other. For my current usage, they're too evenly matched.

To be honest, I was in the exact same situation and tried both and always switched between them. I also used a lot of other software like DEVONthink, Circus Ponies
NoteBook and almost every notes app which where available for Mac and iOS. The best services are OneNote and Evernote.
But as I said in my early post the seem to do the same, but they are completely different in how they work.

As you pointed it out by yourself, OneNote does have a lot more features and is higher customizable, but it lacks in integration with other software (on iOS).
Evernote is restricted in a lot ways, doesn't have the freedom of OneNote like placing everything where you want, put as many stuff in it as you want, resize and lot more. But on the other hand it has a great sync service and interact with a lot of other apps and they can use stuff like "Send to Evernote" or "Sync with Evernote", which works great. I testet it with a lot of apps like Drafts, Cloud Outliner and lot more.

Therefore You have to decide which Informations you want to handle, if you always need them with you, if the entry of the informations should be easy and fast or organized well and well-thought.

Other aspects are the price and availability. Evernote is free but charges 45$ per year, but if you don't need the premium features then it's great. I don't know if it's just in Germany, but I got a one-year premium account just because I'm a Telekom customer
I testet the premium features, but to be honest I don't need them.
Evernote is available for Mac, Windows, as well as a web app and lot of other systems.

OneNote is also free on iOS, but it costs $69.99 for Wndows if you buy it standalone. It less expensive if you buy office altogether or if you have access to something like "Office 365 University" which is pretty awesome! BUT you don't have to, you can use the OneNote web app on both Mac and Windows and it's completely free and works really great.
You also have no syncing errors (like with the OneNote App on Windwos sometimes), because you work directly with your database which is in the Cloud ("SkyDrive", now called "OneDrive"). So you also always have access to your notes just like with Evernote.

Why do you use both? I can understand if you used one at work and the other at home, but both in the same environment? How do you keep track of what is in which?

As I mentioned in my last post and in this post and as you also pointed it out by yourself, both systems offer different features and have a different handling. I use OneNote for everything which is important and which has to be structured very well and detailed. I also have a lot of categories, subcategories etc.. Therefore OneNote is really awesome, especially the OneNote app for iOS are awesome. I use it on iPhone and iPad. To be honest the OneNote App for iPad with a retina display is just awesome, you can see all your stuff and entries on the go and zoom in/out to incredible levels. I really don't know why this is free, I would also pay for this app and the service, which is far better than Evernote. But high quality and high performance also have some drawbacks, it's a little bit slow and lags sometimes if you're working with pages with a lot of informations on iOS. Therefore it's good for well-thought stuff and not directly good for frequently quick entries or quick changes.

BUT on the other hand Evernote is really to use to use and to understand and it's also really fast. On iOS, Mac, Windows and web. That's why I use it for other and less important stuff. For example recipes of food. I can quickly open, see and change the stuff. Or for example if I read a book (mostly novels), I also ways use a template which I created in Evernote to enter every character name and description, places and storyline with important informations. So I know and can remember exactly what happened after some time, for example if I hadn't time to read and want to read further later ;p
Therefor Evernote is really good, because it uses and needs less memory and I can quickly switch between apps to make some notes etc.

I hope you understand how I use it, but you really have to decide yourself. Here are some random questions, which you should go trough. Of course there are a lot more, but that were the questions which I asked myself:

• Which informations do you use?
• How frequently do you change the database?
• Do you mostly 'just' check the informations or do you change them a lot?
• Do you quickly enter input or well-thought?
• which system do you use (Mac App, Windows App, Web App etc.)?
• How fast should the sync be?
• is offline access important?
• How much does it cost?
• Is it future-proof? (that's a more generell question for other apps which were not that known, but I think both will be available at least the next 5 years)

Please also criticize if there's something not clear or seems strange

--
PS: I don't think you'll ever get a more detailed answer

 

[gordol]

To be honest, I was in the exact same situation and tried both and always switched between them. I also used a lot of other software like DEVONthink, Circus Ponies
NoteBook and almost every notes app which where available for Mac and iOS. The best services are OneNote and Evernote.
But as I said in my early post the seem to do the same, but they are completely different in how they work.

As you pointed it out by yourself, OneNote does have a lot more features and is higher customizable, but it lacks in integration with other software (on iOS).
Evernote is restricted in a lot ways, doesn't have the freedom of OneNote like placing everything where you want, put as many stuff in it as you want, resize and lot more. But on the other hand it has a great sync service and interact with a lot of other apps and they can use stuff like "Send to Evernote" or "Sync with Evernote", which works great. I testet it with a lot of apps like Drafts, Cloud Outliner and lot more.

Therefore You have to decide which Informations you want to handle, if you always need them with you, if the entry of the informations should be easy and fast or organized well and well-thought.
...
PS: I don't think you'll ever get a more detailed answer

That was very detailed, thank you. And to the others who provided input.
So in the end, it appears to boil down to which I need more: Offline availability of my data vs integration with other iOS applications. And that, as has been mentioned, is something only I can answer. The rest of the feature sets are a wash in either direction.

 

[projectman]

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. I sat down and devised an organizational approach between "notebooks," tags, and note titles. That did it for me. Combined with the robust-enough environment, always available (even if that was just iPhone access), the option to email certain attachments to my EV account...Evernote was enough. Even though I still really like OneNote I finally gave it up. It wasn't effective enough for my needs (take that description very loosely 'cause I probably could have made it work).