# Microsoft OneNote vs MyScript Notes

Microsoft OneNote and MyScript Notes both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of MyScript Notes's written reviews are positive against 45% of Microsoft OneNote's. Microsoft OneNote's advantage is ratings volume (1.1M vs 39K) and chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft OneNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and MyScript Notes sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Microsoft OneNote against 4.7 for MyScript Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft OneNote has 1.1M ratings behind it against 39K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Microsoft OneNote's written reviews are positive against 66% of MyScript Notes's.

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, MyScript Notes every 9 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft OneNote | MyScript Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews) | [4.7 (39K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/myscript-notes-ai-handwriting/id1119601770/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | 39K |
| Positive reviews | 44.8% of reviews | **66.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 404 MB | 266 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [MyScript](https://appshunter.io/developer/446368119) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft OneNote

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

**Currently charting:** #65 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


### MyScript Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/myscript-notes-ai-handwriting/id1119601770)

Transform handwritten notes into editable text with advanced AI. Brainstorm on an infinite canvas, annotate PDFs, and create structured documents. Supports 66 languages and works across devices.

**Highlights:** AI handwriting recognition, Infinite canvas for brainstorming, PDF annotation, Handwriting to typed text conversion, Math equation recognition, Multi-language support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MyScript Notes – Full Access | $1.99 | per month |
| MyScript Notes – Full Access | $7.99 | per year |
| PDF Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Connect Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Essentials Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Full version | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nebo Pro | $9.99 | one-time |
| Full version | $14.99 | one-time |
| MyScript Notes – Full Access | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent handwriting recognition
- 👍 Intuitive and responsive interface
- 💡 Useful gestures and shortcuts
- 🚀 Fast conversion of handwriting to text
- 👍 Ability to organize notes in notebooks and collections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Issues with syncing and data loss
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with formatting and editing
- 💡 Lack of keyboard support and text editing features
- 💡 Limited customization options for paper styles and fonts

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when importing large documents
- Handwriting recognition fails for certain symbols and abbreviations
- Formatting issues when converting handwritten notes to text
- Sync issues leading to data loss across devices
- Inability to move or rearrange pages within notebooks

**Requested features**

- Add support for keyboard input and text editing
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Introduce more customization options for paper styles and fonts
- Enhance diagram and equation handling capabilities
- Implement better collaboration and sharing features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

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

### Is MyScript Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft OneNote or MyScript Notes?

Microsoft OneNote and MyScript Notes are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.1M and 39K ratings respectively.

### Do Microsoft OneNote or MyScript Notes have ads?

Neither Microsoft OneNote nor MyScript Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft OneNote or MyScript Notes?

Microsoft OneNote ships an update weekly, and MyScript Notes every 9 days. Most recently, Microsoft OneNote was updated on September 24, 2026 and MyScript Notes on September 24, 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.*