# Microsoft OneNote vs Notepad

The clearest difference is ads: Microsoft OneNote at none against Notepad's shown. Microsoft OneNote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Notepad's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft OneNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Notepad sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Microsoft OneNote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft OneNote has 1.1M ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Microsoft OneNote's written reviews are positive against 33% of Notepad's.

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, Notepad every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft OneNote | Notepad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews)** | [4.3 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-an-organised-notes/id1099400916/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 64 |
| Positive reviews | **44.8% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#85** | — |
| Size | 406 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Parth Pandya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1063945331) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft OneNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246)

**Currently charting:** #85 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture thoughts, ideas, and plans in a digital notepad. Organize, search, and secure your notes, memos, and sketches. Sync across devices for access anywhere, anytime. Collaborate with others on shared notepads.

**Highlights:** Capture thoughts and ideas, Digital sketchbook, Organize and search notes, Sync notes via OneDrive, Collaborate on shared notepads, Handwritten notes and drawings

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $11.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple, works well
- 👍 Great for planning
- 👍 Powerful note-taking app
- 👍 Invaluable tool for note taking
- 👍 Used for years, couldn't be without this app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔨 Could be better
- 🔨 Formatting issues on mobile app
- 🔨 Buggy widget, no dark app icon
- 🐛 Glitchy, crashes often
- 🐛 Terrible sync speeds

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor positioning is erratic
- Search function does not work well
- Ink to text conversion missing on iPad
- Syncing issues, notes not syncing properly across devices
- Crashing, freezing, and performance issues

**Requested features**

- Native Markdown support and merged cell support
- Ruler, ability to choose or create notebook covers
- Ability to password protect app or individual notebooks
- Option to open on last opened page instead of Home
- Ability to turn note into task that appears on To Do and Planner


### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-an-organised-notes/id1099400916)

Securely store and organize your thoughts with advanced features like PIN/biometric locking and an anti-theft system. Convert images to text, sync across devices, and customize your notes with rich formatting and tags. Share, backup, and easily retrieve your important information.

**Highlights:** PIN/Biometric note locking, Anti-theft system with photo capture, OCR for image to text conversion, Cloud sync across devices, Rich text formatting and styling, Tagging and color-coding for organization, Text, photo, and drawing note types

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month License For Notes App | $1.49 | per month |
| 1 Year License For Notes App | $11.99 | per year |
| Ad Free Notes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Month License | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year License | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

Microsoft OneNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Notepad free?

Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft OneNote or Notepad?

Microsoft OneNote is rated higher. Microsoft OneNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1M ratings, while Notepad averages 4.3 from 64 ratings.

### Do Microsoft OneNote or Notepad have ads?

Notepad shows ads; Microsoft OneNote does not.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft OneNote or Notepad?

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, and Notepad every 3 months. Most recently, Microsoft OneNote was updated on September 29, 2026 and Notepad on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*